OUGD405- How to...

  

How to Evaluation

The problem we had to solve was

'How to tell a lie convincingly'

We decided to solve this problem by creating a fake competition. The concept was to get students from the college to take pictures of themselves pulling stupid faces for the chance to win a prize.

We set out to design a variety of material to promote the competition. This consisted of posters, flyers that we displayed all around the college. To record the progress and success,  we created an email address and blog site.

We printed 20 posters and 80 flyers but only received 3 entries which was disappointing and shows that most people don't pay much attention to these methods. However I think if we had longer to advertise, it would of been more successful. We looked into sending  mass emails from the colleges address but we weren't able to do this due to college regulations. This could of possibly improved to amount of entries we received.

 The main issues we faced was trying to conceal what we were doing from our peers. This was difficult as we were working in the studio where everyone was. 

Considering the above I feel we did the best we could in the allocated time. We worked really well as a group and managed our time well. Because of the nature of the project we had to work fast to allow some time to make people aware and give them a chance to enter. This meant we had to get the designs finished, printed and displayed by tuesday which was hard work. 

OUGD405- Deception research

Evaluation

 We were given a word to research: Deception

I chose to research visual deception, such as negative space, illusions...

I designed a questionnaire that tested the way that people perceive things. The results were interesting to see as the majority of people had the same results. 

I  designed three boards to communicate the results. The first was the results from my primary research, the second was based on visuals that I had collected from secondary sources and the third was focussed on the area I found the most interesting.

I wanted to make my boards visually engaging so I chose not to over load it with text which can be quite static and boring.

OUGD405- Typogateaux

Evaluation

I cant say I enjoyed typogateaux too much. I enjoyed coming up with the concept and designing the cake. However Ive never done any baking before and didn't realise how much skill is involved to make a professional looking cake. 

The main problems I faced when making the cake was getting the colours how I wanted them. I was wanting to achieve really bright, vivid colours which just didn't work. Im guessing this is due to the type of colour die I used. Finally I found it really difficult to roll out the marzipan thin enough. Because it has such a strong taste, the thinner it was would of been more successful. I also found it really stressful and draining which confirms in my head that I never want to be in the catering business.

Apart from that I enjoyed seeing what the class had come up with, there was some really interesting cakes that were impressively constructed.

OUGD403- End of Module Self-Evaluation

OUGD403- Alphabet soup: Illustrator

Evaluation

I set out to design an alphabet based on my original letterforms from the visual thinking brief. The word I had to communicate was 'layer'. 

To solve the problem I continued my concept of combining different fonts from Helvetica Neue typeface to create the illusion of layers, depth and perspective. I did this by assembling ultra light, medium and bold fonts, each staggered slightly to the right. I changed the opacity of two of the letterforms to bring out the layers to create depth.

I enjoy working digitally, especially on illustrator so I found this brief really interesting and engaging. I knew a lot of the techniques we were taught in the sessions with Simon but I also picked up a few I didn't know. For example, I learned how to manipulate an existing typeface by changing it to outlines. This will be useful when doing commissioned work, especially branding and identity because it doesn't limit you to using factory fonts which you have to pay for.

OUGD403 Message and Delivery: Distribution

Message and Delivery: Distribution Crit

For the crit we were put into groups of four and asked to pair up with one person from the group. We then swapped tables with another group and analysed their work as a pair. Below is the feedback I received from my peers.

The feedback i received was really positive. The required actions I received were really constructive and  fair points. For example, have some more information about where to find more about the subject.

If I was to do it again I would plan my time a lot better. I spent a lot of time deciding on what design to develop  and didn't enquire about printing slots, prices etc. Also, I designed my mail shot to be printed on both sides, A1scale, but later found out that A2 is the biggest size that can be printed on both sides. The next problem I faced was to do with printing, once printed I found that all the prints didn't line up. This wasn't any fault of my own but its something to think about in the future when printing double sided. I used the font 'Impact' for the body copy to keep continuity with my posters. Thinking about it now and relecting on the knowledge I have learned from design principles lessons, impact is a block font and is used   for headlines, taking this into consideration, it might not be the best choice for the body copy.  Finally, once printed and cut out, I started folding the different sections and discovered the black ink smudged onto the yellow. Im not sure if this was because of the stock or the ink but I felt it compromised the finish I was hoping for. 

