The Design and the Play
Read and respond with a comment on this page.
Respond
What does the reading tell your about the process of graphic design that you may not have been aware of? Do you agree or disagree with the authors perspective on teaching from your own perspective as a student?
The Design and the Play Instinct by Paul Rand
Share your reactions about this reading in 200-300 words.
Compare the reading to your personal perspective and experiences. What does it make you think? How do you respond to the ideas it expresses? Articulate your thoughts clearly without regurgitating the reading.
It is very interesting to me to read about how different strategies and problems can have different affects on the way we learn and process information. I agree that a students success will depend on their natural skills and talents, moreover I agree that there needs to be some sort of teaching that allows for understanding all around rather than multiple ideas to create a solution that only a handful of minds can fully comprehend. I had never noticed before how important the way in which a problem is posed affects the way we go about finding a solution. Getting creative with subject matter definitely has a large influence on how our mind perceives the information, ultimately it calls for an easier understanding therefore an easier solution. It is vital to keep in mind the importance of order, without order things get messy and meaningless. I agree with the article that the possibilities of relationships like harmony, proportion, number, symmetry, rhythm, color, and contrast will let the student be capable of creating anything imaginable but also learn to do so within specific limitations. I find it interesting how simple design means so much to the viewer without realization, for instance the crossword puzzle. It also intrigues me how simple geometric shapes help formulate such creative designs and meanings because it forces you to see and create something that wouldn’t ordinarily be geometric. In reading this article, I have a broader understanding of what it means to create, design, teach, and learn new things, and how the process of doing so can be manipulated for a well-rounded solution.
During some of the graphic design courses I took in high school, I often wished for the assignments to be based more on creativity rather than rules and guidelines. I remember starting off one of the design courses with drawing and wondering how it would ever help me with my graphic design career. Drawing was challenging for me which lead me to strongly dislike it. However, when I began my first semester in college, I found a similar teaching tactic that I did not agree with. During my first semester I took Drawing 1 which left me wondering how it would benefit me in the future. But as weeks went by I found myself getting better at the different mediums I was using and the projects became less challenging. Because of this experience, I agree with what Paul Rand says about a problem with defined limits often produces a better solution. Since my drawing assignments were challenging and had rules, I was forced to think outside the box, therefore producing a better solution. If I was not being challenged in drawing, then I would have quickly lost motivation to succeed leading to a poor result. Due to more recent experiences doing challenging assignments, I have discovered that doing something more challenging will result in more knowledge gained. For instance, If our class did not have the guidelines we did when creating the figure grounds with text thenI would not have learned or been challenged as much as I was. Because we had to do different sized text, different fonts, and different letters, I gained motivation to do a better job and learned more about what made the composition more effective. Although doing design work that only involves creativity and self-expression is always enjoyable, It is the work that limits our creativity that helps us grow as a designers.
This reading got me thinking about the one thing that scares me the most, proportions. As a studio art major I’m constantly finding myself battling with the proportions of a body or the balance in a scene I’m creating. I always find trouble in knowing if what I’m doing is correct, but when I continue working on a project i always seem to figure it out either in the beginning or along the way. It makes me think about the geographic proportions in abstract projects i have made, as well as realistic or expressionistic types of work. While they vary in medium and content on the paper, the theme of balance and portion were always important. I related to the part of the reading talking about rules. “Without the basic rules or disciplines, however, there is no motivation, test of skill, or ultimate reward-in short, no game. I always hated having free range of drawing whatever I wanted, however I wanted. The more guidelines the more comfortable i feel. Because in my art classes it has been a set of rules, youre making this scene, these dimensions, this medium, this style, this is the emotion that should be portrayed…etc. and then I can choose my way to depict what is needed. I also loved the last paragraph on page 157 talking further about this, “..A mind so disciplined should be both more abstract and more concrete. It has been trained in comprehension of abstract thought and in the analysis of facts”. I agree with the authors perspective on teaching from your own perspective as a student. You got to the place youre at because of the descisions youve made based upon your options. Sharing the choices youve made and why you chose them as a student will be more relatable and theres not as much pressure because talking about a past self and decisions not current. I didnt realize the connection of graphic design to all the different styles of art or proportions. Graphic design is more connected in the world around me than I give credit to.
