Wednesday 8 December 2010
What If... - Rationale
Here is the rationale that we put together in our group for the What If... brief.
Saturday 20 November 2010
OUGD101 Module Self Evaluation
Blog Address - s-pritchard1013.blogspot.com
What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
The main skill that I have developed through this module definitely has to be my Illustrator skills. I couldn't really use it properly before we started, and I managed to pick up what we learnt quickly and easily from the inductions we had, and now I can do things that I never thought I would have been able to do. Also, my time management skills have improved because of the fast pace that we are required to work at. It has taught me the importance of making decisions as quickly as needed and to just get on with things rather than stewing on something for a while before going with what I originally thought.
What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
The approach that I quickly got into the routine of throughout this module was to as soon as we received a brief, to go and look at related designs and images to what the brief requires. As well as writing/sketching down any of the initial ideas that come to mind before I got onto the idea generation stage; so that if there is any really good ones then I don't forget them and possibly miss out on producing something really good.
What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
A strength that really stands out for me from this module was my ability to pick up the fast pace of working we had to do in order to keep on top of everything and not fall behind. Also, I found myself for each of the studio briefs considering every little aspect of what I was doing so that when it came to the crits, and discussing my work I knew exactly what I was talking about, and could explain my intentions thoroughly. Another little thing that I find myself doing most of the time with anything that I am designing is trying to produce something to as much of a professional quality as I can, and I imagine how it would work/where it would fit if it was to be used out in the 'real world'. I think this shows within my final outcomes for the briefs, and I will ensure that I continue this, and the other things throughout the next module, and the remainder of the 3 years on this course.
What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these?
Often I found myself, towards the end of a brief coming up to a studio deadline looking back and reflecting over the work that I have produced and thinking to myself how I could have maybe put more effort into coming up with more variety of initial ideas to then go on to explore. I often come up with a good few ideas, and experiment with a couple, then to go on to develop one into my final idea. I think I should try and spend a little more time in the initial stage of a brief, just to give myself more of a choice when it comes to making any decisions. Also, I found that in the group brief that we had at the beginning of the module I really struggled to cope with this. I am not a very confident person and it just completely blew over my head. As much as I had all intentions to jump straight into it and be confident, I just found myself being pushed to the back, and almost felt to the point a little left out because I just didn't have the confidence to push myself more. I think also within my group there was some really strong characters, that were determined for things to go their way, so this also really didn't help because that just isn't the kind of person I am. Even so, I definitely see this as an issue for myself, and will be something I will concentrate a lot on to improve over the duration of the course.
Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
The first thing that I will address for this will be my group working skills, as explained in the previous answer. I understand that group work is an important factor to working within Graphic Design, so I will benefit a lot by concentrating on improving these skills, if not just for the remainder of this course, but also for what ever I will be doing once I finish.
I found myself towards the end of the module slacking off from keeping on top of updating my blogs which I found slowed me down quite a bit with everything else I was doing, and I found myself having to play catch up with it in this week coming up to the deadline. This is definitely not something that should be an issue in ensuring full preparation for a deadline, and I have definitely learnt my lesson from this. Updating my blogs will be more of a priority throughout the next modules, especially more towards the end of them so that I can keep my focus on other more important things that are going on.
A not so good thing that I did (without actually intending to) was I put the Alphabet Soup Illustrator brief we received on the back seat throughout this module, and neglected working on it until the deadline was looming. This resulted me in not being fully satisfied with my outcome for this brief, and do think I could have responded to it a lot better than I have. I will make sure that I make time for any other briefs we receive similar to this where we don't have any scheduled studio time for them to make sure it doesn't happen again.
I do think that throughout this module I have stayed pretty close to my comfort zone, which isn't really what the first year on this course is about, so with future briefs I will make sure that I push myself more to trying out new things I haven't done, and experiment with new medias and materials.
An important factor to surviving in Graphic Design, and making yourself as good as you can be, has to be listening to feedback and taking on board anything anyone has to say about what you have produced, whether it is good or bad. So within the next module, I will purposely seek more feedback from both my peers and tutors to try push myself to be a better designer. I won't just do the typical thing of asking if something looks ok, I will ask questions such as how do you think I could improve this? As advised from visiting professional Mark Howe. As well as trying to give better feedback for anyone who asks me something about what they are working on, rather than just saying 'yeah I like it, it's good'.
