OUGD401 Studio session 1: Critical analysis Task.

Task

Based on the material, exercises, discussions and concepts introduce during the sudio session: Identify and explain 5 reasons why critical analysis is an important part of education, learning and devloping your understanding. Identify and explain why the crit (group critique) is useful in the development of your work, skills and opinions. 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. (you should aim to use the images that you brought to the session as examples).

Research Sources/Further Information

The critea by which you 'judged' the quality, effectiveness and appropriateness of the examples of work in the session included: colour, layout, communication, visual content, non-visual content, function, quality of execution, legibility, audience, context, concept, message, media/method of production.

1.Identify and explain 5 reasons why critical analysis is an important part of education, learning and devloping your understanding.

- I am able to see which are my weak areas are, and what I should do to Improve these.

- I am able to see what I am strongest at, and so I can accentuate these points. 

- I am able to gain others opinions/ hear their ideas which will enable me to broaden and strengthen my work.

- I am shown what threats/ obstacles could arise when I further my work and I am advised on how to tackle these.

- I can discover what opportunities are available to further my work and be advised on what is the best root to take.

Group crits are not only great for receiving feeback from both peers and tutors, but they also enable me to talk more freely and confidently about my work, which is an essential skill in the graphic design industry. I learn where my strengths are and what works well, and what can be improved. Looking at a calibre also helps me to shape my opinion on what kind of graphic design I like, and what aspects of my work is most favourable. Group crits are also great for development, as in the studio session we found that as a group we all had pretty much the same opinions on what is good and bad in graphic design therefore creating a common criteria, and a knowledge that the feedback that we get from other students in crits is just as important as that given by tutors.

communication
Is its message clear and understandable? Is the form detracting from its function? Its communication its priority? Has it got the whole message across?

(http://strictlypaper.com/blog/2011/08/fairy-tales-and-monsters-paper-cut-by-damian-ohara/)

 The Poster has no clear indication of its function which is to promote an arts festival, although the visual design is breath taking I feel this has been more of a focus than the communicative prospect. It does get part of the message across, the imagery presents a subject semantically the same as the title. There is a date on which the festival takes place. However what the festival is for will take some underlying knowledge.

Media/ Method of production

Was the process Lengthy? Has It taken a lot of skill and attention? Does it work with the message? Is it the most appropriate media for the function?

When looking at design I generally prefer design that seems like it has used a lot of skill in order to create, The above for example is a piece I picked for a previous task that I really liked. Paper cutting is very intricate and takes more time to produce. The way in which it has been used as a pose to illustration is also influential as it opens up ideas for design and also dictates the idea that only one colour is needed to use.

Audience.

Is it successful at appealing to the right audience? Is the language and visuals used appropriate to its viewers?

 Inclined by tone of voice and language used, more simple if aimed at a child, more developed if for adults? Do the visuals connect with the viewer? Are they on the same semantic level? 

Legibility 

Is everything visually understandable? Is writing clear? Is there any confusion? Is everything decipherable?

(http://www.pplusp.co.uk/index.php/2011/11/29/promisesposter-design/)

The above is what I would classify as totally illegible. The writing is not clear and understandable. The writing is in a different language but this is also undecipherable due to the extreme lack of readability. There is no consideration for elements such as tracking, kerning or leading, that would make the piece more legible. 

Visual content.
Does visual content reflect the message? Does visual content aid the message? Does visual content have a good relationship with message or is it incoherent?

(http://www.flintriver.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/7f26cdaf392d7e0259f1e3d4446768ad86473d91_m.jpeg)

Large illustration of train is a representative of function, to promote a mode of transport, also relevant to cultural and social issues, as at the time of production, viewers were celebrating the progress in technologies  one of which was transport.