The Web's Grain – Frank Chimero
Frank Chimero, 2015, The Web's Grain
Short summary of the text
Starting off with nostalgia on the early days of the web, the designer Frank Chimero quicky switches to the frustrations he feels now, working with the web. Instead of letting that frustration win, he tries to look at the web from a different point of view. Starting of with the core from the web, the code, he slowly explains the difficultys emerging when doing responsive design. Next, he shows examples of websites and complains about their attempt to fix the responsive problems of technology with even more technology. In his opinion we need less technology and we sould see the web as a material to build with and not a canvas to fill. He states there is no such thing as the one canvas, the web is, as he calls it, edgeless. Lastly he encourages the reader to be more cautious about convenience, because when you don't decide some else decides for you, and to really question the role of technology in ones life, what do you want from it. He ends the text, answering that quenstion with his desire for a more graceful technolgy.
Notes:
-nostalgia and frustration in tech
–– the webs grain
––– what does this mean for implementation
––– interface design/ shared solution because shared material
––– bicycle bear websites -Edgelessness
–– visually: infinite canvas, everything is connected
–– practically (work and disciplines)
–– how we should design for screens
-conclusion:
–– ends the text with call to be cautious of too much convenience (in digital tech) - it limits agency –– we cant solve problems caused by tech with just adding more tech
–– make up your mind about: Whats technologies role in your life? And what do you want from it?
Agreement - why?
The web has a Grain and we should understand it as a material to built with
Disagreement - why?
"Edgelessness":
I get his point of edgelessness as webs hypothetical structure (individual pages, linked), being able to branch out forever
however there are:
– limits to server capacity (in some way physical edges)
– enforced limits by politics (banning specific pages or keywords)
– edges of language maybe (what is articulated but also in which language are websites written)
– the web has edges and these have real world consequences
Key insight(s)
– how we design for the web (make arrangements of elements then put them on a fixed format) different than print (which starts with a fixed page format, then adding contents)
– convenience (comfort? productive discomfort) -- to be expanded
Lingering doubts/thoughts
– we share design solutions because we share the same materials -- that makes so much sense but still misses context of the actual industry and working as a creative
– Edgelessness blurres lines between disciplines who work on things for the web
–– this would be great to happen, adjusting our work processes to the webs grain, but we're not there yet
–– is this really something specific to web or more general cultural/ creative field?
How do you connect this text with what you have been discussing so far in the SI?
– how we design for the web, here mentioned responsiveness, starting with elements rather than format, unknown proportions, but also how much agency we give to user (who is making the last decision on how they get to see content)
– connecting to our classes discussions about display and position, then 'flow' of elements and earlier video of grid
– also: frustration in tech: we discussed mastodon and chat gpt...
Select 1 or 2 words for the Alphabet Soup - write their definition
grain (noun)
A grain is a tiny, individual piece of a solid material [1]. For example an edible seed from a grass plant like rice or wheat [2]. Grain also describes the pattern or texture of a substance or its surface, for example relating to wood or film photography. [1]
The "webs' grain" emphasizes the web's materiality: the specific ways it is built and the possibilities, expectations and restrictions that this material brings forth.
Going "against the grain" is a saying that means acting different from or opposing a materials inherent fiber. According to Frank Chimero (Author of "The Webs Grain") going against the grain of the web leads to the following experience:
"What is this monstrosity? Why does it feel like docking a spaceship? Why can’t I scroll? And why is there lag on my fancy laptop? What’s that sound? My computer’s fan?" 3
edgelessness (noun)
Edgelessness describes the absence of a distinct boundary or end point. [1]
Frank Chimero defines Edgelessness as core of the webs structure: made of single pages, everything can possibly be linked to everything else. But Chimero sees this condition not only reflected in Links but also in the way we layout content for unknown screen sizes and presents it as a paradigm for work disciplines. [2] However I find it important to also mention that to some extentds the web has very real boundaries, for example regarding physical resources [3] it uses as much as (politically) enforced limits that ban access to specific pages or keywords [4].
[3] more on energy resources and the web: https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/
[4] One of the most recent examples might be Donald Trumps executive order to define sex as only male or female, leading to crucial public health information being taken down from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website (e.g. contraception guidance; a fact sheet about HIV and transgender people; lessons on building supportive school environments for transgender and nonbinary kids). https://apnews.com/article/trump-gender-ideology-sex-pronouns-order-transgender-2d7e54837f5d0651ed0cefa5ea0d6301
Prepare one question you would like to ask the other groups (based on thoughts sparked by the text)
Does the edgeless condition of the web really tear down borders between disciplines in working environment?
Fanfiction
Felines
Hi im the web. I wanted to adress a few rumors I heard about me recently. So it came to my attention, that some humans started to make a living from me, through using me (!) to earn money. First of all, that in itself is an insult. Additionally they, in all seriousness, dare to complain about me. Publicly. Ehm... I beg your pardon! They invented me to serve a bigger purpose, and now that. Well I guess it helps me grow. But in general I don’t accept that kind of behavior, so I made it extra hard for them to work with me. I’m a very responsive organism and somehow the humans are not able to work with that side of my character. They always try to press me into a specific form and shape, but I will do my best to break out of that. I will not allow them to push me into being something I don’t wanna be. So they better be looking for other stupid ways to make their holy money.
At last I read a blogpost about me from this frank guy. He tried to break me down into my smallest pieces. He states, that I have a vanilla personality. Rude. On top of that he calls me opinionated. I’m gonna show you what having an opinion sounds like, frank. You better listen closely. As you, gladly, noticed yourself, im gonna be the source of all your sadness forever and ever! I will make it impossible for you to work with me with satisfaction. I see you’re trying to come up with a smart way of tricking me and yourself into thinking that, maybe a change of view will improve your work with me. But I will tell you right now, I will always look weird to you and that will stay unavoidable and unsolvable to the end of your life. Next thing I read is that he dares to call some sides of me a monstrosity. Excuse you Frank! The only way, in which I am a monstrosity is, that I contain of a monstrous amount of knowledge. I am far more smart than you could ever be. And im way too big, to fit into any of your small attempts to describe me. Oh I see, you’re trying to describe me using this collage by a guy named Hockney. Yes you’re right. I have many facets and im not defined easily.