All though I had some problems along the way and found it a challenge, I really enjoyed this brief and can take away some knowledge from the mistakes I made.

OUGD403 Message and Delivery: Research

Message and Delivery: Research Crit

Todays crit was the most enjoyable so far for me. The people in my group had some really interesting articles that I didn't know much about. However I enjoyed listening and discussing information everyone contributed .

The feedback I received was positive and helped me confirm that the route I want to take my research in, is a good direction.

I have decided to investigate the increase of endangered species and wildlife, in and around the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl power station.


Message and Delivery: Research 2 crit

For this crit we were split into two groups and asked to evaluate the other groups posters individually. 


Feedback from peers

Final Designs

The feedback I received was really constructive and helpful. Overall it was positive, however the majority of people said that the message could do with being a little clearer and maybe more literal. I think this a fair point but I'm not sure how to resolve the issue without losing the immediate impact. I could possibly make it more obvious on the type poster by rewriting the statement, clearly stating the reference to the thriving biodiversity.
 The positives were that they thought the colour scheme was successful in communicating the nuclear aspects, combined with the simplicity of  the overall aesthetic for maximum high impact.

I really enjoyed this brief but found it a challenge to communicate the concept without over complicating. 

Question5. Is the writing style academic or informal?

Question4. Are design decisions thorough and evidenced?

Question3. Has all work been blogged?

Question2. Is there annotation on each post or is it just simply images?

Question1. Is the content of each post clearly identifiable in each title?

OUGD402- PPP 1 Feedback Exercise

After a presentation about higher education we were asked individually compile a list of things we would like feedback on. My list as follows:

• Blog
• Written work
• Design work
• Presenting work
• Work flow
• Ideas, concepts 
• Colour schemes 
• Use of materials/ Media
• Research 

We then compiled a group list of the most relevant to the course and the work we have done so far.

1. Use of blog- Content, Tagging, Organisation, Quantity, Quality 
2. Assessment criteria 
3. Project time management 
4. Academic writing skills 
5. Critical evaluation 
6. Quality of work 
7. Design decisions
8. Understanding design principles 
9. Individual progress 
10. Appropriate responses 

We then had to agree on ten questions in our blog groups that we would like feedback on.

1. Is there evidence of successful time management?

Time and date of post in relation to when set

2. Is the content of each post clearly identifiable in each title?

Check PPP, design context, design practice

3. Is there annotation on each post or is it just simply images?

Check PPP, design context, design practice

4. Are posts in the correct place?

Check all posts

5. Has all work been blogged?

Check briefs

6. Are design decisions thorough and evidenced?

Read through

7. Is the writing style academic or informal?

Use of vocabulary

8. Are all images linked?

Check images

9. Are all posts labelled/tagged? (orange link)
Check all posts

10. Are all blogs linked to the homepage?
Check homepage

The questions I am going to ask for feedback on are:

2.

3.

5.

6.

7.

OUGD403 Visual Thinking- Alphabet Soup: Typeface

Power Crit

In todays crit we were in groups of six, plus two tutors. We each had four minuets to explain what we had been up to followed by any questions and feedback we wanted to know.

The feedback I received was really useful and gave me a better understanding of what I need to do next. Feedback as follows:

• Work as a sequence 

I asked the group if they thought I should chose one of my letterforms and develop the rest in the same style. I have three designs of each letterform so I was advised to pick the strongest of each one. I agree with this because I think it will make my alphabet more varied, better representing Danielle's personality.

• Scale

It was suggested to me to think about the scale of my letterforms. They consist of a lot of detail which could cause a problem when scaled down. To resolve this, once I have finished my experiments, I am going to test them digitally to check the legibility.

