Lecture 2 Reflections: The Journal, Reflective Design and Constructive Critique

This week, we covered two main topics: The Journal and the Constructive Critique. Despite being in a digital age, journaling is far from being obsolete (In fact, technology makes it easier for journal junkies around the world to connect and spread their love for journaling!). Journals are a great way for us to jot down our ideas, map out processes, think, and collect materials. It gives us the space to experiment with new materials, and through techniques such mind-mapping, provide us with a medium through which we can subdivide and categorise out thoughts. I think most valuable of all, a journal can serve as a daily log for us to track personal growth and development.

Talking about journals, I have included some photos of my favourite journals here:

Image Reference: Kumitea6002. (2017). Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/BZNovkth-4P/?taken-by=kumitea6002

Image Reference: Yvonne Zong. (2017). Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/BaAjQPpDuSz/?taken-by=yvonne_zong822

Retrieved from: Penguin's Creative. (2016). How to Journal Everyday - Build a Hobonichi Habit. Image Retrieved from: https://penguinscreative.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/img_7750.jpg?w=1240

I particularly liked how the authors made use of different art styles (both sketch doodling and watercolour), played with textures (by using a mix of washi tape, photographs, stickers, textured paper and even ticket stubs), and varied the font in a free-form way to create a haphazard but coherent and aesthetically-pleasing whole. This will be more challenging to achieve with an online journal. I think one way I can overcome the limitations in an online journal would be to record my entries on paper if there is a need to, and scan them in softcopy afterwards.

Even though I have chosen a online journal for this course, I think one way I can embrace the spirit of journalism would be to still practise “Mistakeism”. I have set out several goals for myself in terms of journaling, and hope to stay as true to them as possible :)

1. Consistent and steady effort (the tenacious tortoise wins the race, not the hasty hare!)
2. Take more risks
3. Have an open mindset, even when it comes to ideas/concepts/designs that I do not like
4. Embrace my mistakes!

Now we shall move on to the next section – the Constructive Critique. As discussed in the lecture video, the constructive critique consists of four main steps that can help organise our thoughts toward an artwork or design into a more coherent, and critically-grounded response. The beauty of a critique, lies in how the intended meaning by the creator, and the message perceived to be communicated by the audience, can be very different. With this, it can engender meaningful debate, and open the doors for never-ending learning. Of course, in the context of a submission, a constructive critique will be most valid when linked to the criteria for the assignment/project. The four steps are

Response (Observe our own personal feelings regarding the artwork)

Description (An account of what is there what we see, both practically and literally)

Analysis and Interpretation (Determine why features contain specific ideas. Consider the content and function of the work. Why was the work designed the way it was?)

Evaluation and Judgment (Reconsider our first response – has it changed, intensified, or stayed static and why?)

I think this guide is a very helpful starting point for myself because I can get a little lost on where to begin when asked to provide feedback for a design. Besides providing structure, the systematic process guarantees a comprehensive and complete analysis. Please look forward to my upcoming posts as I attempt to use the Constructive Critique framework to evaluate works of design, both for practice and for the submission of Tutorial 0B!