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. 

WHAT IS GOOD - eval

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

Throughout this module, I feel that I have really developed my conceptual skills. By having to come up with a range of concepts before designing, I was able to get feedback on a number of different ideas. I could there see where the strengths and weaknesses were within the concepts and build on this. I feel that this process has allowed me to go with the most effective and promising idea, instead of me just doing something that I would personally like doing. I have therefore been able to use my design skills to solve a particular problem and target it at the right audience. 

I also believe that I have explored my illustrative skills further. Instead of simply working with digital illustration, I got off the computer and decided to create something by hand. By doing this, I have been able to target my audience, and really relate to my content. This process was an enjoyable one, and it has allowed my products to work well as a range through the application of colour and pattern.

In addition to this, I feel that my research skills have vastly improved during this project. Not only did I find information out through sources such as the internet and articles, but I also did quite a lot of primary research. This primary research really allowed me to relate to my target, and figure out ways in which I could solve the problem of minimising mess through baking. I also made sure to look at existing products in the environment, to see current visual styles as well as to see the sort of competition that was out there. I feel that by doing this, I gained a much better understanding of my project, and was able to get involved in it in more ways than one.

  

What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

One of the ways in which this brief was approached was through the undertaking of extensive research before any design development occured. By separating theory from practice to begin with, I was able to expand my knowledge on my subject, content and target audience. The production of the research book not only allowed me to explore a visual approach, but it also allowed me to collect all of my primary and secondary research at that point in time. This really solidified my ideas and strengthened the overall concept. By researching a broad subject before creating a brief, I was able to pint point areas of interest, and see where concepts could be built from. 

Also, by coming up with a range of concepts I was able to direct my time towards the strongest idea, that had the best chance of an effective and appropriate outcome. This allowed me to really consider the possibilities of a broad range of media and formats that would also be appropriate to the subject. This response therefore led to the exploration of the relationship between product, range and methods of distribution. 

What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

I believe that a particular strength of mine during this brief was my ability to relate to the audience in order to find the best ways of solving my problem. Through primary and secondary research, I explored possible processes and methods of minimising mess during baking, and was able to come up with a range of print and digital based responses. I am glad that I explored a number of different ways of solving my problem, as this really strengthened my concept, and allowed me to consider different methods of distribution, such as a social networking and digital applications.

I also feel that my illustration has been particularly strong during this brief. As I decided to explore a different process of illustration, I have been able to produce something that I visually have no explored before. It also gave me the opportunity to get off the computer and use a hands on approach. The illustration really strengthens my range of products, allowing them to work as a set of cohesive whole. They will appeal to the target audience through the use of colour and an overall light hearted tone. They also allowed me to consider a different way of approaching a recipe book.

What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

One of the weaknesses that I can point out within my work is that some of my products aren't to the highest quality they could be. Although they are of a high quality print, and were costly, a few of my items have glue on due to the gloss finish, and are not completed to the highest standard. Although this doesn't necessarily take anything away from the concept, I wish I had been a little bit more careful in terms of keeping all of my products clean and spotless. 

In addition to this, although I have used processes, stock and formats that are appropriate and reflective of my concept and content, I wish I had explored a few more ways of working. The possibility of screen printing or other methods could have been explored. However, I would not want to force these if they were not appropriate to the product. 

Finally, as there is focus on products in context, I would love to improve my skills of mocking up my products within the appropriate environment. My skills are extremely minimal in this area, and it is definitely something I would like to focus on in future. 

Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to change from doing these?

1. Although I had booked a print slot a month in advance, unfortunately my work was printed out wrong during this time. I was therefore left without a recipe book, and the options of either hoping to get into drop in or printing rubbish quality in the mac suite. I was extremely disheartened when my work was printed wrong, as it was through no fault of my own, and I was left with nothing. The printer was also unaware of how to laminate my products, which was a process that was needed for my project. Despite this, I was determined to sort this out, and waited a total of six hours in a queue for drop in, which shows determination. In the future, I will make sure I have a back up plan, and consider my possibilities if print was to go wrong. 

2.Next time, I would like to spend more time considering possible binds for my products. Although certain binds wouldn't be appropriate, I would have liked to have been a bit more adventurous than simply stapling my products. By having an interesting bind, this would really strengthen my product, and make it appealing to the audience. 

