OUGD402- PPP 1- Study Task 1- Why am I here? What do I want to learn

STUDY TASK 1

5 reasons why you chose to study on this programme.

• Specialised institute 

Studying at an institute that is dedicated to art and design is a great opportunity. I believe I will benefit from being surrounded by creative people that all share a common interest.

• Good reputation

The feedback from friends that have recently graduated from the college has been really positive. They have already found employment in their fields of study. This motivates me to work hard because I have witnessed the benefits. 

• Globally recognised qualification

Working abroad would be a great experience and enrich my design work. Having a degree from the college opens up more opportunities for my future.

• Challenge myself 

The expectations and standards of the course are so high. I thought it would be a good test of character and push me to be the best that I can be. 

5 things that you want to learn during your time on the programme.

• How to think creatively 

Being able to fine tune and understand how to intentionally raise my creativity would be an invaluable skill to have. I have a tendency to panic at the start of a project if it doesn't happen straight away, even though I know its a natural, unpredictable process. 

• To work as part of a team

Being able to work as part of a team is essential. Especially when I would like to work in a studio environment.

• Software skills

I enjoy working on computers and would like to be fluent in as many programs as possible. 

• Articulate ideas

It frustrates me when I cant explain my thoughts clearly.It is something I am going to need to be able to do when pitching ideas to clients.

• professionalism 

The more professional I can be, the more chance of employment I will have. I want to be known for being reliable  and doing a good job.

5 skills that you think are your strengths.

• Problem solve by trail and error

To resolve a problem I like to try out different methods until I find the right solution. I have always learnt this way and I find it helps me to retain information. 

• Open to criticism

Peoples thoughts and opinions are unique. Hearing them can give a different perspective and potentially improve my work.

• Attention to detail

I am a bit of a perfectionist and like things to be done a certain way. Attention to detail is important on gaining a deeper understanding to a brief and producing successful results.

• Like to work hard

Working hard is very rewarding and a necessity to get to where I want to be in the future. 

• Organisation

I find organisation helps me to get the most out of my days. In a working environment this will reduce stress and make it more enjoyable. 

5 things that you want to improve.

• Drawing skills

Drawing is a good way to generate and explain ideas. I would like to improve my drawing to add substance to my design work.

• Confidence

Confidence is something I lack at the moment. Being confident reassures people of your ability to preform and get the job done. 

• Public speaking

The abillity to confidently speak in public will be benifical in a working environment. It will help in meetings, pitching ideas and general social situations.

• General knowledge of the industry

Having a good understanding of the industry will help me to secure employment, design to trends and gain a better understanding of my target audience.  

• Pace/Work flow

I want to improve the pace of my work flow without losing quality in my work. This will be useful in a fast pace environment with a quick turn over. 

5 ways that you will evaluate your progress.

• Tutors 

Progress meetings and general feedback from my tutors will be beneficial to see what I'm doing well, and what i need to improve on.

• Peers

Feedback from crits and asking my peers their options and suggestions will help me to improve my work.

• Time to reflect

Allocating myself time to reflect on my work will be a necessary procedure to evolve as a designer.

• Blog

Having a visual diary of my work will allow me to look back and reflect on my work. This will be useful to help me monitor my progress. 

• industry relationship

Evaluating my work against industry standard will give me a good indication to weather I'm improving or not. 

5 questions that you want to find the answer to.

• My U.S.P

During my time in education I want to discover my unique selling point so I can find my niche in the industry.

• What media I enjoy working with

I enjoy working on computers so possibly designing for screen might suit me. However I'm open to everything at this moment in time.

• Preferred field of expertise

At the moment im not sure what my preferred field of expertise would be. I hope to discover this through giving everything ago and experimenting as much as possible.

• Companies I would like to work for

This is something I've not looked into yet. I think it will become more apparent when I've answered the question above.

•  How to get noticed 

Will i need to create a brand for myself that reflects who I am as a designer? 

5 things that inspire you.

• Dedication
• Music
• Creativity 
• Confidence 
• unselfishness 

Identify 10 examples of design that illustrate your fields of creative interest.

Monotype - The absurdity of form. Poster study.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Monotono-The-Absurdity-of-Form-Poster-Study/4180489 

Photography by Alexander Kent

http://www.alexander-kent.com

Shigeo Fukuda

http://temple-of-light.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/shigeo-fukuda.html

Astronomy poster design by Simon Page

http://simoncpage.co.uk/blog/

Ephemicropolis by Peter Root

http://www.peterroot.com 

Charcoal drawings by Robert Longo

http://robertlongo.com

http://www.txellgracia.com/ca/projectes/campanya-formacio-professional-terrassa2012.html

MAD architects: Absolute towers 

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/15434/mad-architects-absolute-towers-nearing-completion.html

Shahir Zag

http://shahirzag.com/#4

OUGD405- End of Module Self-Evaluation

OUGD405- Software Workshop- Indesign

Evaluation

I enjoyed the Indesign workshop however, I was already familiar with the basics of the software so I already knew how to do most of the tasks. It was still useful though to refresh my mind on little things and tips. The thing I found most beneficial was how to prepare images in the correct way before placing then into the program. Also some of things that we were taught, I knew how to do but I learnt some nice little short cuts to make life easier when designing a layout.

