OUGD502 Module Evaluation

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

Throughout this module I think the main thing we can take is the idea of moving into the more professional side of design. This has happened this year through proposing our own design studio businesses in life's a pitch, through the business of design seminars that we had with Fred and also through the talks we have had with John where we can listen to experiences and advise and put it into our own practice. We have also learnt and developed skills in analysis such as through SWOT and the 4Ps, which is valuable when looking at studios and also ourselves to identify areas for improvement and opportunities to take that could improve studios or our own practice further. Through Life's a Pitch we have also been able to develop our team work skills as it was crucial that people worked well together to make the module successful. I also think that I have been to look more at who I am and who I want to be as a designer and how I can communicate that especially in the design presence brief where we had to brand ourselves so that we can be promoting ourselves to studios over summer and into the third year. 
What approaches to/ methods of idea generation have you developed and how have they informed your design development process? 

Because concepts have been an important focus in the second year, we have been able to transfer this form of idea generation into creating concepts for personal branding, however I think that sometimes when I come up with concepts they tend to just pop up at different times when I'm not really thinking about them, as opposed to concentrating hard on concepts in the studio, but this means that I can just note down ideas when they come to me, and this is something I think  I should begin to apply to my blogging, whenever I see something or think of something I should try and just put it down straight away. 
What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/ will you capitalise on theses? 

I think that my ability to research has been something that has improved with this module, as it was the main part of this brief to look into studios and research cvs and mail outs etc. I do still think I could do more but since last year I think this has been a strength that I can capitalise on through summer to inform my design practice going into third year. I think that concept and idea generation for the design presence brief has been one of my strengths, as I think that my concept for the personal branding is quite fun and original and would hopefully make studios that I like take notice. 
What weakness can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

My weaknesses in this module have been mainly linked to my poor time management and also my loss of motivation with this module. Because of the amount of work we have had to do for other modules, and the fact that this is longest module that we have in the year, I put everything for this on the back burner whilst I sorted out everything else, when really if I had just set aside a little bit of time every day I could have created something to a higher standard and it meant that I would not have had to rush everything that I have done for this module. I also failed to contact studios or network, even though we got told by John that 'shy bairns get nowt' I have refused to leave my comfort zone to talk to new people and designers and this has left me feeling behind in this area whilst other people progress with placements for the summer. I also think that the quality of my promo pack is lacking, despite being pleased with the concept. 

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

I would manage my time more effectively so that I am not rushing to complete my promo pack and branding. 

I would make an effort to actually contact studios and network more.

Research more into studios that I could potentially talk to as I feel I have only looked at a limited amount.

Work on developing my analytical skills when it comes to using swot analysis of studios.

Push my ideas further so that I could create branding that really stands out.

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: 4
Quantity of work produced: 3

Quality of work produced: 3

A Design Presence: Presentation Boards

These are my final presentation boards for the PPP Design Presence module. I definitely think that in the third year I would like the push my ideas with personal branding further, but for now I think that I have done what is necessary to get my name out there just so I can try and find studio visits and placements.

A Design Presence: Website Development

Following on from the inspiration I've had for this part of the brief, I have been mocking up the designs for my own website, with a similar format or large images that can be scrolled down to see through other projects. There is an about tab to the side of each image which when clicked on reveals the information about the project in a darkened box that appears over the imagery. These images are just experimentations with the use and placement of text and the way that the images appear, and I think that I am happy with this simple layout, as it allows the viewer to just look at the projects on a slightly larger scale and makes it more interactive than an ordinary online portfolio.

A Design Presence: Website Inspiration

I have been looking at a lot of different studio and designer online portfolios over the last few weeks, but with my small amount of projects I was unsure how I would be able to layout my work without the site feeling somewhat empty. I recently came across the work of designer/creative Francis North, whose site has actually given me the basis for my own, as I think that the use of large full screen images makes the site feel a lot more complete and I like the way that the scroll feature reveals more projects. At this stage in my design branding I think this style of website is the best way for me to, with a few little tweaks to make it stand out a little.

Also just realised that he is second year student like me...yikes.

A Design Presence: Business Card Development

Creative CV: Part 2 Finished CV

This is my completed digital version of my creative CV which would be sent out to design studios/designers whom I would like to have a studio visit or a placement with. I am overall quite pleased with its design, although I do feel given more time I could have pushed the concept further, but I think using the concept on the first page means it is eye catching enough to be at least given a second glance.

