Norwich University of the Arts
Graphic Design / Graphic Communication / Design for Publishing 2015/16
Year 1
BA1a & BA1b
Reflective Journal
Introduction
A Reflective Journal is reflective – it provides an opportunity for you to engage with a vital part of your learning journey; namely self-reflection. A Reflective Journal should, in essence, ask a series of simple questions:
- Where am I as a learner?
- What are my strengths?
- What are the areas I need to improve upon?
- What am I interested in and excited about?
- What am I looking forward to; what are my aspirations for 2nd year / 3rd year / my career?
You are required to produce a single Reflective Journal over the course of your first year of study.
It should be a cumulative process; in other words, you continue to contribute towards its content
and design as you progress through the year, and you ‘finish’ it – and submit it – with your BA1b assessment. Please note: at the BA1a assessment point we would expect to see your initial ideas and early content for your Journal. This can be simply collated in a folder or sketch book.
You are provided with a list of content; this list must be used as your contents page and you should closely follow the suggested word-count for each section. You are, of course, welcome to include further content, but the list below is the minimum and standard requirement.
You should consider adding visual content to your Journal where possible and appropriate. All images should be credited and captioned.
You should give the Journal a title. We refer to it as a Reflective Journal, but you shouldn’t call it this: you should devise a name for the publication that you feel is better suited to your content and the way you feel about your year.
Design: the visual outcome
You should be aware from the outset that the final outcome is a fully designed and produced journal. You should be considering very carefully the size and format of the journal; the paper (or papers)
used in its production; the printing process(es); the binding method; the layout, composition and typography; etc. You are both the client and the designer in this assignment, and as such the Journal provides you with the opportunity to push the boundaries somewhat. You are designing a journal about design and learning to be a designer, about a designer, for a design-literate audience. Therefore, we would hope that the content is interesting and intelligent, and the design execution is engaging, creative, beautifully made and challenging in its visual appearance and construction.
Graphic Design / Graphic Communication / Design for Publishing 2015/16
Year 1
BA1a & BA1b
Reflective Journal
Introduction
A Reflective Journal is reflective – it provides an opportunity for you to engage with a vital part of your learning journey; namely self-reflection. A Reflective Journal should, in essence, ask a series of simple questions:
- Where am I as a learner?
- What are my strengths?
- What are the areas I need to improve upon?
- What am I interested in and excited about?
- What am I looking forward to; what are my aspirations for 2nd year / 3rd year / my career?
You are required to produce a single Reflective Journal over the course of your first year of study.
It should be a cumulative process; in other words, you continue to contribute towards its content
and design as you progress through the year, and you ‘finish’ it – and submit it – with your BA1b assessment. Please note: at the BA1a assessment point we would expect to see your initial ideas and early content for your Journal. This can be simply collated in a folder or sketch book.
You are provided with a list of content; this list must be used as your contents page and you should closely follow the suggested word-count for each section. You are, of course, welcome to include further content, but the list below is the minimum and standard requirement.
You should consider adding visual content to your Journal where possible and appropriate. All images should be credited and captioned.
You should give the Journal a title. We refer to it as a Reflective Journal, but you shouldn’t call it this: you should devise a name for the publication that you feel is better suited to your content and the way you feel about your year.
Design: the visual outcome
You should be aware from the outset that the final outcome is a fully designed and produced journal. You should be considering very carefully the size and format of the journal; the paper (or papers)
used in its production; the printing process(es); the binding method; the layout, composition and typography; etc. You are both the client and the designer in this assignment, and as such the Journal provides you with the opportunity to push the boundaries somewhat. You are designing a journal about design and learning to be a designer, about a designer, for a design-literate audience. Therefore, we would hope that the content is interesting and intelligent, and the design execution is engaging, creative, beautifully made and challenging in its visual appearance and construction.
Content
1. A written evaluation of each of the units BA1, BA2, critically reflecting on your work, progress and learning. These evaluations should be retrospective; in other words, they should be written as close to the end of the unit as possible, and thus they should be looking backward at your progress, how successful you feel your work was, and what worked less well. (approx. 250 words for each unit)
2. A written piece on three lectures you attended from the TALK Lecture series. The three you choose could be your three favourite, alternatively you might chose three that were very different to each other in content, style and delivery. You should aim to write in a serious tone, being analytical and objective. Refer to the speakers by their surname as if writing an academic style review. (approx. 200 words per talk/speaker)
3. A critical review of the work of two designers (or two design companies) to include images of their work. You may want to consider a comparative study between the companies/designers. You should think carefully about who you choose to write about. You might choose two designers/companies who work in very different sectors, or perhaps you choose two people/ companies with very different approaches to their work. The choice is yours. (approx. 250 words per designer/company)
4. A written and illustrated (photography and/or illustration) on the study trip abroad (if you went). Your report should focus on any museums/galleries you visited; and designer’s studios you visited and your considered analysis and evaluation of the visual and cultural differences that the country offered, such as wayfinding / signage / architecture / graphic design etc. If you didn’t go on the study trip, use this section to write a critical review of two galleries or museums you have visited in the UK this year. There are numerous galleries in London that now specialise in the display of graphic design. (approx. 250 words)
5. A written report with accompanying images of at least two design books that you have found useful and inspirational to your studies this year. Consider how these books have affected you and inspired you. What have you learnt from them? How do you think they have contributed to your learning this year? (approx. 300 words)
6. A written report outlining where you feel you are on your design journey; what are your strengths? What do you need to focus on to improve? What have you found most useful/ inspirational this year? (approx. 200 - 300 words)
Why are we asking you to do this?
1. Firstly, self-reflection is absolutely vital if you want to assess your strengths and work out
how to improve. This holds true for any career path – and it is especially relevant for graphic designers, both students and professionals. The Journal is intended to help you focus your thinking around a set of questions about your learning and progress, your strengths and the areas you feel need improvement. Equally it asks you to consider a number of other influencers such as key books/texts, design companies/designers and exhibitions and galleries.
2. Secondly, this is a piece of design. As developing designers, you should consider that everything you arrange / visually organise from now on, ought to be well designed. This journal will contain quite large amounts of continuous type and image. It may also contain other visual elements... As such you are facing the most fundamental graphic design challenge that exists: the satisfactory arrangement of words and pictures. You need to consider page composition and layout and exemplary typographic skills.
3. Finally, this piece of work ought to be worthy of your portfolio. You are aiming for a glorious piece of print. As such we are expecting you to explore paper stocks, format, print quality and binding methods. This ought to be a piece of work that not only summarises your first year of study, but also brings together all of your recently acquired design skills and knowledge. The final outcome ought to represent the pinnacle of your abilities.
What are we looking for?
1. Great content: good quality writing (carefully proofed) that is critical and analytical, honest and reflective.
2. Great design: dynamic, exciting layouts demonstrating excellent typography.
3. Great format: an exciting ‘object’ that acknowledges that print is more than a two-dimensional experience. You should think carefully about paper choice, print and binding. The finished mock- up should demonstrate excellent craft and hand skills. We are looking for a high quality mock-up.
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