The information given about how specific strategies and issues can impact on the way we process certain things was very interesting to me. I believe that rules and structure do help out with the way we create art, however their needs to be less of that, and more room for our imagination and creativity. I believe that teachers and professors sometimes need to let loose and just let students open their minds, rather than always following a specific rubric. Everyones brains work differently, and some need more time to “get the gears going” in order to succeed. I certainly agree with the authors perspective of sometimes teaching yourself as a student. Over my years of working with art, I have gained much knowledge and became a better student just from practice, time, trial and error, etc. Often times self-inspiration is a big key to designing or creating art, and that is what I think people need to realize more.
The struggles that are discussed in this reading are fairly relevant to myself as well as others, even though I’m not personally someone who is studying design or working with it constantly. It’s always interesting to see the way that designers of the past have problem solved and even added to the abilities of other designers through their creative solutions, and it’s something that I can relate to on almost a daily basis. A large part of this reading is about finding new ways to look at something and developing a new viewpoint, and I’ve had to do that with designs in the past when I took a class in high school, as well as with the recent project we’ve done in this class. It’s all about creating a new perspective and changing around the way that something is looked at, like with the typography project, it was all about flipping the letters upside down, turning them backwards, and playing around with the different ways they could lay on the page. This reading shows that even the most talented and skilled designers still struggle and have to mess around with their work a bit before they can create a successful final piece.
In the beginning, the reading asks the question of if art can be taught or if a visual eye for art is inherently build into certain people. This has always been a concern for me because even though I have always enjoyed art, I have never thought of myself to be especially naturally talented at it. However, with instruction and practice, I believe it is possible for me to become better. The article next explores the different ways one can teach art. It comments on the necessity for rules, limits, and structure to guide the creative process and to encourage students to push boundaries. It states that with unlimited amounts of freedom, the project becomes meaningless and the student, indifferent. I myself definitely agree with this principle. I learn best by following directions and trying to stretch the limits of the directions given. It becomes almost like a competition for me to see what I can create with limited resources. I find this principle also applies to writing research papers. It is much easier for me to look outside my comfort zone to find a topic no body else is considering when guidelines are given, and it is less inspiring and more tedious to find a topic when I am given full freedom. I agree with the article when it states, “Without basic rules or disciplines, however, there is no motivation, test of skill, or ultimate reward.” Limits and rules are what makes it fun and challenging.
This reading was quite interesting at the beginning as I found myself wondering exactly what it was going to be about. As I kept going I began to make some connections between my personal life and what was being discussed. I agreed with the author when he talked about how in many schools they are not making a huge attempt to educate students on logical progression. I remember being in high school and having teachers completely disregard a student when he/she possibly needed extra attention in a subject. By this I mean if someone was having trouble test taking and did not know how to study properly, the teacher didn’t exactly want to put in the extra effort to figure out what would work with that student. I agree with how we should start exploring the use of unorthodox materials for learning and how they might not be ‘by the books’ but can help those kids who are out of the ordinary. It was also very interesting thinking about how teaching should alternate between theoretical and practical problems. I feel that in my schooling years I never was fully taught any practical skills, but I was taught those by my father. Practical skills can be taught anywhere I suppose, but if there was an alternation between the two I feel that it would benefit many. As I kept reading about different ways of Graphic Design layouts and different methods of skills, it really caught my eye of how differently you can do many things. I thought the de Stijl movement was quite interesting because of how much of a challenge it could be by being a functional use of materials but also having the restraint of colors. I enjoy these types of challenges where you really need to think outside the box to come up with a work of art and struggle through the process to create something great.
Everybody knows that one person who is extremely more artistic than the rest of us. In this reading, the author starts by asking the question of whether or not the brain is born with these skills/talents or if you can learn them throughout your life. There is often a debate whether or not skills like these can be taught over the years or if it is something you are not born with, you can not possess. This read was very interesting to me because I am someone who is not artistic by any means. This reading gave me a sort of hope because it talked about just how many different ways that there are to master the different types of being artistic and being able to add artistic value to a piece. Within this reading Paul Rand talks about how to develop a new viewpoint on the text in order to further develop artistic skills. He also talks about how the Chinese created a way of typography that used imaginary boxes to get the most utilization out of all 9 of these imaginary squares that are being used. Overall this reading by Paul Rand helps develop a mindset for less artistic people that they can be very artistic by changing their viewpoints on text and developing new strategies.
