There is a short essay about this blog and my own little discovers during this year on FdA Design for Graphic Communication.
It's still not an easy thing for me to write a lot - so, sorry for possible mistakes.
And enjoy, as usual.
To be honest, I wasn't really happy when I realised that we need to start blogging during the year. Obviously I knew about the blogs before, but the format was new for me. And the idea that I regularly have something to share with people, to tell someone something special about my life - it was completly new style of presenting the information. I just didn't want to upload pictures and writing post about 'something', just to fill the space. I understood, for myself, that everytime I need to be sure in what to post and what to write.
So, I realized that the blog should begin with content (something to show and something to tell). As the result of the year I can see that I have more 'visual' blog, instead of writing (and it was predictable).
I started with the reports from the attended workshops and diffirent exhibitions. For the first time, the process of writing a message to the blog seemed something incomprehensible, unnatural. I couldn't just put pictures, I had to necessarily comment on them, at least with minimal captions. So I started trying to write more.
Later, I realized that it essentially helps to develop the writing skills and the more you write - the better you be.
But you don't need to write, and especially to do something just "to be done" - I don't see much sense posting something like this. I always tried to be honest with my possible readers and laid out only what I really liked it, again, trying to adequately explain mine point of view.
The tipping point for me came after the "street fonts" observing exercise. I understand that the idea wasn't just
about a simply shot of the font and further laying out a collection of photo. There are two most important moments - to find something unusual, somethinng interesting - and analize why it is interesting for you with further explanation.
Since that time, I continiue getting deeper and deeper. Fonts, textures, patterns - I've start looking for them around the streets of London, trying to observe and record something routine, by which thousands of people pass every week, but do not notice it's hidden beauty.
At the beginning of the third term, I got a proper phone and normal camera appeared in my pocket on a regular basis. I love to walk, I'm enjoying the process itself - and also looking around interesting pieces of design - graphic, interiour, sculptures, etc.. The intention is to find something unusual, interesting in the world around.
Looking ahead, I have one more good example - during the preparation for workshop called "Orange and Blue" we were asked to took around 20 pictures of the orange and blue-colored things that we can find on the London streets. We didn't use this material in the workshop process.
But I realized that as the result of completing a trivial task you can learn how to see more, to notice something unusual in the same environment day to day. And it is quite difficult - to find so much orange and blue items! There were not a lot of many new post during winter months. I started a project in a new field for myself - typography and downloaded all the results and experiments together after the deadline. A few exhibitions were visited as well.
Final Major Project workshops started in March. I tried to made a short report from each visited session, but sometimes we were talking and the examples were shown, without actual creation. I enjoyed it so much!
As the result of diffirent workshops during the preparation for the Final Major Project, I discovered a set of simple, but at the same time very effective techniques to create images. Patterns, monoprint, silhouettes and layers - some things seems to be obvious now. And it was amazing to discover them for myself.
To sum it up, I can again list those moments that I think are most important and can be highlighted. It's the possibility to observe and notice around myself and new skills, which creates possibility to mix more media using new and previously known techniques.
My intention is to create something unusual, eye-catching, making you think - or just looking at getting a visual delight. I well remember the phrase I heard at the beginning of the year - "Whatever you do - it should be designed." It's not possible yet to follow this rule everytime - but in any case, I try.
