FINAL MODULE EVALUATION OUGD603

In terms of my developed skills, I feel that I have really progressed as a designer this year, with a better understanding of my practice and areas of interest. Throughout this process, I have found that from my original statement of intent, a few aspects have changed, allowing me to refine my visuals. There were a number of briefs that I chose to not to undertake anymore as I felt that they were no longer relevant, allowing me select more appropriate briefs that I felt would show of my illustrative and conceptual skills. I am now extremely passionate about print, pattern and packaging with a strong focus on application and product range, which has allowed me to put together a portfolio that is professional and consistent in terms of content and aesthetics. The use of a photography studio has massively improved my final resolutions, which I would be happy to use after graduation. As well as simply producing outcomes for my own personal gain, I have been involved with a number of briefs that have had context and purpose, including exhibition briefs, live briefs and and briefs for charity. I have therefore had to interact with clients, working to strict deadlines, which has given me the skills and confidence to present my work within an industry environment. 

In addition to this, I feel that I have worked extremely well as part of a number of different collaborations, with both people on the course and off it. I am aware of how to utilise a range of skill sets to produce the best outcome, allowing for the development of strong concepts. I feel that I am organised and professional enough to work well within a team, knowing when I should be around and also knowing when to compromise on certain aspects. The yearbook in particular has been a great opportunity for me this year. I am extremely pleased with how this project has turned out, and we are all glad that we decided to take it on. The content, layout and visuals all really compliment us as individuals, as well as a working group, and this is something that we will definitely be putting in our portfolios. Each step was managed well in order to produce an outcome that we are proud of.

My practice and development has been massively informed by primary research this year. A lot of emphasis was placed on it at the beginning as it is extremely beneficial, allowing you to make a strong connection to the content and the audience you are designing for. As a lot of my design is focused on illustration, it has been paramount for me to look at primary sources so that they could be used as reference tools. I have been able to evaluate the context and purpose of products, gaining a better understanding of successful, working design. This also led to the development of new processes, as I started working with different mediums, such as acrylic paint and watercolour. This has given a unique selling point to my work, strengthening my interest in hand crafting, focusing my design on a specific audience. 

In terms of weaknesses throughout this module, I wish that I had experimented more in terms of stocks, as this has been kept consistent all the way through my briefs. Exploring new stocks would have allowed me to find colours and textures to compliment my visuals in a way that is more exciting than matte white card. I also wish that I had explored more processes whilst I had the chance to use the facilities within university. I feel that screen printing compliments my practice, and therefore this is something that I should have considered exploring if it was appropriate to my concept. This links also to the crafting of products, which hasn't been to the highest standards. I was really impressed with the quality of my design context publication which was printed professionally, therefore I wish that I had considered this for briefs such as my personal branding, as well as Anna's business cards. 

FINAL MODULE EVALUATION OUGD602

FINAL END OF MODULE EVALUATION - PPP

Throughout this year, I have developed a number of skills regarding my personal professional practice. I feel that the main thing to be discussed is the confidence that I have gained in my own practice as well as being able to define who I am and who I am designing for. To begin with, I had a general idea of the type of design that I was interested in, however this was very broad, which is reflected in my choice of briefs at the start of the year. As I progressed and developed my briefs, the direction I wanted to head in became a lot clearer, and I was much more focused. This then allowed me to start approaching studios I was passionate about as my practice was much more defined in terms of wanting to work with personalised stationery, gifts and greetings and print. I am hoping that this will allow me to approach further studios after graduation with a clear sense of who I am, and being able to explain this in a professional manner. It is just a shame that I feel this happened quite late on in the module. In addition to the above, I feel that throughout this module I have improved upon my evaluative skills in terms of dissecting each stage of the development process. This has then allowed me to present my ideas in an organised way with focus on audience, context, purpose and environment. 

This year, I have had the opportunity to visit a range of different studios, experiencing their professional and working environments. This has really helped me develop in terms of deciphering what type of studio I want to be in myself, and what area of design I want to be working with, giving me something to aspire to. These visits have been extremely beneficial. Elmwood in particular really opened my eyes to the possibilities that were out there. I was really shocked when I was picked to go and pitch my work to Steph and Chris, as this was really early on in the year when I wasn't really sure about my practice. Before the presentations, we were given the opportunity to take a look around the studio to see the working environment, where a vast array of creatives were hard at work. The atmosphere was very inspiring and the surroundings were extremely motivational. The pitch itself was quite casual and I felt confident in getting my concept across. It was great to get some feedback straight away, taking note on how I could build upon, expand and change my ideas. This experience really helped with my presentation skills, both in terms of speaking and visuals, which will become extremely useful when it comes to pitching my ideas to clients. Similar experiences to this include my involvements in a number of exhibitions this year. The talk in Design Manchester particularly stood out to me as it gave me the opportunity to listen to a talk by Kate Moross, who is extremely determined and motivated. She spoke in a way that really instilled self belief into you, making me want to reach my end goal. 

