End of Module Evaluation - OUGD103

Speaking From Experience - Final Crit

Sessions with John

Over the past two weeks I feel the sessions with John have been extremely useful.  It has broadened my thoughts about Graphic Design and has taught me to go one step further.  He talked about making the 'big idea', then making it bigger.  

The task he gave us was a little bit daunting, as we had to work without any limitations.  But it emphasised the vision of the 'big idea' and I accustomed to this in the end.  I feel that I can definitely apply this logic to my work, and then filter it down to apply to any limitations I need to work to.  I hope this encourages me to focus more on the idea before going forward and developing it, as I feel I am guilty of adopting the first decent idea I have.

Design Direction Boards

Writing the Briefs

From our many problems we had to narrow them down and write two different briefs to be assessed by another student.  I was paired with Ben Harwood, here's what he had to say:

Ben's Response:
Facebook is a big procrastination so maybe think of a way of involving Facebook in the anti-procrastination process.  eg. little note saying 'don't waste time' on Facebook page?

Ben's Response:
Maybe instead of stickers they could be removable so they can be moved around once placed if plans change?
As it's for next year you might find it hard to find out when events next year are happening as it's so far in the future.

Interim Self-Evaluation - Continued

List 5 things that you will never do again.  Why?

1. Cut out stencils with a scalpel to gain a crisp finish - A laser-cutter is quicker and brings better results
2. Leave CTS notes until later on to scan & blog - No matter how organised I think I am, I will misplace them.
3. Use Photoshop for typographic work - Illustrator or InDesign are both much easier to use in this respect, and designed for that use.
4. A 12 hour shift after college with college the next day - I need sleep.
5. Rely on a USB stick - They will break at the most inconvenient time.

Which of these words describes the way you work as part of a group?

• Critical
• Determined
• Tolerant

Which of these qualities do you most appreciate about yourself?

• Ambitious
• Honesty
• Punctuality

Which of these attitudes best describes the way you worked at the start of the group brief?

• Commited
• Indecisive
• Laid Back

Which of these attitudes best describes the way you work now?

• Committed
• Critical
• Organised

Interim Self-Evaluation

List 5 practical skills you have developed.  When have they proved useful?

1. Cutting Skills - Useful for neatly trimming down work and getting a professional finish.
2. Screen Printing - Gives a personal, unique quality that gives work extra character.
3. Book Binding - Helpful if I want to make a publication, and what numbers to work to.
4. Grids and Layout - Learnt this before the InDesign brief, will come in handy then and when I want to create a neat publication.
5. Colour & Pantone - Every colour has a code, and if I choose a colour I am guaranteed to get it, whereas it may look different on screen.

List 5 transferable skills that you have developed.  What have you used them for?

1. Time Management - Making sure that I have enough time and working to short-term goals.
2. Project Management - Juggling various briefs at a time needs some management, working to close deadlines and prioritising work.
3. Speaking Skills - When criticising work and presenting, developed over time & with experience.
4. Public Transport Awareness - Very unreliable, helps to know times and plan to arrive promptly.
5. Part Time Work, College & Social Balance - Goes hand in hand with time management, but knowing when to do work and when it's okay to socialise without feeling guilty.

List 5 things you have achieved.  How have they helped you progress?

1. Better Time Management - Without keeping an eye on deadlines and planning enough time to get anything done, I would be an extremely poor student.
2. Not Going Broke - Financial planning and knowing where my money goes has allowed me to budget enough for college and having enough to create quality work.
3. Working to a Live Deadline - Gives me some awareness of industry and how work is carried out.
4. The Ability to be Pro-Active - Definitely needs improving, but creating some sort of dedication to looking at journals and online blogs in my spare time has definitely exposed me to some tips and techniques that I wouldn't have otherwise learned.
5. A Better Understanding of Group Work - I will most likely work as part of a team when I graduate, and gaining some experience as part of a group is very beneficial.

List 5 problems that you have had to face.  How have you overcome them?

