Overview of Design Aesthetics (MRE3014)

Overview of Design Aesthetics (MRE3014) Prepared by Dr Tan Wee Hoe

Who am I? • Dr Tan Wee Hoe • A two-time graduates from Multimedia University in Bachelor of Multimedia (Film & Animation) and Master of Multimedia (e-Learning Technologies). • A two-time graduates from University of Warwick in Open Certificate in Philosophical Studies and PhD in Education (Game-based Learning). • A Karate-do Blackbelter (Ni-Dan)

Who are you? • In this course, you are my apprentices. • You can choose to attach yourself with either: • An animation studio • An advertising agency • You will go through the similar training and working experience, but in different “worlds”. • Each of you have to overcome three types of challenges: • Memory / knowledge challenge • Memory / practice challenge • Memory / critique challenge

Your attendance is essential • You must attend ALL lecture, I would not accept exemption of class, requested by any other lecturers or bodies. • If your present in an event is critical, ask the specific person to contact me in-person. • The score for participation will be embedded into your coursework score

Keeping a learning journal/diary • Hand written learning journal. • Size between A5 and A4 • I will chop /sign at the end of each learning / working session individually. • We will meet altogether 28 times in the class in total, i.e. you need to obtain 28 chops / signatures from me. • Refer to this presentation for writing effective learning journal: • http://www.slideshare.net/ldubradford/writing-effective-learning-journals

Reading for blogging • You must read the following two books in this semester: • Friedrich Schiller (1795). On the Aesthetic Education of Man. [Online] Accessible at: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/schiller-education.asp • Donald Norman (2004). Emotional Design: Why We Love or Hate Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books. • You must prove that you have read the compulsory reading materials. • By recording or video recording your reading –post the recording to YouTube and link it to your blog • By writing a blog (800 words for each material) that summarizes what you have learnt from the books

Memory challenge • You must memorise what you learn to claim that you have learned. Keeping a learning journal Reading for Blogging

Assessment: • Memory Challenges (10%): • Lap 1 - 15 March , 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm; MRE3014_01 to MRE3014_03 • Lap 2 - 18 April, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm; MRE3014_01 to MRE3014_07 • Reading for Blogging (20%): • Schiller’s First Letter – 5th Letter: 4 March, 11:59 pm • Norman’s Chapter 1, 2 & 3: 14 March, 11:59 pm • Critique challenges (20%): • Write a 500-word critique upon a short animation (< 10 minutes) or a TV advertisement using design aesthetics language • Group debate on a design aesthetic issue. • Learning journal: (10%) • 1st Comment : End of Week 7 • 2nd Comment: End of Week 12

The importance of curiosity • Curiosity killed the cat…but not you in this course. • Before you entered this lecture room today, have you ever thought of: • what is beauty, art, designand aesthetics? • why do YOU have to study them? • What do they have to do with your life here and future? • My personal wish: I want you all to leave this lecture room with the CURIOSITY upon design and aesthetics, and MAINTAIN it for the rest of your life! • ASK questions during my lecture and record our conversation in your Learning Journal.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) By the end of this course, YOU should be able to: • Explain the principles and the appreciation of beauty in the form of arts. • Relate the issues to do with the varieties form of traditional art and modern art which includes the visual arts, music and performing arts from various culture. • Demonstrate and formulate the concept of beauty based on certain principles, system and techniques, concept and certain criteria. • Analyse and criticise the aspects contained in art forms which would be learned according to robust verbal and written arguments and evidence. What do they mean??

ILO1 Analysis Explain the principles and the appreciation of beauty in the form of arts. • What is ‘principle’? • What is ‘beauty’? • What are the principles of beauty? • Why should beauty be related to any principles? • Why these particular principles and not others? • What does ‘appreciation of beauty’ mean? Why? • What is/are the form of arts, i.e. art forms? • What are the principles of beauty in various form of arts? Why these principles and not others? • What does ‘appreciation of beauty’ mean in arts? Why?

ILO2 Analysis Relate the issues to do with the varieties form of traditional art and modern art which includes the visual arts, music and performing arts from various culture. • What are the issues—both classical and contemporary—that relate to traditional and modern art forms? • What is issue? • What does ‘classical’ mean? What does ‘contemporary’ mean? • What does ‘traditional’ mean? What does ‘modern’ mean? • What are the similarities and differences between traditional and modern art forms? • What are the classical issues related to traditional art forms? • What are the classical issues related to modern art forms? • What are the contemporary issues related to traditional art forms? • What are the contemporary issues related to modern art forms? • How to relate these issues to each other?

ILO3 Analysis Demonstrate and formulate the concept of beauty based on certain principles, system and techniques, concept and certain criteria. • What does ‘concept’ mean? • How to formulate the concept of beauty? • How to demonstrate the concept of beauty?

ILO4 Analysis Analyse and criticise the aspects contained in art forms which would be learned according to robust verbal and written arguments and evidence. • What are arguments? • What can be considered as evidence? • What does robust mean? • What are the aspects contained in art forms? • What does analyse mean? How to analyse? • What does criticise mean? How to criticise?

So… • My role here is not to spoon feed you with answers, but to make sure by the end of this semester, you can answer these questions convincingly. • In the next 13 weeks, you will be exposed to ideas, concepts, arguments and principles which I believe would assist you in the search for those answers. • You are allowed and encouraged to go beyond the delivered lecture.

The Instructional Structure • See the structure in MyGuru portal

Question & Answer • Time to demonstrate you have learnt what I wish.

Prior Knowledge Reinforcement Prepared by Tan Wee Hoe

Elements of Design • Source: https://sites.google.com/a/ripon.k12.wi.us/ripon-middle-school-art-studio/elements-and-principles-of-art/elements-of-art-1

Principles of design • Source: https://sites.google.com/a/ripon.k12.wi.us/ripon-middle-school-art-studio/elements-and-principles-of-art/principles-of-design

History of Design • From post-impressionism era to contemporary arts and design movement. • Post-impressionism (1886 – 1914): the development of French art since Manet Bathers at Asnières- Georges Seurat A Wheat Field, with Cypresses - Vincent van Gogh

Reflection • While you may think that after you passed one semester, you can forget about the semester, the fact is I expect you to carry the knowledge gained and apply them in your learning and working process. • Thus it is very important to keep a learning journal throughout your journey of being a professional designer.

Overview of Design Aesthetics (MRE3014)