OUGD405 Evaluation

This module, for me, has definitely been one where I have developed the most new skills. The most valuable ones for me, and the ones that have been most relevant to this module have been researching skills, which have given me a greater knowledge of sourcing information and how to process it, and beginning to understand qualitative and quantitative research is something I hope to continue learning about, as I know now how important research is to the design process. It has also helped me to understand audience and context better, which was really important in this module in terms of using the research we found to create useful products. I definitely think I have applied the researching skills effectively to these modules, but in future products I wish to explore my research further and possibly try and broaden my methods of research.

The workshops on photoshop and layout/grids has also been really useful to me, as I feel like the design work I have been doing has been more informed and technically competent than in the last module where I really had no knowledge of the things that make graphic products look professional and more finished. 

Another skill I have developed during this module is screen printing, which I then used to produce one of my ten products. Screen printing is something I had limited knowledge of before this module, but going to drop ins and having the chance to experiment has been really useful and has allowed to think more broadly in terms of the range of graphic products I can produce. 

In this module, I have continued to work on both photoshop and illustrator, and I have been able to produce more complex and technically skilled designs, although I know I still have a long way to go. In term of preparing ideas before exploring them on design software, I feel like I am getting better at exploring more ideas through design sheets, but with some of my designs I do feel better just beginning my work on photoshop and developing it on there as opposed to drawing things out. 

My strengths in this module I feel have been the development of my technical competence on the design software. I have felt more informed in this module which I think has affected my work in a good way, and I feel like there are fewer noticeable flaws in my work. I think in both the How To project and the 100 Things project, my design work looks quite considered, and appeals to the target audience through the colours, text and typefaces used. 

All the products work well as a series ,and retain a cohesive style throughout. I have been most pleased with the food packaging elements of my work, which I think have more thought out formats, and they also contain the most information which has displayed the research I had been collecting prior to beginning my designs. 

 I think my time management in the 100 Things brief has been quite strong as well, and I have managed to create my products in good time, which I think was helped by booking a print slot early and giving myself a deadline and a set amount of time on each product. 

My weaknesses in this project have been not thoroughly thinking about and 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 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 think that perhaps my research subject could have been developed further in some areas so that I had more options to consider at the beginning of this brief. Given the brief to do again, I would possibly try and find more information on other aspects of food, and I would have tried searching for information in other ways than the internet and primary research. 

In the future I am going to write a plan of what I intend to do, which includes points such as finishing of product, stock, format and design, and then try and work on all of those things more equally to create something of a better quality. 

5 Things I would do differently next time are 

Research into formats and printing finishes - so that I can develop my work and create something that looks more professional.

Explore more methods of research - I would like to work on finding more primary research, and secondary research from other sources than the internet, that way I can be better informed and develop a better knowledge of audience and context. 

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.

I would like to explore more styles of design in my next brief, such as illustration and pattern, as these are not things I have yet used in any of my work, and I don't want to stay so much in my comfort zone of using mainly type.

I also want to develop my use of colour in my next designs, again for the same reason that I want my work to be varied, whereas at the moment it all seems quite similar. 

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