What have I learned? I honestly can’t say that I learned that much about aesthetics in the pure sense of the word. But I did learn a lot about supporting resources, websites and books that will be helpful for me in the future. I thoroughly enjoyed the materials and links that were posted for our blog entry (even if I didn’t blog about them right away).
I had to remind myself during the class to keep an aesthetic sensibility during the process of creating interactive media – don’t let the technology rule the product. It doesn’t matter how cool the interactive actions are if the visual organization falls apart. When I was trying to solve technical problems in After Effects for example, I felt like I was trying to ride two ponies at once. My main goal was to have them both arrive at the same destination, at the same time. That’s to say, have the aesthetic value be equal to the technical value.
I felt like one of the most valuable experiences for me in Aesthetics class has been working with other students. I have found the group, as a whole, to be creative, bright, inspiring, and so technically savvy that I am constantly amazed and impressed. Working with others has been the biggest, best learning experience for me in this class. It has been wonderful to step out of the sometimes predictable working world to get this breath of fresh air.