This week has been interesting so far. Got off to a good start with one of my studio briefs, which is good. I like the progress that I have made so far. Need to really kick start the others though now.
Had a mad rush to get ready for the group tutorials as I thought I would get a later one but when I come to booking a time slot the only one I could get was for the same day - oh dear! Managed to get everything ready in time though.
Also, found out today that my dissertation tutorial which I thought was this Wednesday is actually next Wednesday. This is definitely a good thing as I have more time to actually pull something together. I just hope I make good use of the time and don't end up in exactly the same position this time next week.
All is good.
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Friday, 5 October 2012
Design Diary - 05/10/2012
AARRRGGGGHHHHHH!?!?! I've just managed to delete over 30 of my design context posts that I worked on towards the end of the summer and the last few weeks with examples of designs that I am into and what not. This is a proper disaster, what a waste of time. Today is definitely not my day!
On another note, 2 weeks back at uni over with. Doesn't feel like we were ever away. It's crazy to think that we only have 9 months left here then it's off into the big bad world.
I've made a start on one of my main briefs ready for a meeting with the client so that I have something to show, and I have found the briefing workshops very useful and made me really consider my briefs more and what I want to gain from them.
Dissertation. Dreaded dissertation! I need to really get something started on ready for my tutorial next week.
On another note, 2 weeks back at uni over with. Doesn't feel like we were ever away. It's crazy to think that we only have 9 months left here then it's off into the big bad world.
I've made a start on one of my main briefs ready for a meeting with the client so that I have something to show, and I have found the briefing workshops very useful and made me really consider my briefs more and what I want to gain from them.
Dissertation. Dreaded dissertation! I need to really get something started on ready for my tutorial next week.
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Design Diary - 27/09/2012
Just finished my design strategy presentation. It went quite well considering how nervous I was. I now feel really inspired and raring to go with whats coming next now. I need to finish off my negotiated briefs and get them typed up ready for the workshop on them.
A point that John made in the feedback that he gave us at the end of the presentations was '...and what else?' and gave us an example from what Apple did with the iPods. I think that this is a great way to approach a brief once I have finished writing it up to see if there actually is anything else that I could do. Also, when I feel like I have completed a brief as well I think that asking that question then would be quite interesting as I would have a better idea of whether there is/could be.
The annual pool tournament is tomorrow night for the course, quite looking forward to heading down and having a cheeky pint or two.
A point that John made in the feedback that he gave us at the end of the presentations was '...and what else?' and gave us an example from what Apple did with the iPods. I think that this is a great way to approach a brief once I have finished writing it up to see if there actually is anything else that I could do. Also, when I feel like I have completed a brief as well I think that asking that question then would be quite interesting as I would have a better idea of whether there is/could be.
The annual pool tournament is tomorrow night for the course, quite looking forward to heading down and having a cheeky pint or two.
Design Strategy Presentation
Here's how my presentation looked ready for the presentations.
Despite being really nervous (as usual), I think the presentation overall went quite well. I feel more relieved now that it is over, and more than ready to get proper stuck into what's coming next.
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Design Diary - 25/09/2012
First post in my design diary. Hmm.
Of course, my summer break didn't turn out exactly as creative and useful as I had hoped that it would, and have now definitely got to the stage where I regret not getting back into the swing of things sooner. I never learn!
Just coming to putting my presentation together ready for the design strategy presentations that we will be doing over the next couple of days, and I have definitely left myself feeling stumped for what to put in in terms of how I have been pushing myself in the industrial research/studio visits section. Oh dear. This is something that I really need to get a move on with straight away if I am wanting to catch up with it.
I just about have all of my negotiated briefs decided on though, which is good. Found out today I need at least 4 substantial ones that I will work on during the first module, so currently making this decision as I put my presentation together. Although I know it's going to be hard, I would like to maybe do more than 4 briefs, but I guess I'll have to see how I manage my time first to see whether it would be possible.
Still at the starting point with my dissertation as well, I should really start cracking on with it! Dreading my first meeting with my dissertation tutor.
