Thursday, 14 April 2016

OUGD503 / MODULE EVALUATION

The responsive module was one that I was most looking forward to entering second year. I am an individual who likes to select my own briefs and do my own thing a lot of the time, so having this freedom to choose was ideal. However, saying that, the module had its fair share of challenges throughout. Being able to enter prestigious competitions such as D&AD allowed me to build upon my professionalism in order to create work of a suitable standard for the New Blood awards.

Entering the module, I wanted to choose briefs that differentiate from each other, in order to demonstrate how I am a designer that can tackle various practices rather than just the ones I am most interested in. Since editorial design is my most favoured discipline, I tried to incorporate this into the briefs, however for the majority of them, I learned to face a broader range of skills that will help me evolve into a well rounded designer who has the choice in what they wish to specialise in. Branding and UX/UI are the disciplines I am the least experienced in, so responsive was a great module to develop this and become more aware of these practices in order to determine if they are something I can further pursue in the future.

The smaller briefs such as penguin and Secret 7 were my personal favourites from the module. This was a result of the more relaxing approach undertaken throughout the process of these briefs. There was the absence of pressure for these two briefs, as there was not a heavy amount of work to be done as there was with the others for D&AD. Penguin allowed me to think conceptually whilst experimenting with contemporary design which was appropriate for the brief. Secret 7 was a brief that I could sink my teeth into without thinking too much about it. The beauty of briefs like Secret 7 is that it is very subjective, in reality. I could take the artistic and abstract side of me and apply it fully. I was extremely proud of what I created for these two briefs and thought that they were a success. These briefs helped me embrace my true creative side, which I feel is essential to develop as a designer. Sometimes you need to create something fun. 

Design Bridge was a challenging brief. I felt I could have pushed this brief further by creating something more in-depth such as a creative video of my products, or printing physical mock ups out. However, I learned to communicate my concept to a high degree. This brief helped me exercise my professionalism, creating impact boards is something I have not had to do so far on the course. Experience with this is beneficial as I know that in the future I will have to present ideas to potential clients, and learning to succinctly do this and remain impactful is extremely important to really sell your concept. I feel creating gender neutral design is one of my strong points, so this brief stood out for me. I was pleased with how professional my resolutions looked visually, and I feel that the brand I created answers the brief. It allowed me to think in context and look into the target audience using primary research. Gaining feedback for this module gave me a lot of confidence when I was doubting myself. Feedback is an extremely important aspect to the course, as it can determine your successes and weaknesses. 

The collaboration brief allowed me to challenge myself in a new field of graphic design I was not familiar with. The aim of collaborating with Jack on the Telegraph brief was to improve my skills within UX/UI and determine whether this was an area I’d like to build upon in my future career in design. The brief was a challenge as I do not work as effectively in a group usually. As I was aware that me and Jack had a similar style and overall wavelength when it came to certain aspects of design, I thought we would make a great team. I was right, however there was various minor creative differences which were rectified through communication. Working with Jack encouraged me to be more confident and allowed me to develop my skills in UX/UI. I discovered that although enjoyable, this isn’t a field I want to pursue further anytime soon. 


Overall this module was exceptionally challenging and in places unpleasant however the rewards reaped from completing a wide range of briefs which tested me as a designer allowed me to evolve and become a more skilled and well rounded practitioner. 

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