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My Pizza logo design

TECHNICAL CHALLENGES OF GRAPHIC DESIGN
WHAT ARE THEY?
Since I started this course I haven’t had the adobe suite at home to work on, so ive found the software to be the hardest challenge to conquer. I was brought up using a Pc as well so adapting to the mac has been a small issue although now that ive crossed over to the darkside I think ill stay here.
HOW CAN WE SOLVE THEM?
I’m saving up my pennies to buy a Mac and the adobe suite to use at home, the more time I spend exploring the software the better my skills will progress. I want the privilege to make my own projects and learning how to do them in my own time.
WHAT RESOURCES ARE OUT THERE?
The GD industry has its finger in every pie, if its print, magazine, web or corporate there are many resources out there to use. Ive found tutorials, conferences, work shops to offer the biggest help
WHATS MY ANNUAL BUDGET?
As its my first year in design I haven’t yet set in stone an annual budget, though its in progress for next year. At them moment im paying off my GD course and buying gd course from time to time!
HOW CAN AN ABN BENEFIT YOUR FINACIAL APPROACH TO THESE RESOURCES?
If you have an Abn and your buying supplies for for career all of the items can be deducted on your TAX
HOW DO MAJOR PLATFORMS AFFECT TECHNICAL APPROACHES TO PROJECTS? IVE HAD A HARD TIME TRYING TO ADAPT BETWEEN THE TWO BUT IM COMING TO GRIPS THEM BOTH FINALLY. I THINK MAC ARE EASIER TO USE FOR DESIGN WORK AND PC ARE FOR WEB DESIGN

CULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS IN DESIGN

1. AFTER READING ABPOUT THE CELTS AND THEIR HISTORY, HOW HAS THEIR CULTURE FILTERED THROUGH TO MODERN SOCIETY BOTH IN AUSTRALIA IN THE GENERAL WORLD?
Celtic art has been around for a long time and been used in many ways and forms, even in modern day art works and design. In the early middle ages of Great Britain and Ireland the most influential style of Celtic was called insular art, in which produced the book of kells. Celtic art has many different types of style and forms such as knot work, plant forms, zoomorphic, lettering and human figures. Cletic Art is used everywhere still in the modern, if it’s a style of jewellery, or a typeface, or and artwork, or even used on films such as Lord of the rings. Its lasted threw the centuries and will continue to do so

2. ABORIGINAL ART IS DEFINITELY VISUAL. ITS ALSO MUCH MORE TO ITS ARTISTS PEOPLE. CAN YOU COMMENT ON WHAT A CULTURES ART MIGHT MEAN TO ITS PEOPLE AND HOW IT CAN SOCIALLY AFFECT ITSELF AND OTHER CULTURAL GROUPS?
Aboriginal art stands for a lot more than a beautiful visual piece, each symbol, dot and line has a meaning and can tell story of the past or what they call the dreamtime. Aboriginal art is unique in its style, no other culture has a similar style to it. Although in all cultures there is Religion and they are always commonly used in there art as a topic, so by this the art work must hold an important use, if for propaganda or to portray a message.

