Blog Rationale

I have always been critical like every other design but this brief has offered an opportunity for me to expand my thinking and improve the way that I put my views across.
When I began the brief I did not fully take on the responsibility to put myself in a critical state of mind. As weeks went on felt myself gradually becoming more involved in the brief. I found myself analysing things during the day without meaning to which can some times spoil the moment.
Due to travelling I was not able to update the blog as I should have, instead of frequently updating it I began to take notes and analyse things that I saw as I travelled. The advantage of travelling during the time of this brief has allowed me to view other cultures in a critical way and create structured opinions on them.

I have looked into areas that are stated on the brief, and tried to link designs within each area. There were a number of deigns that I found, that cover more than one area; this did not come as a surprise as design today has to reach a wide audience and be seen on a number of levels. I may have taken them for granted previously but they have helped me to focus my mind and categorise designs into areas in my head. Each area has different aspects that I find more interesting than others, and has helped me to realise how my mind works, by seeing a trend in what I favour. As well as the areas that were stated on the brief I looked into others that I noticed whilst on my travels. In particular television adverts, which are different across the world as they are played to different audiences with differences in their behaviour and culture. I found them interesting as they did vary and met the needs of the Target audience; they may not have been so successful in other countries.

This critical thinking that I have developed during this brief has helped me to critically talk about something and do it in a structural way. Previously I used to criticise and not be able to express what I meant, which did not help people. Now I feel that I am more capable of offering advice into areas that I feel are letting down the design. This will enable me to work in groups a lot better and also help peers whilst in university or in a work situation.
I also feel that it will boost my own work because I have been more engaged with my surroundings so I have learnt from other designs. Appreciating what is around you also allows small details to become apparent, which shows how details can be important in work. More shapes and patterns that can be used in design appear more frequently, resulting in a bigger influence on my sub conscious. Apart from the more experience and knowledge that I have taken in from this brief, my critical analysis on my own work has improved. Critical analysis is a major part of a designers ability and once it is tuned properly greater results are achieved.

The blog entries are mainly about designs that I felt were good and had something about them that worked well. Maybe the whole design did not succeed completely but generally they are pretty sound designs. There were many designs that I encountered that I did not feel were good enough, and discarded them because I did not like to look at them. I felt that I should show designs that I enjoyed because it shows what I appreciate. Each blog is unique to the person and I felt mine should show current and past designs that inspire me. There are some that caught my attention and did not inspire me but I felt that they were nice designs that made me smile.

Once this brief ends it is important for me to continue what I have learnt and try to get better at critical analysis. The blog will still be a tool that I could use to express my opinions and get a response. My opinion may be completely different from an others and it would be useful to see how they view a design, to get a better understanding of the fuller picture. This brief has allowed people to compare views and discuss them, but I feel it is important especially at university to continue with this. As this is the learning ground and the chance to interact more freely, so the opportunity needs to be taken advantage of.

I have enjoyed taking part in this brief and as I have stated I will continue to use the skills that have used during it. Hopefully I will be able to notice how these skills influence my work and I hope that my results will be improved on all levels.

Ford kinetic design advert

This advert has recently been showed on television, like most car adverts it is cleverly designed. The Idea behind the new ford range is that they look like they are moving even when they are not. This is a clever concept and I think that Ford have failed to produce a car that looks like it is moving. Many cars are following a similar shape and design style and Fords do not seem to be any different. The advert is what caught my attention; it shows a Ford driving through streets and then zooms out showing that it is not real life but actually a green screen with a video being played over it. This meets the concept that Ford were trying to achieve and demonstrates exactly what the company want. It is a very clever and original idea that I feel has been very successful.

Christchurch museum

This is another museum that I visited whilst n my travels, inside it had an exhibition about Captain Cook. The man who navigated to New Zealand and mapped the country, before continuing to discover other lands such as Australia. The exhibition was very impressive and I learnt a lot more about the man and the methods that were used to reach the other side of the world. Seeing things and learning more about the past was very inspirational and made me appreciate how far a man can push himself. His achievements put things into perspective and make you realise that stepping into the unknown can pay off.

Timaru museum

This museum is only small and concentrates on the city of Timaru in New Zealand. There are pieces of Maori culture and the history behind them; as well as history into wildlife. A section of the museum that caught my attention and imagination was the Richard Pearce section. This is about a man who is said to have achieved flight before the Wright brothers. This story was very interesting and has not been publicised as much as it should have, probably due to political reasons. Apparently the Wright brothers accepted that Richard Pearce did achieve flight first, but the brothers maintain the fact that they were the first to achieve controlled flight. The museum had a scaled model of the plane that is apparently the first flying machine. This story sparked my imagination and made me appreciate how anything is possible.

Ali G Indahouse

This is one of my favourite films, not because of brilliant lighting or anything to do with how it was filmed technically, because I am aware that it is lacking. It is the sheer fun of the film and how it can entertain you over and over. It is not to some peoples taste but this film always makes me walk away with a massive smile. The character Ali G is something that I have always seen as genius, because when he was created it was ahead of its time and the vision of Sacha Baron Cohen to create him was brilliant. The attitude of Ali G and the persona that is given is all very cleverly done and has boosted Sacha into stardom. The film will always be a favourite of mine and allows me to relax and not have to think about deeper meanings. It is a tool for relaxation and enjoyment, which makes it an important film to me.

Postal gold

These adverts are extremely annoying and very poorly presented; there are ranges of companies that are competing in this area. Each offer the same service, and present themselves in a horrible way that makes you feel that they are not legitimate. The graphics and imagery used are not tasteful and the whole design of all of the companies is horrible. Envirofone offer a similar service but in a different field, and their campaign worked a lot better; due to the better use of imagery and colours.

The Cock Inn

This is a local pub in my hometown. It was always a dirty run down place that I would avoid when possible. It recently received a complete refit and new management. What interested me the most was the exterior; which did not alter apart from new windows. The way that the pubs name was rendered offered something that I had not seen in a while, the classic style public house. Just from the painted sign on the wall it offered a lot more warmth and traditional values; that I appreciated as it is lost in some places due to Weatherspoons. The new style of pub/bars is increasing in popularity as they offer cheaper food and drink.