BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN
LEVEL
05
Module Code
OUGD201
Module Title
DESIGN PRODUCTION - PRINT
END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION NAME
SOPHIE WILSON
BLOG. www.s-wilson1013.blogspot.com ADDRESS
1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them? I feel, perhaps more than any module through the duration of the degree (so far) that I have learnt a great amount during these few weeks- theoretically and aesthetically. More than ever I have felt an awareness of applying what I learn in seminars, workshops and tutorials in my designs and now have an acute awareness of assessment and personal design development. Learning about print has been a very exciting and interesting experience which I believe suits my methods of working very well- and my interests- for instance, I have actively enrolled myself with far more print-based drop in sessions, workshops and personal experiments- from embossing/debossing (buying my own tools), to letterpress sessions and foil blocking experiments- I feel that I am now beginning to understand contemporary graphic design and the huge part that print, and print finishes plays within the industry. 2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process? With such an In depth experience of learning about print production from this project, I now feel far more confident, also, with my software skills, and learning how to effectively prepare and design documents for print, in ways that I would have not even have considered before. Also, perhaps a little surprisingly for me (an Illustrator through and through), I have found the type sessions with Tutor Graham not only incredibly interesting, but also very helpful. With an interest in publishing, I knew it would be something I could learn from and certainly develop within my own practice. What I have learnt through these sessions, and from the letterpress induction I arranged, are the fundamentals of typographic design- leading, kerning, point sizes- all incredibly useful tools in order to ensure that my design communicates effectively and in a desirable, contemporary outcome. 3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these? Despite the unfortunate fact that I know (full well) my work doesn’t always reflect it, I know I have a great deal of determination, and work at all times to my best ability. I feel that my research development, at the current stage, is perhaps my strongest strength- will a keen interest in learning new methods, techniques and information- and an interest in analysing and evaluating, which I really value now in terms of my own self-evaluation within my work, which I can see developing each day and becoming a far more regular and substantial occurrence.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future? I feel that my design development is still my weakness within my practice- materialising my ideas and concepts into realistic or do able designs- as well as having innovative and creative concepts in the first place. Throughout the forthcoming modules I hope to search for inspiration in far more varied ways- not just stuck in front of a screen all day, where images become “samey” and monotonous- but to explore new visual outcomes and delivery of design which I too hope will add a vibrancy and new energy to my design practice. 5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these? 1. Keep up to date with ALL projects when I am originally given them. Although I would generally say I am quite good with this, a couple have slipped through the net. Getting them done when they are originally assigned will help to prevent any unnecessary stresses towards the module hand in date. 2. EXPERIMENT WITH FORMATS! Create my designs first, and then work to formats- don’t limit myself from an early stage- this will give me more opportunities and inspiration for further design developments and possibilities. 3. Plan my days well enough to get to sleep at a reasonable hour. Being tired all day isn’t going to help the productivity of my work, and realistically the amount of work produced from a late night won’t be to as high a standard as it should/could be. Also, it’s not worth complaining that you’re tired when you could be using that time to be working/sleeping/getting \ your act together. 4. Try a great deal more methods of design outcome- don’t just stick to the fail safes, or my “comfort zones”- if I don’t try out new methods and techniques, I’ll never know. 5. Take a little more “time out”- whilst I am never one to be lazy, I think that at certain times throughout this module I have found myself in a bit of a “rut” in terms of design. Throughout these times I tried to work through them, keep going and “plough on”, as such. Whilst this eventually did prove (reasonably) successful, I think that a healthier life/work balance would have inspired a more creative and innovative series of outcomes as opposed to the standard work I did in fact produce- having more energy and motivation to experiment outside of my existing comfort zones. 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 Attendance X Punctuality X Motivation X Commitment X Quantity of work produced X Quality of work produced X Contribution to the group X 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.