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I thought that having grey hair would make me less nervous on the first day of my MA in Graphic Design. Nope, I was just as nervous as I was on my first day of primary school. :)

I have a very eclectic group of classmates, and Mr Harkins, our tutor, seems to be really nice and very dedicated to his profession.

We took a tour of the university and saw a lot of really cool things. I felt like a toddler in a toy store. Yay!

I also met classmates and professors from the other Master’s programs in Arts through a surprise game, a quick brainstorming session where we tested our ability to put together, quickly, a storyboard. Everything was unexpectedly fun. :)

The first day was great! I had no reason to be nervous.

However, I need to find another parking spot… £12.5 is a bit too much. :(

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I've found a temporary, cheaper solution for the car parking issue.

In the first part of the day, Mr. Harkins presented us with useful information regarding research methods and approaches. He suggested we read three books on this topic: 'Visualizing Research' by Carole Gray and Julian Malins, 'The Reflective Practitioner' by Donald Schön, and 'Research in Art and Design' by Christopher Frayling.

Each book was presented with a brief description, and a list of key elements in Art and Design research was highlighted.

We also had a cool, interactive moment where we quickly presented a brainstorming session, listing a series of words generated from a core idea. Following this, we were assigned homework where we had to do something similar, but this time using only images.

The afternoon's course topic was 'A Question of Research, and it felt somewhat like a continuation and further detailing of what we had done in the morning. We were also informed about this module's stages and working methods, and the final assessment date will be December 17th of this year.

Probably the slightly gloomy weather and the flood of information seemed to affect us all a bit.

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Despite the rain all the way to the university, the weather doesn't feel too depressing, and I actually feel good and full of energy.

After Mr. Harkins' brief introduction, we each presented our homework assignment: an A1 sheet with image collages that revolved around a feeling or an idea. Before me, my classmates presented some really cool projects, full of color, information, and inspiration.

My theme was a bit more contrasting compared to the general ethos, but I tried to create a quintessence of what could become a Graphic Designer in an ultra-consumerist society. I presented a conscience trapped in prison suffocated by a vicious circle, where an artist must fight, survive, and somehow, miraculously, find authentic ways to express themselves.

We finally concluded that we could be not just tools but also educators and influencers that can bring a beautiful and reasonable part of society. (I think this could be a great subject for my proposal!)

This is the main reason I enrolled in this MA program: to detoxify, rediscover the joy of playing with ideas, be inspired by untainted minds, and learn to enjoy this form of art again. :)

On the second part of the day, we all went to the university library and Mr. Oliver Gruner introduced us to the lovely Greta Friggens, who gave us an overview of the extensive library offerings. We were shown how to access the entire database and get the maximum support and information necessary for our studies, including modern methods assisted by AI. We also enjoyed an interesting presentation of rare cool books.

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In the first part of the day, we each presented our project results and engaged in interesting discussions related to the topic.

The central idea of my project was duality, with three columns presenting the hidden reverse side of certain subjects and three columns about the facade of antagonism in subjects that are, in fact, complementary or even similar.

In the second part, Jac Batey introduced us to a fascinating topic on the concept of subversion in art. Jac skillfully presented the methods and styles of subversion used by various artists over time, and the effects and implications these have had and continue to have on society.

In the end, we quickly engaged in a creative experiment with a colleague from the illustration department. The theme was Creative Subversion, After a somewhat shaky start, we finally managed to crystallize a few cool ideas.

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In the morning, after Mr. Harkins introduced the new direction of study and provided some useful tips to help us better approach our proposals, each of us briefly presented the topic we had chosen for the first assignment of this year. Overall, the ideas were diverse and engaging, covering both abstract and material concepts.