A Design Presence: Logo/Type Development

I have been developing the type and logo for my personal branding, experimenting with different typefaces, both serif and sans serif, to see which one I think best suits my personality and style, and as I have looked at the different typefaces, I have decided that the typeface Otama Ep, a fashion and style based font, reflects my personality best and therefore I will be using this as my logo type. I have not yet decided on a body copy typeface that would be used for the information on my business card and other branding, but I will probably be using either a more subtle serif typeface or a contrasting, contemporary sans serif typeface to make sure it retains a balance design wise. I am actually really happy with the logo, its simple and I do think that the use of type is more reflective of my design practice than an attempt to create a really fancy logo that has no real meaning behind it.

A Design Presence: Inspiration

Although technically not someone's personal branding, I absolutely love the styling of this branding and  have taken inspiration from this for my own personal identity, particularly through the use of type, as I think that this style fits in with my personality.

A Design Presence: Self Branding Range of Products and Web Research

I have researched into a few personal branding and identity projects, looking for inspiration into what I need to create and looking at how people have applied their branding to various products. I think the most successful branding projects are the ones that have a little bit of variation, in terms of colour and stock perhaps, than the ones that are a little more monotonous and just use the same colour palette throughout everything. I would like to use a couple of different colours in my branding, and I also think that attention to detail is really important with people's branding, such as the finishes on the sides of the business cards, like painting the edges or triplexing the stock so that it is more durable and also adds visual interest.


I have also researched into different online portfolios of studios and designers that I like to see how they display their work and what would best present my own work in an online format. I really like the designers and studios that use a more informal layout as it makes their website seem more fun and interesting, although I do not have enough work to be able to use that kind of approach. I also like where the layouts of the actual work when you click onto different projects scroll down and the images are central, as it feels very clean and simple, and I think it's effective in just letting the work speak for itself. It's also reassuring looking at these amazing studios that their logos are mainly text based and very simple. Little bits of attention to detail have caught my eye, such as features where you scroll over an image and text pops up or a colour block, such as the feature on the Hey Studio site.

A Design Presence: Concept

My Creative CV has pretty much already dictated my concept for the Design Presence brief, which is going to carry through the tongue in cheek humour where I have created a personal dating style ad for myself. Looking at my research I have definitely found a certain style that I love and would like to use as my inspiration, using a bodoni style typeface and luxe finishes and colours. In terms of my design for this I want it to be simple but look high quality. I'm going to incorporate the whole 'pick me up' phrase from my creative cv into the business cards as this will encourage people to take a card, as well as having the tongue in cheek meaning relating to the personal dating add.

In terms of a logo, I really am only concerned with using type as I don't feel the need to create a logo just for the sake of it, I have tried drawing out different ones and I don't think any of them reflect my personality or design style. Using just type feels more natural to me as I like things to be simple.

Things I will be creating:

Logo
Business Cards
Creative CV (technically already been created, but functions as my samples of work also)
Website

Things I won't be creating:

Invoice (this seems premature as my main aim from creating my branding is to gain experience and studio visits, not to reach out to clients)
Extra stationery (again this seems premature and a little big headed)

Creative CV: Part 2 Development

I have been working on the actual written part of my creative CV, as well as including samples of my work to display alongside it. I want the layout to be simple, and I've continued to use the typefaces that I have included on the front page for consistency. I also think that they reflect my design tastes, and I have continued to use the red colour throughout on the type, again for consistency. The samples of work I have chosen are ones that I think best reflect my design practice, and show a range of work as well as highlighting what I think are my strengths. The actual written part of my CV is formally laid out, as I wanted to create a balance between the jokey side of my work and also show that I can successfully create layouts and make my work look professional. So far I think it is coming together well, although given more time I would prefer to develop the concept further so that it looked more like a normal newspaper.

Creative CV: Part 2 Development

This is the development of the front page of my creative CV, which would be in a booklet/newspaper format when printed. I'm working with the idea of advertising myself like a lonely hearts column, which I'm hoping will show my sense of humour, but also my love of design through the style I am creating it in. I want to use the red and the pink colours because I they work well together as well as helping to convey the idea of lonely hearts. I am undecided over whether to use both the 'pick me up' title as well as the 'lonely arts' ad, because pick me up is supposed to be the title of the publication, although the ad also looks fine by itself.

Creative CV: Part 2

Information to be included in the CV

Short Personal Statement: (Really unsure what to put here!!!)

Education:
Leeds College of Art Ba(Hons) Graphic Design Year 2
Blackpool and The Fylde College Foundation Diploma (Distinction)

Personal Information:
Live in Chorley/Leeds

Contact Info:
email address
mobile number
website (I still need to create/ buy a domain name)

I don't have any professional experience as of yet, which is really the whole point of creating this CV so that I can hopefully gain some experience, so I will simply emit this information.

