RATIONAL While researching for my essay I came to realise that there were many confusing cross overs and blurry lines between the creative subjects. I also found that the creative courses were extremely difficult to define because they are constantly changing due to factors such as digital progression.
as Facebook ) other users comments that they agree with. Course definitions can be edited to meet the options of those users who have gained high numbers of 'likes' for their comment. This will mean that course definitions are changed and adapted due to popular belief and will therefore stay current. Because the website is online it means that the website can be constantly updated. That way users are given the most up to date course definitions. It is however important that quotes from the past are mentioned on course description pages.
Two problems I have discovered: 1. The subjects are constantly changing so there needs to be a way of constantly updating definitions. 2. Definitions usually come from one source. It is therefore important that definitions have been influenced by a range of people to help give a more rounded definition. I have therefore decided to produce a website as my practical project for COP3. This website will be aimed at young creatives ( A-level and foundation students) to help them choose the right creative course form them based on reliable course definitions. These definitions will have been sourced from a range of up to date definitions and will also be influenced by users comments on the forums page of my website. The forums page will allow users to 'like’'(in the same way
Andy Foster
During my essay I have researched into Eleanor Rosch’s prototype theory. Her theory suggests that people create categories of things and assign the same name to things that are similar. Within a Taxonomy of design , a prototype can be used to describe and categorise the main subjects or features of a discipline. Within my essay I outline that a taxonomy of art and design subjects could make it easier to categorise the creative disciplines and also make it easier to see the cross overs between these subjects. I will therefore have a page on the website containing various taxonomy trees which will help young creatives visualise the creative subjects cross overs. Because I am creating a website that will categorise and define the subjects, it seems fitting that it is named "A TAXONOMY of art and design". This website will also be a place where interviews which are relevant to the creative courses are placed. This again will give young creatives professional opinions on the discipline they are practising. I can also place both my interviews I conducted for primary research onto this page as they concern the graphic design and illustration courses.
1
Taxonomy of Art and Design is a website dedicated to helping A - level and foundation students choose the right creative course for them. It is your navigation through the creative industries, providing young creatives with accurate descriptions of relevant courses available in the UK, as well as forums and interviews further discussing the classification of the creative disciplines. Normally deciding what course to pick can be difficult and confusing, this website aims to present this as a stage of exciting opportunities.
Andy Foster
2
This practical project relates to the essay question "Should we distinguish between the disciplines of graphic design and illustration in todays creative industry�. The essay discusses cross overs within the creative disciplines which can cause them to be difficult to define. This website aims to use professional opinions as well as the comments left on the forums pages to help give an accurate, up to date definition of each course.
Andy Foster
3
The Taxonomy logo is made from icons resembling some of the creative courses available in the UK. I utilise an animated version of this logo on the website, to engage a young creative audience and remove some of the seriousness from the decision making process.
Andy Foster
4
The What course page allows users to scroll through the large variety of creative courses available. From here the user can navigate to the different course pages which offer detailed definitions as well as relevant interviews which discuss the selected discipline.
Andy Foster
5
The ‘what course' pages provide young creatives with accurate descriptions of the relevant courses. These definitions have come from various sources and should change over time in response to comments posted on the forums pages. The page also contains icons which try to explain some of the key aspects of the course. Again, these icons can be added and removed depending on the response on the forum pages.
Andy Foster
6
The Taxonomy trees on the website would show the possible links between the courses which branch off into sub categories. There are many ways in which a Taxonomy of the creative disciplines can be drawn depending on what the starting point is and how you are defining the subjects. It is therefore important for my website that each of the taxonomy tree pages contains a comments box so people can debate these classifications.
Andy Foster
7
Interviews which could help young creatives decide upon the right course for them can be accessed via the forums page. There are currently two interviews on the page which were conducted for my COP 3 primary research.
Andy Foster
8
The forum page allows users to discuss the categorization of the disciplines. It is also a place where users can agree or disagree with the taxonomy trees and course descriptions. Based on popular opinions on the forum, the course descriptions and taxonomy trees will be updated.
Andy Foster
9
This is a concertina promotional booklet which can be given out to the students studying in sixth form colleges and on foundation degrees. This booklet will publicise the online service.
Andy Foster
10
EVALUATION This project has allowed me to create a synthesised product between my essay and practical work. To complete this project I needed to re-familiarise myself with Adobe Dreamweaver and how to code HTML and CSS in order to create the website I have created for the practical side of this module. This website is aimed at young creatives and aims to help them choose the right creative course for them. It accomplishes this by providing users with course descriptions, taxonomy trees, forums and interviews. I originally wanted users to choose their interests from a large range of icons resembling creative processes. The website would then use this information to provide the user with a list of most appropriate courses for them. Unfortunately I was unable to code this part of the website so I created separate pages containing definitions on the chosen subject. The icons now appear on these course description pages. Although I have been unable to code features such as the multiple choice page, I have created a functioning website which can be constantly updated to make sure users are provided with up to date course definitions and professional interviews.
Andy Foster
I believe I have successfully created a website which is engaging a young creative audience due to the use of moving images. By making the website more visually engaging I believe it will help make the decision making process more entertaining for the young creatives I have aimed the website at. Throughout this module I have realised the importance of a synthesising between your research and practical product. The research that I conducted for my essay has given me a better understanding of defining courses such as graphic design and illustration and also an understanding of categorising using taxonomies using theories such as the prototype theory. This understanding is evident in my completed website as I have created pages which both define subjects and categorises them into a taxonomy tree. I have also used my primary research from my essay within the website on the interviews page. I interviewed Art directors Lord Whitney and illustrator Matthew The Horse which are relevant to users interested in studying a graphic design or illustration courses. I have enjoyed researching into my chosen topic as well as conducting interviews for primary research both of which have helped me create a synthesised end product. Throughout the module I have improved my academic writing by attending academic writing classes once a week. These classes have been really useful in teaching me how to reference and structure my essay correctly.
11