Models Of Practice:

Researching Industry
 As part of your module 502 brief, you are asked to :

“Deepen your awareness of the critical context of your practice and identify key
approaches to support this through a range of documented methods”
 Evidencing this might include:

Undertaking case studies or interviews

Attending and recording relevant professional visits

or trips

Writing critically reflective texts related to your

subject area in response to the CEE sessions,
professional talks, any critical reading, viewing, or
other study which has enabled you to gain insight.
Your illustrated design report is broken down into the following sections:
 During 502, you will have critical writing sessions to cover approaches to
understanding Models Of Practice and Theories of Practice
and how to explore these and write them up in your report.

This is your first lecture which focusses on Models of Practice.

After this briefing, you should continue to explore and study Models of
Practice independently and in your own free study time.
As part of this study, you should create comprehensive records within
your documentation, which you can then refer to
and evidence in your final report.

You will have a briefing on your design report, later on in the module, after which a guide will be available here:
https://estudio.leeds-art.ac.uk/mod/book/view.php?id=33452
 A model of practice –

An established ‘way of working’ which can be

What are ‘models used to ‘model’ our own practice on.

of practice?’
 Modeling - a process or way we learn to do
something through observing others.
What is
“modeling?” When a person observes the behaviour of another
and imitates that behaviour
they are ’modelling’ a behaviour.

Bandura’s Social Learning Theory

 In pursuit of
rolemodels

James Mollinson – The Disciples Photographic Project

 “For somebody that never really
Liked school, it helped me because
I always liked knowledge, not the
form (the knowledge was taught in).

I focus on the picture not the frame,

I go beyond the form to the content.
I’m not focused on the body, I’m
focused on the light”

“I’m a film maker and photographer

but why can’t the
Camera be more like a musical
Instrument? Why can’t it be like
A saxophone?”

Khalik Allah – Photographer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0Hdydw19Fk
 “Music is brimful of meanings, which will
Not translate into logical structures or
Verbal expression. All art constantly aspires
To the condition of music."

George Steiner
 Where can you What might be primary and secondary
find opportunities research approaches?

to ‘model’ your
practice?
 PRIMARY RESEARCH APPROACHES
(research which you conduct yourself):
Interviewing someone in industry (in person, via email, via skype)

Assisting or shadowing someone in their role to gain insight

Where can you Visiting someone in their studio or other place or work

find opportunities
to ‘model’ your SECONDARY RESEARCH APPROACHES
(research or content made by other people):
practice?
Reading Books or other literature

Watching Films

Attending workshops / instructional sessions

talks, seminars and Q&As
Your reading list:

Role
 Your reading list is all available in the library:

INDICATIVE READING AND ADDITIONAL TEXTS/RESOURCES

Baldwin, J. and Roberts, L. (2006) Visual Communications: From Theory To Practice, : AVA Publishing.
Bierut, M. (2007) HOW TO use graphic design to self things, explain things, make things look better, make people laugh, make people
cry and (every once in a while) change the world : Thames & Hudson Ltd.
Chapin, K. (2010) Handmade Marketplace: How to sell your crafts locally, globally and online : Storey Publishing Heller,
S & Talarico, L. Becoming a Design Entrepeneur : Allworth Press
Levinson, JC. (1994) Guerilla Advertising: Cost-effective tactics for small business success : Houghton Mifflin
Hall, S. (2007) This Means This. That Means That: A User’s Guide to Semiotics: Laurence King.
Lees, N. (2010) Greenlit : Methuan Drama Lees, N. (2010) Greenlit : Methuan Drama Ilasco,
M. & Cho (2010) Creative, Inc. : The Ultimate Guide to Running a Successful Freelance Business : Chronicle Books Sharp, E (2009)
How To Get a Job in Television : A&C Publishers
Rose, C. (1999) Trade Secrets: Young British Talents Talk Business: Thames & Hudson
Warr, D. (2016) Ethics and Visual Research Methods : Palgrave Macmillan
 You should
consider that your Eg. An interview could be:

critical enquiries Filmwork

Printed or digital Design work
could become Audio or multimedia content
an output or
creative content
for your folio
Design a critical studies book? Make a magazine out of reviews/ interviews with practitioners etc.

Mono.Kulture – Interview page layouts

Turn meeting someone in industry into a film interview or documentary project:

magnumphotos
OR a series of photos for an exhibition

Annie Liebowitz photographed by Simon Dawson

OR create a podcast, youtube channel, blog/online resource understanding the industry based on what
you’ve learnt

Jason Rosewell/HBR Staff/Unsplash

REVIEWING / CRITIQUING
FILMS ON INDUSTRY
Most creative practitioners are able to articulate their intentions and motivations.

