This journal entry comes on the heels of a referral for my first assignment. I’m not altogther surprised by the referral, something just didn’t feel right about the work I submitted. What I did find surprising and somewhat disturbing was that I knew the work wasn’t of a high enough standard but couldn’t find it within myself to put it right.
Perhaps this would be a good time to put aside the disappointment of the referral and take a look at where I think I am now in regards to becoming a web designer.
Before we get to the heart of the matter and the stark realisation that I’m light years away from being any kind of designer, I think it only fair to note that I have absolutely no background or experience in design whatsoever and taking that into consideration I feel fairly happy with where I am at the present time. Okay, reading Rutledge’s ‘The Employable Designer‘ may not make for happy reading at this early stage but lets not try to run before we can walk.
I am slowly picking up the basic fundamentals of web design. What has pleased me the most is that I finally seem to be coming to grips with InDesign. It would be fair to say that InDesign and I have had our ups and downs but the measured tasks we’ve undertaken in class have given me a good platform to grasp the basics and I feel confident enough to approach more advanced challenges using InDesign.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the course so far has been the eye-opening revelations of the Grid System and the PARC Principles. Having a knowledge of these essential tools has helped me move forward in the way I look at design and they have certainly helped form a little structure in my mind. For the first time I can actually see the framework of a web page and can construct and de-construct design ideas with a degree of fluidity – albeit at a quite basic level. I’m also starting to get a feel for the use of alignment and contrast over the elements of a web page. This, I feel, has made me much better equipped to be a web designer.
I now possess a far better understanding of typography, both from a historical and a practical point of view. It is beginning to feel quite natural to take a step back and analyse any text or typefaces I come into contact with. I have learned the importance of identifying typefaces and questioning their strengths and weaknesses. There is still a great deal to learn but hopefully my knowledge in this area will increase as my study on the subject increases.
I am aware of the need to work on my communication skills, especially my idea communication skills. I find it difficult to put my ideas down on paper and often my thumbnails and other sketches lack the clarity to bring my ideas to life.
I’ve never really considered myself to be a good communicator, which is one of the pre-requisites of any good web designer. Face-to-face communication is one of my major weaknesses and the thought of giving a presentation or a pitch to a group or even an individual would have led to instant panic a few weeks ago. Now I feel a kind of terrified eagerness to do them. I think this is due to the gentle way we have been introduced to this area of communication during the course.
According to the Honey&Mumford test I’m a reflector and I can only agree with that assessment. What the test did highlight was the fact that I need to be more assertive in some of the things that I do. I don’t feel I probe deeply enough into matters or ask enough questions. On a few occasions now I feel I have approached tasks and even my assignment without arming myself with all the information that is needed; to put it more bluntly I’m going into things without a clear working brief. Rutledge makes the very valid point that as web designers we are professional communicators and I think being more assertive is a part of that.
Where does all this leave me? It leaves me knowing that I have a lot to learn before I can even begin to class myself as a web designer but with just over two months of the course completed I feel I’m making steady progress.
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