3. M.C ESCHER’S WORK IS HIGHLY DETAILED. MOST DESIGNERS AND LAY PEOPLE ARE HIGHLY IMPRESSED BY HIS WORK AND DEDICATION TO HIS ART, WHY?
His works show, what would seem, ridiculous amounts of detail and some are not images of anything solid but are instead images from his vivid imagination. His often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints are widely proclaimed. His work features, explorations of infinity, impossible constructions, and architecture, The amount of detail he puts into each individual work is mind boggling. Escher did not have mathematical training, but brilliantly worked out a way to combine mathematics and Art. His artistic expression was created from images in his mind, rather than directly from observations and travels to other countries. I Think designers are impressed to his dedication to the art, creating something that to the naked eye looks impossible.
4. WHAT IS SO INTERESTING ABOUT ART AND CULTURE OF THE PAST?
I think as time has gone on the societies strength of interest in art and culture has progressed. There is so much to learn about culture and art, the way they lived, what colour they used, the way they saw the world, and what relationship modern art has with past art styles. The past shows us were I work today has progressed to and what relationship there is to the past.
5. WHY LOOK BACKWARDS TO OUR HISTORY WHEN TRYING TO ENGAGE IN DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR MODERN SOCIETY? GIVE EXAMPLES..
As a designer looking back is beneficial to see what has and what hasn’t worked in the past, we need to find ways and means to provide work that engages the audience. For example Alphonse mucha designed the lithographed poster for the famous play in paris, called Gismonda. It was an overnight sensation and started the Art Nouveau movement, future designers were able to create from inspiration from that era their.
6. HOW HAS ANCIENT ART AFFECTED MY LIFE?
Ancient art has personally affected me, I appreciate a lot of art that ive seen around the world and ive learnt a lot from them, but to say that they’ve affected my life would be to much. When I do a work at home ect I love to draw medieval style works so I guess you would say celtic would be my closest art relationship.
7. WHAT CULTURAL INFLUENCE HAS OCCURRED IN YOUR LIFE?
I’ve been lucky enough to travel most of the world; I went to places such as Japan, England, Ireland, France, Germany , Spain, North Africa, Italy, Turkey ect. So over a period of 4 years I experienced a large amout of cultural change. I think the culture that stands out most for me was in Morocco North Africa. It’s a third world country and still there a very proud race, of course I didn’t agree in a few things there culture believed in such as wife abandonment, but that’s not for me to judge. They have many forms of Art, if its rugs, paintings, woodwork, cast iron ornaments, clothes, dancing and singing it is all unique a aesthetically stunning. I think seeing these sorts of things have opened my eyes to a wider world of color and imagination.

STUDY ON INVESTIGATING THE GD INDUSTRY AND JOBS
1. FIND 10 GD AGENCIES ON THE NET, LIST THE SERVICES THEY OFFER

EMEDIA CREATIVE www.emediacreative.com.au
• Stationary
• Logo and identity design
• Reports
• Posters
• Newsletters
BARA DESIGNS www.baradesign.com.au
• Web design
• Email marketing
• Printing
• Web hosting
ZISE www.zise.com.au
• Corporate I.D
• Web design
• Advertising
PRECEPT www.precept.com.au
• Web design
• Brand Design
• Corporate I.D
• Advertising
LEMONADE www.lemonade.com.au
• Web Design
• Illustrations
• Magazines
• Flash Design
• Graphic design and brand I.D
BLUE MARLIN www.bluemarlinbranddesign.com.au
• Corporate I.D
• Animation
• Brochures
• Portfolio
• Web Design
ON FIRE GRAPHIC DESIGN www.onfiredesign.net
• Photography
• Advertising
• Packaging
• Vehicle graphics
• Corporate I.D
BONSAI MEDIA www.bonsaimedia.com.au
• Advertising
• Branding
• Web development logo
• Graphic Design
HOPPING MAD hoppingmad.com.au
• Logo and identity design
• Brochures
• Newsletters
• Magazines
• Web Design
SPOT ON GRAPHICS spotondesign.com.au
• Letterheads
• Web Design
• Posters
• Flash Animation
RESEARCH GD JOBS IN AUSTRALIA AND WRITE A SMALL SUMMARY ON WHAT IS OUT THERE AND HOW MUCH IS ON OFFER FOR DIFFERENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Someone dedicated to producing exceptional work, someone who is energetic, well presented, have excellent written and verbal communication skills. They must have exceptional experience on Adobe suite. Most of the jobs are in the capital cities such as Sydney, Melbourne. The salaries vary between $40,000 to $100,000 a year

DEADLINES

DEADLINES

WHAT IS A DEALINE?
A deadline is often heard in the work place in relation to something to be completed to a certain time frame.
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN MEETING A DEADLINE?
Time management, organisation, communication are the key ingredients to meeting a deadline.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF BREAKING A DEALINE?
You need good creditability as a designer and not meeting or breaking deadlines often will subsequently damage it.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO BETTER MEET YOUR DEALINES
Develop better habits that make you more organised and handle time management better.

HOW DO YOU PRIORITISE DEADLINES?
Again with better time management you can become more productive and also become as efficient as possible in the programs you’re using.

HOW DO DEADLINES ALTER THE PERCEPTION OF BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS?
Reputation is a huge contributor to the success of a individual or business so if deadlines aren’t met, this can tarnish their reputation and how well they do successfully.