3. A possible website would have been an effective addition to my product this. This way, I could have linked the print based and digital items all in one place. Although I had created an app, I wish I had created a website to support this. 

4. If I was to do this again, I would have printed my research book out in better quality. Due to money constraints, I was unable to print this publication on nice stock. I had already spent too much on my other products, and therefore couldn't afford to print this as well. Money has played a big part within this project, as it has been expensive. This is definitely something that needs to be considered within modules, and I could have considered ways of reducing costs.

5. I would have also liked to have tested my product on in a baking environment to see if the features worked. This would have strengthened my final products and concepts and would have allowed me to display how they help to minimise mess. 

How would you grade yourself in the following areas (5 - excellent to 1 - poor):

• Attendance: 4
• Punctuality: 5
• Motivation: 3
• Commitment: 3
• Quantity of work: 3
• Quality of work: 3
• Commitment to the group: 4

END OF MODULE EVALUATION OUGD402

What skills have you developed through this module and and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
Organisation and time-keeping was key during this module - not only because they were a main focus, but also because 402 has been ongoing, and it is the very last to be assessed. I was quite shocked during the time management workshops, seeing how much time we wasted when many claimed they didn't have enough time to even do what they wanted. It definitely put things into perspective and allowed me to see, realistically, how I was spending my time and how I could spend it more effectively. I've definitely become much more aware and conscious of this, and have started to keep track of my days so that I'm making the most of them. I have become much more organised in the sense that I have started to keep a diary since the workshops, keeping note of all the tasks that need to be completed. This can be seen in the pre-booking of print slots before Easter. I was aware that after Easter, digital print would start to get busier and busier with it coming up to final projects and end of year shows, meaning that third years would receive priority. In order to make sure I was going to be able to print without panic or stress, I worked out when exactly each deadline was due, what I was going to have to print and when it would need to be ready by. This then allowed me to book three print slots in advance for each of my modules.
What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
Design concept and development boards have been extremely prevalent during this module. I find them useful as it allows you to break down your project into sections and categories that are much more manageable, and it allows you to get a much clearer view of the direction your heading in and the progress you've made. They're a very good tool for crit work also, as they have allowed me to express my ideas to others in an organised fashion. They seem to work a lot better than a pile of design sheets as people are able to see the process from beginning to end. In addition to this, I found that occasionally I would struggle when it came to talking about my work, however, in the crits for this module, these boards allowed me to focus my thoughts and ideas.
What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise these?
 I feel that my illustration skills have continued to improve, being visually engaging. I feel they were successful and worked well with my stock experimentation. I have become a lot more confident in using colours that I normally wouldn't go near, and I'm happy that I've ventured away from my 'colour comfort zone'.  My organisation skills also allowed me to book a print slot in advance, so this is one less thing I had to worry about. It also pushed me into getting my work done a couple of days before the deadline, which therefore allowed me to make changes and improve on my outcomes. As I had problems printing, if I had left it to the day of the deadline, or the day before, I wouldn't have the time to fix the issues that occurred. You need to leave time so that any changes can be made if something is to go wrong. I'm extremely glad I had these extra few days to sort out my outcomes, and produce something extra to go with it that I was happy with.

What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

I definitely feel like I could have posted to PPP a lot more often, evaluating my progress as I went along, not just at the end of modules. I feel I needed to reflect more on what I was doing, and use this blog as an area to document my time on the course. 
I also feel that this project was a little rushed. It kind of got left behind and I feel like I didn't fill it to it's full potential. There were certain aspects of the practical briefs that I was really happy with, yet other areas could definitely have been improved. In order to not make these mistakes again, I need to keep working to the best of my abilities, and not settle for anything that I don't feel happy with. If I'm not content with my work, I can't settle, therefore I need to allow myself more time to produce an outcome that fully meets the brief.

Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1. I definitely need to post to my PPP blog more often, particularly when I find inspiration or work that interests me. This will allow me a log of design that could help me with future projects.
2. I need to focus on evaluating my progress more often in order to get a better understanding or where I'm heading, what I'm improving at, and what isn't going so well.
3. I will make sure that there's cross-overs between modules so that one doesn't gain priority over the other.
4. Try not to panic when printing goes wrong as it's not just about quality of print.
5. If an idea isn't working, move on, don't try and push it otherwise nothing will get done.

