Sunday, December 7, 2008

Des Comm Evaluation

There have been both positive and negative aspects of the des comm quarter this fall quarter.

Some successes would include the fact that Mike Roller was our teacher and that he was really willing to help us learn and grow as design students. I feel like he can really relate to us and has given us great tips on how to be a better presenter and really sell our designs. He has prepared us very well for the future and has really got us thinking about what we want to do when we graduate.

Another success I feel was when Mike approached us before the start of the quarter and asked us what we wanted to learn. This alone showed me personally that he actually cares about our development and wants us to have fun while being given projects, because sometimes I find that I'm not at all interested in some projects that Im forced to put my time in and I think that affects the outcome.

Some possible ways to improve the course could be to have a little more time to finish certain projects (even if that means not having as many projects) because I'd rather spend more time in my design to have a well developed design in the end. Another improvement may be to do more digital presentations so that we arent wasting paper and time pinning up numerous papers.

Fall '08 Evaluation

I am actually proud of myself and my achievements this quarter (which is rare because I am usually disappointed with the outcome of many projects in previous quarters).

This quarter I have been designing without really thinking of them as "school projects". Instead I have been in a mindset of thinking about if my products could actually be in production. As a result, I have been thinking a lot more practically while still being unique (I always strive to be different from everyone in studio).

On the other hand, I still recognize many things that I need to improve on. For example, I would like to work on starting on projects the moment they are assigned for next quarter. This way, I wont have to be in a situation where I am sick and end up really behind when I am well or feel obligated to settle on a concept or idea that I am on the edge about but have to follow through for the sake of time. Also, I definitely plan on being more pro-active about helping out everyone else in studio during critiques because sometimes the best people to give you advice on how to improve are my own peers. At the same time, I will take in more information that I get during critiques and not take for granted the fact that I have other people who are one the same level as me and willing to help me improve just as they do.

Blog Evaluation

Throughout the quarter as I have been writing blogs, I have thought a lot about how effective this sort of communication is.

As a designer, I am always looking for sources of inspiration and ways to expand my overall knowledge. I feel like reading other people's blogs helps alot with really getting a grasp on a person's ideas and philosophies because when I write in my blogs I am truly expressing my feelings (kind of like a journal but open to the public) therefore I am giving other people an opportunity to know what I think about a certain aspect of design without any sugar coating; everything is real and honost (unlike a critique where sometimes I have to bend over backwards to sell my designs).

Sometimes when Im looking at blogs online I scroll down to ones that show the designer's work. I love looking at really nice concepts and renders because it motivates me to do better and increase my standards for myself.