Of course, my summer break didn't turn out exactly as creative and useful as I had hoped that it would, and have now definitely got to the stage where I regret not getting back into the swing of things sooner. I never learn!
Just coming to putting my presentation together ready for the design strategy presentations that we will be doing over the next couple of days, and I have definitely left myself feeling stumped for what to put in in terms of how I have been pushing myself in the industrial research/studio visits section. Oh dear. This is something that I really need to get a move on with straight away if I am wanting to catch up with it.
I just about have all of my negotiated briefs decided on though, which is good. Found out today I need at least 4 substantial ones that I will work on during the first module, so currently making this decision as I put my presentation together. Although I know it's going to be hard, I would like to maybe do more than 4 briefs, but I guess I'll have to see how I manage my time first to see whether it would be possible.
Still at the starting point with my dissertation as well, I should really start cracking on with it! Dreading my first meeting with my dissertation tutor.
Design Diary
Something that I started but didn't stick to during level 05 was the idea to keep a 'design diary'. Even though I didn't stick to it, the few posts that I did do (that I have now taken off my blog) were actually interesting to read back over. I want to make sure that I make the most of level 06 as it is the last 9 months to really push myself. Therefore, I think keeping a diary will really help me to sum them up.
I will try to do at least one blog post a week for this, but I wont make it into a set thing so that I can do entries when ever I feel the need to. They will all be labelled with 'Design Diary' as well as the PPD module code.
Bring on level 06!
I will try to do at least one blog post a week for this, but I wont make it into a set thing so that I can do entries when ever I feel the need to. They will all be labelled with 'Design Diary' as well as the PPD module code.
Bring on level 06!
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Creative CV
I also produced myself a CV using the workshops that we did in the studio, during the type module. Again, as with the business card I have kept it simple and clean, which I think represents me and my style of work well so I haven't really made too many alterations to this since, except include the logo on it.
I am really into type and layout, so I think that it covers the creative part to the CV as well pretty well as it shows this immediately.
I need to really do more thing to go on there - summer plans definitely!
Business Card
During the print module, I developed my business card that I am intending to use. Since this, I decided on a logo so I made an alteration to it slightly to now have this included.
The way in which I would ideally like this printed, would be on both a white stock and a black stock, which would then be duplexed together. On the black side where the logo is, I would like to have this either embossed or spot varnished, so ultimately when it is printed properly, that actual side would just be completely black and then the s in either of them. I think this design is nice and simple, which I believe represents me as a designer and my style of work really well. I went for a portrait orientation as I think it just looks that little bit more professional. Even so, the design could be rotated to work landscape if I choose to do so.
Website
Following the web design tutorials, and re reading the brief for producing a website, I have decided that the one that I will use for this is the one that I already have in use.
This is because any idea that I have to produce in dreamweaver using html, basically just replicated what I have already. I have looked into the html of my website though, and made some alterations to the existing coding on there to make it better suit what I am after with my website, and I am more than happy with how this is.
Note to self - get more work on there!
I am going to spend a bit of time uploading some new projects and maybe changing some existing ones to replace on there to give the actual work more of a professional feel to it.
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
OUCE255 Module Self Evaluation
What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
I have learnt a lot about the whole process of going about setting up a business, something which I didn't know anything about to begin with but would now feel confident enough to go ahead and give it a go. It opened my eyes to the possibilities of doing so and it has made it into a process which doesn't any longer feel like a scary one to even consider.
What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
The whole process of this module was mainly focused on the research side and understanding of ot, and I do think that I tried to ensure that I took onboard what was being told to me. In terms of the design aspect, I applied skills which I am currently working on in other modules at the moment such at the type one and applied them into the designs that I produced. This allowed me a great opportunity to apply what I have learnt into something which feels more real, and I certainly saw the benefits of it through this.
What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
As a group we worked really well in terms of getting things done and to a standard in which we were all satisfied with. In previous modules when it came to group work it definitely wasn't my strongest point, but I feel with this module I have learnt a whole lot about working in a group and do feel a lot more confident in myself now to do so in the future. Working amongst friends and people that I spend quite a bit of time with allowed me to focus on the task in hand, but also establish within myself where I felt my weaknesses lie and work on these throughout the module.
