1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
Since the start of the module I feel I have developed, in particular, the skills of documenting my working practices as well as my researching methods. Beginning way back in June through the Summer Brief 'What Is Good?', the task involved us collecting a large amount of quality, in-depth information on fields that we have a personal interest in and this helped to change the way I think about researching overall. I have also built on my ability to blog and document my work both more regularly and in greater volume. During this module we have also had regular seminars in Photoshop, Illustrator and particularly InDesign which have really helped to fill gaps in my knowledge that have enabled me to work more efficiently and professionally. Elements of these seminars also directly related to the design for print part of the module and helped to tie everything I was learning about the printing process together.
2. What approaches to/methods of design practice have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
With this module being print and packaging based most of the skills developed during this time are connected to printing and production processes. Further things that have informed my approach have come from the seminars and workshops, all of which have improved my technical understanding of the printing industry, from the different methods of printing available to industry terminology and vocabulary. I have tried to absorb as many little hints and tips as I can, whether it be a rule to use when working with type and layout or how to professionally put together artwork that could be sent off to a printers.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
A particular strength I have identified in my work during the course of this module I feel is my ability to clearly and concisely communicate a message to an audience. I think through my working practices I am able to make an idea very accessible to a specific demographic. I also think I am starting to really understand how to better document my work and understand the benefits of doing so, as constant self analysis helps me to make quicker decisions that are also better informed. With a greater volume of documenting it also increases the value of my blog as it becomes a much more focused and important tool that can be used in the future to refer back to.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?
There are a couple of problem areas in particular that I feel I am yet to properly address and both of them are linked together. Firstly my decision making is still not quick enough. I am still reluctant to make mistakes and this hinders me especially in the early stages of a brief. Secondly, once I have an idea, I latch onto it and I'm almost afraid to wonder away from the core concept and explore wider avenues surrounding the theme. However, since I feel I have properly realised these problems, I am very determined and more confident that I can address them moving forward into the next module.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing this?
- Make decisions quicker and constantly evaluate why I am making these decisions so that my work can move forward at a more rapid pace whilst being better informed.
- I have started to discuss my work more regularly and informally with classmates which I found to be very beneficial and I want to make sure I do this from the beginning of the next module as it can really help to quickly solve problems that would take me a lot longer to figure out on my own.
- I want to take more advice from tutors and any studio help that is available to me as sometimes I feel once I have an idea I can do everything on my own and become less susceptible to taking onboard others ideas and viewpoints.
- Maintain my researching throughout the majority of my project instead of containing it to the initial stages of a brief.
- Begin scheduling and planning my work earlier on in the project as I have realised that getting a large amount of ideas, tests and experiments produced in the early stages will vastly help me improve my decision making and enable me to make better use of my time.
6. How would you grade yourself in the following areas: (where 5=excellent, 4= very good, 3= good, 2 average, 1= poor)
Attendance - 5
Punctuality - 5
Motivation - 4
Commitment - 5
Quantity of work produced -3
Quality of work produced - 4
Contribution to the group -4
Tuesday 23 November 2010
Monday 8 November 2010
One-to-one chat with Jane
After today's PPD introduction with Jane I was able to have a chat with her about what I need to do in order to start making progress with the PPD brief. She gave me some really useful pointers that have helped me set out clearly where to start from, beginning with corresponding with an existing contact that could potentially put me in touch with useful people that would enable me to start identifying what areas of graphic design I want to work in professionally.
Other notes :
- Start thinking about what I do or don't like.
- Narrow down more specific areas of interest within the field of graphic design.
- Gain contacts from existing contacts.
- Find companies I like and ask tutors for advice on how to contact them.
- Put finished pieces of work on a separate blog.
- Find companies > Get a name > Get contact details.
- Assess my skills, what am I confident in?
- Don't underestimate myself!
Saturday 6 November 2010
PPD Quick Studio Task
What do I want to achieve this academic year?
- Develop and strengthen my skills base, try new things!
- Reinforce my design process and structure to how I approach my work.
- To have organised work placements.
- To have a clearer idea of what areas of graphic design I want to specialise in.
What do I want to achieve by the end of the course?
- Have a clear, focused direction of what I specifically want to do within the field of graphic design and a plan/strategy of how to go about doing it.
- Established a close set of contacts with whom I would like to work with in the future.
- To have compiled an impressive portfolio that I am happy with.
- To have begun to establish a core identity as a designer.
What do I want to achieve in my career?
- To have worked for a wide range of clients local-international, large and small.
- I want to have worked abroad in design conscious cities such as Berlin and Tokyo.
- To have worked ethically and responsibly as a designer.
- Continuously learn and develop as a designer, stay cutting edge.
- Would love to be able to work n projects that combine other interests with graphic design such as travel.