In terms of strengths within this module, I am extremely pleased with my personal branding and identity. I feel that the use of hand drawn type has developed a personal and unique focal visual, taking on a playful and reflective aesthetic, that works effectively alongside examples of my prints, patterns and illustrations as a direct representation of both my design and my ambitions. A range of colours were used throughout that automatically connect to the type of design I am attracted to, focusing on pastel shades alongside contrasting elements. I therefore feel that I have successfully presented myself in a way that not only represents my practice, but also the type of design that interests me, offering a professional and unified range of branded products that could be handed out to potential clients. 

A particular weakness within my PPP is that once I had organised a placement, I found that I had stopped getting in touch with studios. I feel that this has not helped me in terms of my practice, and gaining industry experience. Now that I am much more informed of the direction I am heading in, I will start getting in touch with creatives again. In addition to this, I feel that I could have expanded on the web elements of my design presence. Although my skills are limited in terms of digital design, I feel that I could have pushed this to create something slightly more exciting than my overall outcome. However, my website is still consistent with my print based branding. 

EVALUATION - Design Context

Towards the end of the year, I have felt much more confident in my design, in terms of my abilities but also in terms of the direction that I see my practice going in. It has only been recently that I have become much more influenced by blogs such as Studio DIY, Oh So Beautiful Paper and The Sweetest occasion, who explore personalised stationery and crafting, which had a direct influence on my branding and identity. I started to use Pinterest regularly to document my recent influences and aspirations, splitting these into different boards. This then formed the basis of my publication, giving me the titles to each section in my book – things I love, print and pattern, gifts and greetings, packaging and context of practice. Evidently, this publication does not feature design that is completely new to me; there is evidence of strong influence throughout, showing the love I have always had for packaging and print.

I wanted the content to be well organised, manageable and informed and therefore chose an A5 format that could be transported and used as a point of reference. I sent them away to print so that I had something that was professional and high quality, as this is something that I will want to keep as a log of all of my influences. I chose to get it perfect bound also, as this was the most appropriate time of binding for the number of pages included within the publication.

In terms of written content, I have made sure that each section is thoroughly explained and evaluated in terms of how my practice can be seen throughout, and why I have chose to include that particular area of design. I also included other appropriate content, such as interviews with designers themselves, as this gave a great insight into their working mind, offering tips and advise for graduates and those wishing to head in a similar direction. This was something that was really useful, as it instilled confidence and allowed me to gain a better vision of my future.

In terms of weaknesses, I would have liked to have made the format more appropriate to my design practice. For example, I could have created some packaging for the book. I had also originally hoped to have each heading as a separate book, allowing me to produce a consistent range, bringing them all together as though it was part of a stationery or gifts and greetings range. However, this wasn’t feasible, as I wanted to get the books printed professionally, which is costly. In addition to this, there are also a few images, which haven’t come out perfect quality, which is a shame. I had initially printed a mock up that allowed me to see if there was any pixelating, resolving this issue, however some images are still not as sharp as they could have been.

I now feel much more confident in terms of my practice and the type of studios I want to direct my attention towards. I want to improve my skills in terms of hand lettering and calligraphy, exploring stocks, materials and processes, in order to become much more accustomed to studios that work with personalised stationery and greetings ranges.  

EVALUATION - Harry Ramsdens

I had never worked within this sector of design, and had never completely rebranded an existing company; therefore this was an exciting process that I was unsure whether or not I was going to enjoy. It gave me the chance to work with packaging and illustration, however, which I feel I have learned a lot about in terms of how it can be used and applied to create high quality visuals, reflecting brand values, whilst targeting a specific customer base. I learnt during this process that a lot of brands are very inconsistent within their design, in terms of colour, type and imagery, and through research I was able to see how a brand could be made to be more successful. More contemporary branding was stripped back and minimal, with focus on intricate illustrations and restricted colour palettes on natural stocks, which helped inform my design.

I feel that overall I have created a consistent product range that is suitable and appropriate to the environment it is intended for, and it’s purpose, showing how the new identity would effectively work across a broad range of scales and formats that are relevant to the setting. Everything has been kept consistent on all final outcomes, including colour, print and type, vastly improving on the previous visuals that were conflicting and garish. The design now reflects the price range that the restaurant currently sits in, with a strong focus on heritage through the inclusion of facts, imagery and specific content, such as the date on the logo and inserts in the menus.

In terms of my strengths, I feel that I have become much more aware of how important primary research is, especially in terms of using it as a reference tool for my illustration, making my design work much more informed. It helped me create a connection to the brand and to create a much more focused understanding of the audience and the environment that you would find each visual in.

In terms of weaknesses, I feel that more care and consideration could have been taken into the crafting of the packaging. Whilst I am evidently not going to be an expert in this area, I wish I had taken more time to consider how everything was going to print and fit together. Unfortunately, some products were printed a number of times, wasting time and money, because of annoying things like pixilation and sizing issues. I also feel that it would have been much more appropriate to explore a range of different stocks to create a visual that didn’t show all the imperfections – for example an off white stock. This also would have offered a more natural canvas appropriate to my illustrations.