It is important to understand that this is a fundamental part of any creative practice

It must be part of your practice too if you want to succeed in academia or the private sector

You may want to go on to further education, apply for a residential opportunity in the UK or
abroad, apply for funding, or a business loan.

If you do not learn how to be coherent you will need to learn how to deal with disappointment

It should be challenging, it can be difficult, but it is not impossible

It requires looking critically at what you produce in relation to what others produce in your field and asking

Why?

This question is about identifying needs

-your needs, their needs and the needs of end users

Then finding points of convergence (similarities) and divergence (difference) between them
 The process can be broken into simple steps

Step 1

Am I looking at primary or secondary data?

Why is it important to know the difference?

This tells you whose voice you are listening to

How do I tell the difference?

Has the interview been edited?

No= Primary data= the voice of the creative practitioner
Yes= Secondary data = may include the voice and opinions of another party such as the
director
 Step 2

To begin looking critically it is helpful to identify the aims and objectives that you think are being
presented

An aim is the overall achievement or goal that is being claimed

An objective is an action that has helped achieve the aim

To find either similarities or differences between their aims and objectives and yours it is useful to be clear on what those might be

Take a little time now to jot those down in a list

You are not compelled to keep them forever

They do not need to be over complicated
They will provide you with a critical starting point
 Goethe’s (1821-24) formula for play analysis is a useful way to start taking those steps

Constructive criticism is much harder. It asks: What did the author set out to
do? Was his plan reasonable and sensible, and how far did he succeed in
carrying it out? If these questions are answered with discernment and
sympathy, we may be of real assistance to the author in his later works, for
even in his first attempts he has undoubtedly taken certain preliminary steps
which approach the level of our criticism. (Johann Goethe 1821-24)

Sources should be referenced at the end of your report:

Springarn, J. (Ed) (1921) Goethe’s literary essays. (Translated from the German by J.E. Springarn) New York:
Harcourt Brace and Company pp140
 This is often paraphrased as:

If it is a primary source If it is secondary source you can also include these questions

What did the creator set out to do? (Aim) What does the interviewee wish to achieve?

How has the creator done it? (Objective) What steps have been taken to achieve those aims?

Was the work worth doing? Was it worth doing, or successful?

Make a note of the questions an try to answer them as you watch the following video

You do not have to agree with the opinions of the subject

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMnFpiQ6cbw&feature=youtu.be Profile on “Stookie”
Was it is a primary source or a secondary source?

What did the creator set out to do? (Aim)

Why did Stooki make the film?

What point were they trying to get across?

How has the creator done it? (Objective)

What strategies did they use to make their point?

Was the work worth doing?

Was it a successful strategy?

What could you take from this video that you could apply to your own
practice?

What would you not apply to your own practice from what you have seen
in this video?
 Nicer Tuesdays : Ronan Mckenzie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPOcrT1Czjs
Was it is a primary source or a secondary source?

What did the creator set out to do? (Aim)

What point was Ronan trying to get across?

How has the creator done it? (Objective)

What strategies did she use to make their point?

Was the work worth doing? (Conclusion)

Was it a successful strategy?

Why?
What could you take from this video that you could apply to your own practice?

What would you not apply to your own practice from what you have seen in this
video?
Lets say that you want to refer to something that Ronan said in her presentation. You could describe it word for word, but you can also
paraphrase.
Ronan Mckenzie (2019) describes her approach…….

In your references you can add the following information:

Mckenzie, R. (2019) Nicer Tuesdays : Ronan Mckenzie. [Online Video]. 15 January 2019. Available
from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPOcrT1Czjs. [Accessed: 3 February 2020].

This is Harvard referencing and it begins with Ronan’s name because it is her you are pointing to and not Youtube which is the platform her
presentation was broadcast on. This is an on-line resource so you also need to include the date you accessed the website.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py2vt4vcMa8&t=622s Adobe Creative : Interview with Milton Glaser
 Now try a slightly different approach

What did the creator set out to do? (Aim)

How do the aims in the following video compare to your own?

How has the creator done it? (Objective)

What strategies could you adapt and use in your own practice?

Was the work worth doing? (Conclusion)

How could that benefit your practice?

Was it is a primary source or a secondary source?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0uOz4I-hN4 Arts Council interview with illustrator Laura Carlin
 Studio visit with Ping Zhu
https://youtu.be/EIKuleCPvvs?t=279
You can also develop your own set of questions based on Goethe’s, there are
no precise rules and no precise answers. Here is a reminder of what he said.

Constructive criticism is much harder. It asks:

What did the author set out to do?

Was his plan reasonable and sensible?
How far did he succeed in carrying it out?

