OUGD602 Evaluation

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

The main skills I have developed through PPP is learning how to network and communicate with professionals this is something which I have also struggled with. This aspect of the job has always been really daunting as I often find myself lost for words in situations where I have to kind of sell myself. After working at Leeds Print Festival I found that the best method was to just be myself. I was surround by designers and creatives over the course of the weekend and this made me realise that we are all human, I seemed to have attached a stigma to the concept of networking, when really all it is about is being yourself, and making friends. I found that this placement working at the print festival really helped to boost my confidence. I spoke to tonnes of different people over the course of the weekend and found myself chatting to Patrick Burgoyne the editor of creative review for a good portion of one of the days. I found this whole experience was really helpful for me.

Another skill i have gained over the year is my ability to work in a professional environment,I have found that undertaking a few client briefs this year has taught me how to work with clients and the type of work and dialogue they are expecting  I found that the best method was to have strong communication with the client in order to make sure everything is going in the right direction. I also had to learn how to price out my time this year which John has helped with over the past 3 years. For one of the briefs I did this year I had to fill out an invoice and send that to the Datashed in order to get paid. This was a bit of a life lesson and was also beneficial to my wallet.

Another skill I have developed is my organisation skills, I am a changed man this year and have fully engaged with the course, I have spent pretty much everyday in the studio from 9.30 untill 5 most days and over the past 2 months have found myself spending more time in college than I do at home. I feel that I have really dedicated myself to my practice this year and have thoroughly enjoyed everything. I am much more organised in many respects and have started keeping a diary to plan out my time as this is something I have always struggled with in the past.

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

Over the course of the module I have developed many new skills. I have felt the need to try out as many new things as I could this year as it is the last chance I have to use all the facilities. I decided to take on a variety of different briefs with many different outcomes.I really wanted to gain as many new skills as possible so that I would find it easier to tackle any project in the future. I believe that if I have an insight into a process then this will lead to furthering and developing that skill. I think half the battle is just trying something new, so this is why I  have tried a bit of everything  I have learned how to edit videos, produce Lino prints, screen print, spot varnish, letter press and many other bits and bobs. I have also developed my software skills this year becoming much more confident in photoshop and indesign. In the past I have avoided briefs where I would have to completely learn something new as i was always afraid of failure. However I now see the positives in failing and how beneficial it can be to learn from your mistakes. I believe that nothing is easy and if you want something enough you can get it. I have changed my outlook on life this year and now embrace the unknown which has resulted in some really wonderful work for me.

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

I think one of my main strengths lies with printing, this is something I have always had an interest in and have continued to develop and build on. I am not afraid of a challenge and I have been happy to jump into the deep end this year. Learning how to letterpress with both wood block and lead type. I have also pushed my screen printing and Lino prints. I will continue to take on personal projects and will hopefully eventually have my work displayed in Print exhibitions around the world. Thats the plan anyway.

Another one of my strengths I would say is that I am determined hard working and committed  I used to be a bit more relaxed in terms of my practice however I have fully tried to engage with the course and push my practice taking on as much as possible. I have become a yes man this year undertaking all kinds of work from client work to competitions. I have completely stepped out of my comfort zone on many briefs but feel like this has helped to develop my practice. I feel more comfortable talking about my work and also trying something new.

I also think that I have worked well collaboratively this yesar. I origonaly was not too keen on this as sometimes its hard working with other people, I got pretty lucky this year with the people I have collaborated with the majority of the time. and found that working as a team allowed for much more focussed ideas and a better resolved outcome. The thought of letting the other person down spurs me on to really try my hardest.

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

I don't think I have any realy weaknesses this year, I have really tried my hardest and pushed my practice. I have used this year to try and find my direction however I feel that I am still quite lost so I would say this is my downfall. I like to do a bit of everything so I need to find a job which will acomodate my needs.

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

1. Not leave my boards until the last few weeks as it is much easier to get them out of the way as soon as the brief is finished
2. Blog allong the way - makes sure all my thought and process are documented
3. Evaluate my progress more often - will help to realise a direction
4. Regular blogging will ensure I have a balanced body of well informed research.
5. Network more - I will get involved with linked in and stat asking questions.

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

Attendance = 5

Punctuality =5

Motivation = 5

Commitment =5

Quantity of work produced = 5

Quality of work produced = 5

Portfolio

After a couple of weeks I have put my portfolio together showcasing some the work I have been most proud of over the past few years. I have slowly changed and edited my portfolio based on feedback from Andy and Chris from Elmwood. They were a big help in sifting out the weaker projects and images and have helped to whittle down to this. I still have some tweaks to do over summer and some projects to add however I am happy with how it is looking at this moment in time.