OUGD405- Software Workshop- Photoshop

Evaluation

The photoshop workshop was interesting and I learnt a few new techniques. I think the most beneficial things I have learnt has been how to work in a non destructive manor. For example using adjustment layers and masks for full control over the images without damaging the original. This will become useful in industry incase a client wants something changed.

Postcards

I wanted my postcards to be recognisable as a set so I chose to use one main feature across the five designs so it would make people want to collect the full set. With my shape being X, I decided to make this the main feature with photos layered up behind to make an interesting geometric pattern using locations around the college that I found structurally interesting.

After having some time to reflect I think the postcard on the left looks a little out of place with the rest. I think because I worked on screen with them I could of done of printing out some mock examples to step back and observe. This is something I will think about in the future when I am designing and definitely before I commit to printing. Apart from that I am overall pleased with the outcomes. I really like the black and white offset with the green, i think it works well to command your attention.

OUGD405- Research, Collect, Communicate: Product

I set out to design packaging for a product based on info graphics. The theme i was given to communicate was the Bauhaus. I researched the Bauhaus and focused it towards Bauhaus/International style of architecture. 

To solve this problem I chose to design packaging for the book 'Walter Gropius: The New Architecture and The Bauhaus.' 

I started off by researching Bauhaus buildings and came across the city Tel Aviv which has the largest collection of Bauhaus architecture. I wanted to take characteristics from the buildings and incorporate them into my packaging designs. To incorporate the info graphic elements I designed a 2 dimensional poster that folded up to fit into the inside of the packaging.

For this brief I didn't really have any problems when designing and constructing my packaging. I think the planning I did before hand was beneficial and made the digital process effortless. I had no problems with printing either so I just had to be patient and take my time when constructing it.

Overall I have really enjoyed this brief, in particular, I enjoyed working out the nets. 

Final Crit

The feedback I received from the final crit was a lot more negative than positive which was disappointing. I was told that my concept and production quality was strong, however they felt it didn't fulfil the brief as well as it could of. The main negative issues that were stated were the use of white stock, lack of information on the packaging and minimal use of info graphics. 

I think the comments are fair points, however I designed the packaging for a specific target audience; people that know about architecture or general creative people. The packaging was informed by the characteristics of the Bauhaus and there architecture that practice the use of plain white surfaces and lack of ornament. With this in mind I felt it wouldn't be in keeping with the product and concept of what I set out to achieve, which was to create a specialist packaging. I chose to leave information off the packaging  because I felt it would intrigue the audience into exploring its contents. The comment about the lack off info graphics, for this brief, I think is fair. However I still feel it would of spoilt the theme if there was loads of information. My understanding of Bauhaus architecture and Modernist design is to strip back the elements to the bare minimum which is why I chose to include the information that I felt defined the products context without over complicating.

Overall a disappointing crit but necessary for me to improve on taking negative feedback to learn from which will be a recurring thing in industry. 

Packaging

Poster

I have revisited the designs and made some alternative layouts with some more information on the front of the packaging which was one of the main issues raised in the final crit.

I still think my original design is more appropriate to the overall concept. It think it looks over crowed and lacks impact. After a few days to reflect I agree with the comment about too much white stock. I think I could of improved it by printing onto an off white stock to calm down the brightness. 

OUGD405- Rational- Research, collect, communicate: Product

In the group crit we discussed our ideas and the direction we were taking the project in. The feedback I received was overall positive, however there was some good suggestions  that I took from my peers to allow me to further the process. 

1. Research into different packaging designs to get an understanding of how to create a net.
2. Decide on the content to be displayed so I can start to think about the layout.
3. Make a few mock ups of different ideas to see if they work once constructed.

OUGD405- Research, Collect, Communicate

The subject that I had to communicate was the Bauhaus.

I started by looking into the history of the school and what was taught there. I looked at some of the students and teachers and the work that was produced under the Bauhaus ideologies. This lead me onto the signiture architecture was produced under the modernist traits. I found the geometric forms and ideas of utopianism really interesting and started to notice it everywhere around the city.

I tried to look at a variety of different methods of collecting research such as the internet, contextual references and scanning images from books, recording dates of events, watching documentaries and my own photography for primary research.

I think my secondary research was sufficient in content, however I feel I need to improve with generating primary research, using different methods of collection. I think I need to build up my confidence in approaching people in the industry or even the general public to gain a better understanding of my target audience.