MODULE EVALUATION

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

The written aspect of this module has undoubtedly been a skill that has developed in this brief. Having never written more than 3000 words before, I now feel that I know what to expect for an extended piece of writing such as this. I feel, while my writing is not 100% perfect, I have improved my ability to develop an argument and put my point across over a larger piece of text. My skills as an academic writer have not particularly been applied too well due to my tendency to waver from the academic conventions. However, the writing an essay structure and skills in putting together a bibliography, and producing a finalised academic have gone from zero to satisfactory, so I feel that it has been a success for me personally.

Research has been a huge factor in this module and my skills to withdraw appropriate information in order to construct an argument have been developed significantly. I feel that this particular aspect of the brief could have been applied better as I became somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of information, and potential lines of inquiry that I could follow up, I feel my skills to organise my research could have been improved in this respect.

Developing a practical piece of graphic design in built on a theoretical foundation is a skill that I had not touched on in the past. I feel that I have applied the theory quite successfully and that my practice and theory is beginning to have a symbiotic relationship in this brief. I think this is something that certainly needs to be developed in my future practice in order to give personal work, and some aspects of professional practice, a true and effective context.

What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

My design development has been an interesting change in this module. Have produced an essay with a significant amount of reading and inquiry, I felt more inclined to develop a concept rather than piece of polished design. I think my design practice is starting to shift to focus more around the concept stage above any other part of the brief. This has particularly informed the development of this module as the practice has been heavily informed by theory and research. 

My essay subject was an interesting one to conduct in this circumstance. I approached a subject that was about self setting work, and my outcomes for the brief were all self set work. In reflection I feel that I was in a constant state of primary research as my process was constantly driven by the subject, and vice versa. Having now realised this, I feel like I could have exploited it further in order to strengthen my research. 

My design production was based heavily on a design for proposal mode of working, and I feel that if I had tried to produce something tangible I would not have been able to apply my theory in a coherent way. Producing proposal boards has allowed my to explain and reinforce my practice to a greater degree. By not worrying about the production, I have been able to focus on how this theory could be applied on a grander and more ambitious scale. 

What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

The strength in my work is probably down to being able to make my own decisions and form an opinion about a particular subject independent of things I have read. I will continue to capitalise on this in future by producing work that is injected with my own personal point of view. I think this is something that I want to inject into my practice far more as I still feel that I have not yet settled into my own way of personal practice, which gives my work a binding  philosophy. 

I think the strength in this module in particular is that the subject matter is something that interests me greatly, and it is something that I continue to work on in future in a natural and synthesised way. Due to the nature of my topic, and as a graphic designer, I will be able to take an informed approach to self set projects and analyse what my motives and intentions are. This was something I was thinking about when choosing my topic, as I wanted something that would inform my future practice, and would be easily transferred into my practice after college.

What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

Once again I have had to contend with my inability to organise myself in a professional manner. The research I undertook became somewhat overwhelming and in some cases I found myself researching for research’s sake, and the research, while being relevant to the subject matter, did not help me construct the wider argument in my essay and theoretical practice. I found that the research became a cycle of constant inquiry and I did not feel I knew when to stop inquiring, and start initiating. This is something that I am aware of now, and, while I have no intention of doing another academic research project, it will be something that I can carry out in my personal development as a designer in my own path of personal research. Due to the extent of the essay and research project, I felt in a constant rush to get things done, and I feel this reflected in my work. Due to having many other commitments, and this being a project under a strict timescale, I should have executed the entire project in a more logical synthesised way. Looking back, if I were to do the module again, I would be able to produce a more synthesised project of theory and practice. In the first two years, I did not think to synthesise my practice into my research in a constant cycle of inquiry, and I feel, if I were to undertake the module again I would be far more aware of what it takes to do so. 

My ability to structure and manage the essay’s content was quite poor in places, however I feel I did the best I could in the given circumstances. I have no intention of writing an extended academic piece again, however I feel that my writing has improved, and what I learnt about essay structure, and constructing an argument will undoubtedly help me in my professional practice.

Overview

This module, including the last 3 years, has been extremely valuable in my personal and prospective future development. The lectures have been excellent in informing my critical perspective of the world around me. This has culminated in a final project that, while not perfect by any means, has provided me with a line of inquiry in my personal practice that directly informs my personal and professional practice in the future. The module has allowed me to research and guided me into the world of graphic design criticism, amongst many wider social, historical, cultural and philosophical concerns. If I were to see a version of myself who had not completed this module, I would see a less informed and lacking graphic designer, concerned with the superficialities of the profession. I now feel well acquainted with the critics of the profession and I can see graphic design beyond the plethora of visual forms.

I feel more informed about the way in which visual communication informs

While my response to the module has by no means been perfect, the mind-set I now have, and the ability to think critically in a multitude of different situations has given me the strongest foundation I could ask for in education. Being able to make my own informed decisions with a degree of conviction will allow me to build my professional practice around a theoretical core.

How would you grade yourself in the following areas;
(5 - excellent // 1 - poor)

Attendance: 3
Punctuality: 3
Motivation: 4
Commitment: 3
Quantity of work: 4
Quality of work: 3

RATIONALE

RATIONALE: THEORY

In the essay component, 4 models of graphic authorship were highlighted by Almeida and McCarthy to provide a basis on which a progressive and future mode of graphic design practice can be built.

The 4 models, ‘Design as Advocacy’, ‘Design for Art’s Sake’, ‘Entrepreneurial Opportunities’, and ‘Collaboration of Equals’, were found to have a direct connection with the self-set projects that graphic designer’s undertake.

The practical component aims to synthesize 3 of these models of practice, and provide a proposed practical context for their exemplification.

RATIONALE

A growing number of graphic designers are finding themselves in professional environments where they are able to pursue projects built on speculation and uncertainty. In the past, this could have been the result of numerous unforgiving conditions deeply seated in the professional day to day graphic design practice, but primarily, in the way in which graphic design work is comissioned.

The question “What if?” is rarely a viable option in the wake of a client-set brief. Hence speculative projects, and progressive modes of practice, tend be projects set by the self, to the self, for the self and other like-minded creative individuals.

While these projects are often initiated by an individual, some of these projects are open opportunities for collaboration, entrepreneurship, and the advocation of causes that satisfy the existential brief that graphic designers, often unconsciously, set to themselves.

Graphic designers are constantly expanding the field by taking a transdisciplinary approach. Some graphic designers are able to carve completely new pathways for their career in the ever-changing creative industries.

SELF SET aims to provide a platform for the speculative, inquisitive, and progressive graphic designer, who uses the discipline beyond it’s distinguised confines.