SELF BRANDING DEVELOPMENT

This year I have decided to stick with the branding I did last year, I happy with how it looks and like the concept I think it is fun memorable and also in tune with my sense of humour and shows my passion for something a bit more fun and also my love of the printing process. My business cards have been hand foiled by me. I have decided that my Creative CV needed changing from last year. I have decided to create one which is a little bit bigger than last year and also with a better layout on the inside as the previous one looked a bit tacky and also didn't show off much of the work. The egg format limited my design. I also wanted to make it look a little bit more professional. I decided to get to work on creating a different one. I wanted something which was interactive and engaging for the viewer as apposed to a standard book. I decided to test out different solutions making scrap paper versions. I wanted to experiment with fold out pages to fit more information on so created several small fold out sections which would work as a series.

Testing

I split the book up into the various projects I wanted to include and worked out where I wanted the images and text. I played about with the arrangement until I had something I was happy with and then set up an InDesign file using these measurements. I wanted to make sure it could be printed on A3 as I didn't have access to James.

Designing

I first of all wrote the introduction to CV telling the viewer a little bit about me as a designer and what my interest are. I wrote a little bit about skills and also included my contact details.

Once I had the intro done I went about placing in my images I had dedicated one fold out sheet, front and back per project and then one panel for information about the brief.

Once I was completely happy with the book I checked through the copy and then printed out a test copy to try and stick together. I  needed to make sure everything lined up ok and was alright to print in colour.

Test Copy

After cutting out the test copy and binding it together I realized I wasn't a big fan of the fastener for my creative CV as it took a bit of the attention away from the logo which would be on the front. I decided I would have to come up with an alternate method for sticking the book together.

Final Copy Front

  

To bind the final version I used double sided and carefully stick all the elements together adding extra card pieces to give it some thickness in the right places. I cut out the cover extending a section for a tab locking device to hold the book together. to finish the CV off I cut out one of my business cards and stuck my logo on the front creating a stylish luxurious but fun publication which sums me and my work up quite well.

Back Cover - with tab lock

Business Card

Content

Intro

 

SELF BRANDING PACK

BRANDING PACK

 

I have applied my branding across a wide range of products, its nice to see how it works on different elements. I chose a few relevant items to complete my pack. Including a note book, Letter head, envelope, business cards and pencils, The colour scheme works well, it looks consistent and proffesional. The problem I do see with the branding is the cost to reproduce to items. I have foiled my buisness cards and used a gold and black colour scheme which would make it quite expensive to mass produce. But on the other hand, I love everything about foiling, I'm a bit of a magpie so I'm a sucker for shiny stuff. Also the whole concept behind the golden egg will be lost without it. I could look at using gold stock but then I have the dilema of it been quite dull, I will have to do more research into cheaper options.

Notebook - perfect for my thoughts and ideas. I have simplified the logo to just the cracked egg. I don't think it is important to have my name on everything I think the golden egg is pretty eye catching and unique in itself.

Business Cards - These are mock ups of the business cards I have made. They are eye catching and

should hopefully spark conversation. I think people take more notice to nicely printed things.

Colour Pencils - I stuck to the colour scheme once again, I think it works great in a set and also the combination of the colours could result in some really nice illustrations, This goes perfectly with the note pad

Envolope for clients etc. 

The letter head is quite simple, I didn't want too much going on as at the end of the day its just there to be read. 

Once again it might be expensive to have foiled elements on all of the products so this something that will need re considering in the future. 

CREATIVE CV PACK LAST YEAR

 

This is my creative CV and packaging that I will be sending off to various studios. I am really happy with the outcome and think it has turned out really well. I would definitely be intrigued if I got that through the post. SO hopefully it should spark some interest in me. 

The Cover has a foiled egg which gives it a professional quality. It also highlights my love of the printing processes and my ability to successfully produce work to a high standard. Its essentially a piece of work.

I wasn;t able to print it out with james so I have had to make do with mac suite. 

Although it has turned out really well to be honest I was quite suprised 

The booklet is pretty small which seems a more digestible read for potential

employers. The format of the book also works well, simple 2 column structure.

The big and small eggs complement one another. 

I have highlighted my skill set throughought the book and chose briefs which

complement my practice. 

I have tried to keep writing to a minimum and use lots of images.

I want to let my work speak for itself. 

I like how the egg kind of looks like an egg yolk.

Here are my business cards. They have come out really nicely and have a great

golden shine. I would ideally like to get these die cut.

Shiny

I spray painted my eggs gold and filled them with shredded black paper.

I will include my creative CV and my Business card and maybe some mini eggs. 

Business Cards & CV