OUGD 301 Evaluation

This module was extremely challenging, firstly because negotiating my own briefs took a lot longer than I wanted. I got confused for at least the first week on how to even begin deciding what I wanted to do, despite the workshops. After the brief proposals during the second week I was even more confused, I had no idea what subjects I wanted to address. For some reason I could not see how I could generate or obtain the content to create what I wanted to do. Instead of fretting I simply sat down and started designing something, it worked and a week later my first substantial brief was well under way. Over the duration of this module I have learned the most important lesson of all, that anything can become a brief. A word, a place, a time or simply a concept. Therefore at present I feel fairly confident going away and thinking about what to do for my FMP, knowing that whatever I think of in the end can untimely be turned into an exciting brief.

Although the briefs I ended up taking on were not at all what I would have expected to be doing they all benefited me in their own way. I knew that I wanted to progress my ability with typography and layout, across a range of formats for print. I learned how to quickly mock up books and evaluate the content of the layout effectively in a short time. This was evident with the LCD brief, where I had to mock up a copy every few hours to make sure the readability was fine and that the decisions I made were working. The process has been hammered into my brain to the extent that forgetting it is most likely impossible. It will make creating publications much easier for the next half of the year.

My knowledge of typefaces, grids, format and hierarchy has greatly improved. Up until now I had felt I was simply pushing type around on a page, searching for an aesthetic and functional resolution. However, exemplified by the ‘X’, LBW and LCD briefs, I am confident that my design has become concept driven, with appropriate layout choices applied to each brief. Although there is not necessarily a personal ‘style’ of work evolving, I do feel for the first time that I can say that I am a becoming or even am a specialist in this subject, and that taking on any brief concerning layout and type will not be over my head. Perhaps that is a bold statement, but I stand by it until proved wrong.

Saying that, my Leeds Bike Week publication was not as good as I had hoped. It worked as a piece of functional design, but as a practice in creative layout I do not feel I pushed the boundaries as much as I could have. I felt that I needed to take sure the content came first. This is probably because the information was such that it needed to be communicated clearly and in an understandable way for a wide target audience. If it had been aimed at a creative audience I would have felt I could have made much bolder decisions. For this reason I spent a long time on the LCD brief creating experimental layouts that could never function in that context. Playing with the grid and the golden section, canceling out the layout solution that were not working but did look good has given me a sounder knowledge of functional layout.

The LCD brief also gave me the chance to re-address book binding, something I try to avoid as my hands on skills are poor. As usual all my mock up binds worked better than the final, so I intend to make it again and get it right. I think it will be a very strong piece of work in my portfolio. I am very happy about his because my main concern after 2^nd year was that my portfolio was lacking in good design, certainly in comparison to the work I have now. For this reason I am very excited about the FMP.

I had written in my rationale that I wanted to be better at quick turn around identity design specifically, s over the summer while on experience I was given 3 hours to create four logo proposals. I managed to do it, but the designs were not up to a standard I had hoped I would be at. I felt it was important to be strict with myself when designing these identities and spend no more than 2 days on each. The BUC (Bournemouth University Climbing) logo design was very tricky. As a climber I was aware of current climbing logos, and how they all conform to a technical / serious tone. My client, the president of the climbing club wanted a fresh look, happy, approachable and nature based. My resolved design was approved and will be going into print on hoodies, T-shirts and a small promotion range. This gave me confidence that even though getting stuck on an identity design is stressful and can be a worrying time, a solution can always be found and after a few days of searching it will most likely be successful.

The module was challenging and stressful at times, but it has armed me with the confidence and the technical skills to take me through to my FMP with a confidence I would have paid for.

Evaluation of OUGD 203

Going into this final brief I was determined to write a brief that I would enjoy and addressed the areas of design I am currently interested in; being typography, editorial and brand image. Writing the brief itself was a new experience, one that I enjoyed. I found it much less stressful writing my own brief as I could be as ambition as I wanted with the outcomes. The idea of a range of products and designs all working together was what got me excited.Continuity throughout design is something that really interests me; the application of elements across a range if products and contexts. It relies on a lot of design development over a long period of time, getting it absolutely right, then progressing into the application to the range.

I decided to combine this with my interest in brand identity to create an identity package for the ‘Web Design Ledger’ that would allow me to writemy ‘perfect’ brief. Of course I now realise that it is impossible to write a perfect brief for myself, as what I want to achieve is always evolving. After this brief I have realised that brand identity is something I am interested in, however I am not committing myself to specialise in it as I am also very interested in editorial and layout; which I will be practicing and experimenting with over summer in collaboration with a friend of mine, who is a very talented photographer.

