-Task-
Based on the material, exercises, discussions and concepts introduce during the studio session:
Identify and explain 5 reasons why critical analysis is an important part of education, learning and developing your understanding:
- Strengths and weaknesses. This doesn't necessarily happen from one crit, but from many. One example could be that you are new to a software, and not sure if you have come to grips with it. After having a few crits, it can become obvious if you have learnt much from it.
- Analysing your piers work. You can learn to grasp a well informed opinion on the work of others, which in turn, helps them receive feedback in which they can work with.
- Inspiration. When looking at your piers work, you may (on rare occurrences) become fanatic about someone else's work and it could influence your own, be it colour, layout type, etc. This is not only in Practise but also Context when looking at other people's research.
- Ideas/ Mistakes. Obviously at early stages of a project, it is key to generate as many ideas as possible. Sometimes you may experience designers block, and the influence of other people's ideas can give your project a much needed kick start. Other people can also notice mistakes that have slipped your mind eg. spelling or bad editing.
-Motivation. This can be in many forms. Often you can feel insecure about your work, and not sure if it going in the right direction. From the feedback of others, it becomes possible to know if you should keep doing what you're doing, or if you should change the direction you're going in.
Identify and explain why the crit (group critique) is useful in the development of your work, skills and opinions:
I think it helps to get multiple viewpoints in order to receive different forms of feedback. If a crit is just with one other person, ideas can be limited. More people can also mean that your feedback can not only be different, but also emphasised. Sometimes one person may express their opinion, and when backed up by others in the group, it can make you feel more secure about what they are saying, and if what they are saying is true.
Choose 5 criteria from the list that were generated during the studio session. For each criteria briefly summarise what will generally affect how you judge what you like and dislike when analysing examples of work. (you should aim to use the images that you brought to the session as examples):
Communication: I think communication can be one of the most biased and subjective. If I was designing something and communicating a certain message, I would always see it as much clearer than somebody else. Sometimes communication if a message can be difficult if there is little message and the work is almost entirely for aesthetic reasons, but there are other instances, such as ethical work, where a message has to be clear.
When I try and understand a message, I think it should communicate well with or without knowledge of the context. Work does not communicate well if I leave feeling confused and unsure. A bad form of communication is if the subject is not clear, or if there is no clear theme. Communication also has to work on audience, and if the work has been directed at its' chosen audience well.
Audience: If a product is being advertised or promoted, the audience can normally be guessed. Eg. a poster promoting a new sports shoe will have an audience of people interested in sport and exercise. This can be seen without looking at the use of colour, layout etc.
The way in which I judge if a piece has served it's purpose for the chosen audience is putting myself in the shoes of the audience. If a pair of thermal socks is promoted towards the elderly, I would imagine being that age and seeing if the advert would appeal to me; Is the advert too bright? Would I prefer beige?
Quality of Skills / Execution: Again, I find this entirely subjective. If I was to judge somebodies skill, I would have to be at an equal or higher level of skill in order to judge it properly. At my current stage in my degree, I think I may possibly appreciation work produced on Adobe Illustrator more than others, as I find it is one of my weaknesses. Somebody that has comes to grips with designing in a certain style (eg. mastering Modernism) may have a more detailed eye than myself, who am fairly new to it.
Layout: Instantly, when I think of layout, I think of text, and in particular, editorial. However, it can cover image and other aspects too. I look to see if the image and text anchor or relay each other well, and if everything in the piece works well together. Bad layout is when something stands out for no reason, or if something that should be a main focus of the image is not made significant.
Concept: This is one of my favourite parts of designing, making sure the concept is strong. I guess this may be why I tend to be fussy and almost stuck up when looking at others and their concepts. When I see something with a strong and interesting concept, I find it truly inspiring. A weak concept can result in a cliche result, eg. I like playing basketball, so why I intend to make a typeface made out of basketballs. To me, I see it as lazy. A good concept should always come first before designing. A design can be beautifully designed, but without a concept that works with it, the design feels almost empty.
Communication: I think communication can be one of the most biased and subjective. If I was designing something and communicating a certain message, I would always see it as much clearer than somebody else. Sometimes communication if a message can be difficult if there is little message and the work is almost entirely for aesthetic reasons, but there are other instances, such as ethical work, where a message has to be clear.
When I try and understand a message, I think it should communicate well with or without knowledge of the context. Work does not communicate well if I leave feeling confused and unsure. A bad form of communication is if the subject is not clear, or if there is no clear theme. Communication also has to work on audience, and if the work has been directed at its' chosen audience well.
Audience: If a product is being advertised or promoted, the audience can normally be guessed. Eg. a poster promoting a new sports shoe will have an audience of people interested in sport and exercise. This can be seen without looking at the use of colour, layout etc.
The way in which I judge if a piece has served it's purpose for the chosen audience is putting myself in the shoes of the audience. If a pair of thermal socks is promoted towards the elderly, I would imagine being that age and seeing if the advert would appeal to me; Is the advert too bright? Would I prefer beige?
Quality of Skills / Execution: Again, I find this entirely subjective. If I was to judge somebodies skill, I would have to be at an equal or higher level of skill in order to judge it properly. At my current stage in my degree, I think I may possibly appreciation work produced on Adobe Illustrator more than others, as I find it is one of my weaknesses. Somebody that has comes to grips with designing in a certain style (eg. mastering Modernism) may have a more detailed eye than myself, who am fairly new to it.
Layout: Instantly, when I think of layout, I think of text, and in particular, editorial. However, it can cover image and other aspects too. I look to see if the image and text anchor or relay each other well, and if everything in the piece works well together. Bad layout is when something stands out for no reason, or if something that should be a main focus of the image is not made significant.
Concept: This is one of my favourite parts of designing, making sure the concept is strong. I guess this may be why I tend to be fussy and almost stuck up when looking at others and their concepts. When I see something with a strong and interesting concept, I find it truly inspiring. A weak concept can result in a cliche result, eg. I like playing basketball, so why I intend to make a typeface made out of basketballs. To me, I see it as lazy. A good concept should always come first before designing. A design can be beautifully designed, but without a concept that works with it, the design feels almost empty.