What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
I have learnt a lot of skills throughout this module. I realised the importance of getting initial ideas down and developed before going on to producing any of them, which turned out to be highly beneficial to me as it allowed me to fully explore the possibilities of something before making any decisions: this will certainly be something I carry on with me in future modules. Also, I have learnt and become confident with using After Effects - something I thought wouldn't have ever been possible even at the start of this module. It's a skill that's now in the bank that could be used as a possible way to take briefs in the future.
What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
As explained in the previous question, I really developed my skills at getting initial ideas and developments down on paper throughout this module which is one of the key things for me really. I have always just come up with a few ideas and just stuck to my original ones but during this module I pushed myself to develop more and understand better what I was doing. I do believe that this is how my final outcomes have come out as effective as they have, and is definitely something I will push to do more with future briefs.
What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I think my whole development process throughout the module has been a strength for me. Through producing the sequences on After Effects, in my opinion I think it is clear that my skills within the software, and also how I approach things have improved a lot and I have come a long way with it. Also, I found that once I got out of the 'I just need to get this finished' mind set, it allowed me to spend more time with my developments which is what was needed.
What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
Whilst my development is definitely a strength, I do believe that my experimentation once I got into After Effects could improve. I have stuck to what I got down on paper for the sequences with a few tweaks every now and then, but I do believe that if I'd had planned out my time better then I could have allowed myself some time to just experiment with little techniques that I had considered doing but didn't get around to trying out. I have learnt from this while spending time developing and not trying to rush through things is the key to getting good developed ideas, I need to also allow myself the same sort of time/mind set to also do some more experimentation to develop my skills further.
Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
- Initial research - whilst I feel I collected enough for this module, I do believe that I could have spent a bit more time on this area of the design process as it may have helped more with my final out comes and development of ideas. I will relate back to everything we did during first year in terms of research and try to apply this a little better than I have.
- Time management - my time management skills have improved a heck of a lot throughout this module and didn't end up having to cut myself short like I did with the previous module. This is a great sense of relief for me as it is something I have been trying to improve since the start of the course and I do believe I have cracked it better this time, so I will apply what I have learnt and push this further with future modules.
- Blogging - I didn't do too bad with keeping up with my blogging during the beginning of the module, but as time was ticking away, so did the time that I was spending on blogging. I do think it has improved quite a bit since the last module, but it's still not on top form so I will try and set myself goals to try and keep on top of it more.
- Experimentation - as I explained in a previous question, I am going to set myself more time aside to allow myself to experiment more with things as I think this will be a key skill I could really develop to help with pushing myself throughout the rest of the year and the course.
- Prioritise - I will work on my skills of prioritising from now on, as I found it difficult to juggle everything we had going on once we started back after Christmas, so I will start and prioritise and plan out my time better to ensure I am spending enough and not too much time on all aspects of the course.
How would you grade yourself on the following areas:
Attendance = 4
Punctuality = 4
Motivation = 4
Commitment = 4
Quantity of work produced = 3
Quality of work produced = 4
Contribution to the group 3