As far as learning skills goes, it is quite hard to judge. I will only know how much my branding experience has progressed when it comes to designing another identity package. I know now where to start, how much development is needed and how long I need to develop an identity. I will certainly write myself a few briefs or find some live work over summer to address my branding practice. However, I am sure that my illustrator skills have improved. This is first time ever that I have relied on illustrator to come up with almost all of my design work. I also feel as though I have applied my recently learned typography and layout skills well to this brief. The exhibition guide was quite demanding, as the amount of copy to fit into the chosen format, required some careful tweaking. I researched into layout theory and especially the momentum that can be generated and sustained within a body of text. I thought this was especially relevant for an exhibition guide, where there is a lot of information to read around one piece of work, multiple times.

My project was not research heavy, I really wanted to spend as much time designing as possible, as I was well aware that my portfolio was weak or at least in my view unsatisfactory. I knew this may have some effect on the grade, but I though it was for the best, as my motivation was low and the reason for that was that I was not designing enough. However I looked at a lot of secondary work from a range of magazines, journals and books as well as the Internet of course. I found some editorial work by ‘North’ that really inspired me to be more creative with my own layouts. After this module I feel confident that I have some good work to add to my portfolio and will be much more confident when e-mailing it out to studios for placements and visits.

I looked quite a lot at stock, which I know from past briefs can be really interesting. I am not sure that stock is my passion, but I would say that next year, when my work becomes more editorial based I will be looking for the perfect stocks to print onto. I will endeavour to contact printers around Leeds and also my home city. I know that a few third years have managed to get a foot in the door with some paper manufacturers and I am determined to make that happen for me.

I was happy with the work I created for almost all of the range. Of everything the website is the weakest, the layout from the beginning was not working and I left it too late to spend much more time on it. It isn’t bad, but it could have more continuity when viewed within the range. The layout of the text should have had more of a connection with the layout of the exhibition guide.Also the colour coded headers for the range of sectors within the Design Ledger could have been applied, as they have been on the business cards.

The final logo and identity package was ok. It is well designed and considered, but I cannot feel as though I did not exploit the full potential of the formats. I only printed duplex once, I realise now that I should have begun designing letterheads, business cards and compliment slips from week one. It was only after printing out multiple treatments of layouts and logos that I could clearly see what was working. If I were to do this brief again, which I am quite temped to do I would take more notice of the fact that I was designing for a design-based company. Their identity package needs to be as much a showcase of their work as their portfolio. I don’t think my final outcome captured this.

1.

Begin designing in the first few days, not leaving it until the second week.

2.

When designing logos, don’t spend time polishing an idea in biro or pencil, get them onto a mac and visualise them properly.

3.

Consider the potential range while designing the identity, that way you can mock up idea quickly and see what works immediately.Design personal work along side the brief(s).

4.

Develop my own practice away from the course to increase motivation and strength of portfolio.

5.

Bring more to crits.

Attendance: 5

Punctualituy: 4

Motiovation: 3 >> 5

Commitment: 4

Quantity of work: 4

Quality of work: 4

Contribution to group: 5

Evaluation of OUGD203coll

Working with Craig went well. We both had similar ambitions going into this brief and also for the future. Our common interests are typography and corporate identity. We applied our skills with type and layout together to an extent however we each generated our own outcomes and drew them together to make conclusions. We worked mainly in college but also at each other’s houses. In fact most of our good ideas came from being out of college, perhaps because it was easier to focus on our brief without others working on their briefs around us.

The contract that we wrote and the roles we applied ourselves didn’t always stay as we had planned. It worked out well in that way, because we worked so well together that it seemed as though we should spend as much time working together as possible. We generated lots of ideas while together but almost always agreed not to test them, on account of them seeming weak from the beginning. If there is one thing I have learned it is to at least develop any idea to a point where it can be clearly seen to not be effective.

The work produced was good overall. We should have tested a wider variety of concepts and also generated far more visuals. Though the final designs were strong in my opinion. The concept was strong although to really have the desired effect it would need to be produced at industry standard, as the scratch and sniff process is impossible to actually achieve. But for the sake of proposing a concept it works.

My personal involvement within the brief was to be the photographer, layout designer, re-touching photographs and organisation. This worked well, with Craig being the main visualiser of initial ideas, as he has a very good eye for drawing quick ideas of anything you throw at him. Concept and idea generation was always done together because we figured if one of us didn’t understand the direction as well as the other, the work would not be balanced. As the brief progressed the role of organiser and time manager became more important as it was my role to make time for printing and photo shooting.

The typography module helped with some of the layout issues although I feel we could have refined it further and looked at some more interesting layout ideas. However this was an advertising brief, so the overall outcome had to be accessible at a glance.

Overall I am happy with this brief acting as a segue from second year leading into the FMP. I am definitely more confident with my own designs and believe in the choices I make. Working as a collaboration is something I want to look into over summer. I have several very talented friends, who study a variety of media production including photography and film editing and shooting. This will give me a chance to practice my editorial skills in both digital and print media. Looking forward to it.

