Dimensions is the student-produced journal of architecture at the University of Michigan published annually since 1987.
ARCH466 is a two-term commitment that offers 1 credit in the fall and 3 credits in the winter. The organizing workshop guides the student staff until the project itself takes hold. The goal of the workshop is to introduce students to the interdependent relationships between content and form as they relate to the publishing of projects, essays, and interviews on architecture. The workshop will study the means and methods of book design through exposure to typography, working with image and text as a commingled practice of design/editing, and printing production. These subjects will be implemented through the design of the Dimensions publication.
Architecture students with an interest and/or experience in criticism/writing, graphic design/ typography, editing/publishing are strongly encouraged to attend the first meeting. Graduate students (and motivated undergraduates) are welcome. The staff is generally sized at 6–8 students. 1 credit is issued for the workshop in the Fall term and work related to the call for submissions, followed by 3 credits in the Winter term focused on the design and production of the journal. Contact the advisor if the course time conflicts with other classes.
Dimensions staff are required to participate weekly, act independently on individual and group tasks, and participate in the comprehensive editing, design, and production of the journal. The duration of the design/production phase depends largely on the motivation of the students to work as a collective and direct themselves beyond the organized workshop meetings.
This is not a class. (Ok, technically it is.) But more importantly it is a project, as work on the journal will extend through most of the regular Winter term with additional closing duties capping the term. Students will be expected to contribute the necessary effort until the journal is complete and submitted for printing. Previous Dimensions continued to set a precedent for both the quality of the content and form, and it is the aim of this year’s staff build upon the accomplishments of previous volumes. But as they say: “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
A note on hybrid/remote work: Dimensions is built for hybrid work. It was an early adopter of Slack and hasn’t used email for team communication in ten years! It pivoted in 2020 and published the book remotely in 2021. Resource files from previous years are organized on cloud storage and a wiki is used for base information. These provide a foundation from which to work on the journal.
Learn more about Dimensions and see previous volumes at dimensionsjournal.us