How would you grade yourself on the following areas:
5 - excellent, 4 - very good, 3 - good, 2 - average, 1 - poor.
Attendance: 4
Punctuality: 4
Motivation: 4
Commitment: 3
Quantity of work produced: 3
Quality of work produced: 3
Contribution to the group: 2
What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
The main skill that I have developed through this module definitely has to be my Illustrator skills. I couldn't really use it properly before we started, and I managed to pick up what we learnt quickly and easily from the inductions we had, and now I can do things that I never thought I would have been able to do. Also, my time management skills have improved because of the fast pace that we are required to work at. It has taught me the importance of making decisions as quickly as needed and to just get on with things rather than stewing on something for a while before going with what I originally thought.
What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
The approach that I quickly got into the routine of throughout this module was to as soon as we received a brief, to go and look at related designs and images to what the brief requires. As well as writing/sketching down any of the initial ideas that come to mind before I got onto the idea generation stage; so that if there is any really good ones then I don't forget them and possibly miss out on producing something really good.
What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
A strength that really stands out for me from this module was my ability to pick up the fast pace of working we had to do in order to keep on top of everything and not fall behind. Also, I found myself for each of the studio briefs considering every little aspect of what I was doing so that when it came to the crits, and discussing my work I knew exactly what I was talking about, and could explain my intentions thoroughly. Another little thing that I find myself doing most of the time with anything that I am designing is trying to produce something to as much of a professional quality as I can, and I imagine how it would work/where it would fit if it was to be used out in the 'real world'. I think this shows within my final outcomes for the briefs, and I will ensure that I continue this, and the other things throughout the next module, and the remainder of the 3 years on this course.
What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these?
Often I found myself, towards the end of a brief coming up to a studio deadline looking back and reflecting over the work that I have produced and thinking to myself how I could have maybe put more effort into coming up with more variety of initial ideas to then go on to explore. I often come up with a good few ideas, and experiment with a couple, then to go on to develop one into my final idea. I think I should try and spend a little more time in the initial stage of a brief, just to give myself more of a choice when it comes to making any decisions. Also, I found that in the group brief that we had at the beginning of the module I really struggled to cope with this. I am not a very confident person and it just completely blew over my head. As much as I had all intentions to jump straight into it and be confident, I just found myself being pushed to the back, and almost felt to the point a little left out because I just didn't have the confidence to push myself more. I think also within my group there was some really strong characters, that were determined for things to go their way, so this also really didn't help because that just isn't the kind of person I am. Even so, I definitely see this as an issue for myself, and will be something I will concentrate a lot on to improve over the duration of the course.
Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
The first thing that I will address for this will be my group working skills, as explained in the previous answer. I understand that group work is an important factor to working within Graphic Design, so I will benefit a lot by concentrating on improving these skills, if not just for the remainder of this course, but also for what ever I will be doing once I finish.
I found myself towards the end of the module slacking off from keeping on top of updating my blogs which I found slowed me down quite a bit with everything else I was doing, and I found myself having to play catch up with it in this week coming up to the deadline. This is definitely not something that should be an issue in ensuring full preparation for a deadline, and I have definitely learnt my lesson from this. Updating my blogs will be more of a priority throughout the next modules, especially more towards the end of them so that I can keep my focus on other more important things that are going on.
A not so good thing that I did (without actually intending to) was I put the Alphabet Soup Illustrator brief we received on the back seat throughout this module, and neglected working on it until the deadline was looming. This resulted me in not being fully satisfied with my outcome for this brief, and do think I could have responded to it a lot better than I have. I will make sure that I make time for any other briefs we receive similar to this where we don't have any scheduled studio time for them to make sure it doesn't happen again.
I do think that throughout this module I have stayed pretty close to my comfort zone, which isn't really what the first year on this course is about, so with future briefs I will make sure that I push myself more to trying out new things I haven't done, and experiment with new medias and materials.
An important factor to surviving in Graphic Design, and making yourself as good as you can be, has to be listening to feedback and taking on board anything anyone has to say about what you have produced, whether it is good or bad. So within the next module, I will purposely seek more feedback from both my peers and tutors to try push myself to be a better designer. I won't just do the typical thing of asking if something looks ok, I will ask questions such as how do you think I could improve this? As advised from visiting professional Mark Howe. As well as trying to give better feedback for anyone who asks me something about what they are working on, rather than just saying 'yeah I like it, it's good'.