1. Unreliable Buses - Cost me 100% attendance, but setting aside enough time to get to college by getting the earlier bus has left me with 98% for the year so far.
2. Printing Issues - The 'digital dungeon' is a popular place, so going after college or planning weeks in advance makes it possible to book a place.
3. Older version of CS - I have CS4, and the college uses CS5 which creates some compatibility issues.  I had to compromise and save all my files as CS4 to make sure everything runs smoothly, but it hasn't created huge problems as of yet.
4. Windows/OS Compatibility - Yes, I have a windows laptop, which is fine.  I get some minor issues when working to and from the Macs, for example fonts, but it is overcome by taking the time to finalise work on the Macs, ready to print.
5. Broken USB - For whatever reason, my USB stick decided to bail on me in December, losing some of my work.  I have learned from my mistake by backing up everything as soon as I get the chance.

List 5 facts that you have learned.  When have they been useful?

1. Pantone Referencing - I have learnt that a single code will ensure you get the correct colours, rather than relying on the screen for reference.
2. 12 points = 1 pica - Before starting the course, I had no idea what a pica was.  This will be helpful for converting measurements and working to a layout standard.  
3. Double Page Spreads are deliberately moved closer to the inside to give visual consistency on both sides - A valuable fact to know when working on the InDesign brief.
4. Publishing companies always have a set grid to work from - Useful when finding the grid to get inspiration for publications.
5. Red is the last colour you will see in fog - Useful for considering use, does the design need to be easily visible under these conditions?

Receipt of Transaction

This is proof that I entered my 'Design is About Doing' outcome into the competition.

Presentation.

Final Design Direction Boards

Feedback from Group 4

Group 4.

Yafet Bisrat

Michael Mooney

Liam Rushfirth

Sadie Thompson

Sophie Wilson

The notes from the feedback session with Group 4:

• Think about expanding the scale & more environments.
• Experiment with sans-serif typefaces.
• Get people's responses.
• Think about having a logo within the stencils.
• Shorter quotes to relate to the attention span of target audience.
• Lead them somewhere, such as a book store.
• More vinyl work would allow for a broader point of view.
• Target a younger audience that need to develop reading skills.
• Think about using a different medium eg. glitter, chalk.
• Reference and ask why they like it.

Written feedback from the group:

Feedback from Group 4 to Group 6
Written by Sophie Wilson

Overall, we felt very impressed by your project- your blogs evidenced a wealth of primary and secondary source research which was well linked through your design practice to your design context. A good range of source material demonstrated your design developments well.

We felt that the outcomes had been well considered, and the experimentation was evident. However, you could perhaps consider expanding this further by altering the scales of your written quotes, the locations (perhaps in a slightly more “safe” environment- where they would be seen but not trodden on- by a plinth or statue in a park perhaps?), and even the material used to create them- perhaps experimenting with colours, textures and different typefaces also.

We also feel that you could consider the further documentation and feedback from your outcomes- whilst it was evident that it was a success to a point- it would have been interesting to gauge people’s responses in a questionnaire or personal quote- finding out whether this would inspire them to go on and read further.

A really strong project, evidently showcasing good team work and a balanced effort; but, most importantly- answering the brief in a professional and creative application of design.

Feedback for Group 5

Group 5.

Ollie Cassell

James Flanagan

Lewis Francis

Chloe Wilkinson

Tell a Lie Convincingly.

This group decided to tackle the problem by creating a poker set that aids the user to become more apt at bluffing.  This is the impression that we got:

• They regularly changed their concept, but wasn't documented.
• No design direction boards to get a good overview of what they were doing.
• Excellent concept with the cards, but we thought that promoting them at a casino would be a bad choice as they wouldn't choose to give customers advice on how to win money from them.  Perhaps a store such as Urban Outfitters would be a better choice, moving away from the direct audience.
• Needed some printed design to get a better feel for the project and the way it was going.  Also, how would the set be packaged?
• No design direction documented, we couldn't see the development process and how they got to the final stage.
• Questionnaire was the only documented research method.
• Unresolved as it doesn't actually tell a lie (apart from the 'you will make millions' poster).
• We feel it needs to go live and tested with a game of poker with the set - get responses from users to measure its effectiveness.