Studio Task 1 - Critical Analysis

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

1. Critical analysis allows us to see our own work in a different light to how we may previously have viewed it, allowing you to see it from the audience's point of view and look past the technicalities.

2. It helps us to determine when and how we should progress with this design feeling more informed, and if there is a specific direction in which we should take it.

3. It draws attention to the mistakes or things that need changing in the design, parts of the design that we may not have realised previously.

4. Similarly, giving critical analysis may sometimes be applicable to your own work, and you may notice some things that need altered in someone else's design more than in your own.

5. Critical analysis is as much about the design and aesthetics as it is about personal interpretation, and there may be some ways in which your design is interpreted that you didn't know.

Identify and explain why the group critique is useful in the development of your work, skills and opinions.

Group crits are ideal in identifying how other people have interpreted the same brief you received, and how your concepts differ. In some cases it may highlight the need to do more work, similarly, identifying other designers processes and developments may aid your own work. Receiving feedback in the group crit gives a varied interpretation of your work and helps identify themes or patterns in the audience's view of it, allowing you to exaggerate or stifle these themes accordingly. It brings to light some factors or problems with your design that your eye cannot see.

Choose 5 criteria from the list generated in the session. For each, briefly summarise what will generally effect how you judge what you like and dislike when analysing examples of work.

1. Concept:

A weak concept often translates to a weak design but a stronger one can often make design more effective. A good concept requires the designer to consider every way in which the design could be interpreted, and aid each interpretation. It is often a case with areas of design (like branding) in which the designer only focusses on aesthetics and doesn't look at the bigger picture.

Examples of concept-less logo designs.

2. Layout

I need layout to be clear, concise and followable without being overwhelmed by text, image or composition. The layout should both be in accordance with the concept and should be considered heavily when determining the context in which the design will be placed. There should always be a balance of text and image and of colour.

3. Colour

Colour is the main factor that will determine how your design is interpreted. It is supposed to embody the concept, and colour is there to aid the designer in setting the appropriate tone of voice, not to try and grab attention. It should remain consistent throughout different designs if they are all part of the same concept.

4. Media/Production

Execution of a design should strive to be outside of the box, but ultimately should embody the theme and concept of the whole design. The context in which it is being placed must be considered to ensure it has maximum effect. Stock makes a really huge difference to printed designs and should be experimented with.

5. Legibility

Without a legible type, the design loses it's functionality and is deemed unsuccessful. Type doesn't have to be simple to be legible and it can be altered (although perhaps only for headings). There should be a balance with the type which creates something that doesn't overwhelm the eye.