Also in terms of personal qualities I really don't know what makes me stand out against anyone else, because there are the obvious skills such as time management and organisation, ability to communicate effectively with clients and in the team that you need to be successful in a studio environment. I'm also already trying to convey my sense of humour throughout the publication, so I'm not sure whether I need to repeat this. Creative thinking? Intelligence? An archive of pop culture references stored in my head?

Creative Skills: Branding and Identity, Publishing Design, Copy writing, Idea generation
Screen printing

Creative Interests: Analog printing, publishing, branding, advertising, photography, fashion design and fashion magazines.

Practical Skills:
Proficient in Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign,
Experience using Dreamweaver

Personal Interests (if they need to be included) : Television Comedies, Film, Drumming, Reading.

I think figuring out what to actually put on my Creative CV is giving me a bit of trouble, obviously I need to convey my desire to be a designer and also put across my skills, but I don't want to sound massively big headed, but then I also don't want to get lost in a sea of other applications.

Creative CV: Part 2 Concept

After looking at other people's creative cvs, I have decided that I want to mix both a creative idea with a more formally laid out cv, forgoing the use of infographics and instead using mainly text, with images of samples of my work included inside.
I think the one part of my work/personality I would like to focus on and communicate in the creative cv is my sense of humour, and my ability to communicate this through copy and ideas, as well as displaying some of the work I am most proud of.

Therefore my concept for the creative CV is to create either a small booklet/newspaper that is titled 'Pick Me Up' and plays on the idea of advertising myself to potential studios in the form of a dating advert, in a column which would be called 'The Lonely Arts'. I have settled upon this idea as it is not something that I have seen before and so this would hopefully help me to stand out, and I also think that it reflects my tongue in cheek sense of humour and approach to design. I will be balancing this use of humour with a formal layout and use of typography that reflects my design tastes, such as serif typefaces. I do want it to look really high quality otherwise I don't think any studio would give it a second look, and so if I have time, I would love to screen print the work.

Creative CV: Part 1

Identify a minimum of 10 designers, studios or practitioners that you intend to contact with a view to organising a range of studio visits.

Study Task 8: Creative CV Research

To inform the design of my own creative CV, I have collected research into other designer creative cv's that I have been able to find either on Behance or through Pinterest. In all honesty, I don't find any of them particularly appealing, as they all seem to be following a trend to be based on infographics, which may have worked for a couple of people in the beginning, but using infographics on a CV now will fail to stand out because it is so ubiquitous now. I also don't see how this kind of design shows off people's skills to the full, and I think that if you are a professional designer, surely you would be looking for a creative cv that shows skills in layout, detail and ability to write copy and present an idea clearly? There are a few examples that I have found that use a more typical layout and format, and although this is not as creative as the more elaborate infographic cvs, I believe they communicate better and would be the more likely candidates to get a job. I also like the first CV in the pdf where he uses humour against a more serious CV layout to contrast this and also demonstrate his style and creativity but in a more restrained manner, and as sense of humour is something I want to put across in my own creative CV I will be using this as inspiration.

More Business Card Research

I have researched further into business cards, focussing more on trying to find a style that I feel would best represent my practice and who I feel I am as a designer. I have been most drawn to business cards using a bodoni style serif font, which feels quite feminine and stylish, relating to fashion, which is one area I do have an interest in. I also think that this typeface conveys my love of design. I think choice of stock and finish is also really important and definitely adds to the quality of these cards that I have found. Something I have considered is perhaps creating a series of cards using different coloured stocks so that they become more collectable.

Study Task 7: Samples of Work

Having researched into different methods being used by designers to promote their work, it's clear that the most popular formats for sending samples of work are the fold out poster or a booklet. They are both effective formats as they mean that you can present a large amount of work in something compact, but as it is a popular format it also means that studios will have seen it before, and may be less inclined to look through it. There also seems to be a trend with some of the promotional material to use monotone/duotone images, which may be appealing visually, but it does not present the work how it would look in real life and people may think it is an attempt to make something look better than it does in real life. My favourite mail out is the Made by Six, because it is stylish, well thought out and uses a mix of stocks, colour and imagery to create more interest, and it also appears to be very tactile and could be kept for a long time because of it's quality, which then communicates the quality of the work the studio does.

Study Task 6: What do 'they' do?

The main creative field I am interested in working with currently is Publishing Design. From researching into different publishing houses and design studios who work with publishing houses to design the editorial and book covers, I have been able to find only large companies and small companies, with no real in between. A few very large publishers dominate the market, with smaller companies filling the gaps by providing either specialist or alternative material. Therefore I will be looking at a couple of large and small publishing houses/studios.