How would you grade yourself on the following areas:
5 - excellent, 4 - very good, 3 - good, 2 - average, 1 - poor.
Attendance: 4
Punctuality: 4
Motivation: 4
Commitment: 3
Quantity of work produced: 3
Quality of work produced: 3
Contribution to the group: 2
Alphabet Soup Illustrator - Self Evaluation
Overall, I think out of all the briefs I have done for this module this one has to be my weakest one. I think because it was the one where apart from the inductions we had, we didn't really have and studio time scheduled for it, so I let it slip into the back seat and didn't work on it as much as I should have. My final piece did turn out quite well though considering, I just think I could have got a lot more experimentation done for it, which could have made the brief as a whole a lot stronger. I have definately learnt from this experience, and won't put anything to the back of my mind again.
Even so, I have really learnt a lot with this brief because before the inductions we had for Illustrator, I couldn't really use it at all - I liked to pretend I did, but now I know how to use it (and use it effectively!). I have managed to achieve things I never thought I would be able to do, like the Stella bottle for example. So overall it has definately been beneficial on my part.
Even so, I have really learnt a lot with this brief because before the inductions we had for Illustrator, I couldn't really use it at all - I liked to pretend I did, but now I know how to use it (and use it effectively!). I have managed to achieve things I never thought I would be able to do, like the Stella bottle for example. So overall it has definately been beneficial on my part.
Alphabet Soup Illustrator - Final Outcome
Here is my final outcomes for the Alphabet Soup Illustrator brief.
No News Is Good News. Message & Delivery - Final Outcomes.
See the crit feedback I received for this brief here.
Here is my final outcomes for this brief.
All 10.
Envelope (not posted).
Here is my final outcomes for this brief.
All 10.
Envelope (posted).
Mailing List.
Monday 8 November 2010
No News Is Good News. Message & Interpretation - Final Outcomes
See the crit feedback I received for this brief here.
Final 3 posters I designed in response to this brief.
Final 3 posters I designed in response to this brief.
Type.
Image.
Type and Image.
Monday 18 October 2010
Alphabet Soup - Self Evaluation
Referring to the typeface I have designed:
Which personality traits did you choose to respond to and apply the typeface?
The personality traits I used to describe my partner Charlotte were quirky, different, well educated, elegant and
What are the reasons behind the design decisions you have made for the typeface?
The main decision that i made for my typeface was based on one of charlottes answers on the questionnaires we filled in for each other where she put if she could go back to any time when would she go, and her answer was to the 1920's Art Deco. So I researched into some existing typefaces created through this era and got my initial ideas to experiment with. As well as researching for designs with aspects I felt relevant to the traits I used to use within the designs.
In what ways are the results effective?
The typefAce turned out to look really visually effective, and Charlotte did say how much she really liked it. It did show the different traits that I was wanting to achieve as well as people knowing just from looking at it that it was influenced my Art Deco.
Referring to the typeface that has been designed for me:
What personality traits do you interpret from the typeface designed to represent you?
The personality traits that I interpret from the typeface that has been designed for me are hard to read,
Describe what you think of the typeface:
I really like the typeface. If I'm honest it wasn't what I was expecting it to turn out to be but instead it is better. I like how it not too obvious with what it is directly representing because I think that is something like i would do by not letting people see what i am really like when they first meet me.
In what ways is it effective, and in what way is it ineffective of representing you?
This answer for effective is pretty much the same answer as above, and I wouldn't really say that it was ineffective at representing me, but if I was to pick one thing I would just say that the colour on the name badge isn't really what I would choose personally, but that's it.
Which personality traits did you choose to respond to and apply the typeface?
The personality traits I used to describe my partner Charlotte were quirky, different, well educated, elegant and
What are the reasons behind the design decisions you have made for the typeface?
The main decision that i made for my typeface was based on one of charlottes answers on the questionnaires we filled in for each other where she put if she could go back to any time when would she go, and her answer was to the 1920's Art Deco. So I researched into some existing typefaces created through this era and got my initial ideas to experiment with. As well as researching for designs with aspects I felt relevant to the traits I used to use within the designs.
In what ways are the results effective?
The typefAce turned out to look really visually effective, and Charlotte did say how much she really liked it. It did show the different traits that I was wanting to achieve as well as people knowing just from looking at it that it was influenced my Art Deco.
