Course Reflection #10
I really enjoyed taking Design 200 this quarter. I would actually say it was one of my top favorite classes so far this year coming in second to my photo course.
The whole course was structured nicely and Gabe was a fantastic instructor. Expanding on that idea a bit, I think that Gabe was a key part in my liking of the course. I'm a big believer in the notion that an instructor sets the tone for a class and Gabe really set a fun, creative, open, creative atmosphere for Design 200. He is funny, relatable, helpful, amongst other things. With him as an instructor, it removed some of that teacher-student tension and I felt comfortable and excited to attend class.
The blogging aspect was something I also really enjoyed. Maybe this is my internet addiction speaking too loudly, but I think it's a fantastic idea. I spend countless numbers of hours tapping away at my laptop, on the internet. It seems like a flawless idea to integrate that aspect of my life into my schoolwork. Honestly, doing blog posts felt less like homework when I had to give my opinion in blog form. That may just be my sole little opinion, but I would venture to say that other students felt a similar way. If not, I'm sure we'd all agree that blogging is way better than exams any day.
One thing that I did have an issue with was the Design: A Short Introduction book we had to read. The course could really do without it. I was certainly not a fan, as my reading reflections of the book would show. It was an odd read and hardly kept my attention despite it being the shortest book I've read in a long time. My suggestions: just pitch it or replace it. The reading reflections for that book were not fun or intellectually stimulating by any means.
I did enjoy Cradle to Cradle though. I think all majors, all people should read that book. It still think about the arguments brought up in that book 'til this day and I'm sure I'll continue to.
Another thing I will say is that though the lectures were great and informative, it felt like there was no resolve with them once the course ended. It seems as though the final project should bring all those concepts together, but failed to do so. Perhaps that was just my expectation, but I wish there had better a more direct incorporation of what we learned during the lectures because at the end it all feels like useful information that's just hanging in the balance.
Design 200 was a great course. I would highly recommend it and recommend Gabe to anyone interested in design. I will say that I wish it touched on more Visual Communication aspects, but overall, I think it was a great intro to design. It definitely has me more interested in exploring the topic more, though I won't be pursing a design degree (maybe a minor). Once again, course and instructor highly recommended! :D