Attendance -  5

Punctuality - 5

Motivation - 3

Commitment - 3

Quantity of work produced - 2/3

        Quality of work produced - 2/3

     Contribution to the group - 3

OUGD406 - final evaluation

1. What skills have you developed during this module and how effectively do you think you've applied them?

During this module I feel that I have really strengthened my illustrative skills. During the first brief, Communication is a Virus, I chose to work on putting the hand drawn images into Illustrator and working with them on there. I feel by doing this, I learnt a lot about the program, and I was able to try something that I hadn't really looked at before this. From this brief, it made me much more curious about turning what I could produce by hand into digital. I enjoyed experimenting with the more hand rendered style, and didn't just focus on live trace. This is apparent in the Stamp It brief and also in It's Your Choice. I feel that it was best applied in Stamp it, as I was able to show contrast whilst appealing to my chosen audience. This brief also allowed me to work on a much smaller scale that usual. Despite this, whilst I am enjoying this way of working, I do want to make sure that I carry on exploring and experimenting with different techniques.

In addition to this, my team skills have much improved. Originally, I was worried that working with such close friends was going to hinder our development, however it definitely made us much more efficient at working, communicating and generating ideas. Although there were occasional clashes, we were able to work out our design differences, making a very organised team. Time-keeping and communication skills were definitely built upon during this brief, and it gave us the opportunity and the confidence to get our product into the environment. A lot was learned from working in this group, and hopefully I will be able to apply everything that I learned during this brief, to other group briefs in the future. 

2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

During Communication is a Virus, I found that talking to my peers allowed for faster idea generation as we were able to bounce possible solutions off of each other. Whilst you must make sure you're producing work as an individual also, group work allowed us to think of new and interesting possiblities. During this module, I also found that I was becoming much more confident when in came to producing design sheets. Getting your ideas down to begin with definitely helps the process and allows you to come up with the best solution. With the stamp brief, I found that the use of thumbnails was really beneficial, as I could consider size and also content. It led me to the idea of the 'cycle to work' scheme, which I believe was an effective response. 

Looking at past feedback, and considering the opinions of my peers was also an extremely helpful way of informing my development process. The It's Your Choice brief gave great opportunity to go back and re-consider what it was that I could improve on. The best way to find out was to look at previous comments given to me about my work. I was able to find feedback about a particular brief and work on it through the use of design sheets.

As well as this, putting together design direction boards were beneficial, particularly during Stamp It and Communication is a Virus, where you could display your ideas, concepts and responses in a clear and suitable form.

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

I received a lot of positive feedback about the illustrations I produced both for Communication is a Virus and the Stamp It brief. From this, I have enjoyed focusing my work more, and looking at different ways of using colour and line within it. During a crit, the illustrations were described as both 'memorable' and 'eye-catching' and I feel that they worked well in relating to a particular audience. I am glad that I have experimented more with this style and I think my drawing abilities have much improved over the course of this module. It's been a fun way of exploring certain briefs.

I am also pleased at the consideration I have given to previous feedback during the It's Your Choice brief, and have begun to examine different ways of presenting my work. The use of layering was an opportunity to move away from usual stock decisions, opening up new possibilities for later briefs.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

The brief that I am most disappointed with is the poster brief for Erik Kessels. Although we were given a short time frame, I feel that idea generation at the very beginning wasn't good enough. I unfortunately got stuck on one idea in particular and tried to push it even though it wasn't really working. I also feel that I didn't relate well enough to Erik Kessels' own work, and could have taken this into more consideration. This goes for other briefs also - I believe that looking further into current design work will help inform my decisions, making sure that my work is relevant. 

5. Identify 5 things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1. Focus on current and relevant design work in order to make sure that what I produce is up-to-date and relevant to what is going on.

2. Continue to consider other ways of producing primary research that doesn't just involve surveys in order to measure audience reaction and whether or not the product is going to be successful.

3. Experiment more. Make sure I don't get stuck in an illustration rut and make sure to look at new and different processes to stop my work from looking to similar.

4. Keep producing design sheets in order to inform idea generation and find the best solution to the problem.

5. Don't just put images up on my blog - document, otherwise this causes problems towards the end of the module.

6. How would you grade yourself on the following areas:

Attendance: 5

Punctuality: 5

Motivation: 3

Commitment: 4

Quality of work: 3

Quantity of work: 3/4

Contribution to the group: 3

OUGD404 - end of module evaluation

1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

I have found this module extremely useful, as there as so many aspects of it that you can apply to your own work.