If these questions are answered with discernment and sympathy, we may be

of real assistance to the author in his later works, for even in his first attempts
he has undoubtedly taken certain preliminary steps which approach the level
of our criticism. (Johann Goethe 1821-24)
https://youtu.be/Rw4uM0QoQZQ?t=299 Collage Artist Andrzej Klimowski’s process
 You could try switching the emphasis of the questions

What are you setting out to do? (Aim)

How do the aims in the following video align with your own?

How are you going to do it? (Objective)

What strategies could you adapt and use in your own practice?

How could you gauge its success? (Conclusion)

Which criteria could you adapt to your practice?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foeV4ZML55s Paula Scher – Graphic Designer
 You could also use Goethe’s model of critical practice in this way

Did the creator engage an audience or an end-user? (Aim)

How did they do it? (Objective)

How can you tell if they were successful? (Conclusion)

https://youtu.be/23usoyDRLtQ?t=24 An American Movie - Documentary by filmmaker Chris Smith
TASK
 How could you use the information from the the clips?

What am I setting out to do? (Aim)

How will I do it? (Objective)
Why am I doing it?

Se hat t st ve) th d
W ha ecti or
co do ep
W bj it w

nd e s h
(O as

ar
tiv m)

y s he ve
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jec (Ai

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Ob ?

t
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e
in it? o d

a
do ne t t
th o ou

vi ta
oi

ew k
or or d set

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ee en
?
k w at r

The connection you make is

wi to a
or cre eato

sh c
your argument
as a th ce
e w e cr

to hie
W w h did our
th s th e

ac ve
Ho hat ry s

hi th
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W ima

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Pr

(A aim
im s?
)
Start following creative channels on You Tube & regularly review these for your documentation :

VIDEO CHANNELS

SelfMadeHero Interviews with illustrators / graphic artists - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgANVjPbeQtBUSEbx601x8A

Criterion Shorts : Studio Visits - https://www.youtube.com/user/criterioncollection/search?query=studio

Abstract: The Art of Design - https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80057883

Ted Talks (Design) - https://www.youtube.com/user/TEDtalksDirector/search?query=design
Tate Shots - https://www.youtube.com/user/tate/videos
Design Museum Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/designmuseum/videos
BFI - Screentalks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtdsBrrb3yU&list=PLXvkgGofjDzh2_QQq-8Jg290_YMVOzzal
Nicer Tuesdays - It's nice that Lectures - https://www.youtube.com/user/itsnicethat
Crafts Council Interviews - https://www.youtube.com/user/CraftsCouncil
D&AD - https://www.youtube.com/user/dandad/playlists
Creative Review - https://www.youtube.com/user/CreativeReviewTV/videos
On Creativity - https://www.youtube.com/user/oncreativity/videos
What do artists do all day? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u94DxOP51M&list=PLM4S2hGZDSE4645tTLQ-q0CGiR4eSFlBW
Surface Magazine - studio visits - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZahLmuAlvoI&list=PLc3C8HTmPxBqWvxijLR9ThFh4Feb3fYGr
Seven Stories Museum (childrens book illustration) https://www.youtube.com/user/TheLregan/videos
British Arts Council - https://www.youtube.com/user/britishartschannel/playlists
The creative life of:
Christopher Laverty (costume designer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKkoUFmhobE
Emily Sutton (illustrator) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsS9s750eVw&t=56s
1.2. Models of Practice
Document and reflect on the models of practice you have explored

A 'model of practice' is a way of / process of working which has been directly 'modelled' on the established methods or practice of
someone else. You are required to consider for this section, your 'rolemodels,' how they work, and how you have considered adopting
approaches through your research into them.

Which creative practitioners did you look at to help 'model' (or inform) the way you might undertake your own practice? How did
you document artists and practitioners you looked at?

Bulletpoint Who/what has been a key inspiration or model of practice and why. You could detail practitioners, groups/collectives who have
helped you inform your ideas or understanding about how a particular area of industry or profession work. You should use your words to
direct us to any case studies in appendices or signpost us to key parts of your reflective documentation or creative outputs (such as
interviews you undertook with practitioners, podcasts or films made on the subject).

There is no limit to how many images you can use to illustrate this section, and no word count on captions for images.
Goethe’s (1821-24) formula for play analysis can also be used to develop the content for your design report

For example:

(Aim) What am I setting out to do? (In this report)

to establish my model of practice
(Objective) How will I do it? (In this report)
to compare existing models of practice
(Conclusion) Why am I doing it?
to clarify why my model of practice is appropriate
It is not necessary to over complicate by using convoluted sentences and obscure words

Short sentences that introduce one statement are often better than long sentences that introduce several

Just like your creative output – think about your audience – you are explaining something – not proving you know something

Providing a glossary of models of practice used by others in an appendix can reduce your word count and help clarify your report.
Critical thinking requires practice and takes time

51
but it is an invaluable and essential skill for a creative practitioner