Looking at these companies, it was difficult to find any real problems with their businesses or designs as they are all incredibly successful, and the reason I chose them is because I aspire to work with any of these publishers or designers. Something that is a possible threat to all of the companies, big and small, is the digital book market, which means that the printed book market may become smaller and more competitive. Penguin and Phaidon have little to worry about in terms of competition, but the smaller publishers obviously need to promote themselves more and work harder to have commercial success, but they are creating niches for themselves which makes them more appealing and more successful as they are limiting their competition. A flaw that I have noticed in the online presence of both Phaidon and Penguin is the fact that they have so much information to communicate can make their websites seem a little disorganised and cluttered and so makes them less desirable to visit online, whereas a website like Four Corners is visually and conceptually strong and creates more of an interest in their work, which promotes them more positively.

Study Task 5: Who am I? Who are they?

List of possible client groups:

Banking:
branding, online communication, printed ephemera to promote their products, etc.

Retail (clothing, entertainment, music, food, home, lifestyle etc):
Branding, P.O.S, Online communications, social networking

Education: (private and public, primary, secondary, college and university, open university)
Branding, printed products, online communications, promotion of schools to public.

Music Industry: (record labels, PR, festivals, agents, studios, etc)
Branding, internal and external communications, promotion, online presence, social networking, events.

Film Industry: (agents, PR, festivals, production companies, studios etc)
Branding, internal and external communications, promotion, online presence, social networking, events.

Broadcasting: (tv and radio)
Branding of the station/channel and their programming, online presence, promotion, social networking, motion graphics

Corporate and Small Businesses:
Branding, online presence, promotion, internal and external communications, events

Charities:
Branding, online presence, social networking, internal and external communications, events

Newspapers and Magazines:
Branding, editorial design, social networking, internal and external communications, events

Publishers:
Branding, editorial design, social networking, internal and external communications, events

Manufacturing:
Branding, internal and external communications

One client group that reflects my current ambitions within graphic design
Publishing

Either working for a publishing house, like Penguin or Pushkin Press, or a studio that deals with creating the editorial and covers for the books externally such as Here Design.

What skills/interests do you have and how do they relate to the needs of your client group?I am incredibly interested in writing and reading, and so I have an obvious love of books that I think means I would work well in an environment where I had the ability to create design that relates to them. I have become really interested in the design of book covers and also the editorial of books and magazines, which directly relates to publishers or design studios that work with them. Having produced a book cover for a design project at the beginning of the year, and also for one of my live briefs during OUGD503, I feel that publishing design is a skill I am developing and feel involved and invested in. I love the idea and people's ability to communicate the themes and ideas of a book through one design, making it a clever and beautiful product that people can keep forever. 
What skills are needed and what skills do you want to develop?The main skills needed to work in editorial and publishing are the abilities to create interesting, aesthetically pleasing and purposeful layouts and covers that effectively communicate their message appropriately. This means that software skills, with particular talent in Indesign are incredibly important, and this is something that I very much would like to develop more as I think that I could be creating more complex and sophisticated layouts than I do at the moment. The ability to work with a large amount of information is also an important skill that would be required as you have a lot of copy and images to deal with when designing a book or a magazine. As well as this you need to have a sophisticated understanding of culture and history that allows you to create relevant designs that reflect the themes of the book or magazine, particularly if they make reference to a certain era or visual trend. This is something that I also need to work to become more visually fluent.  Understanding and ability to use type and imagery effectively is important across all aspects of design and so applies to here also. Time management and being able to communicate ideas confidently is also a skill that would be required, and something that I need to work on too, as I am not very confident in my design skills and ideas as I could be. 
What are your professional/creative aims and how do they meet the needs of the client group?My professional/creative aims are to design book covers and create editorial for either fashion/lifestyle magazines or novels, design and cook books, making designs that communicate in a clever and aesthetically pleasing way that makes people want to read, buy and keep the product and view it as a piece of accessible design as well as something that has been created to be read. I also want to be involved in creating printed products, and using traditional print methods in my work. These aims relate directly to the needs of the client group who create printed products, and also need to promote their product (books/magazines) using effective designs. To summarise, I believe that I would be happiest in the future working for either a design studio that creates editorial and publishing design, or a publishing house with in house designers. I have a love of book covers and editorial, as well as a love of the actual writing and books themselves that I think would work to my advantage in a publishing environment. I feel that although my skills need to be developed so that they reach a professional standard, I have the ability to work with indesign creating effective layouts, as well as the ability to use type and image effectively to communicate the themes and ideas of books in a way that has purpose as well as being interesting visually. I need to become more confident in presenting ideas as this will be an important aspect of work in this and many other design jobs, and I also need to broaden my visual and cultural understanding so that my designs can be more informed. Publishing design is the area I would most like to end up in, and so I will aim to gain experience within this field by asking for visits to publishing houses and studios like Here Design. 