Referring to the typeface that has been designed for me:
What personality traits do you interpret from the typeface designed to represent you?
The personality traits that I interpret from the typeface that has been designed for me are hard to read,
Describe what you think of the typeface:
I really like the typeface. If I'm honest it wasn't what I was expecting it to turn out to be but instead it is better. I like how it not too obvious with what it is directly representing because I think that is something like i would do by not letting people see what i am really like when they first meet me.
In what ways is it effective, and in what way is it ineffective of representing you?
This answer for effective is pretty much the same answer as above, and I wouldn't really say that it was ineffective at representing me, but if I was to pick one thing I would just say that the colour on the name badge isn't really what I would choose personally, but that's it.
Friday 15 October 2010
Alphabet Soup - Final Outcome
Here are my final outcomes for the Alphabet Soup brief.
Here is the finished name badge to accompany the typeface.
I also went on to digitizing the lowercase version of the typeface.
Alphabet Soup - Rationale
Problem Analysis - Rationale
Brief: (What is the problem you intend to solve?)
To design a typeface that represents the personality/character of our partner.
Who needs to know? (Who is your audience?)
The person who we are designing the typeface on based on their personality/character.
What do they need to know?
The personality/character of my partner I am designing it on and why it is relevant to them.
Why do they need to know? (The concept for your problem.)
Because we are answering the brief and giving them a typeface.
What will they respond to? (How will the connect/understand the outcome?)
A clear visual typeface that is in response to their character.
What research is required? (What do you need to know in order to complete this brief to the fullest potential?)
Talked to the partner to get to know them and see how they come across.
Secondary Research:
I also looked at existing typefaces/designs that I think had certain elements similar to what I am wanting to produce. As well as colours and medias.
Brief: (What is the problem you intend to solve?)
To design a typeface that represents the personality/character of our partner.
Who needs to know? (Who is your audience?)
The person who we are designing the typeface on based on their personality/character.
What do they need to know?
The personality/character of my partner I am designing it on and why it is relevant to them.
Why do they need to know? (The concept for your problem.)
Because we are answering the brief and giving them a typeface.
What will they respond to? (How will the connect/understand the outcome?)
A clear visual typeface that is in response to their character.
What research is required? (What do you need to know in order to complete this brief to the fullest potential?)
Talked to the partner to get to know them and see how they come across.
Secondary Research:
I also looked at existing typefaces/designs that I think had certain elements similar to what I am wanting to produce. As well as colours and medias.
Friday 1 October 2010
Alphabet Soup Pt 1 - Self Evaluation
What is being communicated and how?
My final piece is a process of ten designs communicating the word 'shake'.
How well does this answer the brief?
It answers the brief well because I feel that by looking at my designs you can tell the word I am communicating. I have used a fairly obvious solution to the brief and I think it looks effective.
How well has the idea been visually explored?
I researched into a variety of different meanings that there is of the word shake, as well as looked at some related words to get me thinking. So then while these ideas were circulating through my mind I went onto google images and got a few images to use for my research to influence my experiments. I thought of a good variety of ideas and then followed this up by drawing out sketches/visuals for them, followed by digitizing some of the ideas further before making my final idea decision.
What are the strengths of the resolution?
I think that within the time limit we had I think I did pretty well at the ideas development aspect of this brief. I came up with a good variety of ideas and followed them through into sketches/visuals. Also, I don't think I did too bad with my time management either.
How could it be improved?
I could possibly improve my response to this brief by gathering some more research, possibly a bit more varied to help influence my ideas. Also, I could maybe experiment more with some of my development work, possibly with colours etc.
General comments...
I think this was a good brief to do, and I will respond to some of the feedback I received from out crit when I have a bit of free time (if that's possible).
My final piece is a process of ten designs communicating the word 'shake'.
How well does this answer the brief?
It answers the brief well because I feel that by looking at my designs you can tell the word I am communicating. I have used a fairly obvious solution to the brief and I think it looks effective.
How well has the idea been visually explored?
I researched into a variety of different meanings that there is of the word shake, as well as looked at some related words to get me thinking. So then while these ideas were circulating through my mind I went onto google images and got a few images to use for my research to influence my experiments. I thought of a good variety of ideas and then followed this up by drawing out sketches/visuals for them, followed by digitizing some of the ideas further before making my final idea decision.