Wednesday 3 November 2010
Group Tutorial Preparation Task
1. What is industrial experience?
Industrial experience is an opportunity to learn from the working practices of professionals within the trade you are interested in. It's a chance to understand how to apply what you know into 'real life' working situations and consult those who are already doing it about their own experiences.
2. What can I learn from industrial experience?
Sampling a professional studio environment, experience the differences between work for large/small, local/national business' etc, observe how to work with clients, software skills, industry terminology, collaborating with others.
3. What form/format could industrial experience take?
Short day visit to a studio/printers, longer term 1/2 week work experience/placements, freelance work and live briefs, networking events and exhibitions, emailing and corresponding with industry contacts.
4. What areas of industry are you interested in?
Design for print, elements of photography, illustration, editorial and packaging. I am also interested in ethical and responsible design.
5. What are your concerns about industrial experience?
Making the jump between education environment and a studio environment, initially contacting somebody or a business, not being able to show what Im capable of, not understanding what is asked of me.
Monday 1 November 2010
Friday 22 October 2010
Wrap It Up - Final Resolutions and Feedback
Below are the finished resolutions from the 'Wrap It Up' brief. I used photographs as the main imagery as this is what initially drew me to my subject matter of the Maya Civilisation and subsequently lost cities. I didn't want to apply the text to the packaging in a generic way, I wanted it to be relevant to the subject and I came up with the idea of creating a passport stamp style design that communicated my word of 'discovery' effectively and sympathetically.
Printed on watercolour paper through inkjet printer.
Two colours used : Dark blue and red.
Duotone image.
Formative feedback :
Best use of type & image - 16 votes
Best use of packaging nets - 3 votes
Best print considerations - 11 votes
Comments :
- Love the visual style, use of colours and stock is effective.
- Interesting use of stock and image.
- Nets relate to the message and concept appropriately.
- The colours and style work well.
- Good colour consideration and choice of stock works well with the colour and imagery.
- The use of colour and stock work really well together, carefully crafted.
- Revealing image through the packaging > discovery, surprise.
- Nice stock and colour use.
- Good stock choice and textured effect on stamp design. Duotone works well on the imagery.
- Really like the style of the duotone image.
- Stock works well with the image style and colour, nice!
- Replicable for mass production, great stock, use of colour, love it!
- Really like the substrate and images. The work well as a range.
Monday 18 October 2010
Sunday 17 October 2010
Friday 15 October 2010
Friday 8 October 2010
Sunday 29 August 2010
Level 05
September is here again and the first year of my degree has flown by and now Im moving from Level 04 into Level 05. Im looking forward to building on a very solid and enjoyable year whilst I attempt to bring a more professional aspect to my working practices through building a knowledgeable foundation of industry skills. We also begin to focus in either type or image areas of graphic design.
Thursday 27 May 2010
OUGD103 Evaluation
1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
During this module I feel that I have become more ambitious in terms of product development than I have been on previous projects, particularly during the collaborative and 'Speaking from experience' briefs I have tried to push myself further out of my comfort zone by testing out alternative resolutions. Also I feel that my time management has further improved as we have had to juggle several tasks at one time whilst attempting to be more adventurous with my product development which increases the workload. Finally, after the previous module I stated that I wanted to get back to some more hand drawn, illustrative work as I felt I had done a lot of computer based work and I addressed this through my illustrated vogue posters as well as the hand drawn imagery and type work on the collaborative brief.
2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
I think that over the course of this specific module my primary research skills have developed much more through the use of qualitative, in depth questionnaires that gave direct feedback from the target audience during both the 'Communication in a virus' and 'Speaking from experience' briefs. During the 'Virus' collaborative project me and my partner collected a good volume of secondary quantitative data and statistics however this turned out not to be relevant to the idea we eventually settled on however I suppose it did help us to narrow down our target audience to something more specific.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
Over this module I feel that my illustration work has been a definite strength which was particularly successful on the Vogue poster project. On future briefs I would like to incorporate this more and combine it with more computer based work to give a polished, professional finish to the hand drawn work. Another strength I think has developed during the 'Speaking from experience' brief is my branding of a product range. During this project where we had to create numerous resolutions I tried to establish a clear brand to link the different outcomes together and make it appear as a professional series of products.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?
In terms of weaknesses, although I said my time management has improved, I think that there is still room for more improvement but also I tend not to record how I manage my tasks as I usually just do it mentally. I think by making more of a concerted effort to document my time management it would help me to look at how I use my time and also help me to plan more effectively which I would hope to make me more productive. I also think there is a bit of a weakness in my blogging which links from the time management issue as quite often I build up a back log of work which I then tend to blog all at once instead of blogging consistently on a daily basis. This can cause problems when it comes to analysing and commenting on the posts as its sometimes difficult to remember back to the project.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing this?
