Develop and evaluate a range of appropriate source material gathered through a breadth of appropriate research methods.
It is Important when undertaking a long brief such as ‘What is good…?’ to continuously evaluate what you are researching, developing and experimenting. In the first couple of weeks of the brief I came up against some key stages where I seriously had to consider the implications of where my project was going. My research into rock climbing trousers and magazine spreads was producing some good image treatments, but the concept was weak. In order to keep things on track I had to make bold decision whether to scrap the idea or find a way to make it work. From previous experience and guidance from tutors I knew that it was always better not to force a bad idea to be good. So I immediately started again, which consequently led me to a much better concept.
The new concept was light hearted and fun, therefore my research methods should reflect this to make the project work as a whole. I still used questionnaires, surveys, design sheets, books, magazines and the Internet. But the idea was always to keep an underlying tone of fun. I feel that everything I researched for the second concept was relevant and selected well. In the first part of the brief, looking back, it is clear to see that much of the research was almost irrelevant. It was a little harder at the stage because the concepts were constantly changing, but still it didn’t really seem to fit together.
Investigation and experimentation into appropriate production media, processes and technologies.
I wanted to use at least two new methods of print for this brief. I had not decided prior to it what they would be but the list was not very long. Foil blocking, embossing or spot varnishing. However if they did not fit the concept I would have not used them. I decided rather than designing everything and then simply selecting a couple of the methods, I would test each of them to see what results they could achieve.
I used my logo design to try out foil blocking. So I booked in a time for the print room and tried out three different foils, black white and gold; each on a variety of substrates. The results were good but inconsistent. The combinations of white on white and black on black looked professional and had the minimal and simple look I wanted to achieve. However because of the inconsistencies of the prints I was deterred away from this process. So I spent the next few days testing spot varnishing and embossing. These processes were much more reliable and controllable. The spot varnish did not quite have the same tactile effect that foil blocking can achieve, but I would rather that than a failed print. The embossing was beautiful, with just a 1mm proud emboss.
With the two main production methods figured out I was keen to use a printer for something. So I designed an insert for the product, which would have tailored type for the target demographic. I also designed some stickers that would indicate who the specific target market was for that particular product. These would have to be printed onto vinyl, was also new to me.
I was aware that there were a lot of processes going into a single product. Taking that into consideration I noted that if the product were to be batch produced on an industrial scale, the vinyl stickers could just as well be printed onto the product in NET form; this would save on stock costs. Also for the binding material on the packaging I had to use buckram, as it was the only available material that produced the finish I needed. Again if the product were to be batch produced, brown craft board would be perfect. It was actually my chosen material for the product, but no matter how hard I tried I could not find any. The insert for the product would be printed using offset lithography, as it can achieve high quality prints at not much cost. The reason for taking cost into consideration is that my product would not sell for a large price, due to its gimmicky nature. The company ‘POKIT’ that would produce them would need to keep costs as low as possible to turn over as much profit as possible. However this can be said for any company.
Breadth and quality of practical skills, ideas and design development.
My idea development and application of skills has been much more natural this module. Previously I have struggled to combine my ideas with realistic and plausible outcomes. My design sheets in particular have been much more rewarding. They seriously helped me consider and progress quickly through difficult stages of the design process. I also feel I had been able to evaluate more critically and therefore been able to clearly identify good ideas over bad ones. This is evident at several stages throughout the brief. In the beginning, with deciding to start over with a whole new concept; choosing a reliable print method over a more risky one and refining my concept so it was not overly ambitious.
Other than design and development skills I should mention my time management. A long as I can remember it has been my near downfall, but toward the end of last year I turned a corner and finished well on time and got my highest grade yet. I feel that I have used my time very well. Even though I had to start over at the end of the second week I managed to finish everything with a couple of days to space. My product was finished, photographed and edited onto presentation boards a week in advance, which gave my time to think about my evaluation.
Documentation, organisation and presentation of your work for this module.
My organisation was much the same as the end of last year also. Everything I looked at was either documented in Doc. Format or printed out and filed into one of three research folders. This made it easy for me to relate back to work and keep track of ideas and development. The whole project was tied together by orange stickers, which relate directly to my final product; a simple after thought, but it is visual and it works. The presentation of the work in its simplicity and minimalism also reflects back to the ideas behind the product. The coloured sticker on the product is the only colour that is seen on the exterior of the packaging. So all The design boards also have the same sticker on them. The same typeface was used throughout the whole brief, (Eurostyle) a fun font, but also very nice. It is fairly neutral and also implies simplicity. It can be see on the product, on the sticker, the insert, in the PDF and the presentation boards, always in a shade of grey so as not to be too bold.
Success of your final products in relation to the briefs.
I feel as though my final resolution was very successful. It promotes the product , which is baggy trousers in a good light. It is clear that they are meant to be fun but also functional. The website I mocked up has a relaxed and conversational tone of voice which would relate the target audiences. It also explains why the product exists very simply and does not force the audience to buy.
It has a general feel of applicability to the wide range of demographics that it may be aimed at, at the same time as having some clear audience identification with the icon. The sticker in the top left adds some flare and gives the product some character; and it is characters that I have aimed the product at. By characters I mean, specific cliché target audiences like builders, solders or hippies. My only regret is that I was not able to find some amazing hippie trousers to put inside the packaging for submission. I think that would have been a lot of fun.
5 things to do differently next time:
1. It is not easy sometimes to see when an idea is turning bad. This happened to me in the first couple of weeks as I have mentioned; but in the future I am going to critically evaluate even more to make sure I do not waste time on bad concepts.
- I chose to include certain printing methods in this brief partially as a learning experience and also because I just wanted to give it a shot. This was part of the brief as it was about print methods and processes. So from now on the work will definitely determine the processes, not the other way around.
- Although everything went well, I feel as though sometimes I relied on other people to remind me what was going on. Nothing serious but I think it comes down to not reading the brief thoroughly, regularly. I tend to read it twice at the start then not look at it again for a couple of weeks. Like I said it all went fine, but it could have gone wrong if I had miss-read it.
- My blog as always was pushed aside in the mad rush of experimenting and developing ideas. It is hard though, because so much happens in the last couple of weeks that there isn’t much time to blog it all. Being selective is the key of course, but when you are working in college from 9 - 7.30 most days blogging is a bit of chore. So taking the other points into consideration, developing ideas more directly and critically evaluating the work more may give me more time to blog. Just an hour is enough to upload the necessary photos, scans and images.
- That other brief…
I need to get out of the mentality that there is one main brief and ‘that other thing I have to do.’ It all counts. I am not saying it was a panicked rush to finish in time because that would be a lie. In fact I finished well in advance, but that mentality was till there. It seems silly really because the 16 page publication was briefed to us before the ‘What is Good’ brief, yet I did actually start the spreads until 12 days before hand in. So, basically, not to think about the two briefs as un-equal.
