CARPing on...

Probably a poor play on words- the title refers to our first presentations which were based on examples of the PARC (or CARP) rules (Proximity, Alignment, Repetition and Contrast) for Page Layouts, and apply to everything from business cards to websites.

My seminar group was the first to be called up for the presentations. There was an element of anxiety in the class which seemed to spread around, as I was feeling fine about it until we were about to be called up. As I went to the front I suddenly felt a bit panicky about remembering my lines and going 'blank', but the adrenalin kicked in and once I started I was on a roll. It was a very short presentation on proximity and when it was over I felt relaxed and enjoyed watching the other groups going through the same process.

On the whole, the presentations were well arranged and planned out, although there were a few technical hitches which I have to admit I found rather amusing, as people struggled to muddle through with some impressive ad-libbing.

With the A4 Mini-Assignments we are starting to be involved in more 'hands-on' practical design work and it feels a lot more like learning for the 'real world'. Whilst being more enjoyable it does contain a level of intensity which can turn into stress when time starts running out. Its an effective way of learning InDesign as a little bit of pressure is a good motivator.

The year is coming to a close and the first term of the course is almost over. We've learnt a lot of the basics and will soon be learning how to put websites together and scratching our heads over XHTLM code.