OUGD402- PPP1- What is design Practice- Free Adds

WHAT IS DESIGN PRACTICE?

We have been asked to design a free add for ourselves and two other people. I have to design for Jake Greenhalgh and Danielle Harrison. The mandatories are it has to have no more than 50 words and has to be A3 scale.

I will need to review their blogs and 10 questions to inform my designs:

Danielle 

Professional Details:

Danielle Harrison 

Daniellejayharrison@hotmail.co.uk

Design Skills:

Software Competent 

Papper cutting 

Areas of Design Interest:

Packaging- Sustainable, ethical

Favourite Designers:

Malika Favre
Saul Bass
Naomi Shiek
Anagrama

Danielle's Work: http://d-harrison1215.blogspot.co.uk


From the work I have looked at she seems to have an illustrative, vector approach to her designs that look simple, quirky and fun. She uses calming, earthy colours which is something I can incorporate.

Design interests:


These are some images I found on her PPP blog.

Favourite Designers work:


I had a look at some of the work of her favourite designers to get some ideas for the add. 

Danielle's Add

I themed Danielle's add around her interest of sustainable and ethical design. With this in mind, I incorporated two recycling symbols. The full circle with the arrow represents the sustainability and the bigger arrows point down work along side to represent balanced and harmony, reflecting her ethical beliefs in design, designing for a purpose. I chose to use warm and earthy colours to tie in with the theme and Danielle said she liked pastel colours. 

Jake

Professional Details:

Jackson Steel

jake--jake@hotmail.com

Design Skills:

Drawing

Computer Editing 

Paper cut

Areas of Design Interest:

Screen Print

Poster design

Favourite Designers:

David Shrigley

Jakes work: http://jakegreenhalgh1215.blogspot.co.uk

Looking at Jakes work makes me think it would be best to design a really simple hand drawn style illustration with black and white for the main colours. 

Design Interests:

Its clear that Jake is into hand drawn illustration. 











Favourite Designers work:

Jakes Add


I based my Add for Jake on his interest of cartoon like illustrations. His favourite artist draws in a child like style so I wanted to incorporate this aesthetic, this informed the choice of colour, red, blue and yellow, the primary colours.

My Add

OUGD406- Design is about doing

Group Crit

1.

2.

The feedback I received from the crit was really useful. The group confirmed what I had already thought, that images 1 and 2 above are the most successful. However I received some good suggestions on how I could possible improve them.

 Image 1

The group suggested that I swap the colours round so the blue would be the background colour similar to image two.

Image 2 

The main suggestion was to remove the box around the P because it reminded them of a parking sign and to maybe use symbols instead of numbers in the clock. 

At the moment I am leaning more towards image 2 because I think it represents the band better and I prefer the balance of colours. I agree with the suggestion about removing the box around the P but I don't think I am going to change the numbers on the clock because it defeats the purpose of the hands pointing to the 8 and 7 to represent the year the band debuted. 

Secret-7 Entry 

Evaluation

I set out to design 5 variations that represented the band 'Public Enemy', choosing one to enter into the secret-7 competition.

I looked at the iconic characteristics of the band that I felt best communicated what there are about. I focused on the productions methods, logo and features of the two main members of the group. I created the designs on illustrator but wanted to make them look hand-rendered to as I felt it was more appropriate to represent Hiphop and the culture. I experimented with the knowledge I have learnt from the colour theory lessons by using triadic colour schemes. 

Overall I really enjoyed this brief as I am a big fan of Hiphop. I found it much more engaging as I was interested in the subject. Unfortunately my design didn't get picked for the competition but it was a good experience and good exposer as nearly 1000 people viewed my design.

OUGD402- PPP1- What is design Practice

What Is Design Practice?

We started off with a power point about design practice.


Module Aims

•To investigate and develop an increasingly self determined approach to the design process in response to the brief.
•
•To develop a practical and conceptual understanding of issues relating to function, context and audience in response to graphic design practice.
•
•To further develop critical and reflective approaches to the documentation and evaluation of individual and group-based studio/design practices.
•
•To establish a critical approach to the documentation, analysis and evaluation of work and its contextualisation within current graphic design practice

“[Graphic Design is] An ongoing examination/conversation between the dynamics of
personal exploration and professional practice” 

– Matt Owens, Volumeone.

1. Appropriateness of response 
2. Quality of resolution 
3. Meeting the deadline

1.

•What is the problem
•Who is the audience
•What is the context
•What is the method of delivery

What Is a Problem?

Are you being ask to......or do you want to.......

Persuade, inform, promote, educate, entertain, explain, clarify, organise clarify, confuse, engage, ask a question, make a statement, give an order, deliver an instruction, make someone laugh/cry…..?