What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
Even though I do feel that I learnt a lot about actually working within a group, I do still feel like I could have contributed more towards what we were doing at times. Because I don't feel confident enough to step up or take charge I would sometimes wait until an opportunity came up for me to do something as opposed to making sure I found something. This is certainly something I have learnt and realised now and will be something I ensure I don't let happen with future modules.
Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
I have learnt a lot about the whole process of going about setting up a business, something which I didn't know anything about to begin with but would now feel confident enough to go ahead and give it a go. It opened my eyes to the possibilities of doing so and it has made it into a process which doesn't any longer feel like a scary one to even consider.
What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
The whole process of this module was mainly focused on the research side and understanding of ot, and I do think that I tried to ensure that I took onboard what was being told to me. In terms of the design aspect, I applied skills which I am currently working on in other modules at the moment such at the type one and applied them into the designs that I produced. This allowed me a great opportunity to apply what I have learnt into something which feels more real, and I certainly saw the benefits of it through this.
What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
As a group we worked really well in terms of getting things done and to a standard in which we were all satisfied with. In previous modules when it came to group work it definitely wasn't my strongest point, but I feel with this module I have learnt a whole lot about working in a group and do feel a lot more confident in myself now to do so in the future. Working amongst friends and people that I spend quite a bit of time with allowed me to focus on the task in hand, but also establish within myself where I felt my weaknesses lie and work on these throughout the module.
What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
Even though I do feel that I learnt a lot about actually working within a group, I do still feel like I could have contributed more towards what we were doing at times. Because I don't feel confident enough to step up or take charge I would sometimes wait until an opportunity came up for me to do something as opposed to making sure I found something. This is certainly something I have learnt and realised now and will be something I ensure I don't let happen with future modules.
Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
- I will speak up more within group situations. I am not too bad with this at times although sometimes when I don't understand something or don't 100% agree with what is being discussed I usually just sit back and let them happen, but after stepping up within this module at times I have definitely seen the benefits from doing so.
- I will blog more regularly. I say this with almost every module, but this one has really opened my eyes to how much easier I could make it on myself if I was to keep on top of my blogging.
- I will continue to learn about what we have covered within the module. I have learnt a whole lot during this module, and definitely think it will help with any future ventures which may come up in the future, therefore I will ensure that I don't let myself get out of touch with this stuff so that if something was to come up in the future then I would be ready for it.
- I will ask more questions. When ever there comes a time when I don't feel fully understanding of what is going on I will push myself to question it in order to help understanding. This will avoid any awkward situations which may come up if I don't do this.
- I will prioritise my time better. This is the module that I really let slip into the back seat so I didn't spend as much time on it as I feel that I could have, therefore I will make sure that with any similar future modules I will avoid this happening by prioritising and planning my time out better and more efficiently.
Attendance - 4
Punctuality - 3
Motivation - 3
Commitment - 4
Quantity of work produced - 4
Quality of work produced - 4
Contribution to the group - 3
Enterprise - We are: Presentation Reflection
Our presentation went alright. The utter shame when Jane announced we had spelt biscuits wrong at the start wasn't too pleasant though, especially because of the fact that even at that moment none of us still hadn't realised!
The main feedback that we got on the presentation that it wasn't particularly visual enough for Jane to keep focused on it and what was being said. I do understand what she means as I found I did this with a couple of other peoples presentations, but that was more with the type heavy ones for me. We kept they presentation as minimal as we did as we felt we didn't really need anything more on there. The other feedback that we got was that James presented like he was talking to his paper when it was his turn to speak, and Beth was engaging when she was speaking. We got asked at the end about the fact that me and Baljeet didn't contribute to the presentation, but I have already explained this in a previous post.
