Reference Material: The Critique

The critique is a systematic inquiry into the conditions and consequences of a set of concepts, and an attempt to understand their limitations. Criticism in general means a democratic evaluation of the suitability of a subject for the intended purposes, as opposed to an authoritarian judgment: criticism is always open for debate. In politics, criticism almost exclusively refers to disagreement, while in an academic, artistic, or literary context, it refers to the activity of subtle interpretation or analysis. The first question is always one of like or dislike: the critic’s responsibility is to deconstruct this first response.

Our critiques will always be constructive. Constructive criticism is offered with the intention of helping the designer improve, and is a crucial element of participatory learning. Whether critiquing or being critiqued, communicate your thoughts and feelings about how the work affects you in a clear way. We are critiquing the work, not the person.

Some constructive questions you might ask or be asked in a critique:

• Can you see the time and thought put into the work?
• Is the artifact well crafted? If not, is this intentional? If yes, can you describe what attributes make it well crafted?
• Is the lighting natural or artificial? How is light employed?
• How are point, line, plane and volume employed?
• How are positive and negative space employed?
• How is colour employed?
• How are materials employed?
• How is scale employed?
• How is texture employed?
• What mood does the work create?
• Does the work have a structure? Is it organized or disorganized?
• Are there successful transitions in the work from one space, colour or material to another? How does the work make you move your eye?
• Does the work draw you in? Repel you? Is the author moving you physically?
• If employed, does the integration of sound or text add or detract from the work?
• If employed, does the designer’s verbal presentation add or detract from the work?
• Does the physical presentation add or detract from the work? What about the juxtaposition with other work, if any?
• Does the work have a message? Are there other possible messages in the work?
• What is the cultural, social and/or political content of the work?
• What does the work reference? What does the work remind you of?
  
• How do the author’s biases affect the work?
• How do your own biases affect your response to the work?
• How could the work be improved?
• What future directions does the work suggest?
  

Ultimately, you are in control of your critique. Use it to your advantage.