I really appreciated that we did our group projects on finding elements of design before reading this book. By trying to find and identify the elements of design before reading the professional write up of what these elements should be, by exploring different websites and articles in class, it made the reading seem more attainable and natural. I think if this had been done the other way the elements would seem stiff and unattainable and even unrealistic. Searching for these elements before hand brought them to a consciousness and one could even say to life. Much like the time old riddle if a tree falls in a forest and there's no one there to hear it, does it make a sound? These two ideas are relatable since without knowledge of them (the tree or design elements) can we truly say we are effected by them or aware of their effect? From our class work I can say that I learned to see what the elements were. While I may have been subconsciously aware of these elements I could not have named them before previously.
While my elements of design, or the elements my group listen may not have been so simplistic (and yet in-depth) they were still noteworthy and a universal element of poor design. Myspace is one prime example of simply disturbing pages that can accurately be described as an “eye-sore.”Here is one example of a flashy page that is painful to look at. I think this is a perfect example of poor element design because it shows how everyday people are willing and trying to design there own web-pages, but lack direction. Never before have people had this opportunity of design so readily in everyday homes. This in mind it is also an appropriate example because I'm sure most of our class, or at least half, has come across pages such as these while using the internet.
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Hi Beckah. I see you put up an index page--good job. Glad the pedagogical approach worked for you too. Did you read the part of the book where Williams talks about the Joshua Tree Principle? She is addressing the issue of conscious control, which you also discuss here (note the spelling correction):
ReplyDelete"can we truly say we are [a]ffected by them or aware of their effect? From our class work I can say that I learned to see what the elements were. While I may have been subconsciously aware of these elements I could not have named them before previously."
In my view, developing a language of design is a key element of writing in a digital age. (cf. New London Group "Multiliteracies" 2000--this reference is on the theory handout I passed out last week.)
I agree, it was nice to be able to come up with our own principles of design before jumping into the Williams book. I feel like it gave us a chance to discover our own "eye" and helps us to make more sense of Williams' design principles.
ReplyDeleteMyspace pages have, I think, become the ultimate "joke" of bad design/taste. I've always wondered, though, about the group of people who have pages like this. Obviously the glittery, flashy, hard-to-load graphics and annoying music is somehow attractive to them. So, I guess what I've been wondering/thinking about is whether they have "bad" taste, or just "different" taste. I'm inclined to say "bad," but there seems to be an awfully large number of people who take their personal webspaces in that direction.
RE: Bethany's post, I can't help but think about punk rock. I know very little, so I risk making a false analogy fallacy here, but I am thinking about a conscious going-against-the-grain.
ReplyDeleteWatch again that "ugly" video that Patrick showed us. It is linked off his blog. I seem to remember the argument that "ugly" was posited as an aesthetic choice of consumer-driven media.