OUGD401. Context of Practice 1. Studio Task 1. Critical Analysis.

we had a session with fred in which we talked about the ideas of critical analysis and how we look at art and design from a critical standpoint. 

we begain by talkin about where and who we are as designers and how our role fits into certain constraints and ties together with certain practices. 

we were shown a number of designs and asked, as a class, to judge them on weather they are bad or good. fred then asked it why we thought this and upon what criteria we based our judgements. he made us realise that a lot of what we were basing our decisions on was unfounded or purely aesthetic.

we made a list of criteria that covers various ways in which we can analyse a design.

1. layout
2. composition
3. colour
4. communication
5. context
6. concept
7. legibility
8. function
9. intended audience
10. skill/ability
11. content (non - visual)
12. content (visual)
13. media/method of production

we then went on to talk about what critical analysis is and how we should go about analysing something in a way that is standardised.

D.I.E.T

D = describe - what can i see?

I = interpret - what is it about?

E = evaluate - how good is it?

T = theorise - how could it be improved?

Describe - colour, type & manipulation, layout, composition, quality & use of image, line & stroke, texture, theme, content, concept, structure, media used.

Interpret - message, clarity, function, context, audience, copy, tone of voice, concept, audience, understanding, artists awareness of design.

Evaluate - aesthetic value, quality, communication of message, intent, design quality, quality of execution, functionality, clarity.

Theorise - media, method of production, process, depth of study, development, composition, typography, colour, intent, overall aesthetics.

we got into groups of two, i was with harrison, and were asked to get out two images that we had brought in; one piece of graphic design that we liked and one that we didn't.

mine were:

like.

dislike.

http://www.somecovers.com/covers/preview/bright-tape-graffiti-tape%20facebook%20timeline%20cover.jpg

harrison's were:

like.

http://mcbess.com/images/BLOG/dudes_factory_flyer.jpg

after looking at each others designs and briefly talking about them we were asked to apply the D.I.E.T system to each piece together.

my like:

my dislike:

D. a cassette tape made into a black and white stencil positioned centrally to the design and tilted to make it look more flatter from perspective. black tape reel coming out the tape with a chisel tip style to it strung across the bottom right half in a random heap. behind the tape are marker pens, also stencils, laid out diagonally and downward facing in a wallpaper style pattern. above and behind the tape are images of roman numeral style graffiti tags. one has a black outline and a drop shadow and the other is just block white. background is a mix of pinks, yellows, and reds and there is a scuffed/worn effect applied throughout.

I. about street art. graffiti. hip hop. 'cool designs'. down with it. text is illegible and images non-de script so i was unable to make a judgement about the intent of the design or its audience etc.

E. rubbish. poor aesthetic value. really bad composition with little thought, sense or succes in the positioning of each aspect. no discernible message or communication. very unclear. poor use of type. horrible colour combinations. terrible use of digital design effects. shows no skill or understanding.

T. come up with a reason or point to communicate. avoid random collaging of shape, image, text etc. find a better typeface or design text with readability in mind. find better quality imagery and dont use stencils. use better colours and consider combinations and clashes and the audience. 

harrison's like:

D. a monster style character with long, thick, glossy, curly black hair. no facial features but a blank grey face but with an open mouth and same style moustache. character is bearing its teeth that have swirly line patterns on them and its tongue is coming out which has the same hair effect and looks like vinyl. there is text over the face with different letters made from different fonts. very illustrative. some letters look like stripy boiled sweets and others look like the stuff that comes out of the hoover in the rugrats title scene. there is a big simple 6 on the tongue and the side information is in a script style font. in the top corner there are 3 drips coming out that may indicate surprise. 

I. its an advert/poster/flyer design promoting a club night in berlin. im not sure what the night is about because it doesn't really give any info on that. 

E. fantastic design skills. great demonstration of hand control and use of CAD. really like the composition - its not over crowded or over considered, seems very natural and it works. really aesthetically interesting, lots of detail to be discovered. aesthetically pleasing. good use of type, not too many fonts and all work in line with each other. good use of layout, type is centralised or sidelines but not all over the place. like the lack of colour just greyscale. adds a minimalist dimension to the design and really helps bring out the line and stroke work. 

T. the information given is a bit lacking and doesn't really explain what the flyer or the night is about. the text could be slightly more equally aligned - in particular the dates on the right hand side could be slightly further away from the middle.

harrison's dislike:

from this session we were asked to complete the studio task. 

Why is critical analysis an important part of education, learning and devloping your understanding:

1. it helps me to understand what is considered good and bad graphic design and for what reason, in line with appropriate criteria.
2. it helps improve my ability to recognise quality, demonstration of skill, and success in design inside and outside a critique environment.
3. it helps me to understand a designer's process and methods which, in turn, educates my own abilities.
4. i can apply the same methods of critical evaluation to my own work in order to recognise my own successes and flaws, and improve them, in a professional way.
5. it helps me to recognise my own likes and dislikes and why they exist in a way that i can back up my opinions.


Identify and explain why the crit (group critique) is useful in the development of your work, skills and opinions:

firstly, im critting and being critiqued in an environment based on dialogue and discussion. thought is good but often people are clouded by their own views and opinions and so it is important to voice your own thoughts in order to understand them and hear other peoples reactions to your thoughts, along with their thoughts, in order to gain a fuller and better considered evaluation. it gives me a chance to improve my recognition of of others successes/flaws and the ways in which articulate the explanation of my thoughts and opinions. it gives me a chance to gain the knowledge of others and their support/advice on how to improve my own work. it allows for a number of fresh eyes to view my work and spot things that i may not have noticed myself. other than that its a fun and engaging process where discussion and constructive debate is encouraged which in turn educates me and i want to learn.

Choose 5 criteria from the list that were generated during the studio session. For each criteria brefly summarise what will generally affect how you judge what you like and dislike when analysing examples of work.

1. colour
colour can be extremely useful or a complete disaster and i think its hard to get a good balance/choice to suit the design but if you do then colour can look and communicate amazingly. i like complementary colour schemes and multiple shades of one colour with an opposite or contrasting one included. that or black and white because sometimes its too hard to choose.

2. layout
i think layout is a crucial part of design that communicates the mesage in an understandable and logical way. i like simplicity and minimalism in layout as i feel that communication should be simple to be understood and so a complicated layout makes understanding someting more idfficult. 

3. skill/ability
i consider skill to be how effectively, in terms of quality of communication, aesthetic, production quality, reception by intended audience, a designer can use their abilities and knowledge and the tools around them to producce a design. i think good skill is a mix of hand rendered and cmputer design and an ability to use the best parts of each together.

4. media/method of production
i think how you make something and what you make it with are both important for the final product because this is how it will be recieved by the audience. i like physical media more than digital and i feel it connects to more of the senses. i like quality stcok and an understanding of different processes to use the best one.

5. concept
this is an important aspect of design as its all about the quality of communication and without an understanding of the concept and aims you cannot achieve a quality communication. i like a concept that really understands its audience and tailors itself to them.