Thursday 23 May 2013
End of Module Evaluation
When first approaching this module I had
some sense of what I wanted to achieve by the end of it, this was to have a
substantial amount of conceptually driven work, which retained my interest
within illustration and Print, with a focus on the Retail Environment. This has
remained the same, and I believe it has been achieved. I was lucky to have
a clear sense of what I wanted to do at the beginning of this module, regarding
the area of the Graphic Design industry I wanted to sit in. Knowing this I have
been able to write and chose appropriate briefs, which I have enjoyed and have
been beneficial to my practise and portfolio.
Although having a clear sense of what I
wanted to be, and do, by the end its really made me realise who I am as a
designer, how I work and whats generally important to me when I approach a
brief. I realise I have a systematic approach to design work; after having a
few interviews and each asking how I work, it put it into perspective for me. I
am someone who thrives on the research element, finding it the most important
and rewarding part, being able to find something really interesting, which
would communicate an idea, or give a real sense of what a company or person is
about. I feel that it's so important to do the ground work, before approaching
the designing stages - its gives real meaning and definition to design choices,
rather than doing something, because you think it looks good. This is most
evident in my '10 Things' brief, being someone who reflects my own lifestyle
into my work, I wrote a brief dedicated a problem, which I experienced.
Children who come from deprived areas generally have a lower academic ability,
so I did extensive research on what topics children needed to learn before they
went to school, regarding both sensitive and academic problems. This was
achieved through reading articles, and interviewing teachers, and the outcome
was a product range designed to aid the teaching of these topics to children,
supplied by the childrens centre, Surestart. The information I gained in the
research and interviews was key to understanding my target audience and their
abilities, and the way they could interact with a product. The outcome: a real
solution for a real problem.
I have realised, more toward the end of
the module, how much my design outcomes rely on print, finishing and binding,
but not because it has too, but more for my enjoyment of it, and my tactile
nature. I love physically created something that a person enjoys not only
seeing, but feeling, and touching. This began in Brief 2, when I decided that
Douwe Egberts coffee had a heritage which could be communicated through
original ways of printing and forms of approaching packaging. I screen printed
onto Hessian fabric - something which both looks old and feels old, which is
the ethos I wanted. My love of print goes beyond just that, and has become a
representation or a appropriate direction of an idea or concept. This is also
evident in the branding brief I did for Thirftbox, when approaching the business
card design, I considered the nature of the products the company creates, using
embellishing, stitching and a range of fabrics. I decided on a stock which
looked and felt like fabric, to compliment the cross stitch typeface used
within the logo. This was then transferred into the promotional elements of the
branding - a screen printed fabric mail out to promote her range of products.
This was then bound with a cross stitch and sent out to appropriate companies.
The choice of printing methods and finishing not only looked beautiful but
communicated what the company was about, and how they want to be represented.
Throughout my other briefs, I feel like
I've achieved something new or different within each in regard to my skills.
For instance. with the collaboration with Sophie I came to realise my love for
surface pattern design, it's something I've wanted to do for a while but didnt
think i'd be any good at it. turns out, with the positive feedback from
Sophie, I'm actually alright. This and it's application to products,
fabrics and other such items. Within Brief 3, I came to have an obscure love
for typography and layout - something I never thought would happen. Going from
the feedback of others it seems I've become quite good at creative layout. The spoken
content of the publication drove the way I approached the layout, and spoken
dialect and accents have become something of an interest to myself, I've now
done 2 projects on it, and would happily do another. WIthin the final outcome I
did 6 publications, each publication I bound myself, and the main, a more
complex coptic bind. This was something I wasn't too great at but over doing so
many publication has become another skills to add to my portfolio, I've managed
to pick up a range of binding methods quite quickly and deliver them to a high
standard.
Another thing I have learnt within this
module is the importance of time keeping. It has saved my life, I am glad to
have kept on top of it. For this module I have kept a folder full of blank
timetables, which I have filled in weekly to keep me on top of things,
alongside an initial 18 week timetable. It means I know exactly what I need to
do, and by when, and how much time I have to achieve it. Its also meant
i've been able to go for job interviews, do several placements and make up a
strong portfolio of work whilst doing my Final major project rather than at the
end. I feel like I've got a head start, with it i've become confident as a
professional to talk to other creatives, and get in touch with studios.
Applying for a job was something I was really fearful of at the start of the
year, but I've overcome that now I have a body of work which I am proud of, and
can talk about. By talking to professionals throughout my FMP you start to gain
confidence in what your talking about, and my interviews have been more like a
conversation with another creative, rather than something formal and scary.
When thinking about my topic for my
dissertation title, I didn't really know where I stood in the Graphic design
industry, but happened to focus on the topic of consumerism within Tesco - I
never really thought there would be a connection between my dissertation and
choice of briefs, but I have come to understand the huge influence it had on my
practise. I know have a portfolio which is 70% made up of things which could be
purchased and influence a consumer. This especially had a large influence on my
design context brief, and the way I approached organising the content, by the
effect it has on a consumer and a designer, through its aesthetics. I came up
with about 8 categories a packaging design could fall under, which became 8
sole reasons a consumer would purchase that product.
In summary I have gained a balance of
skills through design solutions focusing on retail driven briefs, producing a
range of design for Packaging, Promotional, Advertisement, Surface pattern and
Product design material. I have gained a valuable set of skills across this
module which will transfer into employment and my future career, alongside a
strong direct portfolio which will help me get there. The contacts I have
collated over the last few years have proven so helpful and will in the long
run to hopefully push forward my career. I'm leaving university feeling
confident in what I do, what I want to do and how to achieve it.
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