End of Module - self evaluation

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

I have become much more confident regarding digital print. I now understand the impact of something professionally printed makes to a pieces of work. My eye for making something look professional/neat has also improved, I enjoy making my work look presentable as a final piece. I am becoming quite a perfectionist when it comes to producing a final piece. After a few sessions learning about 'Illustrator', I now know how to use it. I find this very useful as the techniques I have learnt, and the opportunities 'Illustrator' has to offer, are all very useful. I feel I have applied this new skill quite effectively, I produced my A1 poster with 26 different versions of my chosen letterform. I now look to use it far more with my work. My photography elective has introduced a few modes/camera settings to me, I can now use them to take better photographs. We have also looked at lighting, this will enable to be able to take very professional/clean photographs of my work as one way of presenting it.

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

I have developed my initial starting point process, brain storming has become very useful and an effective way to jot down a lot of ideas. I also find it useful to work predominently digitally. I feel my work looks how it would look as a final piece, quicker, and also can be sharpened up. I can also test my ideas out with more impact, if I can render them on Photoshop/Illustrator. Asking for other opinions is also very useful when problem solving. If i'm not sure if an idea is being communicated effectively and correctly, I can ask other people and get feedback to improve my work.

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

I think I am quite good at the layout of my work, I enjoy seeing where things would look best on a page and I think it is very important. I also like incorporating English into my work, using phrases, comments, taglines etc... rather then big paragraphs. Although I haven't used much photography within my Graphic Design yet, the photos I have taken for my elective I think could be used in future designs. I also really enjoy trying to communicate something through image and a small amount of type.

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

I feel sometimes my work is not developed enough, I tend to think of an idea straight away and go with it. Obviously I have to develop it, but I feel I could take some ideas further maybe so they work better. I also want to branch out further, maybe layer my work more, rather then just having type and image as a flat document on Photoshop.

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

• More brainstorming - more ideas to work and choose from
• Develop my ideas further with the extra time I have - may communicate/work better as a whole
• Get feedback from others sooner - acknowledge where things aren't working sooner, so I can work around the problems before I feel it is too late
• Test out ideas in more detail - may get a better idea of how they would look, therefore might actually choose them over the chosen idea?
• Don't settle for the easy option - Don't always think less is more, sometimes this isn't always the case

6. Are there any things we could have done differently that would have benefitted your progress?

I think asking for help is something I got at school, but getting less at university will actually benefit my skills/problem solving.

Message and Delivery - Final Crit Feedback

For my final crit, I had to present my posters and then my mail shot to a group of peers and a tutor. The feedback I got was negative and positive, I learnt a lot from it, received some good ideas/solutions and went away with a productive task to do.

Issues raised:

• My posters were much more visually ingaging then my mail shots
• The colours I used for my posters (green and white) worked better and communicated better then my mail shot colours (orange and navy)
• It was aparent that I had been more excited when producing my posters, as they looked more like a piece of graphic design- more thought
• My mail shots were hard to understand, posters communicated better

Actions to be taken:

• Relate my mail shots more with the style I used for my posters
• Design and make one version of the new mail shot
  
• Use green and white, as apose to orange and navy

Even though my mail shots were not as good as my posters, I feel I haven't wasted two weeks as I learnt something by doing this. I was more excited about my posters, and I think that showed through the design. After getting quite negative feedback relating to my posters, I took the approach I thought would be best, I eliminated that idea completely. I know now, I should've worked with it further.

Message and Delivery - Group Crit

I had 3 minutes to present my ideas, thought processes of my 10 mail shots. After the 3 minutes I was given 4 feedback sheets from others in my crit group. This feedback was very useful.

Issues Raised:

• Needs to be seen by people who don't know the real potential of existing young people in todays society. Is just posting it to schools as beneficial to expressing my point, as it could be?
• How will you seal it?
• How will I make sure when the envelope is opened, it is not ripped, otherwise that would ruin the poster/image inside before it has even been looked at

Actions to be taken:

• I think I will now post my mail shots to other places as well as schools. I may look into advertising companies, those who produce posters that are put up in public places, trains, etc... Community centres? Hospitals? Newspaper companies? Journalists?
• I think I might use a very small amount of spray mount just on the tip of the seal
• This point raised was very useful as I hadn't thought about it yet, but I am thinking about having on the envelope in small, something along the lines of "open me carefully". Something similar.
  

No News Is Good News - Message and Delivery

I have to produce 10 mail shots that are based around my previous subject matter that fueled the creation of my 3 posters. They must be of a particular scale and also able to fit through a letterbox, they also have to be practical as one of them has to be sent to Leeds college of Art. The other 9 addresses have to exist, but I won't be sending my mail shots to them, but my reason for choosing the specific addresses has to be valid.
CONCEPT BUILDING

What?
Persuading people to to stereotype young people

Why?
Young people are stereotyped too much in today's society, their achievements should be recognised as well as their bad behavior.

How?
I think I am going to have it as an envelope that when you open it, folds out into a very small poster/flyer. It's contents will be simple, straight to the point, trying to communicate my point in quite a laid back way.

Who?
Busy places, with lots of human traffic. I think it is something that generally should be known, schools? Community centers? Hospitals? Maybe advertising companies? Journalism could be a good connection to broaden the communication of my message.

Inform/Instruct/Persuade/Promote?
Originally I thought mine was to inform, but there is no actual fact or proven statement on my mail shot, therefore I think it would be between persuade and promote. The nature of my image inside the envelope is quite laid back but also with a slight comical value, it seems to be persuading...softly.

Format?
An envelope that opens out simply into a small flyer/poster.

Colour/stock?
White paper, with navy blue and orange colours

No News Is Good News - Poster - Feedback

We had to assess at least 2 posters that had been done by others on the course, this was the feedback I got back:








The feedback I received was a big help for me, a lot of points raised I already was aware of, but some was critically constructive. I found that my main problem was my point was not being expressed as clearly as it could, perhaps I could keep the idea but just include more text to clarify what I am trying to inform? Then again I want to keep it nice and simple.
These can be studied and hopefully overcome when I start to deal with my 10 editions of my mail shots.
I aim to clarify my message and render the text, do I also need another image/layout?