Showing posts with label OUGD303. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OUGD303. Show all posts
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
With contradictory themes running through a few of my projects, it seems only too fitting to introduce my evaluation in such a way, in the brightness of sun rise during the darkest times of an approaching deadline I wanted to entitle my last ever ever BAGD post with something completely undesign related—settling upon 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.'
The Good
Starting positively I feel the strongest part of my work this module has, for the first time being the conceptual development of briefs, particularly the bringing together of opposite or contradictory elements to create content seldom seen before. Most notably the Analogue Website where I brought together the advantageous nature of web and the truly analogue qualities of bespoke print. Also the Lofi gloss magazines, which opposed the tacky, glossy content with considered typography in a Risograph printed publication. Also another seldom seen combination is that of a typeface with a conceptual reason for its creation—not something that was evident in its aesthetic, but certainly in its application and delivery. I have also got even greater respect for typefaces than before, having taken a few months to get to the minimal stage in which I am someway from having a typeface that stands up to those I use on a daily basis. The design context brief was also another highlight of this module, as it gave me the opportunity to work with a lot of content which was selected an edited by me. The last positive is that of something which is something that will continue to happen, and that is collaboration. Particularly with Arthur, having lived together (in and out of the studio) for two years, I haven't really been able to escape him, so it's a good job we work well together. The Interdisciplinary Yearbook has almost definitely been the most successful brief, and we now have the LCA prospectus work to carry out over summer, which is really exciting. I think the reason for all of this is because we seem to have brought the best out in each other the two years. Arthur has forced me into not settling for easy options, thinking more before I start designing, and to simply just work ridiculously hard. Working together in moor recent times, we both value each other ideas and concepts as well as skill sets and production.
The Bad
Ironically a bad point is also collaboration, not so much in design terms, but more in client terms. The fashion brief(s) I was initially really excited about, but I had so little time to do anything I didn't real produce anything of a standard I was happy with. A big problem I had was this module was having too much time. As in I was never worried about work, I always thought 5 months was ages, it wasn't until about 2 weeks before when I realised what was going on. I was chipping away at everything, I just didn't want to sign anything off or print it and then look back on it a few weeks later and hate it, so instead of completing one or a few briefs at a time I was working on and getting ready to print on everything up until about ten days before deadline. I have no idea how this will always translate industry, but when I've been in professional environments,even with long briefs, there seems to have been more interim deadline set by the client. I don't have enough integrity to set these myself. I am a little concerned about the level of self-indulgence that appears in the work I have created in this module. Last module I took on way too much freelance and live work and wasn't happy with the outcomes the client drove me toward, and a lot of stuff hasn't gone into my portfolio. I made a massive effort to combat this, but perhaps may have gone too far, and created a body of work primarily about me and my interests/opinions. If there is a right time to do that, then I think this probably was it.
The Ugly
Again I have taken on too much and spread myself too thin. I said after last module I wouldn't do that, but 5 months is a long time, I got bored with briefs and started new ones. Where I have previously struggled with a range for the sake of it, where I forced out generic deliverables for the sake of boards, and then they didn't come anywhere close to making it in my portfolio. I wanted to make more of a point of expanding the quality of deliverables across a range, but instead I've just left each brief at a few strong deliverables, that I saw necessary. I am concerned that I don't know whether I'm loosing grades or in the bigger picture I'm not seeing the potential of briefs. I have struggled with blogging this module, massively, I just couldn't get into it. I think having been on quite a few placements now, where eI fell I have been adequately prepared by the course, I have been working on some really great briefs and just running with them and not having to stop to blog. I am obviously fully aware this is how our degree is graded, but I have struggled incredibly to blog anything this module, and in all honesty as I write this evaluation, I still have a ridiculous amount still to blog. Perhaps the strongest negative, which could be seen as negative is I'm ready for something new. I've been really lucky with placements, and getting a taste for it, just makes me want that all the time, I am fully aware the course has got me to a level where I can earn these placements, but simply 16 years of successive education with no break, has finally caught up with me and I needs something new. I'm glad I've come all the way through education with no break, because I've never lost the amount of drive I have and I'm about to enter the design world as a pretty young graduate.