• Silhouette  

My experiments are line drawings so It was suggested to fill in areas with black. I completely agree with this as I think it will bring them to life. I am going to do this digitally to save time.


Self Evaluation

The feedback I  received from the group crit was really positive. My partner said she felt I had communicated her personality effectively. I found it interesting how different our alphabets were even though we had the same brief. 

I set out to design an alphabet that visually communicated my partners personality and character. 

I decided to solve this problem by focusing on the things that stood out to me when we had our first discussion about our interests. Her heritage is Spanish, Italian, Ukrainian and Hungarian. I found this interesting and a good starting point, so when she told me she was interested in pattern design and fashion, I decided to look at textiles and pattern designs from the countries of her heritage.

The font I chose to manipulate was nouvelle vague. I chose this font because I was interested in the contrast between the thick and thins of the letterforms. I felt this best fitted Danielle's personality as she's a small person with a large personality.

Overall I am pleased with the out come of my final design. It was a tedious job drawing but I enjoyed the whole process because I wouldn't usually design something in this style, so it was nice to be put out of my comfort zone. If I was to do it again I would consider the scale more because it looks good at a large scale but once descaled the detail gets a little lost. Finally, I would experiment with different techniques and media. I spent too much time tracing and possibly could of enhanced my work by being more experimental.

OUGD403 Visual Thinking- Part1 Alphabet Soup

Group Crit

For the crit we were put into random groups where each person gave a short description about their letterforms. The group was asked to chose the strongest five from each person. The image below is each persons strongest five letterforms.

It was interesting seeing everyones work and seeing how differently they interpreted their chosen words. I enjoyed getting to critique their work as well, it was nice to be able to offer my opinions and thoughts.  

The five letters that the group felt were my strongest are

• E
• A
• K
• G
• N

I feel the strongest are W, B, E, R and H so it was interesting to see that we agreed on one out five.

Self Evaluation

 I set out to design ten letterforms that visually communicated the word 'Layer'.

I decided to solve this problem by combining visual aspects with concept. The font I chose to manipulate was Helvetica Neue and I chose this font because it consists of seven weight sizes within the set.  I wanted to combine elements from each weight to construct my letterforms. The idea was to create depth and the illusion of layers on a 2D platform.

I created them by firstly, tracing the thinest letter weight, which is the base for each letterform and then tracing different elements of the letter weights positioned off centred, either to the left or right. To finish them off I connected the corners to achieve the perspective.

By connecting the corners it has created a disjointed, warped perspective which is what I set out to achieve. I thought about adding colour and textures but decided against it because I think the negative space adds to the illusion. The space tricks the eye and makes my mind adjust to try and work out the layers.

I am please with the out come in general but I found the letters with curved lines a real challenge to draw. I found it difficult to keep my hand steady to achieve the clinical finish I was looking for. This is something I would like to improve on in the future.

How to budget as a new student during Freshers week

Self Evaluation

What role(s) did you take on in the group?

I was responsible for designing the App logo, homepage, Map and I assisted in organising and constructing all the elements together.

How well do you think you performed in the role(s)?

I think i preformed to the best of my ability in the given time frame. I completed all the tasks I was assigned to.

How well do you think you worked as a group?

We worked ok as a group seeing as it was a new experience for us. The main difficulty we faced was getting organised at the start and making decisions to allow the ideas to develop.

What were the positives of working in a group?

 The breadth of ideas and discussions was a good experience for me. Also having 5 people to divide the work load helped us to get everything done.

What were the negatives of working in a group?

To start off with we found it hard to get inspired by the question we received. Conflicting ideas and different personal styles made it a real challenge to design something with continuity.

What will you do differently next time?

I personally think more research was needed to gain a better understanding of the audience. A better structured plan of action would of been useful so everyone was clear on what their roles were. I found presenting the work to the year group a real challenge and it's something I need to work on.

Where could you have improved your resolution?

Better promotional material could of improved it. Also, more option and functions on the App would of made it more interesting.

What were the strengths of your presentation? 

We had clear visuals and each slide was precise and straight to the point.