What is your
RATIONALE ?

What are you doing and why?
concept

idea

research

audience

context

media

creative

ethical

commercial
handmade

digital

lens based

2 - dimensional

3 – dimensonal- Objects, spacial

4 - dimensional- Movement, time

Quality of Resolution

•Depth of appropriate research
•Breadth of initial ideas
•Selection of potential solutions
•Thorough visual development
•Attention to detail / Crafting
•Clarity of presentation

type

and/or

image

?

is the
MEDIA
the
MESSAGE    

Tone of Voice 

•Try it
•Test it
•Make it better

Collaborate. The space between people working together is filled with conflict, friction, strife, exhilaration, delight, and vast creative potential.

Meeting the

DEADLINE

=

An
Effective
Design Practice

For the second part of the lesson we had to answer some questions about ourselves.

ME

What is your professional name and contact details?

Jimbo
jameskeefe.design@gmail.com

What 5 words best describe your design practice?

• Clinical
• Minimal
• Digital
• Logical
• Contemporary 

What 5 words best describe you as a person?

• Dedicated
• Professional
• Reliable
• Ambitious
• Laid back

What are your 5 strongest design skills?

• I am competent with working on adobe software
• I can like to take ideas from non-graphic design sources, such as architecture 
• I have a good attention to detail
• I can finish work to a professional standard 
• I like to create create work that is informed by modernism  

What areas of graphic design interests you the most?

• Product and packaging
• Editorial design
• Branding and identity
• Design for web

Who are your 5 favourite designers/design studios?

• Noma Bar
• Experimental Jetset
• Yuna Kim

What makes these your favourites and where can you find their work?

• http://www.dutchuncle.co.uk/illustrators/noma-bar/portfolios/portfolio
• http://www.experimentaljetset.com
• http://www.iamyuna.com

What 5 things do you want to be?

• I want to be successful within the creative industry 
• I want to be confident when communicating my work and ideas
• I want to be part of a successful design studio

What 5 things do you think you need to do to be this?

• Be well informed of contemporary practises and have a good understanding and awareness of my audience
• I need to put this into practise, weather it be in crits, talking to my peers or just the general public
• Be able to work as part of a team as well as individual practice

OUGD402- PPP1- Study Task 5- Where am I now?

• 10 things that you have learned about yourself as an individual and as learner. These should reflect your personal development and individual journey since the start of the programme.

Individual reflection 

1. 

I have a better understanding of myself as an individual in relation to what makes me happy. Since recently turning 25 I have found that I don't feel the need to go out all the time. I much prefer to work hard and keep on top of my work, then reward my self with a night out. I find it I have a much better time and feel refreshed and focussed ready for my next task at college.

2.

When I was college at ND level I found it difficult to form close relationships with my peers as the age distance was vast. Since starting the course I have met some really nice people that I respect professionally and personally. I think forming relationships and networking will be beneficial to being successful in this industry. 

3.

I still feel like I have a long way to go to reach the level of confidence I would like to project. However I feel I am improving the more time I spend time with my peers. I have anxiety issues that effects the way I communicate because I feel very nervous when talking to people, especially making eye contact. I want to find the balance between being professional and serious, whilst having a laugh and connecting with people at the same time. This is something I am hoping to achieve by the time I finish my degree.

4.

I find it takes me a while to get comfortable enough with people to allow myself to fully relax, be myself and come out my shell. This is something I would like to address and improve because in the industry I wont always have the luxury of time to get to know the clients and form a relationship. 

5.

Although I have really enjoyed my time so far in Leeds, I feel by the end of my degree I will be ready to move on to some where new. I would like to move to London or possible Manchester as I feel it could be the best place for job opportunities. I am also open to working abroad to see different cultures and gain some experience. I am an Australian citizen so that could be an option, however I would like to go some where different as well to soak up as much as I can.

Learning reflection

6.

I have learnt to work in groups with people from different backgrounds, with different opinions and that have different styles of work. I have never done this before so it was a bit intimidating at first but I now enjoy the challenge and the discussions that arise when trying to solve a problem. I find being around creative people really inspiring and enjoy bouncing ideas off each other. This makes me want to better myself as a person and a designer.

7.

When I first started the course I used to worry to much about the quality of my initial ideas, I wasted a lot of time making things looks neat when really its the idea thats important. The refinement comes afterward when you have fully explored the ideas and have made a decision on what is the most successful resolution.

8.

At the start of the course I used to panic when I first received a brief. I've now learnt to relax a little and enjoy the process because the work develops naturally as you inform yourself through research, time to reflect and feedback from crits. Saying this, I still have the odd day where I feel I'm struggling to progress but I think this is  unavoidable and a part of life, the important thing is to keep calm and stay positive which keeps you motivated.

