This year has
been an eye opener for me in terms of critical writing. It has been made clear
that I tend to overcomplicate what I write, so simplifying what I am saying and
proving I have a better understanding of the subject was imperative to ensure
that this year will be different to the level 4.
In the early
stages of my essay development, the question I had established was far too
similar to that of the previous years, so this prompted me for a change in
direction. Opting to study design trends is something I have never really taken
an interest in, however, I wanted to take this opportunity to really explore
the reasons as to why they are so popular amongst the design community.
Learning about
triangulation was a huge bonus for my essay, being able to compare multiple authors
opinions to provide a more solid conclusion has made me realise what is required
when justifying statements rather than going off hunches or own experiences.
By analysing the
work of as many different sources as I could has allowed insight into the world
of trends, why they come about, and what makes them so popular amongst a
certain crowd. The works of Walter Benjamin has helped me get to grips with the
fundamentals of mechanical reproduction, something of which I was never aware
of previous to this module. Also the works of Pascal Geilen on the murmuring of
the artistic multitude which has helped me understand how the digital age has
affected design and increased the typical consumer attitude towards design.
Knowing that the
essay went though some drastic changes, I do believe that the outcome was a
successful one. When the written work is analysed and compared with the
practical it is clear that they have in fact informed one another and unlike
level 4, I feel that the overall project has been more of a success as y confidence
has grown in terms of writing ability. There is still a long way to go however.
I plan on practicing over summer for my dissertation and use the feedback
gained from this particular essay to build on and correct my mistakes.
The essay reads
very straightforward and although it was not split up into chapters, it is
definitely obvious where the essay develops and talks about different aspects without
too much rambling. However, looking back, there are many different aspect of
trends that I did not in fact touch on and would like to in the future. The
practical seems much more robust than my last years’ attempt. Being able to
fully utilise skills I have learned and apply them to my COP practice has
helped me get to grips with how to test your hypothesis out by carrying out the
actual work to prove it, and not just letting the written work do all of the talking.
Having improved
on what I submitted last year, I do feel that given more practice, my writing
will mature more and I will stop feeling the need to fill my sentences with
words that get to the point a bit more concisely. Also, I would like to take
the practical stages further by undertaking the necessary steps to create
physical mock-ups and then perform primary testing through means of asking external
sources. Conclusively, I am looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into the dissertation,
and feel this module was the practice I needed to (hopefully) get it perfect in
a year’s time.
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