Reflection
The journey I’ve gone through whilst completing this assessment has been much more intense and eye opening than I initially predicted. The vast array of skills that I’ve amassed from these four tasks has impressed me greatly, and I genuinely feel like a more competent designer and philosopher than I did when I started. My “a dog a day” assessment task was a chance for me to experiment with character design, drawing and create something that I genuinely am going to use in all of my digital notebooks and assessments going forward. Having the freedom to do something that I was genuinely inspired to do, exhibited a level of wonder and curiosity that I had never experienced in my 13 years of prior education. I found that the act of detailing my thoughts behind the pieces allowed me to intelligently dissect what did and didn’t work in my pieces, and thus learn from them.
Document my day could not have occurred on a more chaotic day, but if anything, I think that’s what made my documentation so valuable and unique. The fact that I had experienced such a stressful day, really exemplifies the memorability of design features, colour and shape. The fact that I was able to remember vividly the colours and shapes that had dictated (or in the case of the green directional signs, failed to dictate) my day, proves the value of design in the world, and the importance of shape and colour.
My investigation into opposing viewpoints was very interesting, as it allowed to separate the two sides that make up the world of commercial design. Phenomenological design is so fascinating to me, as it exemplifies the curiosity of humanity, and the intrinsic desire for beauty and elegance. I can now also identify to importance and value in rationalistic design and the efficient and streamlined method it implements into the each of its designs. I found myself able to identify various pieces of technology as phenomenological and rationalistic in principle and conception such as the XP-Pen artist 12 pro and the iPad air (5th Generation)
For my 4th task, I was only asked to analyse and review one single item. However, I decided to use my acquired knowledge of phenomenological and rationalistic design to create a cohesive and comprehensive comparison between the Artist 12 pro and the iPad air. I did both analyses individually, in detail, and then compared their pros and cons. I found that doing this exercise twice, and then comparing the results, was even more beneficial to me as a designer, than doing a single review. This allowed me to use all my knowledge to weigh the features, functionality and integrity of the designs in a way that was not present without doing the comparison. However, even the analysis on their own were eye opening, as it allowed me to dissect every facet of what makes these brilliant devices so brilliant.
This assessment task was an invaluable opportunity that allowed me to spread my wings and delve into the more metaphorical and philosophical side of design that I’ve wanted to explore for so long. The opportunity to expand my drawing skills and experiment with web design is an experience so valuable, that it will forever change how I function as an artist and designer going forward
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Mr Brody C Smith
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Full Reference List -
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Apple. n.d. “IPad Air.” Apple (Australia). https://www.apple.com/au/ipad-air/.
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“Artist 12 pro Portable Fully Laminated Pen Display | XPPen.” n.d. Www.xp-Pen.com. Accessed April 17, 2024. https://www.xp-pen.com/product/artist-12-pro.html
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Griffith University. 2019. “Griffith University.” Griffith.edu.au. 2019. https://www.griffith.edu.au/.
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Seamon, David, and Robert Mugerauer. 1986. Dwelling, Place and Environment : Towards a Phenomenology of Person and World. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. http://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=3109526.