Week 5

Knowledge Gained

Reflect on what you have learned about design principles and how they enhance the design process. Consider how your research and moodboards influenced your creative approach.

Design principles feel a little like a formulaic godsend, for me, at the moment, they aid me in putting my finger on that ‘right’ feeling I have when viewing a design that pleases my eye.

My mood board is leading me towards using more organic materials around my home - this is what I’m drawn to and we have plenty of natural, organic stuff to work with.

Challenges

Was finding the right materials to represent certain principles challenging? How did the constraint of working with analogue methods and found materials instead of digital tools influence your creative process?

Given my current (lack of) digital skills, using found items did not feel like a constraint as much as a broadening of opportunity, I also found it quicker to alter and adjust found materials compared to working digitally.

A challenge for me was finding and combining items in an aesthetic way. It was easier for me to be functional, to depict intended design principles, rather than putting together combinations of objects that were pleasing to the eye.

Success & Strengths

Reflect on your achievements in Activity 2 and what you feel confident about. Which design principle(s) did you find easiest to convey, and why? Were there any unexpected discoveries or solutions?

As hinted above, I feel confident about finding a way to depict design principles in a way that makes sense to the viewer. The principle I found easiest to convey was 'contrast' as I had a black vs pale mug at hand. I had an unexpected discovery when working with 'balance', at first I tried to balance two items on either side of an image but ended up removing one of them, and still finding visual balance within the image.

Application

Consider how your work in Activity 2 connects to your broader learning journey. How do you plan to apply the knowledge gained here to future projects? How might these design principles and creative methods influence your approach to future design challenges?

I might approach design in a more formulaic way moving forward – asking why designs do or don’t work according to what I now know about the principles of design. I might work on a future project or design solution, not quite be able to put my finger on why it doesn’t feel 'right' and review it from the angle of the design principles I've learnt to solve and complete it.

Areas for Improvement

Reflect on the areas where you could improve or need more practice. Did you face any difficulties with understanding or applying certain principles? Are there any design tools or techniques you want to explore further to enhance your skills?

Both emphasis and hierarchy were difficult ones for me to find successful solutions for, I could continue tweaking these. As mentioned, I could improve the aesthetics of my images as well. I would like to be able to combine found objects into a single form, I have seen examples of this on Pinterest e.g. entwining rocks and shells together with thread.

Goals

Based on your reflections, what study goals can you set for the coming week?

To embrace analogue options in design, to get away from the computer and out of the house, to be inspired by physical objects and 'the real world'.

Comments

  1. HannahJuly 27, 2025 at 2:55 AM

    Hi Susan,

    This sounds like you're making some good progress with cube 2! This is usually the cube that trips most people up, but you sound really confident here which is fantastic.

    Your insight about discovering balance even after simplifying the composition shows a strong developing design intuition. It’s exciting to hear that you’re starting to think more analytically and intentionally about why a design works (or doesn’t)! That kind of thinking is such a valuable skill and will strengthen your future work.

    Looking forward to seeing how your thinking continues to evolve!

    Hannah

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