It's done, the first semester. We had reviews with the faculty on Monday. We each had 10 min. to present, then they commented for another 10 min. I chose to present a summary of what I learned from the semester.
Old Habits
When reflecting on my experience this semester I uncovered a few very specific instances that I want to share. These may seem simple, but they are pivotal in demonstrating how I have to break old habits and reconsider what being a designer means to me.
Instance #1: The first group discussion and hearing my peers talk. This experience was intimidating. I realized then that I had been out of touch and disconnected to the changing landscape of design. It was at this point that I confirmed that my decision to go to grad school was the right choice.
Instance #2: “Cliché” was used to describe something I had made in an investigation for Project 1…“literal” was used in the same sentence. My ego was offended when these two words were used to describe my work. These words have stuck with me and I have taken a conscious effort to avoid being either “cliché” or “literal” in my design thinking.
Instance #3: I used “lorem ipsum” in an investigation for Project 1. This is a common practice I was used to doing in professional practice, using “dummy text” to represent words. I was being a layout designer, designing the surface. What I was not doing was considering the content and what the words and images meant. I began to understand that in getting at this meaning it would inform my design decisions.
Instance #4: Creating a “web presence” and posting on my own blog for the first time. I used to think that blogging was a time waster, one of several preconceived notions I had about the Internet. Needless to say, I had not really embraced the space of the Internet. Now that I have read about it’s implications on culture it has opened my eyes to the role design plays in shaping it’s future.
Instance #5: Writing a narrative and then reading it aloud to the class. This was an experience that was out of my comfort zone, I could not recall writing anything personal since high school. Through the practice of writing a narrative I came to the realization that as a designer we create visual narratives.
Going forward.
Throughout this semester I have had to overcome several habits I had built up over the years as well as break prejudices and assumptions I had about design. I am still working through this; the main thing has been discovering this about myself and admitting it.
My experience in grad school, up to this point, has challenged me to think in the future, versus always thinking in the present, something I had grown accustomed too. So, looking towards next semester, I have outlined some interests and insights I would like to think through further.
Interests & insights
-Narratives, specifically what is a design narrative
and a design subtext
-The viewing, consumption, interpretation of images, the future of this
-Motivation as it relates to design and participatory culture
-Meaning of text and images
-Spaces and how advances in technology influence our interaction within them
what is a designers role in the creation virtual experiences
-Cultural practice of documenting our lives and viewing images of ourselves. The constant need to share our lives and view it.Is this documentary or memory keeping…or narcissism?
Bigger Questions
-What is the future of design education and the profession, how will I be teaching future designers? Teaching students nearly a decade younger than me last year
-What are the implications of not knowing the tools or programs? For instance when working through the future project I realized that to accurately show my idea and how a user would interact with it, it would require 3D and motion design. Am I prepared to shift my thinking and processes in this direction?
-Participatory culture and interaction will continue to increase, how do I work within this culture? We’ve only touched the surface of this topic; I think I spent most of it trying to understand what it means now I want to investigate it further.
Further development
-I need to learn how to “multi-research”. I felt through my process I could only handle researching one subject at a time.
-Need to look at Design...more.
-Think through meaning.
-Start making sooner and give myself more time to consider different options and perspectives.
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