Assignment 10: Final Reflective Statement

Reflection on my Experience of this Unit as a Whole

What does visual communications mean to me?

At the beginning of this unit I wrote that “Visual Communications combines illustration and graphic design across many media to create meaningful art; images with a message.”¹ While I agree with this statement in general, I would now add that the images we create as visual communicators should convey the particular message outlined within a brief or other purposeful intent. It’s the use of visual language and dynamics to convey ideas/emotions for a particular purpose and audience. It’s the resolution of problems: how do we use our research and creative skills to most effectively communicate our intended meaning or message? Coming from a fine art background, I find visual communications to be very much focussed on problem solving and design rather than more free-flowing creative responses to personal motivations. It is no less creative, but is perhaps more useful.

How did my creative approaches to graphic design and illustration develop over the course? 

Before studying this unit drawing was my main creative medium, then mixed media and photography and decorative textiles. Through these projects I’ve been surprised at how my use of collage has developed and how much of my work has been in collage form. It now goes beyond basic shapes to incorporate more detail and tonal variation. Also. I chose photography for my electives, and while this was a struggle due to my visual impairment, I learned a lot not just about photography but also about the unique way in which I see. I found that my understanding of the Unit’s aims developed over each assignment and I gradually learned how to work better with the briefs and employ visual research strategies to develop my ideas rather than moving too quickly to finished pieces.

Did the use of creative strategies like mind maps and spider diagrams help the development of my ideas?

I learned to use more visible techniques for developing ideas. Partly this was necessary so that my tutor could see my processes. It’s often felt like going through the motions for the sake of documentation. I tend to have too many ideas so the prospect of generating more ideas was unappealing. I’ve found, though, that some of these techniques are very good for resolving questions and trying things out quickly without committing a lot of time to working up an idea that doesn’t work. In projects 9 and 10 I felt these approaches - particularly mind maps and thumbnails - bed into my process as really helpful ways to get out of stuck points, and also to be able to use my hands and see on the page what will work and what won’t. The thumbnail sketches for composition are a quick method of setting out numerous arrangements and being able to evaluate the best way forward.

What do I feel and think about the processes of experimentation I have undertaken with a range of materials and technical approaches?

During the first few projects, while I did some experimentation, I moved very quickly to finished pieces. I felt under pressure to come up with outcomes because there didn’t seem to be enough time. One of the big drains on my time throughout the unit has been the huge amount of time for documentation and blogging. Each project needed around 15-20 hours just for recording everything online. While blogging has been a part of the process of learning by reflecting, it’s a big disincentive to continuing with the course. Despite this, after a few projects I started to experiment more, and gradually understood that I could generate finished pieces more quickly and successfully by doing more experimenting, trying out small samples rather than committing too soon to a final piece. I found that when I took a more playful and experimental approach I enjoyed more what I was doing and made better work.

How has looking at other creative practitioners’ drawing and design and reading about their work expanded my understanding of visual communications?

This has been fascinating. I was guided to look at the work of practitioners I didn’t know. It was good to be required to reflect on those I didn’t like and work out why I didn’t like them, just as much as to discover practitioners whose work has inspired me. I was intrigued by the various iterations of the First Things First manifesto and the attempt to define ethics for visual communications. The research exercises were always interesting and the information in the course materials was useful.

Conclusion

Overall I have enjoyed and learnt a lot from this unit. The only downside has been the interminable blogging.

1. https://wordbecomesart.blogspot.com/2021/11/introduction.html