BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN
LEVEL
05
Module Code
OUGD203
Module Title
DESIGN PRACTICE II//PRODUCT/RANGE/DISTRIBUTION
END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION NAME
SOPHIE WILSON
BLOG. www.s-wilson1013.blogspot.com ADDRESS
1. What skills have you developed through this module (project) and how effectively do you think you have applied them? Throughout this project I feel as though I have taken big steps in terms of my ambitions for design outcomes. At times, these ambitions have been too great, and I’ve fallen behind in certain places. However, working big and reducing the project outcomes has proved quite beneficial in terms of my concept development and idea generation. Despite not being able to produce all of the products I had originally intended throughout the module (something I found quite difficult whilst balancing with various other modules and University project demands, though undoubtedly it will be something I get used to), I feel that I have produced a substantial body of design development work, and hope this is reflected throughout my blogs in both primary and secondary research and design work. I believe this is down to organised and structured working methods, which I hope to continue throughout Level 6 and within my general design practice. 2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process? For this project outcome, one of the things that I really wanted to focus on was my illustrative design, and illustration practice, which was inspired by the original Puffin Illustrative book cover brief set by the publishing house. Illustration is something that I really enjoy, and want to both experiment with, and perfect, to a degree. Whilst, unfortunately, my designs weren’t quite as experimental as I would have hoped for, or as completed as I initially anticipated, I feel as though my work with vector design has certainly improved, and my attention to detail is far greater than ever before. Throughout the future of my design practice, I hope to combine this new level of perfectionism with experimentation to create a varied and exciting design portfolio. 3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these? Although, as previously mentioned, not all of my illustrative designs were used in the final outcomes and products with my design range, I feel that I have explored styles of vector-based design quite well, and worked upon an existing skills set, and, hopefully improved upon it. I would like to take this increased level of skill into a more focused, and also experimental design outcome within the futureperhaps in context of branding, packaging or editorial design- creating something with a little more intent and more Graphic Design focused, as opposed to being purely made for Illustrative context. 4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future? I feel that there is a huge deal of this project that could have been vastly improved. Whether it was
down to tiredness, or a slight lack of motivation (or both), I haven’t been able to produce the quantity or quality of work I originally aspired to. Although the body of work produced was reasonably substantial, I felt as though a great deal of the design development time was wasted on work that wasn’t used in my final designs, as I wasn’t able to make decisions about the appropriate design outcomes efficiently enough (such as making the decision to use a silhouette-like black and white colour palette to a full colour design until the final week), and therefore am a little disappointed with the body of work I produced, and feel it doesn’t truly represent the design outcome that I wanted to achieve. In the future, I will ask for feedback from my peers a lot sooner, and more readily, to help me develop an understanding as to whether or not my design ideas are effective, or whether a change in my design direction is necessary. 5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these? 1. Spend less time “productively procrastinating” and get on with the most important tasks first- not simply what I enjoy the most, or what will be the most enjoyable task at the time. I need to learn how to most effectively prioritise with my work so I am not left with a great deal to do at the end, as I unfortunately have been with this project. 2. Focus more closely on my target audience, and designing for them specifically in mind, not for myself, or what I assume is the most sophisticated/well-suited design outcome in my own mind. Design is not about the designer, it’s about who you are designing for. 3. Be more experimental in terms of my design outcomes, and don’t be afraid to try new things. Don’t think too much about potential constraints, or time limitations. They are a factor, but it shouldn’t determine the design outcome that is produced- the appropriateness of the media and the message to the target audience should. 4. Research more effectively and specifically to generate inspiration for more unique and appropriate design outcomes as opposed to a first choice option, or potentially rushing through design outcomes. 5. Make my working days/hours more structured for productivity, and being able to achieve all the designs I set out to within an allocated time period. 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 X X
5
Attendance Punctuality 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.