EVALUATION - personal branding

As we were required to demonstrate appropriate preparation for our stated progression ambitions, it was necessary to have both print and web based outcomes in the form of personal branding in order to create a successful design presence. The basis of my identity was formed from four specific colours that I had come across during research into one of my briefs, that had caught my eye in terms of reflecting my own practice. I feel that I have developed a personal and unique focal visual of my name, taking on a playful and reflective aesthetic, that would work alongside examples of my prints, patterns and illustrations as a direct representation of both my design and my ambitions.

When it came to researching for my personal branding, I found that a lot of the content within my Design Context publication really helped to inform my design decisions. I had already gathered a lot of imagery that focused on range, process, colour and stationery, which was the perfect starting point for determining what exactly my branding should look like. Because of this informed research I was able to be efficient and organised with my design development.

I feel that I have successfully presented myself in a way that not only represents my practice, but also the type of design that interests me. This meant that through the exploration of primary and secondary sources, including business cards, I could see how similar designers had approached their own identity and how they had applied this to a range of appropriate products.

A range of colours were used throughout that automatically connect to the type of design I am attracted to, focusing on pastel shades alongside contrasting elements. Print and pattern has been incorporated throughout as I feel that this is where my practice currently lies. In terms of contacting studios, a small pack would be sent off that would include a cover letter, my CV, a range of postcards and also business cards which have been triplex printed. These would all be tied together with string and sent off in an envelope with a DIY printed liner. I hope that this shows attention to detail, unifying my overall branding.

In terms of weaknesses, I feel that the crafting of my products is not up to the standard that I would have liked. In due course, I will get them printed professionally so that there are no finger marks and no poor quality images. This was allow me to come across as a designer that is certain of the direction that they are heading in, who is willing to learn and willing to work hard. I also feel that I should have explored a different range of stocks so that any imperfections could be hidden. This would have also linked in nicely with my envelopes, which were quite textured. 

EVALUATION - Yearbook

I was extremely happy with how effectively we all worked together during this brief. I feel that we were very organised and efficient, making sure to relay all information to each other and to the tutors. We were always aware of deadlines, and when things needed to be completed by - such as getting all of the content, taking photographs of work and organising the students. In addition to this, when one of us was unable to attend a meeting or a session, this wasn't a problem as any issues raised would be discussed later on and everyone would be brought back into the loop - there was always someone there when needed.

There was a lot of content and information we needed to gather from the textiles students. With the help of Duncan, we were able to post any necessary information on their main forum, setting up a dropbox where files could be sent for us to use. We created a strong relationship with the Textiles team, making sure to always be professional and organised.

As there was three of us, we had a range of skill sets, allowing us to present and design effectively, whilst having equal amounts of work to complete. Compromise was a main factor within this, allowing everyone to have their own input and knowing when to back down. I didn’t particularly think that I would enjoy working with type, grid and layout, however I have become much more confident within this area of design, broadening my practice and allowing me to strengthen my skills, which can then be applied to my design context publication. The brief has been extremely technical, which required more care and consideration than other briefs.

I am extremely pleased with how this project has turned out, and we are all glad that we decided to take it on. The content, layout and visuals all really compliment us as individuals, as well as a working group, and this is something that we will definitely be putting in our portfolios. Each step was managed well in order to produce an outcome that we are proud of.

EVALUATION - UK Greetings

During this brief, I feel that I have developed my illustrative skills. This brief gave me the opportunity to work in a medium that I wouldn't normally use. In order to broaden my skills, I worked a lot with paint and hand drawn image. This allowed me to create new and fresh visuals that reflected the content and theme. By using paint, I was able to put my ideas down on paper before I began digitising anything. This led to further development of ideas, colour and layout. I also feel that this has strengthened my pattern design and also the application of pattern to a range of products. I believe I effectively applied pattern across a number of different products, to create a strong and complete set that worked together.

As well as this, I feel that I have developed my skills in term of process. I have never used laser cut within my work and this was the first time I applied it to my products. This process was quite tricky as I had to take a number of things into consideration - how to keep the greetings cards clean, how to line up the laser exactly and how to create perforation. By taking the time to do this right, I feel I have created a really effective interactive aspect to my greetings cards. They won't simply be ephemeral like most cards received for Christmas, as they have a purpose and decorative form. 

I believe that I have effectively targeted my audience with my product range. There needed to be consideration of competition and the fact that mainly women purchase greetings cards. I feel that I took this into account and created a contemporary set of products that could be seen in shops such as Paperchase. They are finished to a high standard, including processes and the opportunity to interact. When undertaking briefs, understanding of the audience is key, and therefore this will be carried through into other briefs.

To push this brief even further, I could have created point of sale and advertisement for this range. Through primary research, I could have familiarised myself with how cards and supporting products are set out within a shop environment and this could have been mocked up. This would have strengthened the context and also displayed them within a working surrounding. In the future I will make sure to think of all possibilities for the brief so that I get the most from it.