Evaluation of OUGD202dvd

This module gave me the opportunity to focus on something I really enjoyed and also the chance to get to know some new software.

I chose the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone for my DVD project. The westerns have so many elements of iconic imagery and design solutions that the range of material for me to consider and evaluate was fairly vast.The print based designs for the western filmsspecifically, were varied, and gave me the opportunity to consider a range of possible aesthetics for my idents. The title sequences for the films also impacted heavily on my design decisions; the colours, the timing, the sound and the typography.

I feel that almost for the first time I have been able to fully focus on and understand the direction I was going in throughout the project. With the help of crits and tutorials I made confident and justified design decisions and also more importantly was confident enough to begin creating the idents early in the brief, to give me as much chance to develop the visuals as possible. Because of my confidence and greater connection with my project than I might have had previously, I had time to relax and sit back from my work and self evaluate it. I did not get behind on work or even feel rushed at any point to get back on track, it gave me the time to consider all the elements of the brief fairly equally.

Since the beginning of level 5 I have made a real effort to stay on top of my work, I feel I have done better this module than with the last, and as a result I have had more time to design, but also to do things other than design. My hobby is rock climbing and it is a part of my life that I am determined will not be pushed into the background and out of my weekly routine. I strongly believe that if anything is done too much, no matter how much you enjoy it, it eventually becomes a chore. This module I have found a balance that work well for me and as a result have enjoyed both the graphic designing and the climbing. This is something I hope to continue throughout the next couple of years and indeed into the further future.

The PPD sessions have made the reality of becoming a professional much more present day to day. It has made me think more about who I am as a designer, what makes me tick, and what possible futures do they hold for me.At present it is fairly obvious to me that my speciality areas of interest are in editorial, typography and photography as a part of my designs. However this is something that up until now I have not used in my designs, I will be keen to try it soon.

Also, looking through examples of portfolios and CVs I have now got an idea of where I would like my career to head. I am looking for a placement in or around London as that is where I would ideally like to be based once I have graduated. I would like to appeal to a high end, possibly corporate market to fit in with the London scene. I think there will be plenty of chance to for interesting projects with interesting companies this way.

The software I have learned this module was eye opening. I have only touched on motion graphics in the past, but I have found that I really enjoyed it, and in fact am possibly quite proficient with it. However I do not think it will shape the path I choose to take concerning my future career. I would like to progress my skills with it though, so that if I was every offered a job using it I would be capable of creating something great.

DVD Studio Pro was very exciting to use because it has now opened up a whole new possibility for a design solution. It has also taught me to keep track of all my files and be neatly organised. This is just as important if not more so when applied to a print based brief.

Overall I am happy with my work and myself this module. However in hindsight there are specific things that I would like to have changed or even just tested. The continuity of my idents bothered me in the last couple of days of the brief. I was not sure whether they would be recognized as a series when viewed in context on TV. The feedback on the other hand did put my mind as ease as it was good in that area.

I think one or two of my idents were stronger visually than the others, but I was constantly aware of my audience and the connection they have with the films.This informed the vast majority of my decisions. The films were varied, no two had the same character.Therefore I wanted each ident to reflect those characteristics.

Another thing I would have liked to change certainly is the DVD menus. I like the design I came up with and the general style of the DVD, but I feel the menus are a bit repetitive, especially with the loud gun-shot every time another menu is opened. Some variety such as a gun shot when moving forward to a new menu, and then a reload sound when stepping back to a previous menu, or even some background music could have worked. I should have tested these things, but eventually I had to finalise them and submit.

Overall I think this was a successful brief, as I have been able to apply everything I was hoping to get better at from last module. I also feel I reached a competent level of skill with the new software and was able to create some good work.

Things to consider doing differently:

• If the brief requires more than one element to be designed (such as the idents, the DVD and the packaging) considering them all as one will help clarify continuity and a clearer design direction.

• Organising files clearly and logically throughout a brief is integral to the success of the project as well as essential practice for the future.

• I think I need to ask more questions to myself about my brief at hand. Rather than waiting for a crit or a tutorial to guide me. I have said that I did this well, but there is always room for improvement.

• Although it didn’t turn out to be an issue, I did have some apprehension when coming into college to compile my DVD in DVD Studio Pro. This is because I had not spent enough time familiarising myself with it. So getting to know the software to a confident level before needing to use it would be good practice.

• We were told to bring questions to our crits so that we had something we could ask of that was directly relevant to that stage of thee brief. This was very useful, therefore from now on I will bring at least 4 questions to each crit, focusing on specific design decisions I am making at that time.

End of Module Evaluation - OUGD201

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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.