- Blog more often and consistently to help me analyse my work.
- Develop my technical skills further on Adobe Illustrator and InDesign to add more dimensions to my work.
- Continue to push my illustrative work as this could help me to create a stronger identity as a designer.
- Make the most of the resources on offer such as screen printing and letterpress as it will help to show my diversity as a designer.
- Conduct larger volumes of research and be more selective in terms of the information I gather to help direct my projects better.
6.
Attendance: 5
Punctuation: 5
Motivation: 4
Commitment: 4
Quantity of work: 4
Quality of work: 4
Contribution to the group: 4
Tuesday 25 May 2010
Brief: Speaking From Experience - Evaluation
What problem did you identify?
I chose to address the problem of informing new students to the BA Graphic Design course at Leeds College of Art about appropriate design related places that could benefit them during their studying in the city of Leeds. When first moving to a new city and place of study it is easy to settle on using solely the facilities closest to hand but I wanted to encourage students to make the most of creative sources across Leeds through my product range.
What evidence did you find to support your decision?
Across the duration of the first year I had often noted fellow students wanting to know where to find particular resources to aid them in their work. Even though there are many city guides about Leeds listing what the area has to offer, there was never anything specifically design related and so I chose to address this initially by developing a 'Designer's Index' which would form the basis for further product development.
What methods did you use to gather your evidence and what forms did it take?
As the brief title was 'Speaking From Experience' I started by drawing on my own knowledge and experience from the past year thinking back to places I have found beneficial. I also informally asked other students in the class for resources outside of College that they thought useful as well as consulting different existing city guides, maps and listings.
What methods of research did you find useful and why?
I found all methods of research used during the project to be both successful and useful. Speaking to fellow students and drawing on my own experiences of the first year was always going to be most appropriate as we, at the start of the year are what has now formed the target audience for this brief. Then by looking at existing informative guides and catalogues I was able to gain an understanding of how to layout the information I was gathering in a clear and concise manner that would create the easy use, quick reference index that I wanted.
How did these inform your response to your problem?
By looking at the research I had accumulated I was able to be selective of the information that was included in the products that I was developing. For example, in terms of the booklet I narrowed down the wide ranging list of suggested places into three categories each of which had 12 resources listed within them, 36 in total with the three categories being - Galleries and Museums, Materials and Resources, Places of Interest. To keep the consistency going, when developing the calendar I also included 12 events and overall I felt that this was just the right amount of information to include.
What research could you have carried out that would have proved more useful?
I think the research I could have undertaken that would have proved more useful would have been on the subjects of distribution and product development. I would have liked to look into different ways that my products could be received by my target audience and also to have investigated a slightly more adventurous range of products although I am pleased with what I have produced as I believe they are very useable and useful things to have upon starting the course.
List five things you have learnt about the design process over the last five weeks:
- Learnt more about building a brand and maintaining consistency across a product range.
- Keep target audience in mind at all times.
- Have clear concepts and messages ready for crits in order to get valuable feedback.
- A range of products do not have to look the same.
- Learnt to be selective of information to communicate.
List five things that you would do differently next time:
- More research into product distribution.
- Investigate into a more adventurous product range.
- Put together a proper research questionnaire instead of asking people informally.
- Start designing the digital side of the product range earlier.
- Design some supporting illustration work for the brand.
Monday 24 May 2010
Thursday 6 May 2010
Brief: Speaking From Experience - Feedback
Has a problem been clearly defined? (What is it? Is it a genuine problem? Is it appropriate?)
- The problem is to help students become a graphic designer in Leeds/ a guide to being a good designer. There is a good reason for this product, it will be very beneficial. It is appropriate for first year BAGD students.
- Yes, first year graphic design students not knowing where to go in Leeds. It is definitely a genuine problem and would be really useful.
Is the audience being taken into consideration? (Is the tone appropriate for the audience? How will the audience engage with it?)
- Yes, first years are unsure where to go and it is specifically focussed on their course too. A book/index.
- Yes it is relevant and appropriate to the graphic design students and would be very useful to know, it works as a pocket size book.
What further research is required/would be beneficial? (What/Where/Who/When? Practical/Theoretical/Both?)
- Survey/Questionnaire to highlight the problem primarily. What existing booklets are missing Eg. information they are not addressing. Perhaps a bit of illustration/imagery? COuld maybe develop it into a website, or interactive disc? Physical map? Stickers on the floor? Research front of book design.
- Could be useful to look at map; if someone doesn't know where they are going, what would be the starting point? College? Not so many streets? How would students get a book and what would make them take one?
What methods are being used to document the research/ development? (Is the research appropriate?Are they effective?)