Firstly, I have learned a lot about layout. Beforehand, most of the things I did I would create on Illustrator or Photoshop, but now I have become quite capable at using InDesign. We were able to see how to effectively take a hand drawn thumbnail and bring it into digital. I had previously used InDesign before, however, not to this extent. I am now much more aware of it's different features and how to prepare images in Photoshop so that they are ready for this application. Although my designs weren't the most complication, I am being more competent at using this program and hope to go on to use it more when layout is involved. 

The thumbnail design process also affected other areas of this module. I took this process and used features of it to apply to my design developments for what is a line. It made things a lot clearer and a lot more structured. As I was producing book covers, this process was helpful, and similar to that of the previous task.

Colour was also of great importance during this module. The workshops taught me a great deal about how colour works, and what colours compliment each other. These workshops were useful, but it was a lot to take in. I feel I struggled when it came to deciphering the difference between all the terms (hues, saturations, tones). This therefore made it difficult when it came to taking my images. Everything sort of merged into one, and it became very confusing when considering the definitions and what colours would need to be used. 

Finally, I feel that the 'What is a Line' brief has allowed me to incorporate different tasks and workshops, particularly layout, which I am slowly becoming more confident with. 

2. What approaches to/methods of idea generation have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

The use of thumbnail designs has really informed my design development process. It has allowed me to become a lot more used to developing my ideas and getting them all down on paper.

 I enjoyed the process of the type and grid task, however, there were points where I felt like I was over thinking it. Sometimes I hold back, in fear that it will look awful. I still need to get to a place where I can just put everything down and do more. The use of thumbnails is a more structured approach, however I feel that it will help me and give me space to design within. I have also become more confident in applying my designs from paper to digital.

 This task also aided my 'What is a Line' brief. 

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

I feel a lot more confident in layout design now, and applying it to Illustrator or InDesign - becoming much more familiar with these programs. I plan on incorporating InDesign more into my work, particularly when it comes to looking at layout.

I have also worked on my drawing abilities and using hand rendered type. I am really enjoying the mixture of hand drawn and digital, and I have found a way in which I like working. Hopefully, I will slowly become more confident at drawing, and will also experiment more with type done by hand, as this is something that interests me.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

I feel that colour theory was definitely my weakness. From the beginning, I struggled to get a grasp of it. When taking the images in both studio and at home, I found it quite difficult working out which colours meant what, and what it meant when they were put with others. After the task, I definitely had a better understanding, but there's still a lot more to learn. There are so many different terms to get a grasp of. I would like to develop this further.

5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1. Make sure I blog straight away. Little things can get forgotten about as it was such a long time period. If things were done the second I received them, then things wouldn't go missing or take a back seat.

2. Make sure to back images up as I lost all of my colour theory images and as this was done using the photography studio, I would have had to book in order to do it all over again. Unfortunately, the images just wouldn't upload onto the computer, and therefore I couldn't use them.

3. I will experiment more with different stocks and different ways of printing. I feel that I am being too 'comfortable' in my decisions, and need to experiment more with different processes in order to get different results and different aesthetics.

4. I would have liked to have looked further into the 'zombie type' task, perhaps creating my own type. I feel that I could have took this task a lot further, and really explored the idea of deconstruction of type. This would give me a better knowledge and understanding of how type works, and how you can create your own typeface.

5. I will push myself to get a better understanding of colour theory and how it can affect design. I will become more aware of the different terms and exactly what they all mean so that I know what I'm talking about.

6. How would you grade yourself on the following areas:

5 = excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor

Attendance 5

Punctuality 5

Motivation 3

Commitment 3

Quantity of work produced 2/3

Quality of work produced 3

Contribution to the group 2/3

EVAL

1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

During this module, I have definitely developed my research skills, and the ability to apply them to design. Beforehand, I would obviously use research to influence and develop my work and ideas, however not quite to this extent. I have done a lot more primary research than I had previously undertaken, and expanded my knowledge on qualitative and quantitative data. This research allowed me to move on from initial ideas and push towards looking at something that really interested me. As it was so extensive, I was able to relate more to what I was doing, and therefore had a better idea of my audience and things like appropriate imagery, typefaces and colour schemes, which are all important. I feel, however, that I could have pushed myself more when it came to my final designs, especially in my 100 things brief. Although I did a lot of research into packaging design, I feel I didn’t go far enough with my end products. I could have been a lot more creative in order for them to stand out and appeal to my audience. With more time, I would definitely re-consider some of my original ideas, in order to come up something more innovative.

