OUGD404 - Critical Analysis

Today we had to bring four images to class of two pieces of graphic design that we like, and two that we don't like. The top two are the ones that I don't like, and the bottom two are the ones that I do.

We then got into groups of six, and displayed all our images on the table. Then, as a group, we separated another groups set of images into ones we do like, and ones we don't. We then made a list of reasons of why we chose to separate them.

The ones we liked:
Simplicity
Good concepts
Complimentary colours
Function
Type
Layout
Media
Refined
Illustration
Legibility

The ones we disliked:
Layout
Cheesy/gawdy
Type
Imagery
Colour
Visual quality
Lack of communication
No logic
Illegible
Not interesting content

As we moved back to our own groups we found that when other people had seperated them into their own likes and dislikes, they were the same, if not nearly the same. We realised when we all looked at the same things when we are judging work, and this can help us be more confident that when we are critiquing our peer's work we can trust their judgement, as we all have similar tastes and expectations.

After this we moved back into our groups of six, and paired up. We were given some criteria to work to (DIET), and had to write about one of the images we had chosen, and then analyse our partner's.

DIET is a way to critique other people's work, and each letter stands for something.
D = Describe
I = Interpret
E = Evaluate
T = Theorise

• This is a business card for venues
• Good use of colour - that shade of red is associated with barn roofs, and farms so creates a country feel
• Type is unique - the legs of the 'R's are extended, and the 'FARM' type works well with the rest of the fonts used. It shows it has been thought out, and well put together
• The letterpress makes it interesting to look at and touch, making it seem special and unique which reflects the service
• Layout is very legible - uses banners, colours and different fonts to break up each section
• The clouds make it seem idyllic, and correspond to the name of the venue 'Fresh Air Farm'
• It's good at advertising because it sets a tone of friendliness and the design is clean
• Includes all the information that is needed, and various contact details

•  Very illegible, I had to really concentrate on what it was saying
• I don't see the purpose of it - the broken up text suggests something bad will happen if you answer the phone, but I don't know why/what it is for
• The colour scheme is very bold, and I don't think it is very sophisticated, although it does stand out. I prefer the red used in the first image I discussed
• It is quite clever how to the phone lead connects the text as it is in context
• The designer could experiment more with the type to make it more legible but keep the style

When me and my partner were discussing what we thought to each others images, although we didn't share the same view on the aesthetic qualities, we understood where each other was coming from.

As a group we talked about how the criteria we judge against fits into DIET.

D - Colour, type, image quality, texture, composition, concept, theme, layout, process.
I - Legibility, purpose, tone of voice, message, function.
E - Effectiveness, legibility, communcation, skill, quality of work, aesthetic quality.
T - How the work could be improved through clarity, colour, message, type choice, layout.


Identify and explain five reasons why critical analysis is an important part of education, learning and developing your understanding.

1. It helps me notice how the fundamentals of design are used in context, as by analysing them I learn to understand why they are used.
2. It improves my knowledge of design as I am experiencing it more in depth by thinking about why the design decisions have been made, and if it works or not.
3. It makes me think about any underlying meaning and message, which I can then incorporate into my own work and thinl beyond just the aesthetics.
4. It also improves contextual knowledge, as the more designs I research, the more I learn about the designer who created them, and who inspired them, and what influences them and so forth.
5. By being critical and analysing what works and what doesn't, it helps me to decipher the good from the bad, and to then bear that in mind when creating my own designs.

Identify and explain five reasons why group critiques are useful in the developement of your work, skills and opinions. 

1. Getting positive feedback on my work builds my confidence about my work and speaking about my ideas without being embarrassed of what people will think.
2. Getting other peoples views and ideas on my work makes me look at it in a different perspective which can help when I go to improve my work.
3. I find it helpful when the tutors and my peers suggest where to go next to develop my work and ideas further so that I know I am on the right track.
4. I think it helps improve communication between each other when putting across our ideas, which will be useful when we have clients and need to have an effective and communicative relationship with them.
5. I also like the creative atmosphere critiques have, as everyone has been designing thing and coming up with ideas which motivates me.

When we were in the groups we made a collective list of what we look for when analysing work:
Colour
Layout
Communication
Visual Content
Non Visual Content
Function
Quality of Execution
Legibility
Audience
Context
Concept
Message
Method of production

Choose five criteria from the list and briefly summarise what will generally affect how you judge what you like and what you dislike when analysing examples of work.

Quality of Execution
This title sequence produced by Saul Bass is flawless. I just love the continuity of the lines and the moving image, and it creates a very clear insight to the plotline.

Legibility
This is an incredibly important aspect of design, because the aim of design is to communicate well. I don't think this is very legible, for several reasons. One, the clump of small text in the middle is very hard to read because it is in capital letters and is quite small - it would have been better in small caps so that it wouldn't have appeared as shouting, and it could have been enlarged more as they are are the same height as lowercase letters.

Layout
I really like the layout of this business card because of how it seperates each section with different lines, banners, and various fonts. I am very interested in package design, and making lots of information fit into a clear layout on packaging really interests me and I like how creative you can be while still sticking to major constraints.

Message
I think messge is a really important factor, and how well you communicate it. I don't think this website is designed very well because of the large X behind the text. What purpose does it have there? I can't see the message behind it at all, it is just a horrible neon shape.





Concept
I really like reading about the concept of designs from the designers themsevles, because I want to know why they made the design decisions that they did. Good Food are a microwave meal company in Mexico, and wanted to change the attitude of microwave meals to healthy. They did this by using clean, simple packaging to suggest the food is also clean and simple. The logo type is also quite rounded and simple, giving a friendly, positive feel.