Critiques

Most people think critique means to tell someone everything they did wrong, preferably with a sarcastic British voice. While you should describe ways to improve and give your honest reaction, The reality tv type of critique is rarely helpful, never well received, and is inappropriate in a classroom setting.

Real constructive critique is more about analysis than judgement. 

Critique has four parts. They are usually mixed up a bit with a large amount of overlap.  The four parts are:

• Describe: Focus on specifics and the elements of design here. Your description should be the evidence behind your analysis and interpretation. Describe the color and lines rather than just saying that they are there. etc.

• Analyze: Focus on principles of design here. Where is the focus and why? how do they elements of the piece come together. Does one part stand out and look like it doesn't belong etc.

• Interpret: Give your personal reaction, not so much what you think the person making it wanted you to think. Do the colors make you feel anything? Do you like it? Why or why not? What is your favorite part? can you see yourself using or buying it? What for etc.

• Evaluate: Be gentle here, but also be specific about something to improve on, or a place to go next. If there are a lot of things wrong with it, tell them only the one or two that are most distracting, and give them a specific way to change or fix them. If you think that it was awesome, you could say something like,: I think you could make a whole set of these, or it would be cool to see something like this but...(bigger, smaller, green, taller, more abstract etc.) Don't just say it was good or bad.

In a good critique, you should start with analysis and interpretation and use your description to give specific evidence to support your idea. For example: This piece has a lot of movement because of the diagonal lines that come across the surface.

You should spend more time telling them what they did right, and what was understood from the work, keeping negative comments minimal, to the end and where possible using "I" Statements eg. "I feel like it is unfinished because of this part here". You can leave it up to the person being critiqued to decide whether or not your take on it is valid or not. You want to give them something to improve on, or at least an interpretation to consider, but do it in a way that they can still be motivated, rather than tearing them down.

Visual Literacy Approach

• DESIGN can create and appreciate human-made objects that go beyond function and may be perceived as beautiful, whimsical, extraordinary, unique, or emotionally engaging; 

• STORY communicates effectively with others by creating, as well as appreciating a compelling narrative; 

• SYMPHONY synthesizes ideas, sees the big picture, crosses boundaries, and combines disparate pieces into a meaningful whole; 

• EMPATHY understands another’s point of view, is able to forge relationships, and feels compassion for others; 

• PLAY creatively engages in problem solving and benefits personally and socially from flexibility, humor, risk taking, curiosity, inventive thinking, and games; and 

• MEANING pursues more significant endeavors, desires, and enduring ideas, and has a sense of purpose, inspiration, fulfilment, and responsibility in making informed choices toward higher-order thinking skills and transformation.

Below I have some handouts on elements and principles of design that will help you understand the terminology of critique and analysis. I also have the form(s) we use to do our written critique in class. 

For Make-up or Extra critiques, please choose pieces from the "50 from 6" Braithewaite exhibit below.