In the eye of the beholder
One of the more enjoyable assignments from the first semester of the first year of the MA program was the graphics assignment whereby we had to find five faulty graphics from credible sources. The emphasis was on 'credible' as the sources had to be print media or their online equivalent. This criteria was to presumably ensure that the graphics had been created by reputable designers.
As someone who is not naturally creative, I have a great admiration for those with an eye for design. However, I do know what I like and what I don't like in visual media, and even though I may not know the correct design terms to describe something, I can usually express it in words that are understood by others. Undertaking this assignment did introduce me to new phrases such as 'chart junk' and 'data ink' so the assignment was a welcome opportunity to expand on my knowledge of design terminology.
Initially, it proved quite difficult to find suitable graphics that could be described as 'faulty' as nowadays, people are more conscious of proof-reading and refining content before publishing. However, by referring to relevant textbooks by Markel and Selber [1] and, in particular, Tufte [2, 3], it soon became apparent what type of graphical mistakes to look out for and I soon found more than enough examples to work with.
Although I got a very good grade in this assignment, reading back over it now I can see many glaring errors. I especially winced at the inclusion of a full-stop after the year in the list of references. That common error during the first semester has since been drummed into us via the Cite it Right guide from the UL library. I also noted the comma between the author name and year in the in-text citations. Such errors are obvious to me now but, at the time, I was oblivious to my mistakes.
Writing this blog has made me realize just how much I have learned in the past 18 months, as my attention to detail has significantly improved since submitting that particular assignment. It's gratifying to know that the slow, steady progress has worked well in my favour as the end goal is now in sight. I have to remind myself that this is a marathon, not a sprint, and that all good things come to those who work for it.
References
[1]Markel, M. and Selber, S. (2018) Technical communication. Bedford/St.Martin's.
[2]Tufte, E.R. (1983) The visual display of quantitative information, Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics Press.
[3]Tufte, E.R. (1997) Visual explanations: images and quantities, evidence and narratives, Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics Press.
As someone who is not naturally creative, I have a great admiration for those with an eye for design. However, I do know what I like and what I don't like in visual media, and even though I may not know the correct design terms to describe something, I can usually express it in words that are understood by others. Undertaking this assignment did introduce me to new phrases such as 'chart junk' and 'data ink' so the assignment was a welcome opportunity to expand on my knowledge of design terminology.
Initially, it proved quite difficult to find suitable graphics that could be described as 'faulty' as nowadays, people are more conscious of proof-reading and refining content before publishing. However, by referring to relevant textbooks by Markel and Selber [1] and, in particular, Tufte [2, 3], it soon became apparent what type of graphical mistakes to look out for and I soon found more than enough examples to work with.
Writing this blog has made me realize just how much I have learned in the past 18 months, as my attention to detail has significantly improved since submitting that particular assignment. It's gratifying to know that the slow, steady progress has worked well in my favour as the end goal is now in sight. I have to remind myself that this is a marathon, not a sprint, and that all good things come to those who work for it.
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"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it." ~ Salvador Dali
References
[1]Markel, M. and Selber, S. (2018) Technical communication. Bedford/St.Martin's.
[2]Tufte, E.R. (1983) The visual display of quantitative information, Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics Press.
[3]Tufte, E.R. (1997) Visual explanations: images and quantities, evidence and narratives, Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics Press.
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