What are the strengths of the resolution?
I think that within the time limit we had I think I did pretty well at the ideas development aspect of this brief. I came up with a good variety of ideas and followed them through into sketches/visuals. Also, I don't think I did too bad with my time management either.
How could it be improved?
I could possibly improve my response to this brief by gathering some more research, possibly a bit more varied to help influence my ideas. Also, I could maybe experiment more with some of my development work, possibly with colours etc.
General comments...
I think this was a good brief to do, and I will respond to some of the feedback I received from out crit when I have a bit of free time (if that's possible).
Alphabet Soup Pt 1 - Final Outcome
Here are images of my final 10 designs for the Alphabet Soup Pt 1 brief.
Saturday 25 September 2010
How To... Rationale/Self Evaluation.
Rationale
Self Evaluation
What role(s) did you take on in the group?
The main thing that I did in the group was collected relevant information for us to use within the leaflet that we produced. As well as contributing my ideas and opinions through the whole process.
How well do you think you performed in the role(s)?
I think I performed quite well in this role because I am not a confident person when it comes to taking charge and telling people what to do so I was happy to contribute in a less controlling way.
How well do you think you worked as a group?
The group worked well all together. We all contributed our thoughts and opinions to the whole process throughout the week. Although we were a little unorganised at first when it came to getting the production and final decisions for the idea done.
What were the positives of working in a group?
It allowed us to work with a selection of people we hadn't necessarily talked to much to it has done a good job at breaking the ice on that. Also it was interesting to see straight away how different propel work as a posed to what we have been used to previously.
What were the negatives of working in a group?
I think because we are all still at the getting to know each other stage it was a little difficult for me personally to get myself heard because I am not the kind of person that is loud enough to dictate what we should do so it meant that the most confident of the group basically got their own way.
What will you do different next time?
I will make myself contribute more into the production of our ideas and take on more tasks and things to do. I will also try to be more confident at the beginning stages.
Where could you have improved your resolution?
we could have developed the idea curt her and decided more as a group what we should do rather than having one person basically giving all the instructions.
What were the strengths of your presentation?
The presentation worked because we all knew what we had done and about all the aspects of the project so it was easy to answer the questions people had at the end of it.
Self Evaluation
What role(s) did you take on in the group?
The main thing that I did in the group was collected relevant information for us to use within the leaflet that we produced. As well as contributing my ideas and opinions through the whole process.
How well do you think you performed in the role(s)?
I think I performed quite well in this role because I am not a confident person when it comes to taking charge and telling people what to do so I was happy to contribute in a less controlling way.
How well do you think you worked as a group?
The group worked well all together. We all contributed our thoughts and opinions to the whole process throughout the week. Although we were a little unorganised at first when it came to getting the production and final decisions for the idea done.
What were the positives of working in a group?
It allowed us to work with a selection of people we hadn't necessarily talked to much to it has done a good job at breaking the ice on that. Also it was interesting to see straight away how different propel work as a posed to what we have been used to previously.
What were the negatives of working in a group?
I think because we are all still at the getting to know each other stage it was a little difficult for me personally to get myself heard because I am not the kind of person that is loud enough to dictate what we should do so it meant that the most confident of the group basically got their own way.
What will you do different next time?
I will make myself contribute more into the production of our ideas and take on more tasks and things to do. I will also try to be more confident at the beginning stages.
Where could you have improved your resolution?
we could have developed the idea curt her and decided more as a group what we should do rather than having one person basically giving all the instructions.
What were the strengths of your presentation?
The presentation worked because we all knew what we had done and about all the aspects of the project so it was easy to answer the questions people had at the end of it.
10 things I want to achieve this year.
I have to set myself a list of 10 goals that I would like to achieve this academic year whilst at Uni related to my course. These are:
- To learn how to screen print.
- To be more confident in collaborative briefs.
- To visit lots of different galleries/exhibitions to broaden my research.
- To find a good ratio between working and socialising.
- To take more risks with what I do and step out of my comfort zone.
- To experiment with new medias/techniques.
- To stay on top of the work load so that I can avoid the all nighters the day before deadlines.
- To explore different aspects of Graphic Design to help decide what my specialised area is.
- To progress onto second year.
- To do well, have fun and enjoy every minute of it.
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