Thursday, 7 January 2016

OUGD504 / END OF MODULE EVALUATION

The design production module was challenging throughout and really demonstrated the step up from level 4, which kept me engaged and striving to appropriately resolve the briefs. The briefs offered a chance to learn new skills within graphic design and acquire a new insight to the processes and considerations within a response. They allowed me to create work that I am proud of as a growing designer, and it is encouraging to see improvements as I keep learning throughout the course. Workshops and visiting professionals further engaged me into the projects set, and allowed me to discover methods of working which ensured a further critical understanding through research and experimentation. 

Brief 01 initially challenged me as it was the first brief set and the time scale to complete it was one week, meaning time management skills had to be polished and improved upon to ensure that the brief was completed appropriately. Considerations for this brief included the commercial aspect and communicating valuable content professionally and suitably, allowing me to reflect upon my own design process in the duration of the week. The use of creative hand rendered mediums appealed to the target audience of youthful design students with a passion for creativity. Overall this response could have been improved by revisiting the size of the leaflet and opting for thicker, non-matte stock to allow for a sturdier structure.

Brief 02 allowed me to begin to branch away from a style of graphic design I have held onto throughout the course previously. I wanted to experiment away from using a constant hand rendered approach as a safe zone and try more contemporary conventions by using vector. This brief allowed me to communicate with a client as it had a live aspect due to choosing an existing Kickstarter project to design for. I managed to create a response that I felt suited the brand and was an appropriate resolution to the brief, and that had successfully differentiated from previous work. In order to be able to submit something physical for brief one, I decided to experiment with screen printing. Since this module is heavily focused on production, this was a great way of experiencing a different production method. Due to human error that screen printing allows, it was not a perfect print however it effectively demonstrated use of neon colour choice and also a more adventurous printing method. I had to ensure that the inks I was using would be opaque enough for the black tote bag which was a crucial part of production; without this the outcome would not have been successful. Alongside this deliverable I created an online presence for the brand demonstrating uses of the logo on both screen and print.

Brief 03 followed from the Summer brief to collate images from a certain location over the holiday period. It was crucial to collect high quality pictures that would look professional in a publication. Engaging in primary research lead to enhancing my own critical analysis and further created a response with informed design decisions. For this brief I decided to engage fully with this and make the most out of it, and because of this the outcome was exceptionally rewarding, making this project my personal favourite. All the decisions I made were informed by considerations that are involved in print, ensuring that the response could be visualised being sold in an art book shop. From putting this resolution on social media it was excellent to receive comments from popular internet account People of Print. 

Brief 04 was exceptionally challenging. Being briefed by Only created a professional environment, alongside various visiting professionals who conducted interesting and realistic workshops which guided me into the correct direction and allowed for me to consider various aspects when designing for screen, such as the relationship with the developer and limitations during coding. I struggled initially with this brief but after further conceptual thinking and the use of wireframes, I eventually created an outcome that I am proud of and that is suitable. This brief was important as previous briefs have not allowed for purely screen based design, meaning throughout this brief I discovered a whole new side of graphic design that I know I still have  a lot to learn about, but that I am equally anticipating.

Overall it has been a challenge from start to finish, but has enhanced my critical analysis and quality of work as a designer, boosting confidence and most importantly allowing me to experiment with a completely different style of design that I will carry onto future modules.

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