…
So in grand summary I am for the first time happy with the work I have produced, I just couldn't have planned my 5 months any worse. I'm excited to include these projects in my portfolio.
I'm far from in position to start making philosophical design statements, but from my 5 years in design education, (with the addition of a recent amount of exhaustion and delirium) I would like to try and summarise my current position.
Being a designer who works predominantly with given content, I could almost go as far as saying I no longer like the word design, as it I can't seem to remove it from self-driven, aesthetically driven products and outcomes, instead I see my skill set and increasingly growing conceptual approach as being something which can respect, communicate and celebrate the strength of the content provided.
Despite this slightly abstract sign off and proud be a graduating graphic designer.
The Good
Starting positively I feel the strongest part of my work this module has, for the first time being the conceptual development of briefs, particularly the bringing together of opposite or contradictory elements to create content seldom seen before. Most notably the Analogue Website where I brought together the advantageous nature of web and the truly analogue qualities of bespoke print. Also the Lofi gloss magazines, which opposed the tacky, glossy content with considered typography in a Risograph printed publication. Also another seldom seen combination is that of a typeface with a conceptual reason for its creation—not something that was evident in its aesthetic, but certainly in its application and delivery. I have also got even greater respect for typefaces than before, having taken a few months to get to the minimal stage in which I am someway from having a typeface that stands up to those I use on a daily basis. The design context brief was also another highlight of this module, as it gave me the opportunity to work with a lot of content which was selected an edited by me. The last positive is that of something which is something that will continue to happen, and that is collaboration. Particularly with Arthur, having lived together (in and out of the studio) for two years, I haven't really been able to escape him, so it's a good job we work well together. The Interdisciplinary Yearbook has almost definitely been the most successful brief, and we now have the LCA prospectus work to carry out over summer, which is really exciting. I think the reason for all of this is because we seem to have brought the best out in each other the two years. Arthur has forced me into not settling for easy options, thinking more before I start designing, and to simply just work ridiculously hard. Working together in moor recent times, we both value each other ideas and concepts as well as skill sets and production.
The Bad
Ironically a bad point is also collaboration, not so much in design terms, but more in client terms. The fashion brief(s) I was initially really excited about, but I had so little time to do anything I didn't real produce anything of a standard I was happy with. A big problem I had was this module was having too much time. As in I was never worried about work, I always thought 5 months was ages, it wasn't until about 2 weeks before when I realised what was going on. I was chipping away at everything, I just didn't want to sign anything off or print it and then look back on it a few weeks later and hate it, so instead of completing one or a few briefs at a time I was working on and getting ready to print on everything up until about ten days before deadline. I have no idea how this will always translate industry, but when I've been in professional environments,even with long briefs, there seems to have been more interim deadline set by the client. I don't have enough integrity to set these myself. I am a little concerned about the level of self-indulgence that appears in the work I have created in this module. Last module I took on way too much freelance and live work and wasn't happy with the outcomes the client drove me toward, and a lot of stuff hasn't gone into my portfolio. I made a massive effort to combat this, but perhaps may have gone too far, and created a body of work primarily about me and my interests/opinions. If there is a right time to do that, then I think this probably was it.
The Ugly
Again I have taken on too much and spread myself too thin. I said after last module I wouldn't do that, but 5 months is a long time, I got bored with briefs and started new ones. Where I have previously struggled with a range for the sake of it, where I forced out generic deliverables for the sake of boards, and then they didn't come anywhere close to making it in my portfolio. I wanted to make more of a point of expanding the quality of deliverables across a range, but instead I've just left each brief at a few strong deliverables, that I saw necessary. I am concerned that I don't know whether I'm loosing grades or in the bigger picture I'm not seeing the potential of briefs. I have struggled with blogging this module, massively, I just couldn't get into it. I think having been on quite a few placements now, where eI fell I have been adequately prepared by the course, I have been working on some really great briefs and just running with them and not having to stop to blog. I am obviously fully aware this is how our degree is graded, but I have struggled incredibly to blog anything this module, and in all honesty as I write this evaluation, I still have a ridiculous amount still to blog. Perhaps the strongest negative, which could be seen as negative is I'm ready for something new. I've been really lucky with placements, and getting a taste for it, just makes me want that all the time, I am fully aware the course has got me to a level where I can earn these placements, but simply 16 years of successive education with no break, has finally caught up with me and I needs something new. I'm glad I've come all the way through education with no break, because I've never lost the amount of drive I have and I'm about to enter the design world as a pretty young graduate.