Overall, I do think that it could have gone better but there isn't really much that we can do about it now. Seeing what some others had done for theirs it is evident that if we had put a bit more time into it then maybe we could have tried to push ourselves to do something 'live' too. Never mind. This has been the module that has just been permanently on the back of my mind since we started as I have been focused more on completing the core modules and what not.
Baljeet did spend a little time adding images to the powerpoint to make it more visual, although in the PPD briefing with Fred, he used our presentation as a good example of one that looked professional and what not so I'm not sure personally if we need it, I guess it comes down to a matter of taste really. Here's how the updated presentation now looks:
The main feedback that we got on the presentation that it wasn't particularly visual enough for Jane to keep focused on it and what was being said. I do understand what she means as I found I did this with a couple of other peoples presentations, but that was more with the type heavy ones for me. We kept they presentation as minimal as we did as we felt we didn't really need anything more on there. The other feedback that we got was that James presented like he was talking to his paper when it was his turn to speak, and Beth was engaging when she was speaking. We got asked at the end about the fact that me and Baljeet didn't contribute to the presentation, but I have already explained this in a previous post.
Overall, I do think that it could have gone better but there isn't really much that we can do about it now. Seeing what some others had done for theirs it is evident that if we had put a bit more time into it then maybe we could have tried to push ourselves to do something 'live' too. Never mind. This has been the module that has just been permanently on the back of my mind since we started as I have been focused more on completing the core modules and what not.
Baljeet did spend a little time adding images to the powerpoint to make it more visual, although in the PPD briefing with Fred, he used our presentation as a good example of one that looked professional and what not so I'm not sure personally if we need it, I guess it comes down to a matter of taste really. Here's how the updated presentation now looks:
Enterprise - We are: Direct Mail
One of the main things that we were really keen on doing from the start of this brief was producing something that we could give out during the presentations. We wanted to do something 'original' and creative, and what we ended up with was coming up with the idea around coffee. Everyone seemed to like this idea so we went from there. We discussed a few things, but the ultimate idea that we came up with and decided to pursue was that we would produce a take away cup that contained the ingredients to make a 'cuppa' (using cuppa playing on the fact that we're based in Leeds).
I sketched down a quick idea of how I was visualising this idea (which I have now misplaced - oops!), and everyone really liked the idea. So, while I was at work the weekend before the presentations I got my sticky fingers on and got hold of something like 28 take away cups, 25 lids, 25 plastic spoons, and 50 packets of sugar. We had worked out that we would need something like 22 cups to give one to everyone in the presentation as well as one each to Bridget and Jane, so we decided on 25 to be sure we had more than enough. We bought the actual tea bags, coffee and biscuits from Tesco.
The Monday before the presentations was pretty much getting everything ready in time. We printed the folders and got these put together, and I designed the little packets that would contain each of the different components of the cups, as well as the cups design. I did sketch out how these would be and worked out the measurements, but again I have misplaced these as well. Once these were all ready we got them printed out and away we went at putting everything together - this took a hell of a lot longer than we had originally anticipated, and felt a bit like it was more trouble than it was worth at the time.
As well as these, we also decided to put a general business card for the studio in the cup as well which would be what would be kept from it and contained our contact details. Baljeet designed these in conjunction to the rest of the designs, and we printed these in yellow like we did the cups so that when people come to thinking back about the mail out, they will remember the yellow from the cup and reflect this over to the yellow the business card.
Here is how it turned out:
In the end the sugar packets didn't work out as they were just popping back open and the sugar was going everywhere, so we scrapped them and I had a little trip back to work to get some more (good job my manager loves me haha), and we used these instead.
BUSCUITS - I have no idea how we didn't spot the dreadful spelling mistake, oh dear. After staring at them for hours on end as well. This was a terrible mistake to make, although everyone did laugh. This was definitely a lesson learnt and we will remember to always check, check and check again at any spelling, even if it is something as simple as these are as it clearly can happen.
Enterprise - We are: Presentation
Here is how our final presentation looks.
It has been decided that James and Beth will be the ones to present for our group as me and Baljeet don't feel confident enough to do so, and we were advised early on to have someone/people who are shit hot to do it.
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