In addition to this, I feel that I have really developed my skills on Illustrator. Beforehand, I was completely useless on it in all honesty. During the 'How To' brief, I found working on it really difficult, and felt other members of my group were much more capable. Now, I have managed to learn how to use a number of different features on it that I originally found impossible to work. I am pleased at how I was able to create templates and illustrations that started off as hand drawn images and apply these to my work. I am hoping that from here I can only get better on this program, and expand on my current knowledge of it. 

2. What approaches to methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

In the '100 Things' brief, the design direction sheets that we were to produce during a workshop were a really good starting point. They allowed me to get a better grasp on the initial ideas that I had, and allowed me to gain some more visual research as opposed to just piles of information on my blog. I was able to look more in depth at colour scheme, influences and imagery. From this, I started to make proper decisions about what type of products I wanted to create. The visuals allowed me to decide what I really liked that look of and what I was interested in producing. 

After this, I then had the knowledge to go ahead and start getting some proper designs down. Design sheets really aided me in my working process, and for once I produced some designs before going straight onto the computer. I really enjoyed taking inspiration from my sheets and turning them into digital products - using illustrator to trace my hand drawings. 

During the 'How To' brief, discussing things a group was a really effective method of developing ideas. We were able to get ideas down and then go away by ourselves and work upon these. By bringing our designs in, we were then able to see visual ideas of how it could look or how we wanted it to look.

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

For the 'How To' brief, I believe that I worked well as part of a group. I was willing to use other people's designs, and work on their styles when it came to creating my own stuff. I did not feel bad about my original work not being used, and was able to go with what I felt was best. We communicated well, and even created our own online group in order to discuss any issues that came up.

For the '100 Things' brief, I feel that the main strength in my work is how they work as a set. Colour scheme, typefaces and imagery all run throughout and work effectively. I managed to keep the same style throughout, whilst making sure every product was relevant to my subject matter.

As well as this, I am quite pleased that I managed to produce a range of different products. Although I feel some are not produced to their full potential, I am glad that I didn't just go with the original idea of creating 10 postcards or 10 posters. In some feedback, it was written that I could have produced more varied products, however, I feel I had a good amount. I looked at my theme and was able to come up with designs that were relevant and appropriate. I could have settled on just coming up with a simple series, yet opted against this, using different approaches and methods. 

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

For the '100 Things' brief, although I created a varied amount of products, I think I could have pushed the designs a bit further. Even though I was looking at the traditional vintage circus, I wish I had created a more innovative popcorn design that would have appealed a lot more to my younger audience. In the future, I will make sure that I don't just settle on a certain design. I will really look at my research as a whole and decide on the most appropriate direction.

I also wish I had strengthened my change in colour scheme. After Tom suggested I make it a bit more boy friendly, and I made these changes, during my final crit I still received the feedback that it may possibly be a little bit on the feminine side. If i had the time to change this, I would have produce a lot more colour variations, that still fit in with my original ideas. 

In addition to this, I would have loved to have been able to undertake more primary research, in order to expand on my knowledge of my subject and get to know my theme a bit more on a personal level. It's easy enough to get a load of information off the internet, however, there's only so much you can do to gain primary data.

In the future, for the 'How To' brief, I would have liked to have been able to create a proper model, and not just a prototype. Although this wasn't necessarily a weakness of the group, it is something I would have liked to have addressed. 

5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1. Produce more design sheets in order to get a lot more variation.

2. I would have changed the design of my popcorn box, in order to have something that was a bit different to something that is already out there. Hopefully this would appeal more to the younger generation and tempt them more into purchasing the product.

3. Do my primary research, using my target audience, in order to get a better understanding of what they want.

4. Experiment more with different typefaces so that I can see what will work best. I get caught up in typefaces that work well for headings and titles, but not body copy.

5. Manage my time better!

6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: 

5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor

Attendance = 5

Punctuality = 5

Motivation = 3

Commitment = 3

Quantity of work produced = 3

Quality of work produced = 3

Contribution to the group = 3