OUGD401 : Context of Practice - Studio Session 1, Critical Analysis
As part of our first Context of Practice studio session, we focused on crirical analysis. In groups of six and using the four examples of graphic design we had each collected as preparation for the session we were asked to separate the images into 'good' and 'bad' examples of graphic design.
We based these judgements on criteria such as;
- Layout
- Colour
- Context
- Content (visual)
- Fuction
- Concept
- Composition
- Legibility
- Communication
- Visual quality / skill level
- Non-visual content
I was then required to analyse graphic design in more depth by, pairing up and using DIET to analyse one piece of graphic design chosen by me and one chosen by Danielle, who I was paired up with.
D - Describe (What can you see?)
I - Interpret (What is it about?)
E- Evaluate (How good is it?)
T - Theorise (How could it be improved?)
D - This is a book illustration which is typography based and uses a bold blue / red colour scheme. It also shows experimentation, as the designer has used a scanner to achieve the 'broken up' effect.
I - The design aims to visually communicate the instruction 'don't answer the phone' which is a 'rule' in horror films. To convey this idea the designer has used the 'phone cable' imagery and the colour red which is often associated with danger.
E - Although I like the designers use of experimentation, I feel, at first the design is not legible and therefore would not communicate to an audience.
T - To improve the design, I feel the design could rework the type, particularly the words 'the' and 'answer' to improve the legibility.
D - This piece of design is a business card for the company Fresh Air Farm, its aim is to advertise and promote the services of this company.
I - The design has a minimalistic style to it which is conveyed by the two colour process and the simplistic illustrations used, I also like the retro-style curved corners as I feel it is quite unusual.
E - I feel the piece works well as an advertisement, as the layout is simplistic and all the information is legible. I also like how the designer has used the 'cloud' illustration to create the idea of fresh air which links in with the name of the company.
T - Although I believe the design communicated its function, personally, It does not stand out or would be memorable to me. I feel the designer could experiment more, particularly with the layout of the design.
'Identify and explain five reasons why critical analysis is useful'
Inspire own ideas - Critically analysising others work is particularly useful as as well as inspiring my own design work it, it can also inform it by showing me what does or does not work.
Improves contextual knowlegde - I find the critical analysis of others work is useful as it has improved my contextual knowledge of artists/designers and art movements.
'Identify and explain five reasons why the critique is useful'
Confidence - I have found, that the crit is an effective way to improve confidence, particularly the formal crits which require us to present our outcomes to a large group. However, recieving positive feedback from other members of the group has also improved confidence within myself and my work.
How to improve - During the crits, I have found the constructive feedback, where members of the group have suggested how I can improve my design particularly useful as it has helped me to develop my work to appeal to an audience.
What to do next - Particualry in the interim crits, I have found it useful to recieve from students and tutors, what I could do next to develop my work.
Learn about others ideas and styles - As every member of the group has been given the same brief, I find the crit to be a particularly interesting way to see how others have interpreted the brief and see their design style.
Communication - I have found the group crits particularly useful for communication, as I am often in a group with members of the class who I have not spoke to before, which act as an 'ice-breaker'.
'Five Criteria'
Layout - I personally, prefer an minimalistic or simplistic layout to an 'busy' layout as I feel it is more striking. I believe the layout of this CD cover works well as particularly on the back cover, the design has been able to include all the relevant information without over-crowding the design.
Colour - As with layout, I also prefer the colour scheme to be minimalistic. In my own design work, I prefer to use two or three colours as I believe that several colours within one design can sometimes look tacky, and also distract from the design itself. I feel the colour scheme in the this Peter Rabbit inspired design works well as the bright blue used for the title contrasts well with the black and white design and make its more interesting.
Content (visual) - Within my own design work, I like to use both type and image. I particularly like the use of type and image within the logo design for IBM by Paul Rand, I like how rand has connected the imagery and type together by using stripes.
Concept - I believe that the concept, is an important part of the design. I particularly like design work where the designer has shown experimentation, as I feel these designs are often more visually appealing, which is a trait I would like in my own work. This design, by Lewis Caroll is page layout for his book Alice in Wonderland, I like how Caroll has used the type to create an image as although this is a simplisitic idea it stands out and is more interesting than a page of type.
Visual Quality / Skill Level - Although, I believe a lot of skill goes into computer generated design, I personally associate visual quality and skill level with hand-rendered design. I particularly belive that paper-cutting art shows skill level as the designs are often very intricate and would be hard to reproduce.
