Foundations of Design Representation is a subject that provides the comprehensive knowledge and skills of the very basics of design, in its core, it accentuates the importance of representation within the design field. Through an intense series of four modules, the subject continually reinforces the technical and digital skills that is taught through its workshops; and through the final traditional and online portfolio, it reinforces the theoretical and historical knowledge acquired through the lectures and readings throughout the semester.

 

Prior to taking the subject, I had very little to no experience with software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and the even more foreign, Rhinoceros. However, as each consecutive module increasingly requires a greater set of skills of the use of these programs, I am now much more comfortable using them. I believe that my most successful Module was M3, pattern versus surface, which largely involved the fabrication of a physical paper model. It was the most time consuming and exhaustive module but, in my opinion the most rewarding, it is by far the most ambitious project I have undertaken and completed by myself.

 

Apart from that, it has considerably improved my public speaking or presentation skills, through the pin-ups held on the submission of each module. The pin-ups have significantly made me more attentive towards my own work and really understand what it is I am aiming to convey through them. The intensive nature of the progression of the subject had also allowed me to be much more aware as to my own personal capabilities and limits, and through that devise more efficient time management and workflows.