EDLD 5336 - Week 5 Course Reflection

It's hard to say I learned much from this course. It's more of a reference to my prior experience.  I've worked in graphic design for years and have trained hundreds of people in desktop publishing.  I also helped Dr. Yearwood, the professor who developed a portion of the course materials, deliver his desktop and web publishing courses numerous times.

That being said the most important concepts shared in this course is the CRAP of design (Yearwood, 2009).  By adhering to these guidelines even a truly untalented designer can produce mediocre work.

The first idea portion of CRAP is contrast.  As Dr. Yearwood explained contrasting items should be "really different" (Yearwood, 2009).  Minor differences are necessary in documents but they do not provide real contrast.  Contrast can be shown through color, font and/or size.

The second concept is repetition.  Repetition allows for continuity throughout a document.  As the old saying goes, "repetition makes an impression".  Without repetition a project will feel random and disconnected. Or as Dr. Yearwood put it, "reminds the visual cortex of the brain that there is something similar here, and this suggests that there is a kind of unity in the design." (Yearwood, 2009)

Alignment is next and most often overlooked issue.  Alignment guides the eye of the viewer. Inexperienced designers often break alignment attempting to make things look "designy".

Proximity is allow about grouping.  By allowing room for separate parts of the document to breathe it becomes easier for the reader to view relationships.

I have a had a fairly firm understanding of these concepts for year but enjoyed discussing the with classmates.  I'm not sure many of them grasp there importance.  A properly formatted document can make an incredible difference in it's usefulness to the viewer.

I was able to complete most the assignments without exerting much effort at all. Once again this is more of a reflection on my past than a reflection on the course.  Students who are new to desktop publishing and animation may have struggled with developing quality work.

My interactions in the course had little to no impact on my performance on the assignments.  Once again this is more of a reflection on my past than a reflection on the course.

I always strive to create both beautiful and effective documents.  I do not see this changing in the future.  My main take away from my interactions with my colleagues in the course is that some people don't take constructive criticism well. They prefer a pat of the back to a suggestion on how to approve.  I constantly study trends and techniques in design in an attempt to produce designs I can be proud of.   I am by far my worst critic. This provides me with the motivation necessary to continue improvement.

Yearwood, J. (2009). Basic design principles and some observations on how we see.