Journal Page on UNI: Discover ways to use the journal creator.

Architecture and design may seem like predominantly visual disciplines on the surface. It is true, in some ways, but not entirely so. Images may tell you a thousand things, but images alone are not enough. Sometimes you need words to do what they do. When you were a student, you spoke to explain your design to a jury, and you wrote project reports too. All designers, up to the globally-renowned ones, invariably use words; that is how their works are better understood, discussed, published, or even critiqued. To better convey your design story, concept, and ideas, you also need narrative means. 

So, image and narrative, although separate mediums are not separate parts of design. If at all, they are symbiotic mediums that work together to complement each other. Moreover, in reality, for any design endeavor, application and theory go hand in hand, even though we may not realize it at times. To share even the theoretical aspects, a balance of the visual and textual language is required. This balance can be achieved in a journal where you can share more details and information about your design, at UNI, using different media. 

What inspired the Journal uploading feature?

Every design has a story; but you may face challenges in putting it across—especially, when presenting your work in your absence, like in a portfolio. In such situations, you need the work to speak for itself, but sometimes it might display only a partial impression. Even if you have a report that explains the project better, it probably remains hidden somewhere else. For this, what can help is a medium that can convey the design story and stay connected to the project at the same time. 

What is the Journal?

The journal is a multimedia document that can allow you to share more details about your design projects that cannot be included in your sheets. It can be used to document your design process and be attached along with the project while uploading it to your UNI portfolio. This way, the journal will exist in connection to your project. It can also be a completely separate document that you can use for a variety of purposes.

Why would you need a journal?

Apart from the design evolution, there may be many things you need to convey to a viewer. When drawings, diagrams, or images don’t suffice, we need to use the necessary mediums to convey such information. A journal can make use of multiple mediums like images, text, and videos to express the design’s intent, characteristics, purpose, etc. to a viewer, in a comprehensive manner. The journal can not only help you achieve that balance between different mediums but also between design and theory. 

How to create a Journal?

With the built-in, AI-powered Journal editing feature, UNI provides you with a convenient way of creating the journal through the online editor in your browser. Here you can compose your media like text and images as you like. Here’s how you can create a journal at UNI: 

•  Under your Journals tab, when you click on Upload a Journal, the journal editor will open. Alternatively, you can click on the + button beside your username and avatar at the top-right corner of the webpage, and select 'Journal' from the menu. 

Fig. Click the Upload new journal button to open the journal editor

 

• Here, you can add the title, subtitle, and begin creating your journal. Click on the space below your subtext, and you will see a + button to the left of your cursor. If you click on it, it will give you several options, like adding an image, embedding a video, inserting a line or a section divider, and adding web or offline references.

Fig. A snap of the Journal Editor page where you can start creating your journal.

 

•  As you work on your journal, your changes will be automatically saved at frequent intervals. Once you are done, you can hit ‘Next’ at the top right corner of the editor. 

Fig. The 'Next' button you see at the top right corner, beside your avatar and username.

 

•  At this stage, you can add a thumbnail image that you would like to appear as your journal cover. The thumbnail picture should ideally be a landscape image in a 4:3 aspect ratio. The title and subtext will automatically appear. You can enter the category or type of document you have created. You can also add tags and disciplines to your document to allow it to be discovered under relevant keywords and searches. 

Fig. The next page where you can select the category, disciplines, tags, and add a cover image for your journal.

 

•  Fill in this information and voila! You're ready to publish your journal. The publish button will activate (turn orange) only when you have filled all the fields. Once you hit 'Publish' you will see a preview of your journal. 

•  If you want to make any changes later, you can open your Journals tab. In the feed, go to the journal you want to edit and click on the 'more' option ⋮ (three vertical dots) next to it and click 'edit'. In the same way, you can remove a journal or change its privacy status. 

You can make other changes, too, like changing the thumbnail image, tags, disciplines, etc., or any other information along with editing the journal content. For your published journals, you will also see a 'copy link' option through which you can share your published journals with anyone! 

Fig. Sample view of edit, delete, and privacy changing option.

 

In what ways can you use a journal?

In a journal, you can elaborate on aspects of your project that might not have made it in the presentation boards, such as detailing out design features, any research, surveys, and interviews you may have carried out, reviews, guides, etc. 

Originally, the journal feature was meant to function as a diary or a record-keeping personal journal where designers can log their process in the duration of a competition. However, it can be used to document the journeys of other projects you undertake.

If you dare to explore, the journal feature can take many creative uses. You can use it to build informative articles or news blogs and essays for your audience at UNI. It can also become a catalyst to create blog posts for your website. Writing helps you to resolve complex ideas. You can even develop a habit of journaling and maybe explore journalism. Imagination is your limit! 

What is the benefit of publishing a journal at UNI?

The best thing about the journal at UNI is that it does not exist as a standalone document. In your UNI space, it will be connected with your design project that it refers back to, your publications, and your entire profile. A journal can support your project by imparting it a level of rationality by letting viewers peek behind the scenes. For instance, you may use text in the journal to better explain certain design decisions. 

Every project has a feature of linking the journal to it. You can also upload journals separately to your UNI profile, to create opportunities to spark conversations with other creators. 

Why should you add a journal with a project?

An additional benefit of adding textual elements to a project is to boost its visibility through various searches. This is something that images alone cannot accomplish. Adding text to your projects increases your projects’ chances of discovery. 

To summarize, what the journal can do is: 

1. Document a project’s evolution process. Show how it took shape. 

2. Explaining design features of a project in more detail.

3. Conveying a story that images alone cannot convey.

4. Bringing theory to design

5. Increasing searchability of the content you publish in a visual format.

6. Exist in connection with your other content and information. 

Get started on experimenting with ways to use the journal creator at UNI. If you ever have any suggestions on how we can make the experience better for you, we’re all ears!