Evaluation

Choosing a niche topic for the dissertation has proven to be a challenging yet rewarding process in writing and in developing my understanding of graphic design. 
Japanese post-war poster's unique characteristics and inspirations sets it apart from any other 'genre' and is predominantly the reason for the researches undertaking.  

It's heavy references to traditional art and Japanese culture has resulted in a design aesthetic that is blurs the line between design and art. And because it is so unlike the conventions in Western design, learning about Japanese design and Japan in general has opened up new perspectives to further my practice. It encourages basing design decisions on intuition and feeling rather than to be entirely rationale, to look at more artistic sources for inspiration and to occasionally put form over function. These aspects can be taken further for exploration in extended practice.   

The problem however, with this being a niche subject, is that the breadth of research conducted was only limited to secondary sources. Japanese post-war design is not a popular topic for critical writing. Finding relevant resource material that had significant analysis was difficult and relatively sparse. It also doesn't help that the dissertation was written outside of Japan and the fact I am not Japanese. This is significant, as to truly understand Japanese design, a medium that has its culture so intertwined with its practice, and to design in a 'Japanese' way, one must be Japanese for “time separates us from our subject, and culture is nothing if not lived at the time” (Saiki, 2002, p.9).

There should have been references made to opinions on the role of design as a whole rather than specifically towards Japanese design. This would help provide an understanding as to whether design itself can be a reflective of a period.

Nevertheless the practical outcome does demonstrate an application of the themes and subjects discussed in the dissertation. And much like how those post-war poster designs were reflective of modernisation on Japan, the poster series is a reflection of the dissertation.