9.

I have found that asking the opinions of my peers has been beneficial in distinguishing the flaws in my work that I might not of thought of on my own. It has helped me to address the problems and move forward to achieve a better, more informed outcome to better fulfil the mandatories. Im not saying my work is perfect because I believe there is always room for improvement but it helps to gain a better understanding of the target audience.

10.

Original design

Response to feedback

I have come to realise that my own personal taste isn't always the best solution for the outcome. Particularly in the last brief I found I became too attached emotionally to my work and found it hard to accept negative feedback from my tutors in the final crit. This was a real eye opener for me and made me realise that everything I design wont always be right for the client. With this in mind I feel I am better prepared mentally to accept criticism and use it positively to improve my work to better fulfil the briefs.  

• 10 things that you have learned about yourself as a designer. These should reflect your growing awareness of your own interests within graphic design as a subject, discipline and profession.

1.

Being introduced to modernism has had a big impact on my interests in graphic design. I love the functionality, simplicity and overall aesthetic associated with the movement. I was interested in negative space before I started the course and liked anything with a minimal aesthetic. Learning about modernism has given my thoughts and interests a context and better understanding of where it derived.

2.

After looking at a vast variety of graphic design I have found myself to be drawn towards branding and identity, editorial design and product and packaging. However whilst I am in education I would to explore as many disciplines as I can before I make a decision on the career path I would like to take. Seeing as the internet is a massive part of the modern society, I'm looking forward to learning about web design and having ago at doing some coding.

3.

I find design with a limited colour palette, usually consisting of two to three colours appealing. This is why I think I could be suited to branding and identity. I like the simplicity of the designs and think it would be fun to solve the problem of creating a design to work across a variety of media and creating a recognisable, strong identity that reflects the ethics and ideology of the business and brand.

4.

I find layouts in editorial design exciting which makes me want to learn about grid systems and layouts. This ties back to the modernist influence. Although being interested in columns and type, I don't always agree with the strict boundaries associated with modernist design. I'd like the opportunity to experiment with different layouts and typefaces depending on the appropriation to the content.

5.

The last brief I did I had the opportunity to produce packaging for a product. I really enjoyed the process of understanding and developing the functionality of the net design. I feel I only scratched the surface with this brief though because of the other factors that need to be taken into consideration. For example the cost of materials and sustainability, health and safety; my book packaging had sharp edges which I imagine could be an issue when being displayed in stores.

6.

I didn't realise how important typography is in graphic design. I now feel I have a better and more informed understanding of type and how to utilise it to communicate whatever message needs to be said. For example, a rule of thumb is to keep to three fonts per design, hierarchy of words to illustrate a message, point size, and general refinement, such as kerning and tracking.  I now know the different categories of type, Gothic, Roman, Script, Block and what they are used for.For example, Block is used for headlines.

7.

I am still a little baffled by colour theory but I feel I'm starting to gain a better understanding of the discipline the more I work with it. I still have a hell of a lot to learn but I have been introduced to some interesting theories and ideas that I need to further explore in my own time. This will be beneficial to becoming a better and professional desinger. Having the theory to back up the ideas will put me in a better position when looking for employment, presenting work and making general design decisions.

8.

The more I work with software the more I enjoy it, this makes me think I would like to predominately work digitally. However I am open to experimenting with different materials and medias to combine with digital work depending on what I am trying to achieve. I don't like using different materials and medias for the sake of it if I don't feel its necessary for the resolution.

9.

I have been thinking about the importance of the internet and ways I can use it to promote my work and myself as a professional designer. For example I have set up a Pinterest account, twitter, behanced, tumbler and linked in. I use these to follow design studios, designers and general creative practises. I keep a visual diary of design I find interesting whilst observing what is current in design to see whats on trend, which in-turn informs the design decisions and possibly predicting new trends and ideas.  Eventually, once I have generated some work that I am proud to share I will start to build an online portfolio to get my name out the the right people within the industry.

10.

As I said before, after I have finished my degree I would like to move on to some where new to start my career in graphic design. Below is a list of some of the top design agencies in the UK that I would love to have a chance of working with. I think in the summer break I will need to enquire about placements and try to get some experience in a professional design environment.

http://www.pearlfisher.com/our-work

http://www.pentagram.com/work/#/all/all/newest/

http://www.turnerduckworth.com/large.html

http://www.williamsmurrayhamm.com

http://www.the-partners.com

http://www.lovecreative.com

http://lewismoberly.com/#

http://johnsonbanks.co.uk

http://www.hat-trickdesign.co.uk

http://www.thechase.co.uk