RATIONAL

Tomorrow I hand in my blog for marking along with this rational on what I have done, achieved and learnt from the experience. The first thing that I should say is that I have loved doing this blog project and that writing this rational is almost like closing the lid on some big adventure. That may sound pretty corny but this project has spanned three months, taken up over twenty five thousand words and has been the most sustained activity I have done all summer. When I was travelling I became increasingly frustrated at my inability to post topics to the point where I filled a hand written journal on the most banal observations that will make no sense in years to come. But what has it amounted to?

As I said in my self-assessment a few weeks back I am staggered by how much I have enjoyed writing. For someone who can’t spell it has been great fun to be able to sit down and work on my literary skills. I found myself in August changing my facebook activities box to even include “writing”. I honestly hope I keep up this newfound hobby in some sort of capacity in the future.

The great thing about writing is that it gives you time to really think about what you are saying. Your words are also being recorded so your opinion, statements and accusations need to be spot on. But more than this writing gives room for self discussion and debate. Often I would read back what I had written and see another aspect of the topic. You act as your own devils advocate allowing you to dissect your subject extremely deeply. This has been very interesting to do regularly.

I have found that the blog has also made me much more aware of my surroundings. It has become a running joke amongst my mates for me to say “I could write a blog about that” every time something catches my eye. But seriously it is interesting to see what you would consider blog worthy while other things stay in the pile. I was desperate to write an article on Hunter S Thompson but for some reason this never occured. Maybe this is because the things that I find fascinating are a constant in my life whereas the temporary nature of the more sporadic topics makes them a greater priority. I do know that there is a list, however, as long as my arm on things I never got to investigate, publish and share.

Blogging has certainly improved my observation of the world around me. Everything is a potential subject, topic, post or discussion. I like to think of myself as knowledgeable and blogging has certainly improved on that greatly. I have been amazed by the variety of subjects that could justify going into a design blog. Some of my favourite discussions have been on politics, sociology and cultural diversity and in witnessing this variety I have reaffirmed my belief that design and communication is a cornerstone of civilisation.

The things I have decided to talk about have surprised me somewhat. Looking down the index there are some strange entries that I never thought I would be bothered to share with people. This made me realise that, in many ways, blogging is a very selfish activity. You’re not really writing to that galaxy of Internet users. You’re simply pondering to yourself while people in China and Thameshouse eavesdrop. I’ve been very keen to really dig deep in my articles making sure they are comprehensive and have some substance to them. This has consequently disqualified the random things I stumble upon day to day.

I have, to the increasing frustration of my peers, really enjoyed commenting on other people’s work. Give enough graphic designers the time to observe their daily lives and there’s no end to what they’ll talk about. There have been some amazing articles on every topic possible. On more than one occasion I found myself pipped to the post on current affairs or shared passions. However, through this they displayed other perspectives that I was previously blind to. This has been a real eye opener at times and has helped me to explore topics more thoroughly.

I myself have also loved to have comments made on my blog. It’s fine for me to ramble on about topics that I find interesting but it’s much more divulging for friends, family and randomer’s to get involved and give feedback. Whether it has been on my writing, on the topic or their own opinion it has been a further tool to use in exploring my inspiration. I particularly enjoyed comments from people conflicting with my own opinion and opening up the debate on some pretty hot issues.

Has this blog aided my thoughts on my final project? Absolutely. Looking back at my articles there are distinct patterns that I have inadvertently created. My blog is not just a random collection of whatever ‘stumble upon toolbar’ spits out at me. I’ve taken pride in focusing my articles on things that really matter to me. This has aided me greatly. Certain topics include Britain, justice, literature and comparison. A particular post entitled “Taking the Peace” really spoke to me too. It was initially just going to be a rant about the messy tents outside the Houses of Parliament but it developed into so much more. The idea of Parliament Square being a wasted space in the heart of London has become something I’m impassioned about with a potential redesign becoming my main Final Project concept.

When it comes to my dissertation I already knew I was doing it on war journalism. However, seeing this blog has reaffirmed my choice, as I know I am interested in and passionate about our Armed Forces. But of course, it’s been just as valuable to see what I don’t talk about as well. Advertising has barely made a mark and marketing is non existent. I have lost interest in these areas since my year in industry, happier to comment on other people’s findings and articles than dig around looking for my own.

Overall this has been the best project I have undertaken in University. Not only because it has been fun and enjoyable but because I personally have gained so much from it. A new interest, better awareness, design insight, detailed communication techniques and enough topics of conversation to last me the academic year.