I think I've developed my skills when it comes to taking some tasks a little further and gaining a more personal enjoyment and investigation through it. An example of this is the frankenstein type task which I got into quite a lot and found myself designing a typeface from a letterform, I ended up with a typeface I'm pretty happy with called Parallel Lines and it's something i'm pretty proud of. This wouldn't have even existed if it wasn't for me getting into a task and turning it into something else so I think this is definitely something I feel I've developed.
2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
I experimented with stock a little more and like the results I got with my hotdog booklets, using yellow, grey pearl, antique white and magenta. I've realised that often you don't need to print a certain colour, take advantage of different stocks and use that as a colour too - it can produce interesting results.
For my 'What Is A Line' I downloaded a decibel meter app for my iPhone and without it I wouldn't have been able to go down the route I did. I measured the decibels of each song at intervals of around 4 seconds on average. If it was for example, 84 dB, I went ahead and turned the opacity of the specific square to 84%, altering the tint of the colour and making it seem lighter and providing the effect I needed. I think one of the things I like most about the product is how I used technology such as my phone and recorded it all down on my notepad, a bit like a science experiment and then visualised this using design software. So I like how different methods synchronised together. I'm going to try and keep this in mind for the future and be more open to different methods and different approaches to research and design processes.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I think I've started to take a more experimental approach to design and user interaction, I think my magazine layout illustrates this. This time last year if I was making a layout it would look nothing like that, I've found myself getting much more interested in layout and colour and the workshops played a large part in this. I tried to create a feeling of two sides clashing, so I used the double page spread to have each side create a feeling of two sides locking horns. I tried to create this vibe through both sides leaning towards each other, I've been bringing more colour into it and overlaying objects over each other etc. It looks kind of 'post-modernist' a bit more, I'm definitely adopting aspects and my approach to design is changing all the time and it's less 'rigid' and I feel more confident making things a little less safe.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
My design sheets are still a weakness, They make sense to me and they help me substantially when it comes to getting ideas down and for suggestions on how things will look quickly but if other people look at my design sheets I don't think it will have quite the same effect. I need to have more patience and to really spend more time on them to make them mor precise, presentable and professional.
It was really evident on the magazine layout thumbnails, they're not as precise as they should be. I definitely need to practice this and work on these, it's a skill that's very important. It will not only help me more, but will be more presentable and impressive to others.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
1. Spend more time on design sheets and make them look less 'scribbly' and more thought out. I still find getting ideas down quickly works, but once I scribble them down so I don't forget, I need to start refining them further and really consolidating the designs. Right now it looks like I can't draw very well and once I get on the computer they suddenly look all polished and well thought out, but really I pictured them polished when I drew them but you probably can't tell from the design sheets. This is an area for improvement. Needs to be more presentable, professional and interesting to look at and study, and complement the finished pieces well.
2. Carry out more research and get stuck into the smaller aspects more. I don't think I looked into layouts and colour theory as much as I could have. It would help me gain a better understanding and increase my interest and knowledge in more areas which is never a bad thing. Also good things can spontaneously arise from this, such as the typeface I made from the frankenstein type task.
3. I want to sway away from relying on making posters. Posters and print is something i'm naturally just really interested in and I feel i'm strong at, but it's also about strengthening areas you're not so weak at. I've yet to even use the laser cutting machine and screenprint facilities. I want to look into bookmaking, binding, screen-printing and laser cutting for future work. I've got a few ideas in mind for other briefs I'm working on at the moment and plan on using these facilities more - finally!
4. I want to manage my time more effectively, I know it's one that probably everyone says. Although I think i've improved at this, it's hurt my design process in some areas. For example, I spent a lot of time on What is A Line, consequently my OUGD406 briefs suffered. I need to balance everything better, I've started making to-do lists, where I literally put everything on the back burner until I finish the list for that day and I find it helps and makes sure I don't miss anything out or forget anything. Time is a lot more self-managed at the moment, so it's important I balance different modules nicely and painlessly for maximum productivity spread out over all projects.
5. I need to start thinking about user interaction more, if it makes sense to me it doesn't necessarily mean it will make sense and be of use to other people. It's obviously a very important part of design. For example my Hotdog booklets, titles 'Three', where the viewer has to guess the words that rhyme with three in each photo and then open up the booklet to reveal the answers on the poster side. I think the idea was decent, but i didn't take photos of the kinds of words I didn't want to and overall it probably seemed a bit confusing to someone who's seeing it for the first time. None of them sold either, which backs that up!
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