A Little Background
Journals and diaries
are commonly used in English courses and writing programs to comment
and reflect on assigned readings or to draft assignments. In graphic
design and related visual disciplines, learning journals (usually called
design journals or sketchbooks) have been used to document design research,
to collect design and typography notes, to collect design samples and
references, and to reflect on assigned readings.
The journaling process
of analysing design, articulating ideas, and expressing thoughts seems
to help many design students clarify their thinking and creative processes.
This assignment is especially useful for understanding interactive
design concepts such as usability, navigation, or “data” versus “information.” It
also helps students verbally communicate visual information and processes,
which is critical in client relationships or post graduate studies.
I have assigned design
journals in my courses for over 13 years. Until Fall semester of 2002,
I had always required the students to keep paper journals. I heard
about weblogs a couple of years ago. I quickly became hooked and began “following” some.
Intrigued by the possibilities, I started deeper investigation during
the Summer of 2002 into the feasibility of using them for my IDD 250
Literature and Writing for Interactive Art sections. It seemed to make
sense that for an introductory course on interactivity and content
creation, the journaling process should take the form of a live online
weblog. The experiment was so successful that I have made it a permanent
part of the course and I add more guidelines and greater refinements
each semester.
I still assign physical
design journals for my print design courses and encourage my students
to make visual journaling a life-long practice. I began keeping sketchbooks
and journals as a student and continue to do so in many forms.
