BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN Module Code
OUGD503
Module Title
Design Process
LEVEL
05
END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION NAME
Ewan North
1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them? A skill I have developed throughout this module is communication, this was applied when I had to talk to a client so I could get an idea of what design they wanted and communicating throughout the process of making the design to see if they liked the design or if they wanted anything changed. I feel this communication has been applied well because I was able to adapt and change a design for my client. Another skill I have developed or become better at is becoming more organised, because the deadlines are final and if I missed it nobody is going to care but me, so being more organised I met these deadlines and this is something I have carried across to other modules. Another skill I have developed is presentation skills of my work, photographing and mock ups, these have helped me a lot during this module, they have made my work look professional and have given me the chance to show work in it natural environment where it may not be possible otherwise. I was able to use the photography studio for this module, this is something I hadn’t done before and so it was very informative and a vital skill to learn, I was taught how to take a good picture of flat work and these pictures look very professional, I also learned how to take images of 3D objects which again can make work that may not be that strong look a lot stronger. I also feel I have vastly improved the layout of design boards, my work now is presented on the boards well and the work is clear in concept and exaction.
2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process? One approach I have developed is photography, this process has made my work look professional and has given me an image at then end that can be used to showcase my work. Another method of design production I have learned is to communicate with a client, this approach is extremely important because they inform you on what they want and you form some sort of collaboration with them, this approach meant I had to constantly talk with them and edit designs to what they wanted but also doing what I wanted to do.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these? A strength I have identified in my work is the presentation and mock ups, these have made my work professional, I have capitalised on this by using this skill across to other modules making my work look stronger than what it might have been had I not taken photos in the photography studio or used strong mock ups. Another strength is layout of my work, I feel my layout skills are strong and I have put them to good use in this module, I was able to use them on every brief I have done and they have made my work look very presentable. I Also think another strength I have gained is meeting taking on a short brief and producing work on time and of good quality, this skill has made me more organised and made me think quickly about a brief and find a strong concept fast. Another strength I can se in my work is the different types of briefs I took on, so I did product and packaging, brand and identity, logo design and advertising, these varied briefs helped me to gain an insight into what I preferred doing and what design produced the best outcome.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future? A weakness I can find in my work is maybe the amount of work, I feel if I maybe was more organised as whole not just on individual briefs I would be able to do more briefs and have a better time plan as a whole so I can plan briefs around each other. Another weakness is that I haven’t used many different types of methods of design accept of photography, I think in the future I will use other methods such as screen-print, laser cut or emboss etc. This will then give me a more varied outcome and will in turn help produce a stronger outcome. Another weakness is that I may not have done enough development work, although that may have been hard in some cases because the briefs were so short, but developing a design leads to a much stronger outcome and I think in the future I will try to develop a design more so I can produce a stronger outcome.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these? 1. One thing I would do differently is maybe get more clients to do work for, I feel this would
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prepare me better for life after university and keep improving my communication skills. I will use different methods of print, this will give me an outcome that isn’t so onedimensional and give me a outcome that looks even more professional. Next time I will take up more competition briefs because not only does that give a chance of winning money but it also will get me exposure which will be good for when I leave uni. I think although on each individual brief I was able to produce a strong amount of work and be organised in that sense, but I feel if I was more organised as a whole then I would be able to complete more briefs, this then means I would have more work and a better understanding of client lead briefs and competition briefs. I think creating more development work would then create a stronger outcome, although some briefs were very short it is hard to do but it is something next time I will try and do more of.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: (please indicate using an ‘x’) 5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor 1 2 3 4 5 x Attendance x Punctuality x Motivation x Commitment x Quantity of work produced x Quality of work produced x Contribution to the group The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.