The reading gave a good representation of people always thinking differently on matters with the different usages and perceptions. People who think artists are gifted don’t think about the hard work they really put in, they think about how it came so easily to them and wonder how they get their talent so young or how they ever got to be so good. Artistic people had to develop their skills to get where they are. It does take constant practice, but it also takes the passion which also may be the equivalent to the word “gifted.” If you are confident in your ability to create art it comes easily and if not you will expect what you imagined. The people who worry stay within the lines and the ones who are passionate want to travel outside of them. This is why teachers and guardians should encourage the “outside of the lines” kind of learning because of the need to keep changing, rebelling, and keep in touch with ones sense of of wonder. Push the limits often, but know that there will always be an edge to a piece of paper. Less orders and more freedom because that is how you grow up is by personal experiences, but reign yourself back from going off the deep end. I wish I had the opportunity to let go every once in a while by my teachers. Time and time again I really wanted to show them what I can do, but my interests are never an assignment. I wish the government didn’t set so many guidlines and restrict art.
In this article, the author tackles the idea of heightened creativity through limitation, rather than perfect freedom. As I read, I felt as though something I’d long had a sense for had finally been explained to me in the words I could never quite express. That often, I felt better able to create when I had some kind of “rules” or “guidelines” to work with. It turns it into a puzzle, or like this article explained it, a game, for your brain to play and solve. I once had an art class where the teacher told us to do whatever we wanted as long as we got some things finished by the end of the semester, because she was teaching a lower level art class during the same period. I had no idea where to even start, and I felt totally uninspired to start. Even when I’m just drawing for myself, I often spend time looking at art I like to inspire some idea that will give me “guidelines” for what I want to create. It’s a lot easier for your brain to operate creatively when it’s able to focus its energy on one thing rather than dwell on a million possibilities.
In the beginning of this article, the author discusses the question of if people are born with more of an artistic side or if it’s simply something that is learned. I personally feel that most talented artists are born with it while a few learn how to become good at it. I also feel that although sometimes tedious and frustration, grids and guides are very helpful and can really make a huge difference in the artwork because it allows the artist to have a point of reference. Whenever I use Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign, or Lightroom, I’m always using the guides to decide where to place certain images or letters or designs in relation to the space on the screen. I don’t find a lot of different types of grids useful because I find most of them to restrict my work a little too much,but theres certain grids that I use all the time, like the ninefold square and The Modulor System.
This article goes in depth on many of the elements that it takes to be good at design and talks about ways the schools often over look these the basic design problems which are harmony, order, number, measure, rhythm, symmetry, contrast, color, texture, and lastly space. Yet it tells use a great way to advance your skills at design is to problem solve like drawing pictures in cross word puzzles. Also using geometric, proportion, and usage of space can be practiced and well composition while involving yourselves creativeness to make it your own. Measuring can help position and make the design propionate.
Grid systems can add discipline which is also used in modern painting techniques and architecture. Playing around with the grids values which can deceive illusion on the eye and how people see the design. The interest in this is the creativeness including patterns and colors brought to the design while still trying to bring influences and strategy involving in the look of the design. I have wrote some good tips on how to keep on how to practice and to problem solve original ideas within a design aspect thanks to this article. I how to incorporate a bit of abstraction to my work and mixed media.
This article was interesting to me because it discussed the challenges and strategies many artists face in the subject of art. I took a few graphic design classes in high school and found that I tended to like the project where I had the most freedom and less rules. Rules when it comes to at always bothered me, however, I see the purpose and importance they have and how they help you think outside the box to overcome the challenges. the article also touched on the natural ability some people have to create art compared to those who have to learn it. I agree with the author and think anyone can learn to be successful at art and design, but the person with the natural ability might always have that upper hand. I was never naturally great at drawing or painting but I after some practice I definitely improved which shows the importance of working through the challenges that come along with art.