Blogging Workshop

What You Will Need:

• Access To Your Blog
• A willingness to improve
• Your Brain

Task 1

• Find one blog entry from OUGD504 that is written in the first person (I, me, in my opinion).
• Re-write this entry in the third person (it is, it does, the effects of which are...).
• Talk about your work with confidence as if it is a “matter of fact”

Original

I took the drawings into illustrator to produce workable vector shapes. I changed sizing and angles so that the assorted objects fit well within their given square (53cm2). After playing around with multiple line weights and path types, I began to organize the repeat pattern.

I changed the colour to a dark blue resulting from the original colours in the game; The colour also reminded me of fine china style wallpaper. I liked the one colour style on white.For my second design I focused on the little 'bomb' shape. I liked it the most and figure it would work well as a repeat pattern due to it's simple shape. After experimenting with line weights and path types. I came up with this rough, scratchy style. I like the casual hand-drawn style.

Re-write

The drawings were moved into illustrator to produce workable vector shapes. Sizing and angles were changed so that the assorted objects fit well within their given square (53cm2). After playing around with multiple line weights and path types, I began to organize the repeat pattern.

The colour was changed to a dark blue as a result of the original in-game colours. Additionally, this colour is also reminiscent of fine-china style wallpaper. At this stage, I prefer the one colour/white style. It is minimal and clean. The addition of other colours has the potential to distort the image and make the overall pattern 'muddy'. In this design the focus is the little 'bomb' shape. Out of the other designs, the simplicity of the singular shape would translate well to a repeat pattern.

After experimenting the outcome was a rough, scratchy style.

Task 2

• Find a Blog entry where you have made a design decision based on preference or aesthetic comparison.
• Re-write this entry using only objective justifications for the decision – cultural, contextual, audience, communication, primary research, literature.
• Note: Design as entity: Treat the designs as an independent entity:
           “the design is effective because...”          “the inclusion of red gives the design a ...” !
• Give objective reasons...not reasons based on personal preference.

Original

I prefered the square ones because I felt the circles didn't have enough space but again, that's just my technical ability and 'rushing’. Looking back now, I do prefer the one without the border perhaps. I feel as though I'll constantly go back and forths and it would take seeing the logo in use for me to fall in-love with it.

Re-write

The square bordered designs are structured and well-spaced, they give the type a 'complete look'. The strong border would work well in being recognized at different sizes. The circular versions spacing is not-centered. The size of the circles make the logo seem contracted and cramped. The lack of space between the font doesn't allow for easy reading. In opposition to this, the borderless design is cleaner. It translates quicker and will fit into a professional environment.


What is the difference between the following types of writing?

• Describing - Using adjective to give a detailed description of a visual.
• Analysing - Picking apart a subject matter to describe and positives and negatives and the justifications for why
• Evaluating - Reflecting on a series of actions and assessing the outcome of said actions
• Contextualising - Researching relative information appropriate to the subject matter
• Theorising - Forming a theory from information you have acquired
• Narrating - Giving a written account of your process

Task 3 

(summarise and evaluate)
Where you have made a series of small design decisions (often a stream of images): Summarise and evaluate the accumulation of your design changes....its not necessary to document every slight change as much as it is necessary to explain and justify your design choices...

Task 4
Write / re-write your latest blog entry following these guidelines:

• Avoid overly subjective language – I enjoy, I feel, its good, in my opinion, I think, etc.
• Focus on the WHYs.
• Think about how you describe the appearance of design experiments – use sophisticated and professional language like “sophisticated” and “professional”.
• Justify design decisions by considering their connotations, significations and associations.
• Blog with purpose – don't waste time over filling with unnecessary or uncritical details, Especially if you have left all your blogging until the end of the module!
• Evaluating also involves suggesting improvements and discussing limitations.
• Take care when using text from other sources – paraphrasing is always better but otherwise quotes MUST be referenced. Be explicit yet concise.

Critical justifications: Justifying your creative decision is not simply a matter of finding a way to justify your approach but to justify your approach IN LIGHT of all other reasonable options. Its easy to justify any decision but its not as easy to accept that there may be valid alternatives! This goes the same for opinions.