HOW DO GENERAL BUSINESS DEALINES DIFFER FROM GRAPHIC DESIGN HDEADLINES? The Graphic Design industry is relied heavily on by others around it so if a certain deadline isn’t met in one or so areas it goes down the line and affects many others

MAP CRITIQUE

MAP CRITIQUE

1. HOW DID I PERFORM IN CRITIQUING MY ASSIGNED MAP?
I thought I did quite well in my assessment of Elise’s Map. I’m normally quite easy going when it comes to critiquing other peoples work but as the year has progressed we have found out that there’s a no prisoners attitude when it comes to graphic design, and its also the best way to improve any work I or anyone else has done.

2. HOW DID THE STUDENT CRITIQUING MY MAP PREFORM?
Elise I thought was quite easy going on my map, I had previously watched other people get their work critiqued and they got it a lot harder than what did. Elise although did make some very valid points about how to improve my work I just think maybe she have been more thorough that’s all.

3. HOW HAS CRITQUING MY WORK IMPROVED IT?
After taking down notes of what Elise and the class had said about my map it has improved tremendously. I think when you stare at your work for so long you don’t see the bigger picture and what everyone else wants to see, so its always good to have an outsiders opinion.

4. IS THERE ANY CRITISM THAT IM GOING TO IGNORE? AND WHY?
No I think everything that was said about my work was very valid, it has progressed it a long way. I’ve even taken their ideas and developed them even more so to improve its aesthetic appeal.

5. WHAT ATTITUDE SHOULD I TAKE INTO A CRITIQUE?
At the start of the year I took a lot of criticism of my work quite hard and insulting in some way, now I’ve realised even though its hard to hear at first its all part of being a designer, so I developed a tougher shell and taught myself to take it as advice more so than insults so that’s the best attitude to take into a critique I think.

6. HOW CAN I PREPARE TO GIVE CRITICISM?
Study the work in question very thoroughly; take down notes about every small finer detail. Some ideas I had for Elise’s work weren’t maybe the best option but at least she was told some avenues to maybe progress herself.

7. ARE THERE GENERAL GUIDELINES IN GRAPHIC DESIGN THAT CAN HELP YOU PROVIDE CRITICISM? WHAT ARE THEY?
In class we took down some notes on what are the ideal things to look out for when critiquing someone else’s work and they were topics such as Colour, Typography, Style and things that related to composition such a
* Balance * Focal Point * Composition * Pattern * Space * prospective * Direction * Symmetry

