DESIGN WORKS - Evaluating Artistic and Design works

Generally all of our artistic and design works are subject to five areas of evaluation. The criteria are concept/creativity, craftsmanship, design/composition, specifications, and degree of difficulty.

When applying these criteria to client commissioned works and works for inclusion in our portfolios, we find some similarities. As we investigate further, we realize there are more distinctions. Works that are commissioned by a client will need an adequate amount of creativity and craftsmanship, but what the client is looking for most is “does it work?” The specifications of a design project should be considered as paramount when incorporating the other areas of importance. As designers, we must continually ask ourselves if we are sacrificing function for cosmetic design. Prime examples are a website that is cluttered with heavy graphics or a print design that cannot be rendered in the client’s selected media. In any case, not fully considering the specifications of a job can be disastrous. While portfolio works may not have the same stringent requirements, the area of specification remains important. As your own client you have particular objectives that have to be met in your portfolio creation. The additional focus on creativity and degree of difficulty can allow your personal style and level of achievement to be put on display for potential employers and clients. With portfolio works being intended to portray the “best of the best,” emphasis should be placed on creating and displaying works of the highest craftsmanship. As a designer, I find my personal strengths rooted in creativity and craftsmanship. I feel that while degree of difficulty is an important evaluation point, it can often be more impressive to make a challenging task appear easy. Some designs that may lack the “wow” factor may function better by not distracting from the message of the design. You don’t want a viewer to focus on the intricacies of your design and miss the point of the piece. The area I feel that I and the design community as a whole can benefit most from improving is attention to specifications. As design professionals it is an easy and enjoyable task to take on a project that stimulates our creativity, but it can sometimes feel tedious to spend hours ensuring that specifications are being met. This problem is easily avoided by a having a clear creative brief and adhering to it. Moving forward in our careers creativity will come and go. That lack of creativity will then hamper us with “visual writer’s block” at times. At the end of the day, if we have managed to satisfy our client’s needs, we have completed our part in making design work.