Critiquing

In the workshop, we will take one piece at a time, and go around the room to hear a variety of your reactions and suggestions to it. Rest assured that you will be called upon several times in each workshop to share your comments. To prepare for this discussion, follow these general guidelines.

• Before the day of the class meeting, sit down with the set of pieces scheduled to be discussed. Read through them all as if you were browsing in a magazine, then go back and begin making comments on the individual pieces themselves in the margins and white spaces. Keep in mind that you are addressing all your comments to the creator of the piece, who will get back your critique once you've turned it in to me. Put your name on each piece as the responder.
• On each piece, sum up your reactions and suggestions in a short paragraph at the bottom of the page (or one the back if necessary). This summary can also serve as your talking points when you're called upon in class.
• Respect takes two forms. First, while your comments should be constructively "critical," they should never be contemptuous or dismissive in tone. These are all writing-and-design projects in progress, and anyone who shares his or her work deserves consideration, help and recognition of what's been accomplished. Second, respect means taking the piece and its creator seriously enough to offer specific suggestions and honest reactions, rather than saying the piece is "pretty good." None of us likes being patted on the head, or having our work essentially ignored. Vague, empty praise can be a form of contempt.
• Point to specific features. Draw lines, arrows, etc. to illustrate the issues (such as alignment and proximity) that you're talking about in the verbal comments.
• Use specific technical terms from the readings and class discussions. You might try making a list of these key ideas first to prompt your thinking. These terms can serve as a shared critical language, and can help suggest characteristics to look for.
• To help explain your impressions and suggestions, use examples from sample productions that we've looked at in class, or that we saw in the textbooks.
• Comment from two points of view. You are a fellow writer/designer who has thoughtful and informed suggestions and reactions. Also, though, imagine yourself as a member of the intended audience reading the piece. How well do the decisions the writer/designer has made help the piece operate within the culture (the worldview or belief system) of the audience?