style study

STYLE STUDY
1. HOW DOES HAVING AN OPEN MIND ENABLE YOU TO DEVELOP STYLE?
I think everyone starting off graphic design has there own style in some way or another, if its illustrations, type, colour, theme. I also think having an open mind to progressing your style is very important because you’re not always going to have assignments or work projects that are suited to your way of doing things.
2. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE SOME UNIQUE SKILLS AND AESTHETIC ELEMENTS IN YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?
Always good to have some originality and unique ideas when creating your work as long as its follows the topic theme the work is about. I think the first aspect in design that catches peoples eye is originality and that it’s done in a unique way to lure peoples attention.
3. WHY SHOULD YOU RESEARCH ARTISTS AND HOLD SMALL PERSONAL CRITIQUES ON THEIR WORK AT REGULAR INTERVALS?
Art is always progressive and there’s always a current change in design and the designers behind it all so its always good to keep up on modern designers and there work, critiquing there work is a good way to keep on top of your own work and how to progress your skills even more.
4. WHY SHOULD YOU BE AWARE OF LIKES/DISLIKES AND YOUR STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES?
I like a lot of different aspects about graphic art, there are also a lot that I don’t like, I think I relate many of my skills to the things that I like which makes me sheltered from the things that I don’t like which is not entirely a good thing because many of my dislikes are skills is need to learn as a designer, that’s why is always good to be aware of my dislike and weaknesses- progress my skills in every way possible.
5. IS STYLE DEFINITIVE OR DOES IT PROGRESS?
As I said above in question 1, I think everyone has there own style in one way or another but that doesn’t define you and your ability to develop it in many ways. I think its always good to have a base to progress from, to know what your strengths are early so you can develop other aspects of design to suit your way of doing things.
6. HOW DOES ATTITUDE AFFECT YOUR STYLE AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL’S PERCEPTION OF YOU?
When boils down, your really doing design work that professional people require to the best of your ability that’ll suit what there after, so being flexible in your style and attitude towards the way you do things will help the what professional’s perceive you.
7. WHAT ARE HABITS AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO BE AWARE OF THEM AS A DESIGNER?
Getting up early, being pro active, good time management ect are all aspects of habits that’ll help you become a good designer and produce work that professional require in order and on time.
8. WHAT DOES TIME MANAGEMENT OFFER A DESIGNER?
Because so much of graphic design relies on deadlines its very important to use your time wisely and efficiently, good time management will help a designer do there work to the nest of there ability in the time frame they have.
9. HOW DO YOU IMPROVE TIME MANAGEMENT?
I think if you become a more methodical person, especially in your in design process you’ll manage your time a lot better. Even starting habits at home that’ll all come into play with your thinking process, for example, eating well, good sleeping habits, tidiness, getting up early and exercise.
10. WHAT IS A CONSCIENCE AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT BOTH YOUR STYLE AND YOUR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
The dictionary says Conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition, or judgment of the intellect that distinguishes right from wrong. How I relate this to graphic design is and its affect on my style is this, as a designer you might face topics of moral indifference, things that might go against your idea of right, I think these certain topics could affect your thinking process and how to portray them successfully, although I think as a designer your need to be impartial and keep an open mind.
11. HOW DO GENERALLY ACCEPTED MORALS AND YOUR OWN STANCE AFFECT YOUR DESIGN AND YOUR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE?
I think as impartial as I try to be to the relationship between my work and my morals, it’s hard to keep the 2 completely apart. I think everyone needs morals and standards, but as a designer if you hold them to high they affect your attitude and the way professionals see you.