OUGD505 Module Evaluation

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

I think in this module I have tried to push myself to create a more consistent and higher quality of work, although in terms of additional skills that I have gained, they are limited as I did not attempt to try that many new print processes. One thing I have been saying to myself the last few modules is that I will try and finish off my products to a better standard, so that is one skill that I have developed, although I still have a lot more to do to get to the point I want to be at. I have used new finishing techniques such as triplexing stock, which was actually more difficult than I expected as precision is very important and that is something I still lack. I do think that I have developed the ability to think more broadly in terms of design possibilities and product range which I needed to improve after the last module, as well as researching my topic of cheese more broadly. On this brief I also pushed myself to develop my hand rendering skills which I applied to my recipe card and other little pieces of packaging, and although it was time consuming I was pleased with the outcomes of my efforts and feel more confident in exploring illustration through my design in the future.

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

Because of time constraints, I do not feel like I have developed many new design production methods, in all honesty I knew that time was tight and so anything that required a method of print production that I could not do manually I sent off, such as the stamps that can be seen across all of my branding. I am pleased that I used them however as they have added an extra quality to my designs and also communicate the sense of a traditional British identity. Had I had more time I would have ideally screen printed most of my products to gain a better print finish and ensure that the colours I were using on screen were transferred to my actual prints, which unfortunately is not the case as I had to print a lot digitally.

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

I think this has been one of the briefs I am most happy with, although I can still see a lot of flaws in the designs where my skills still need to develop. 
My strengths in this brief have been creating a broader range of relevant products, and putting more thought in to the details of the finished products, such as the use of triplexing to ensure that the main crimson colour of my branding ran through the entire collateral, use of stock, use of pattern throughout the branding and also the finishing element of parcel twine that I applied to my wine tags and to my cheese catalogue. I think that I have also managed to communicate the British element of the brand in a way that is not, for want of a better word, cheesy, and avoids the use of most visual cliches about Britain, aside from the Union Jack colours, but I think I have used them in a more subtle way which stops it being too in your face. I am also pleased with the stamps I created as it has made my products seem more authentic and traditional, and of a higher quality. 
My weaknesses on my brief, as usual have been my time management. I did not leave enough time to print products and develop my work comfortably, and so although I am happy with the work, I have noticed parts which look rushed, such as my catalogue of cheeses which is the disaster zone of this brief. Inside, you can see where my skills with precision and detail still need to improve, and had I planned my time better I could have sent it off to be printed instead of trying to do it home and then finding out you can't align the print properly. My lack of precision can also be seen in my cream business cards, where I used the wrong guillotine and ended up needing to chop the business card down too far so that now it does not achieve the consistency within the branding that I was hoping for. I also think that the copy I have used could be more exciting and interesting to read, as I feel that this has been something I have not really paid attention to this time.  Perhaps this is because I have tried to avoid using too much humour in this branding, and so attempting to write without making some kind of joke or pun about cheese has been unusual for me, especially considering that my Japanese branding ended up being called 'Get Bento'. 

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

Leave more time to print and finish products as opposed to spending too much time developing designs and then having a print product that is visually lacking in real life due to poor print quality. 

Attempt to utilise more of the facilities at the college so that I can explore more design production processes.

Take more care and precision when finishing products even if it takes a little bit longer. 

Pay more attention to the copy writing to ensure that it communicates the right tone of voice and is interesting to read. 

Try to relax and enjoy the design process more instead of thinking of it as simply a task to complete for a deadline. 

Attendance- 4
Punctuality- 5
Motivation- 3
Commitment- 4
Quantity of work produced- 4
Quality of work produced- 3

OUGD504 Module Evaluation

This module has been a steep learning curve for me, but I have continued to develop some of the skills that I began to explore in the first year. One of the major skills I have developed is the ability to research deeper into a subject area, which has applied to each brief in different ways. In the Design for Print brief, it was valuable to research further into the printing and finishing methods available in the industry, and this is something that helped inform the guide I produced, as well as informing me for the future when I need a good knowledge of print processes for professional jobs. It applied to the Design for Web brief with the history of cocktails research we had to undertake during the summer, which then got turned into my Speakeasy website. The research into the Prohibition era influenced the actual design elements of the site and the actual content I created for it. In Design for Print and Web the research again underpinned the project, which was based on music from the Madchester era, which influenced the style of design I chose and the way I expressed the music lyrics. 