My proposal focused on SUBVERSION, suggesting a method to subtly undermine the tobacco industry's seductive design—not through outright rebellion but by subtly altering the original design to transform a harmful product into a beneficial one. The alternative product must be as appealing as a pack of classic cigarettes. Visually, it would look like an exclusive, high-quality cigarette pack, but inside it would contain 20 cards with luxurious graphics and a seductive scent, along with a small, luxurious-looking pen. The idea is to produce a high level of satisfaction and reward, maintaining the initial intention of smoking: to be validated by society. With the pen, we can write a nice thought or a real compliment on the cards and give them to strangers. The stranger's reaction to an unexpected compliment and the feeling of having done something good can be as rewarding and satisfying as a pack of cigarettes... I guess.

Although the idea seemed to be well-received, today I'm not as convinced that it's a good one. I'll need to reflect on it a bit more.

After a much-needed longer break, Mr. Harkins skillfully presented the concepts of MATERIALITY and Immateriality. I concluded that while materiality might seem simple, it's in fact quite difficult and complex to define, and Mr Harkins used various examples to spark our imagination and thinking. Towards the end, he proposed a mind game where we had to represent the current itinerary of our research within the MA course and create another representation of an ideal house plan/itinerary.

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As a result of my POSITIONALITY, during our short holiday, a new idea for my proposal sprouted: the metamorphosis of design styles from one generation to the next and a prediction for the upcoming generation. I started building a chronological map of key vectors, their influence, and their durability.

Unfortunately, as enthusiastic as I was initially about this idea, once again, I am not sure it is very good, and I hope Mr Harkins will give me some useful guidance.

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In the morning, my colleagues went to the Screen Printing Studio. I have worked in this field for many years, so I preferred to stay with Mr. Harkins to ask for some guidance on a direction for my proposal. My long experience as a graphic designer and illustrator has polished my skills professionally, but unfortunately, it has tamed me as well, and I have forgotten to dare, play, and experiment.

Wow! After almost two hours of brainstorming, Mike managed to extract some ideas from my "dusty archive" that I don't think I could have brought to light on my own.

Professor Dana Ariel captured our attention with a personal presentation that illustrated how we position ourselves towards the same situation from multiple perspectives. As a continuation, she suggested we play a bit, and each of us sketched a self-portrait with our eyes closed. Then, from another perspective of positionality, we created a collage from magazine cutouts that represented ourselves. It was all super fun and, above all, very constructive.

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As Donald Schön deduced in his book (The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action): "We can think about doing something while doing it", right during class, after a few presentations by my colleagues, I changed my assessment subject again. I was captivated by the old easels in that room, so I photographed them to research them in more detail at home.

I may be The Old Man and the Sea of Graphic Design but I've always been equally fascinated by technology, so I was very engaged in this lesson. Over the millennia, humans have had the opportunity to physically experiment with almost everything possible in art, and that's why I believe that Generation Z and the upcoming Alpha generation are so anti-aesthetic and so little interested in hard work. Technology is their new tool to be original and to surpass their predecessors. I reckon...

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I had completely forgotten about the Letterpress induction, so it took me some time to get to the workshop. I haven't done anything similar since I was a child carving stamps out of potatoes. It was all very interesting and, most importantly, fun. The array of letters and shapes awakened many passions within me at the same time, and I found a very suitable way to visually represent my lifelong companion, ADHD.

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I must admit that I was a bit nervous about the individual tutorial because I had already abandoned several ideas for the assessment.

Fortunately, the professor liked the concept I am heading towards and gave me a lot of useful advice to apply.

Now that the hardest part (establishing a direction) is done, the laborious part follows where I have to structure everything in a logical system: "what," "why," "how," and "so what."

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I’m sharing an image of Yogi Bear as a sneak peek into my general mood while working on my proposal.

It was a very important day because I learned valuable information about our proposal and the QoR. The examples we saw, featuring the work of students from previous years, were extremely helpful in refining the concept I had already started shaping. Over the past few weeks, I have focused my research on recycling in all forms of art to better solidify a clear direction for my proposal. I may have taken on an overly complex project, but I’ve discovered that I truly enjoy it, and the effort doesn’t feel as overwhelming anymore.

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The winter holiday break was very long but also very welcome. I had a good rest and enjoyed some wonderful moments with my family and loved ones.