- Sketchbook, sheets, lists; effective show of development, quick, easy access.
- There is a lot of relevant research, maybe a bit of primary research to help with directions to the places.
Tuesday 27 April 2010
Personal and Professional Development
Which of these words describe you as an individual?
Confident, Considerate, Determined, Passive, Vocal, Open, Objective, Ethical, Informed, Tolerant, Critical, Decisive.
Considerate, Informed, Tolerant.
Which of these words best describes your approach to life?
Organised, Passive, Reflective, Flexible, Laid Back, Decisive, Impulsive, Direct, Objective, Confident, Punctual, Critical.
Organised, Flexible, Critical.
What do you want to be?
Organised, Passive, Reflective, Flexible, Decisive, Direct, Honest, Committed, Punctual, Critical, Entertaining, Informed.
Informed, Ambitious, Committed.
Which of the following qualities do you look for in others?
Honesty, Tolerance, Ambition, Confidence, Commitment, Creativity, Responsibility, Focus, Humour, Objectivity, Flexibility, Punctuality.
Confidence, Focus, Tolerance.
List ten things you have learnt:
1. Concept Building
2. Idea Generation
3. Crit and Feedback Skills
4. Book Binding and Letterpress
5. New Photography Skills
6. Illustrator
7. Understanding of Indesign
8. Colour Theory and Visual Language
9. Developed Research Skills
10. Explored different Methods of Delivery
List ten things you want to learn:
1. Composition and Layout
2. Improve Illustrator Skills Further
3. Improve Indesign Skills Further
4. Develop Colour Theory Further
5. Information Graphics
6. Develop Illustrative Work
6. Typography
7. Print Skills
8. Develop Screen Printing Skills Further
9. Advertising
10. Ethical Design
Which of these words describe your ambitions as a designer?
Expressive, Creative, Perceptive, Subversive, Clinical, Commercial, Ethical, Effective, Ambitious.
Creative, Perceptive, Effective.
What do you want your work to do?
Persuade, Educate, Seduce, Shock, Promote, Instruct, Attract, Change, Inform, Entertain, Package, Document.
Attract, Inform, Document.
Which of the following words do you associate with your work?
Message, Research, Product, Image, Clarity, Idea, Media, Audience, Process, Concept, Type, Context.
Concept, Clarity, Image.
Which of the following areas have you developed your skills in?
Type, Video, Colour, Concept Building, Photography, Image, Composition, Idea Generation, Print, Drawing, Research, Problem Solving.
Idea Generation, Concept Building, Type.
Which of the following areas do you need to develop your skills in?
Type, Video, Colour, Concept Building, Photography, Image, Composition, Idea Generation, Print, Drawing, Research, Problem Solving.
Composition, Print, Research.
Which of the following are you interested in developing your skills in?
Typography, Video, Interactive Design, Book Design, Photography, Illustration, Advertising, Character, Print, Motion Graphics, Information Graphics, Narrative.
Information Graphics, Print, Illustration.
Thursday 22 April 2010
Brief: Speaking From Experience
Rationale 1
'Everything you need to become a Graphic Designer in Leeds'
Who needs to know?
First year students on the BA Graphic Design course at Leeds College of Art.
What do they need to know?
I feel that they need to know what and where design related places are located in the city. For example; where to source materials, places to get inspiration such as galleries and museums and where to find books, magazines and journals.
Why do they need to know?
So that they know where to source materials, books, magazines and journals. Also so that they know where to find relevant galleries, exhibitions, museums and events.
What will they respond to?
I think they will respond to a physical product, perhaps a printed booklet of some kind, that they could receive at the beginning of the course as I remember appreciating welcome packs for example when I first started.
What research is required?
Primary: Going out into Leeds and sourcing all relevant locations to inform the target audience of, photographing and documenting them. Asking classmates for their tips on places to source materials, books and magazines also where the best and most appropriate galleries and museums are.
Secondary: Internet research to find out a comprehensive list of what design related places are located in Leeds. Collect existing guides and maps.
Rationale 2
Brief: (What is the problem you intend to solve?)
'To prevent new students and visitors from getting lost around college'
Who needs to know?
First year students on the BA Graphic Design course and visitors to Leeds College of Art.
What do they need to know?
They need a new, clearer set of directional signage to replace the current system that is used.
Why do they need to know?
To help people that are new to the college navigate their way around whilst they get to know their new surroundings.
What will they respond to?
They will respond to something modern and contemporary that remains in keeping with the 'identity' of the college but something that most importantly is visually clear and
What research is required?
Primary: Documenting and photographing the current directional signage used around the collage. Also look into what signage is used in museums, galleries and other public places around Leeds.
Secondary: Look at relevant books on information graphics and signage/mapping.
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