Research has also made me more aware of contexts of design and how to target audiences better through design.  Another major skill I have learnt during this module is designing and coding websites, which is something I am still finding difficult to process, but am interested in further investigating after this module. I feel I have a basic knowledge which I wish to build upon before I graduate, and it has been very useful to know what goes into creating a site, and making it easy to use and navigate. I have also furthered skills I began to develop in the first year in terms of layouts and processes in the printed aspects of the modules, although I do wish that I had spent more time on the this side of the modules and developed my printed products more. 

My strengths in this module have been the creation of the branding for the record store I created, and also the typographic posters I created which I feel have turned out well, and have pushed me to try a different style that I have been apprehensive to explore before. Although I have not created a very complex website, I am proud that I have been able to even produce a working site, when I was so fearful about the module before we started on it. 

My weaknesses in this project have been not thoroughly finishing the products, which is something I have still not managed to master. Despite feeling I have handled my time well, I do feel like I gave too much time to researching and designing of the product, and not enough time to thinking about stock and format to the best of my ability, which has affected the finish of the products in a negative way. Given more time, I would have tried to source better stock for my products. I also feel disappointed in my lack of motivation in the design for print brief, which I feel has let me down the most in this module. I have created a print manual that I do not feel is technically badly designed, but having the chance to look at other people's final products, I know I could have pushed it further and created a product that was more engaging and innovative. I do not think I have handled the time I have been given to the best of my ability either, which is down to both other commitments and, at points, a lack of motivation, which led me to leave certain things to the last minute without a chance to develop the products to the best of my ability. 

In the future I would like to create plans and to do lists, and split my workload more equally so that I do not feel rushed, and this will also allow me more time to finish my products to a professional level. 

5 Things I would do differently next time are...

Use the research I have found from the design for print module on printing methods and finishes and apply them to my own designs to create a broader and more professional range of products. 

Source more primary research as opposed to secondary research, as this will lead me to be better informed on future briefs. 

Write up a plan of my intentions for the design process before the next brief so that I can manage my time effectively and produce work of a higher quality.

Further both my technical skills on design software, as well as on dreamweaver so that I can begin to work cross media and broaden my design ideas.

Research more innovative and interesting design formats so that I can create more exciting and engaging work. 

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

Attendance

4

Punctuality

4

Motivation

3

Commitment

3

Quantity of work produced

3

Quality of work produced

3

OUGD503 Module Evaluation

This module has been really interesting and enjoyable for me, and I have developed new skills and discovered more of my strengths and weaknesses within design.

In terms of design I don't feel like I have developed any of my skills significantly, but I have attempted new things which I think will help me in the modules left for the rest of this year and into the third year. On my main brief I have developed the ability to focus on digital, considering the use of type and layout on a mobile phone app which was difficult to begin with, but I became more confident with it as the brief developed, and am now happy with the design I submitted. I have learnt about the briefs that I now prefer doing, which I don't think I have really taken from any other module. With OUGD503 the freedom to pick and choose which briefs we undertook was difficult at first because there was so much choice, but it allowed me to try things I had wanted to, but not done before. Where this was most true was on my Very brief and my Penguin Design Award brief, as these areas of design - fashion graphics and book cover design - were ones that I was very keen to work in, and in the end, I think they have been my most successful briefs.  I have also developed the ability to work more professionally, and present my design boards in a more professional manner, which was useful when submitting to YCN, as the quality of the work presented has to be high. I also developed the ability to collaborate in a small group, sharing responsibilities based on our strengths, which will become more useful in the third year. The collaborative brief became one of my favourites to complete because of the team dynamic, as we were able to share the work load which eased some of the pressure, whilst also being able to create more of what we enjoy doing in briefs. I also developed my skills in copy writing, both in creating the designs, and also on the design boards that I had to submit.  Copy writing was important throughout because it was vital to reach the target audience successfully through all forms of communication.

 My strengths in this module have been analysing and targeting the defined audience more successfully than I have previously, such as in the Very brief. The design style that Very described in their brand guidelines felt very youthful and contradictory to the 25-44 audience they were trying to reach out to, so I developed the design style, taking the most important parts of their identity and losing the parts that I felt were too 'teenager' such as the bright pink colour. Something else that I feel has been my strength throughout the module has been the copy I have created for each of the briefs and the submission boards. Again, Very developed this skill a lot, as they had a very distinct tone of voice that I had to communicate using. I also created the copy for the UK Greetings brief with David Gaskell and Suzanne Moore, using a humorous approach to reach our young target audience.