Since I had plenty of time, I started learning more about Animation and 3D modelling in Blender. Probably due to my extensive experience with other similar graphic design software, I quickly managed to grasp the basic working methods. Although I encountered some shortcomings and bugs, it is amazing that such a complex program is free.

This MA in Graphic Design is definitely helping me refine and expand what I already know, but I must admit I am slightly concerned about what the near future holds due to the rapid evolution of AI. ChatGPT recommended that I focus more on UI and animation, and I agree that this seems to be the main niche left for human artists.

During the first classes of the year, we were introduced to the curriculum for the next semester and received a lot of useful guidance and advice on how to approach the next stage. In the meantime, I also received the grading and comments for the assessment we had in December. The grades and feedback accurately reflect my level of understanding and the effort I put into these two modules. For now, I am satisfied, although I feel I could have done more.

Dr Mike showed us some works from last year, and it made me realise that I need to temper my enthusiasm a little and not aim too high or too complex. I need to refine my artistic style, developed over the years, and adjust my approach and communication to better align with academic standards.

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Today was a very important day as well. We got a clear understanding of what the other module, RESOLUTION, entails. We were able to study in detail the artefacts produced by last year’s students, which are both inspirational and instructive for what we have to do.

Also, in the first part of the day, each of us introduced our ideas and the direction in which our project was heading. I noticed that not only I have changed the subject of my MA final project, but almost all of my colleagues as well, which reassured me because I realized that I am not the only one in this situation.

"Dr Mike assured us that it is a natural process through which we refine our decisions, and it is a sign of our efforts coming from experimentation and research. In other words, we are on the right track. I hope :)

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In the first part of the day, we had the privilege to browse some very rare and valuable books that form part of the foundation of graphic arts and graphic design in general. All these books overwhelmed us a bit, showing us how complex this profession is and what colossal work our predecessors put in to formulate a structure and some educational guidelines for future generations.

Then we went to the bookstore and each of us looked for a few books related to our topic of interest. I quickly found quite an unexpected number of books related to my project on how other senses influence the visual sense and what practical applications may exist in graphic design.

In the second part of the day, we met at the Portsmouth Museum where we had the privilege of being presented with an extensive work by PhD student Sarah Houghton on a fascinating subject: Unfurling Portsmouth's Suffrage Banners'

Besides Sarah's meticulous work in piecing together artefacts from different archives and other independent sources to reconstruct the messages and semiotics of banners displayed by the suffragettes of Portsmouth, we were able to find new sources of inspiration from a snippet of the history of graphic design.

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Today, I had a one-on-one tutorial with Dr Mike. We discussed the direction and scope of my MA project. So far, I have managed to put together a detailed structure that outlines each topic, the order of each chapter, and an estimated word count. I even presented a conceptual sketch of an artefact related to the project subject.

I'm not entirely sure about the final title yet, but it will be something along the lines of: "The Influence of All Senses on Visual Perception: Practical Applications in Graphic Design."

Mike's feedback was positive, and he suggested several useful elements and directions to consider.

We also briefly touched on the topic for next week's project assignment, where we are encouraged to take a break from our main project and experiment with something new. Both of us thought it would be interesting for me to explore and experiment with the realm of optical illusions, a subject somewhat derived from my initial project.

After the meeting, as it was a sunny day, I took some time for myself and strolled alone along the new waterfront in Southsea to mark my 54th birthday. Life can indeed be beautiful.

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I was inexplicably stressed today because I had to split the first part of my day with a job interview. I shouldn't be too stressed since I don't have high expectations and am not particularly interested in the job, to be honest, but I still am. I managed my time well, so I quickly presented what I had experimented with regarding optical illusions and then rushed to the interview.

In the latter part of the day, I watched some of my colleagues' presentations and engaged in discussions whenever I felt I could contribute with my experience.

Anyways, today's events reconfirmed that even at this age, I struggle with speaking in public and don't believe I should insist in that direction. I need to focus on what I am capable of. :)