Tuesday, 26 April 2016

Evaluation

I chose the print media essay question because I already had an interest in the subject and wanted to explore it further, however I found it hard not to be bias towards print and I didn't want a weighted argument. Finding contradicting sources helped me to create an argument, for example Hislop and Macqueen. I am pleased with the sources that I used in my essay because they are from a broad timeline, however using more publication sources would have allowed me to create more of an in-depth response to the essay question. As mentioned in my essay, secondary sources from the internet may not be trustworthy, whereas publications often have the content 'quality controlled' so that the information is accurate from the time it was published. Although I did use the library resources, I feel I could have taken advantage of them more. 'Print isn't Dead' magazine was a really beneficial source because the focus was on print media in the world of design, however it was hard to relate the subject of design to editorial and ebooks because they mainly focus on informative content, which was a large part of my essay. The Harvard referencing guide on eStudio was really helpful, allowing me cite sources in the text making my essay creditable.

A really beneficial COP lecture that related to my essay well was the 'Print Culture and Distribution' lecture:




This encouraged me to look at the social impact of print and digital media, in order to justify print's role. My reference to Walter Benjamin was influenced by this lecture and I went on to find his publication to source my research and add to my bibliography. This shows how beneficial COP lecturers are and I am pleased I was proactive and attended them because it benefited my overall understanding.

I struggled with the introduction for my essay as I created many drafts so that I made sure the audience was put into context before moving on with my essay. The structure of my essay was difficult to get right, as I wanted to lead the reader through the social impact of print and then focus more on the purpose of print during the digital age. My main point to the essay was that digital accomodates the need for immediate information whereas print features more unique, tactile characteristics that impacts the audiences sensory system as well as informing and entertaining. Although I had identified my key points for my essay, If I had spent more time planning, the structure would be more concise and my argument would be a lot clearer.

Relating my essay to a practical piece was surprisingly an enjoyable task, especially for my question as I like traditional print and I used this to influence my concepts. I had a strong range of concepts that I made sure would relate to my essay, however choosing which one to take forward was hard because I wanted to include them all. The basic survey and feedback sessions were really useful in allowing me to make informed decisions which gave me confidence to move forward. Looking back, it is a shame I didn't explore the QR code publication because I think that is an exciting and unique concept. Within my essay, I argued that print media and digital media both have their limitations, however they can benefit each other if they work together. During the practical exploration, I found more sources and subjects that would have created new arguments and points, this is something I wish I'd done earlier in the project. Looking at my final prints, I would have liked to have explored my publication concept because that would create a stronger synthesis towards my essay, however I still managed to create a screen print which is a traditional a traditional printing process, thus enforcing the role of print media in the digital age. Reflecting on my final outcome, I would add a real QR code into the composition so that people could actually scan it to reveal more information, and even take the audience to my essay or a relevant source about print in the digital age. This would aid the synthesis of my essay and practical piece as it would close the gap between print and digital media.

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