Tuesday, February 5, 2008
leading the gift monkey
A personal note: I had an experience in one of my classes recently that has given me less faith in the creative process at my school. I presented my work and instead of being given feedback on how to make it more readable and convey my message, she gave me a design solution completely different from the direction I was moving in. Not only was it not my idea, it was contrived. I was extremely frustrated. This is not the first time I have been pushed in a very specific direction. The last time I listened to the teacher's suggestions, the end result was torn apart in crits and it really made me second guess myself. Someone in the class asked "what's wrong?" when I made a sour face and I wanted to scream. I like coming to my own design solutions; that is what being a critical thinker is all about. Up until this point, the teacher made a point to be oblique so as not to lead us. I have no problem with constructive criticism, but to feed me an idea, let alone one so contrived, makes me question some teacher's techniques. I am taking the Jim approach on this one and following my instincts. I am going to reassess my direction, pull back, and make the image read better. Sometimes learning means not listening to your teachers.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I was in the same position for quarters 1 - 4. Professor would say X, and I would do X blindly without really paying attention to the end product.
Badness ensued.
I came to the same realization as you and things have improved rapidly. I don't know if this is the method to their madness, if this is how design is taught, or if this is just how the real world works as well.
What I have figured out is that the most important thing is your end product has to communicate to the audience. If the creative direction is leading you elsewhere, provide solid research (and more of it) that proves you are correct.
Post a Comment