BRABANTIA - evaluation

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

I believe that I have started to really explore my illustrative skills. 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.

Initially, I struggled to mock-up professional looking prototypes. However, as I needed to show screen based examples, I really had to build on these skills, and look into producing some effective mock-ups. A lot of this included the application of pattern, so I also had to work with clipping masks and defining patterns. I became much more confident with this, which allowed me to create a range of products.

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

Throughout this brief, I made sure that during my research I didn't simply look at existing Brabantia products and pattern application on kitchenware. Initially, I made sure to look at Brabantia as a brand, and the type of things they were doing, however they didn't really feature pattern. I therefore pushed my research into digital and printed pattern that had been applied to a range of products, not just canisters. This allowed me to gain a better understanding of audience, colour, format and environment and how the product would interact with it's surrounding. Once a pattern was developed, my research then informed me of effective application and how to create a suitable range, balancing colour and composition. 

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

1. I believe that throughout, one of my main strengths has been my illustrative work. From this, I have enjoyed focusing my work more, and looking at different ways of using colour and line within it. During crits, my peers recognised my illustrations as a strength, describing them as a main focal point to my work. I will continue to experiment with and explore this in order to create appropriate and relevant designs. 

2. I feel that I have created a strong range of products appropriate to the theme, context and environment they will be put in. These products compliment each other, and application of pattern, colour and type has been kept consistent throughout. Colour and pattern have been balanced out to create a set that is not over powering and will therefore appeal to a broader audience. By working together effectively as a set, they will have shelf appeal, allowing the user to purchase a number of products that can be used together to create a complimentary kitchen environment.

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

1. This brief was initially intended to be a short term brief of just a few days, as the brief only asked for a simple pattern design to be uploaded to their competition site. Although I am happy that I created an effective range of supporting items, I need to work on being content with short briefs. In the future, once a brief is complete, I will make sure to move on from it. 

2. As this was a competition brief, the idea behind it was to promote your design in order to get the most number of votes. Due to lack of confidence in myself, I didn't particularly want to put my design all over social networking sites begging for votes. Although you never want to push your design onto someone, I feel that I should try and have more confidence in myself and my abilities. 

3. More primary research could have informed my design much more in terms of colour, scale and composition. I feel that I should looked at existing kitchen environments and gathered opinions on appropriate colours and pattern. This would have allowed me to effectively target my audience and make a product suitable for it's surroundings.