My weaknesses in this module have been my time management on many of the prolonged briefs, much of the design I left to the last minute instead of developing it over the course of the module, which has at times affected the designs and the ideas that I had, as some of it ended up looking rushed. I also feel like I have not been as experimental and imaginative with some of the designs as I could have been, because of some of the designs having to be rushed due to poor time management. This was particularly true on the Hellfire brief, which is the design I am least happy with. I also didn't print anything off for this brief, relying on mocking up products on photoshop instead of factoring in time to print work off.

Overall I am happy with work I have produced minus a few errors are areas for improvement I have identified looking back over my briefs, but I am keen to create more design for live projects and competitions, and definitely want to focus more on creating book covers and fashion graphics.

Things I would do differently next time are...
Research more extensively into the audience I am creating the designs for so that they are more informed.
Make a to do list every day that allows me to keep on top of my projects.
Be more experimental with my designs.  
Work more on briefs that I enjoy doing, such as book covers and fashion graphics.
Complete more briefs towards the beginning of the module as I feel that the time I spent at the beginning was slightly wasted.


 5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
 Attendance 4
Punctuality 4
Motivation 4
Commitment 4
Quantity of work produced 3
Quality of work produced 3

OUGD501 Module Evaluation

The skills that I have developed in this module have been mainly focussed on the essay writing, which I struggled with at first, but now I feel that I have developed my writing style and my research skills, and the ability to triangulate and critically evaluate other's work and theories. I have also developed my use of imagery as I have used collage in my work which I have never tried before.
If i'm being honest, this module has been filled with more weaknesses than strengths for me, and I have struggled at points with the work that has been set.
The essay was the main thing that I have struggled with on this module, as it has taken up so much of time and effort, and I am unsure yet whether this has been worth it. I have had to re write it to make it hopefully passable, which has meant that I have lost time that could have been spent on bettering my publication. I struggled with the application of theory and the use of sources in my work, although in doing my re write I do think I have improved my research and essay writing skills.
Applying the level of thought and theory to my publication has proved difficult, and I spent a lot of time trying to come up with a concept, and over-thought what I was doing as a result. This affected my time management of the brief and therefore meant that the print quality of my final publication suffered. If I had left myself enough time to do it, I would have liked to have had the publication riso printed for a nicer texture and print quality, and I also think this technique would have worked well with the 'lo fi' collage style I have used. Although I am pleased with the layouts and the work I have done, I do not think that I have pushed my idea far enough, unlike others who have a whole product range to go alongside their publications.
My strength in this module has been the use of collage imagery in my publication, which I used to relate to Mulvey's idea of destroying visual pleasure and also the construction of the gaze. I think that the images I have created using the collage have been well thought out and are aesthetically pleasing as well having a sense of humour to them, which I always think is important with quite heavy subject material.  I chose to use the gaze in my work because I have gained an understanding of it on previous courses and so felt confident that I could communicate this subject better than others that had been looked at during this year. In terms of tone of voice in the publication, I think that I have managed to strike a balance between informing people of the academic side of the theory, as well as visually communicating it using examples and hopefully by making it more entertaining.
In the future I would like to push my work further, and spend more time focussing on thinking through the concept and the finished product more thoroughly so that my final resolution looks more complete.

Things that I would like to do differently next time
Set aside more time earlier in the module to research my work more thoroughly.
Think more broadly about the possibilities of my publication and what it could be.
Think more about stock and print finishes that could be applied.
Use more sources in my work so that my final resolutions are more developed.
I could research into subjects more broadly, rather than simply researching into what is asked of me.

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

Attendance

3

Punctuality

4

Motivation

3

Commitment

3

Quantity of work produced

2

Quality of work produced

3

Business Card Research

I went looking on pinterest and behance.net for some inspiration for my self promotional work, and came across a selection of business cards that I liked the style of. I want to create something that is well designed and tactile, with a focus on it's finish so that it creates something that is memorable because of it's quality, as opposed to a concept design that is executed badly. On the other hand, I do still want to try and incorporate some humour or playfulness into my business card because really I think that's one of my main interests when designing something, just so long as it doesn't become gimmicky. There are some really amazing business cards out there, and the finishes that I think are the most effective are stamping, foiling and the painting of the edges. It's also nice to see cards in a series, which is something John has also mentioned to us in the past, which creates interest as they become like a collectible item.

SWOT Analysis of Studios Where I Would Like to Work

Studio: Phaidon, London Office

Reason: Although not technically a studio, I know that they hire artworkers to work on the layout and editorial of their books, and one of my main creative interests is to design book covers, which they do so well. I've never come across a Phaidon book cover that I haven't liked. 

