Harilaos Skourtis, class of 2010

The Project

Deconstructing Dialogue is an abstraction of coffee and cigarettes, a film by Jim Jarmush, composed of eleven short films. Each of these short vignettes feature a discussion at a table where the characters drink coffee and smoke cigarettes. Each poster in the grid is a dissection of the dialogue in a scene. The structures are derived from studying aspects of conversation such as the frequency of recurring words. The overlapping themes, connections, and recurring topics in the film inspire the forms that these diagrams take.

harilaos' Advice

1. Be Flexible.
Don’t panic, but not everything will go as intended. Plan ahead and make a list of your goals, then manage your time accordingly. Be sure to leave time for inevitable hiccups in your grand plan. And most importantly be flexible enough to alter your vision to accommodate time, space, monetary, technological and other issues that arise. Don’t box yourself in, the ability to adapt will help you and your project survive and flourish.

2. Think Big Picture.
Your senior project is more than just a stellar presentation at Commencement. It will be represented online as well as in your print portfolio. Above all it is a way to start a dialogue with other designers and prospective employers. Choose something you are interested in and that you can really talk about. If you’re not intrigued by the subject, chances are nobody else will be either. This is a chance to reflect your interests and personality, as well as your design skills.

3. Have Fun.
This is an opportunity to experiment and play. Try new things and don’t settle for the simple solution. Don’t stress out over the details; enjoy having control over them. Get excited about content and research as much as you can. The more you know the easier 
ideas will flow. 
 

---

Harilaos is currently a designer at 160over90 in Los Angeles.
See more of his work at harilaos.com.