OUGD103 ....End of Module Self Evaluation.

1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

Through this module I have learnt to listen to what is said to me in my crits and act upon it. I have found that through this module my crits have been vital to my progress; I used to see them purely as a knock down but I think this module, more so than any other, I have learnt to use the feedback constructively to enhance my work. In the type and grid sessions I have learnt about how to use a grid correctly and consider format. This has had a dramatic effect on me, as when I now view any kind of graphic design in the environment, both good and bad, my eye seems drawn to the layout! I have also learnt how to use the programme InDesign, so am now able to produce double page spreads or a booklet. Finally, our group project has taught me that not everyone will always pull the same weight within the group and you have to deal with this accordingly; everyone will take credit for the end result! 

2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

In order to generate an array of ideas is important to have a broard range of research; both primary/secondary and quantiative/qualitative. The more primary research, the better! Through this module it has become apparent that the more primary research you can gather the more ‘live’ and ‘real’ your work will become; it begins to target actual problems rather than thinking hypothetically. 

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

I am pleased that I took the time to produce and hand rendered product for the ‘Speaking from Experience’ brief and broke away from the standard digitally manipulated work I have produced for other briefs. This is also true to our group project ‘Communication as a Virus.’ We so nearly fell into the trap of re-designing book covers, however, our thoughts then empowered us and we decided to have some fun with it, got ourselves out into the environment and created visual communication in a completely different manor; flour! 

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?

I feel I have begun to ponder too much before beginning to design, again; I need to get stuck into designing straight away, let the problems arise and deal with accordingly rather than thinking ‘what if’ all the time. I also feel I still need to fully consider what the brief is asking of us. This is particularly true to the live type brief we entered our work into; it wasn’t until my crit that it was pointed out to me the fact that it was indeed a type based brief and therefore our work should have a strong type driven aspect within it, something mine did not have. In our group project ‘Communication as a Virus’ some people within the group did not work as hard as others, this inevitably resulted in some people working harder than others but everyone taking the credit for it. To ensure this does not happen in future I think a stronger task allocation could help make all members more coherent. 

5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1. Read the brief fully and consider what is being asked of us and what is relevant to produce, before delving into designing.
2. Once I have a concept and some rough designs, get on with it!
3. Produce regular time plans for the week to keep me on track time management wise.
4. Collect more primary research to enhance the relevance of my work.
5. Stonger task allocation in group projects to ensure everyone pulls their weight.

6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: 

Attendance -5

Punctuality -5

Motivation -3

Commitment -4

Quantity of Work Produced -3

Quality of Work Produced -3

Contribution to the group -4

Speaking from Experience//Final Outcome.

Speaking from Experience//Final Crit.

Due to me being ill on Friday and missing my final crit as a result, I emailed Amber to see if I could possibly have a copy of the sheets used in the crit. I thought seen as it was a peer crit I could still get one of my fellow peers to crit my work as I wanted to gain some feedback to hopefully help me progress further with my product.

I completely agree with what Francesca has said here. I would also have liked to have created more designs, however, time really did become an issue here which is why I want to create more designs digitally based on different clubs.

Speaking From Experience// A few thoughts.

I have begun to produce my lanyard guide using both hand rendered and computer manipulated aspects. Despite it being suggested in my crit on Friday that it keep it purely digital, I wanted to combine these two methods in order to demonstrate to first years that you don't have to sit behind a mac screen and produce your work; it can be hand rendered too! However, in doing this I have come to realise now why it was suggested to me to produce it digitally; it would save me time and effort, it would be easier to replicate and look more professional. My work can also be manipulated more easily in a digital format, whereas it is not necessarily as easy when hand rendering in the way that I have. Nevertheless, I have found that I have more appreciation for the work I have produced as I have taken the time to craft it with a hands on approach. I think this passion is then evident to anyone viewing my work. Each card also differs, having it's own qualities within each; the arrangements are ambiguous and unpredictable despite having done rough designs. One thing I would add after our type and grid sessions is that I feel my guide would have been enhanced by the use of a grid; this would have helped enhance the professional element of my work.

Speaking From Experience//Progress Crit Feedback.

Back to the usual style of crits today; talking through our work in small groups. This is what was suggested...

• Subtly incorporate GD info onto cards.
• Link design style to social style (ambitious/experimental) 
• Consider personality
• Music genres linked to typefaces
• Build patterns through primary research
• Surprising info linked to clubs nights and themselves
• Use lower and uppercase (12pt)
• Edit and select carefully what include due to small size ...consider what is important
• Theme/categorise slightly differently ...re-think categorisation and content: refer to GD more 
• Symbols for crit/module deadline etc. (pictograms)
• If handmade designer...hand make card, if digital designer...digitalise card etc!

Speaking from Experience//Crit Feedback.

In todays crit we had to give presentations on our proposed concept, this is the feedback I received:

• Tailor my product to GD students ...when can they go out, what days do they have off, which days are intense and not so, when can they get away with going into uni hungover!!!
• Likes/dislikes, interests of GD students ...GD snobbery!
• Consider stocks & typefaces
• Consider language used
• Produce something beautifully crafted to give it value & appreciation from GD students.

All in all, my concept went down well, it's just these few considerations I need to take into account in order to make my product fully fit the brief.