S: It is a well known publisher. Renowned for publishing high quality products, and high quality design and layout. It publishes a variety of books to a high standard, showing it's adaptability and understanding of book trends. Being a large company means that they have more stability.

W: Not having one particular focus means that it competing against a larger set of other publishing houses.  

O: Book and design trends that it can keep up to date with so that it is competing with smaller niche markets.

T: The decline of print in favour of digital books.

Studio: Contruct, London

Reason: The design that they create is fun and stylish, and they create printed products that are luxe and desirable.

S: They create luxe, high quality designs for designer brands meaning they have a substantial budget to work with and possibly greater profitability. Working with designer brands means that they have built
up a strong reputation, which would guarantee them more business.

W: They are only appealing to a very specific, wealthy market, which might possibly alienate clients.

O: By being linked to popular designer brands, they can further cement their luxe design reputation to build a greater list of large clients.

T: Studios with a similar design aesthetic could undercut them if they feel they are in competition with Construct.

Studio: Here Design, London

Reason: Here Design are a studio that create designs that I admire, with a strong focus on creating editorial and designs for cookery books and packaging for food brands, which is a passion of mine. 

S: They are a multi disciplinary studio, which means that they can work on a number of briefs to create effective outcomes. They are a small studio, making them seem more personable and approachable. 

W: Being a small studio, they may struggle with getting larger scale projects and clients, which may affect the amount of money they make.

O: The clients it already has can establish it's reputation to get more clients.

T: Other newer studios with a similar aesthetic who could possible undercut them.

Studio: Hey, BarcelonaReason: They just seem like a really fun and vibrant studio to work for, and the work they create is visually exciting as well as being strong in its concepts. S: They are multi disciplinary, which means they can be working on a number of different briefs which will provide them with a more steady range of work and therefore a more steady income. W: Their style seems very youth driven and may not appeal to larger businesses. O: By creating so much good work they have become very popular on the internet which makes them more likely to get clients.T: There are a lot of similar design studios out there who they are in competition with.

Studio: 25ah, StockholmReason: I love their design aesthetic and they are mainly type based which I think is one of my strengths, and they create really fun and impressive designs that still meet their clients needs.S: They work with a variety of clients, which shows their adaptability and their understanding of client needs.W: Not having a niche market to design for means they have more to compete against.O: Their online presence can help them to reach out to a wider client base.T: Other design studios with similar styles could undercut them.

Studio: Penguin Books, LondonReason: Although I am aware that a lot of the publications will have external designers, I think that working in a place like this would be really interesting and fun, and I'm sure there would be some designs created by an in house team as well.S: They are one of the most well known publishing houses both in the UK and nationally producing consistent and high quality books.W: They do not have a niche market and instead are part of almost every genre of book, lack of focus and specialisation. O: Their web presence could be made a lot sleeker to ensure they are taken seriously.T: The digital publishing world threatens print.

Studio: Four Corners Books

Reason: Again I am not too sure whether they have a designer that they use externally or internally in their publishing house, I think the work they are producing is beautiful and amazing and I would really like to know more about their process.

S: A very specialist market means they have a real focus and a clear audience.

W: They are a very small publishers, how do they compete with a design book specialist like Phaidon?

O: Their online presence is fantastically designed, means they are more likely to be taken seriously and approached.

T: Phaidon and other larger design publishers, as well as digital publications.

Studio: SB, Liverpool

Reasons: I love the simplicity of their work, it's very cool and contemporary with a strong concept behind it.

S: Small studio based in the North of England means that they have less competition than if they were based in London, and the work they produce is sleek and stylish.

W: Being in the North of London may also limit the amount of kind of clients that approach them or that they can approach.

O: Further their online presence, social networking, could even set up a Northern design network.

T: Similar design studios who could undercut them. 

Studio: Turner Duckworth, London

Reasons: Turner Duckworth know how to work with commercial brands to make them desirable, and they show a great understanding of audience and market, which I would like to learn more about.

S: They attract large businesses who are likely to have larger budgets, improving their business. They also create work that shows an understanding of audience and has strong concepts. 

W: Their website is not displaying their work to the best of their ability. 

O: Improve their online presence, could mean that they reach out to even more clients.

T: Other businesses working with large clients. 

Studio: Micha WeidmannReasons: Their work is so stylish and luxe and they work with branding and identity as well as publishing which are my two main areas of design that I would like to be involved in.S: They create unique work with a luxe feel, and they have a range of varied clients meaning that they know how to design for different audiences.W: Their design style is very unique and may not apply to everyone.O: Their web presence could be improved to make it more modern and sleek.T: There are similar studios in London who they are in competition with, such as Construct who also create luxe identities.