BSBDES403A, BSBDES304A

WHAT IS CRITICAL THEORY?
Critical Theory is on of names given to a series of new approaches to study the study of Culture, literature and thought that developed in the 1960’s, primarily in France. It includes the work of Louis Althusser (Marxism) Luce Irigaray (feminism) Jacques Derrida (Philosophy) Roland Barthes (Literary Criticism) and many others.
Critical theory derives from two different meanings, one originated in sociology and the other in literary criticism. Critical theory generally is a broad approach to challenging and destabilizing established Knowledge; it’s the study or critique of society and culture, using the knowledge across social sciences and humanities.
Critical theory is a social theory oriented toward critiquing and changing society, theories that strive to improve the world in contrast to traditional theory orientated only to understanding or explaining it, it also often challenges our common sense assumptions about the world and poses controversial questions.The sociological sense refers to a style of the Marxist Theory, Marxism itself can be recognized as both political philosophy and sociology, although to the extent to try and remain scientific.
Criticism and critique are the two different intellectual traditions associated with the meaning of the word critical theory, originating ultimately from the Greek word ‘Kritikos’, meaning judgment or discernment. Many consider the two to be completely different although increasing scholars are interested in the areas of critique where the two overlap. As a whole Critical Theory finds the forms or structures that emphasize our experience, including our experience of literature. In this way we can see the world, and literature in new and unexpected ways.
Critical Theory has had many different aspects and quite distinct historical phases that cross several Social Research in 1929 to the present. Its distinctiveness as a philosophical approach that extends to ethics, political philosophy, and the philosophy of history is most apparent when considered in light of the history of the philosophy of the social sciences.
Critical Theorists have long tried to distinguish their aims, methods, theories, and forms of explanation from standard understandings in both the natural and the social sciences. Instead, they have claimed that social inquiry should combine other than separate the poles of philosophy and the social sciences: explanation and understanding, structure and agency, regularity and normativity. Such an approach, Critical Theorists argue, permits their work to be practical in a distinctively moral sense. They do not even seek to provide the means to achieve some independent goal.
Horkheimer's definition that a critical theory is adequate only if it meets three criteria subjects: it must be explanatory, practical, and normative, all at the same time. That is, it must explain what is wrong with current social world, identify the reasons to change it, and provide both clear solutions for criticism and achievable practical goals for social change. Any truly critical theory of society, as Horkheimer further explained it in his writings as Director of the Frankfurt School's Institute for Social Research, “human beings as producers of their own historical form of life”.
When I first started reading up on critical theory I wasn’t sure how I was going to relate all these theories to me studying my first year of graphic design, but as a get into it further it starts to sink in. We are all somewhat controlled by history and what people in the past have had as led to believe, for right or wrong. Critical theory helps me look at the bigger question in life, weather it is;
• Do we lead our lives thinking we made the decision on how to live it?
• Does desire determine a human being?
• Does media speak for us all?
I think as a designer you need to see the world in all ways possible, having a broader perspective on everything makes people see you work, think and notice. I find Critical thinking is a way of thinking that encourages us to critically ask our assumptions about the world and ourselves. It teaches us to look at what we take for granted.
Horkeimer’s definition of critical theory works in three parts explanatory, practical, normative, and I do relate them to graphic design. When doing design work on a certain topic it needs to be explanatory, For example if your doing a poster it needs to have all the information you need to get the message across. I think we live in a very complex world so the more practical Design work can be the more appealing it will be to everyone else, and im always attracted to things that feel normal to me to I think that a good aspect to incorporate in your design work.
Many Philosophers had an idea about an ideal world, and tried to make us see it in another light threw literature, some include, Aristotle, Socrates, Rousseau, Voltaire, Kant, Foucault, Locke, Proust, Sartre, Beauvoir and Plato.
Plato is known today as one of the greatest Philosophers of all time, he was born in Athens in 429 BC and died 347 BC. Plato as a young man was a true follower of Socrates, and learned a lot about him and how to think. As a designer you need to teach yourself on how to think as well, and how to have the right attitude in life.
Plato spent a lot of time thinking about the natural world and how it works. He thought that everything had a sort of ideal form like a chair, and then an actual chair was a poor imitation of the ideal chair that exists in your mind, I think this is a perfect example of critical thinking. It’s the idea that nothing is ever perfect, that you can improve on anything if your mind will let you.
He also said “ Suppose there is a cave, and inside the cave there are some men chained up to a wall, so that they can only see the back wall of the cave and nothing else. These men can't see anything outside of the cave, or even see each other clearly, but they can see shadows of what is going on outside the cave. Wouldn't these prisoners come to think that the shadows were real, and that was what things really looked like?
Suppose now that one of the men escaped, and got out of the cave, and saw what real people looked like, and real trees and grass. If he went back to the cave and told the other men what he had seen, would they believe him, or would they think he was crazy?
Plato says that we are like those men sitting in the cave: we think we understand the real world, but because we are trapped in our bodies we can see only the shadows on the wall, so If me as a designer that cant see the world for more than just shadows how can I produce work that shows it to everyone else? , The quality of our life and what we produce, make or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought; shoddy thinking is costly, especially in design, both in money and in quality.
When it all boils down to it, critical thinking is up to the sol person to achieve, in short its self-directed, self disciplined, self-monitored, and self- corrective thinking, it’s a good way of effective communication and improve problem your solving abilities. All of these aspects are crucial in the graphic design Industry.
My methods to achieve a better way of thinking need to change, it starts with me and I know entirely what I need to do as a person to be more pro active and develop a more critical way of thinking, for example, getting up early, better diet, exercise the body and in the mind. No one wants to be critical about themselves but that’s the beauty of it, all of society wants us to be like that, its easier to be that way but again Albert Einstein said it better than anyone ever will,
“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”
Albert Einstein was one of the greatest minds in the known world, he believed that imagination was more important than knowledge; he said that it was the preview to life’s coming attractions so for me I hope to develop my knowledge in the field of imagination, to see things in a broad perspective rather than what I already distinctly see.
A year has gone in my graphic Design class and we have done many projects and critiqued them all to some degree, its never an enjoyable experience to have you work analysed with a fine toothed comb or on the other hand do the same to someone else’s work, but now after realising that critiquing is a way of opening up my mind to a world without shadows then I’m all for changing my attitude to achieve this, I’m no Philosopher but I’ve found one who has put it Perfectly
“ Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing and being nothing, Aristotle, 384 BC-322 BC