Evaluation: OUGD406

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

I think i gained more skills in this module, first of all in the communication is a virus brief; we were asked to get into a group for working together i was matched with my friends Josh, Sophia, Emily and Kate and together we did a project about music. I liked the brief as i could explore areas of music and design something which i've always wanted to do, the out come was great and i enjoyed working with the group as we have a lot in common so we brought all our ideas together to designs something effective. From this experience i think working with a mixture off people is always best to get different opinions on work, but i think as the module progressed i realised i can work well on my own, with friends and with other peers. 

In addition i think i have gained skills in my design process, i have previously just went with my initial idea and developed from there, throughout this module i have used research and a range of designs to develop the final out come, this is something i need to constantly process. 

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

I have used illustrator for all of my designs in this module, and i feel fully confident in using the software now, however i would like to explore a lot more with photoshop and other design programmes this is something i will work on over the summer, practice and progress for year 2. 

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

Throughout this module i have used a range of colour in my designs, interacting colour with the concept of the brief. For example in the communication is a virus brief, it was a group decision to use the colour scheme we did as the colour fit for all the genres of music we were designs for, i believe decisions like this make designs more visually effective and i hope to pick up and do this with all my designs.  

I also think i have kept up to date with blogging during this module.

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

I wished i had used other ways of processing my work, for example i would of like to have screen printed my it's your choice products and perhaps use d the laser cutter, due to lack of planning an preparation of my actual designs i wasn't able to have the final products how i wanted them. Unfortunatly i had to print majority of my products in the has suite as i couldn't afford to print in the digital print room as there is a lot of other on going work i need to save money for, the is something i need to be more prepared for in the future as i wouldn't want it to bring my grades down for lack of final visuals. 

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

I will experiment with different medias and processes to show a range in my design and technical abilities.

I will book into inductions such as last cutting, book binding and screen printing again to make my self fully aware of how to do things my self.

I will spend more time designing, especially initial designs to show a wide range of experimental ideas.

I will keep up to date with blogging; previously this has held me back on other work i should be getting on with.

I will be more organised with my work and my money situations for the sake of my work.

6. How would you grade yourself on the following areas:

Attendance: 3

Punctuality: 3

Motivation: 4

Commitment: 4

Quantity of work produced: 3

Quality of work produced: 3

Contribution to the group: 4

It's your choice: Products printed/ in context

Unfortunately i wasn't able to print my final designs in decent quality and the stock i wanted due to there being no prints slots/ there is a lot of work to be printed for other ongoing projects leaving me with a budget. However i don't think the A3 prints look too bad, but if i was to print i would choose an A2 off white paper for the gift wrap in card and for the belated card A4 and the gift tag 7x7cm, never the less here are some images of my designs and a what they look like in context. 

It's your choice: Final designs

As i tweaked my deliverables from the previous brief 'proverbially yours message and interpretation', i was then given the opportunity to take full advantage of it, and deliver something which i wished i could of but couldn't previously because of the design restrictions.

Original three products (posters): showing a selection of images and text stating how it is better to be late than to never arrive.
New three products (3x gift set): Designed for the purpose of a gift arriving late, the products have a light hearted humour and sincere tone, sending belated wishes.

Set 1:

Set 2:

Set 3:

It's your choice: Design development

Here is a mixture of designs, this is my full design development of creating the belated cards, gift wrap and git tag, i experimented with a rang of colour pallets, patterns and shapes and tones to get  the result i wanted to achieve.
The reason i chose to use elephants as a design foundation is because i like the saying 'elephants never forget' and i think it ties in with the idea of sending someone something which they have forgotten, however better late than never. The idea of the elephant are just meant to be humours and sincere.

The idea of the products is for an individual to remember thing thing they were supposed to send which they initially forgot, i think the saying below works perfectly in an ironic and light hearted humour way.

I particularly like the pattern fills on the elephant illustration i think these could work well as a selection of gift tags.

I found a really cute font called 'elephont', appropriate for the designs as well as some others such as 'cinnamon cake' and 'throw my hands up in the air'. I really like the hand written effect, i think it works well.