Posted by Wendel Swan on January 30, 1999 at 16:42:21:
In Reply to: my score posted by Daniel Deschuyteneer on January 30, 1999 at 05:39:54:
Here are my scores:
Ensi #1: 3, 2, 2, 3, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1 = 17
Ensi #2: 3, 2, 2, 3, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1 = 17
Ensi #3: 3, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1 = 7
Bidjar: 3, 3, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2 = 16
Kuba: 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 = 24
Khotan 2, 1, 2, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 2, 2 = 12
I'm not sure what, if anything, they mean.
As to the ensis, I believe that the checklist, if applied in an unbiased way, should not have yielded such a discrepancy. My overall assessment was that the first two were roughly equivalent in desirability but that the third fell substantially below them because of poor execution and improper scale. I couldn't force myself to ignore those factors when it came to assigning numbers.
The rule statements seemed relatively clear on first reading. I could envision the kinds of design elements to which they might apply, but actually applying them to the pieces at hand was difficult. Each of the 10 principles has merit, but I now believe they should be referred to as factors, not as rules. As contradictory as this may sound, sometimes I find them far too specific and at other times they seem too general.
If these factors cannot be easily and uniformly applied, they are of limited use. I take some consolation in the fact that others also struggled through this process, but I wish that I could have felt more comfortable with the system that I did.
Since the checklist emphasizes symmetry and proportions, it was no surprise to me that I ranked the Caucasian rug highest. It provides the greatest contrast of color along with superior execution and adherence to traditional proportions.
I firmly believe that many of the principles underlying the checklist are invaluable and need to be enunciated but, in the end, the checklist didn't leave me satisfied.
Wendel