READING RESPONSES FOR 1-31-13

Chapter 1
This section was a good overview of what (to me) seems like the most intimidating part of working in a design-related field: having to deal with clients! I'm all right at giving formal presentations, but pitching  ideas and talking about work that I've done is undoubtedly one of my weaknesses. I think it stems from a fear of being judged as a person based solely on the work--it's so difficult to distance ourselves from something into which we've poured countless hours, stress, and dedication, that any criticism of the piece feels like a direct blow to the person. It was also a bit of a relief to read the author's comments about rationalizing intuitive decisions out loud, in a way that sounds convincing to the unschooled (or, more importantly, to our fellow designers!). I'm certainly guilty of the "just because I like it" reasoning and I always feel so amateurish when I hear others who are able to defend similar decisions in a more rational way, even if it's obvious that they used the same intuitive reasoning to begin with and are scrambling to justify it after the fact. Knowing that professionals still struggle with producing convincing rationales and that it's a skill that can be honed over time makes me feel a little more comfortable with the situation. I also appreciated the section about integrity and the practice of "free pitching." I'd never heard the term before, although it does seem like the natural thing a company would want to do to save money and get exactly what they think they want. It's certainly a gamble for the designer, however, who has to create excellent and convincing work for free, merely for the slim chance of being chosen and beginning the work all over again "for real."

I think this class is going to do a great job of both stressing me out and leaving me utterly terrified about the professional realm... it's already started!

Chapter 8
Here, of course, the author discussed one of our greatest annoyances and fears: the fact that literally anyone with a computer can be a "designer." Although he also mentions the need to make design more democratic and inclusive of everyone, not just the elite, I'm not sure that allowing untrained (or, rather, unskilled--someone might be incredibly talented with no official training) "designers" to run rampant and create bad designs is a good idea! He doesn't suggest this, of course--it just reminded me of my response every time I see a flyer with stretched-out WordArt letters or the inappropriate deployment of Comic Sans. I appreciated his discussion on ethics, and how to survive as an ethical designer in a capitalist society. The example of how something as small as the careful design of a shampoo label (p 109) can help cut down on some of the modern world's waste was good food for thought. When we have seemingly endless design resources available to us it's so tempting to use as many as possible, simply because we can and we know it will look flashy and desirable. It's so important to be conscious of the materials that we decide to use, and to make very deliberate choices to plan for sustainability and a continual availability of such materials. It may be easier to create a stylish design using metallic plastic and ten colors, but the true test of a good designer should be in how they achieve the same eye-catching effect through simplicity and resourcefulness.

Chapter 9
The author's equation for the creative process pretty much nailed it, I think. I would add "frantic brain-wracking" and "vast amounts of stress," but I imagine those can both fall under "discomfort" and "sweat." I've spent years worrying that I'm not a Creative Person because it takes such a long time to come up with ideas and solutions, and have been so irritated with people who insist, just because I can draw or paint or design something well, that I am capital-C Creative. I usually associate the idea of "creativity" with those people who seem to effortlessly spawn great ideas at the drop of a hat, and I'm certainly jealous of those who are able to do so regularly--but for most of us, it takes a lot of work! The long portion regarding briefs was quite enlightening as well, since the idea of a school project brief is quite familiar to me, but the concept of what a professional brief might constitute is completely foreign. I've never officially done paid freelance work in the capacity of a designer (only as part of my other part-time job duties, or as a favor to a friend/family member, or just for free in general) and so all the non-school briefs I've gotten have really either been vague verbal descriptions and a cheery "I trust you to come up with something amazing!" or equally vague written descriptions and a promise to be available for questions. Clearly this is something I might have to contend with in the future as well!

STARTING OUT

This blog will be a record of all my activities related to my Design Practicum class this semester. My main experience with blogs has been through my design classes here at Drake, and I'm not exactly proficient in all the ways to build and customize them, but I think for this class it might be useful to know a bit more. I'm going to try and set up several different pages to organize the projects and activities, and once I have my identity system planned out I'll choose a more fitting appearance for the blog itself... til then, I guess I'll just start adding posts and see how this all goes!