…
So in grand summary I am for the first time happy with the work I have produced, I just couldn't have planned my 5 months any worse. I'm excited to include these projects in my portfolio.
I'm far from in position to start making philosophical design statements, but from my 5 years in design education, (with the addition of a recent amount of exhaustion and delirium) I would like to try and summarise my current position.
Being a designer who works predominantly with given content, I could almost go as far as saying I no longer like the word design, as it I can't seem to remove it from self-driven, aesthetically driven products and outcomes, instead I see my skill set and increasingly growing conceptual approach as being something which can respect, communicate and celebrate the strength of the content provided.
Despite this slightly abstract sign off and proud be a graduating graphic designer.
Evaluation
Brief 06—Design Context Publication
Design Context was such a great brief to work on, so good in fact I probably accumulated a bit too much content a left too little time to bring it together, You could argue that everything in the book could have been blogged, and only the most important elements taken to print, but it was actually more the point that everything that was of interested, of inspiration, highlighted positives or negatives only achievable in their given medium within the four month of my FMP was all brought together in one place. Being aware of contemporary design practice is absolutely integral to the success of an individual, so this brief should have been the most important and the most inspiring for everyone. The book I got printed is pretty long, and probably indigestible in one look, but I keep picking it up and flicking through regularly and everytime I find some great print work, some amazing web function, glitches, or sometime just personal things that make me smile. All of these have inspired me over the past few months, and this book brings them all together in chronological order. Something which I feel is an only too relevant form of categorisation in an industry that is so incredibly advantageous. The only problem with my submission is that Lulu clearly didn't fancy leaving me the 6mm margins I submitted the document with.
Evaluation
Brief 05—Fashion Collab
The fashion collabs were a bit of a weird one. I've seen the end of year show, and looked at 3rd year blogs for 2 years in advance and I was so excited for the fashion collaborations to happen, but they disappointed somewhat. Disappointed in myself more than anything. Both the girls have made some really great garments, and I know they both work really hard, but when you don't get any content to work with until 2 days before print, it's pretty hard to come up with anything particularly special. I know as student some briefs are live and some are entirely fictitious, but when a brief if neither, there doesn't seem any point in progressing a nothing brief. Perhaps it is unnecessary to mention another student here, but Arthur's Hioni brand is definitely one of the best briefs undertaken this module, and I think part of that is due to the fact it to controlled it to a completely fictitious direction as his collaboration has been prospered until after hand in. However I am generally pretty happy with the outcomes, particularly the look books. The idea of triplexxing everything is great, until the client doesn't want to pay for it and I had to mock everything up, again all with little time. I got some okay photos of the products for Winnie, but I'd like to expand the range for my portfolio. I didn't get any photos of Naomi;s as it got printed the day of her hand in, so I didn't get a chance. I was perhaps a little too polite to let that happen. I am feeling positive about finishing these projects after hand in for both the girls exhibition and my portfolio.
Brief 05—Fashion Collab
The fashion collabs were a bit of a weird one. I've seen the end of year show, and looked at 3rd year blogs for 2 years in advance and I was so excited for the fashion collaborations to happen, but they disappointed somewhat. Disappointed in myself more than anything. Both the girls have made some really great garments, and I know they both work really hard, but when you don't get any content to work with until 2 days before print, it's pretty hard to come up with anything particularly special. I know as student some briefs are live and some are entirely fictitious, but when a brief if neither, there doesn't seem any point in progressing a nothing brief. Perhaps it is unnecessary to mention another student here, but Arthur's Hioni brand is definitely one of the best briefs undertaken this module, and I think part of that is due to the fact it to controlled it to a completely fictitious direction as his collaboration has been prospered until after hand in. However I am generally pretty happy with the outcomes, particularly the look books. The idea of triplexxing everything is great, until the client doesn't want to pay for it and I had to mock everything up, again all with little time. I got some okay photos of the products for Winnie, but I'd like to expand the range for my portfolio. I didn't get any photos of Naomi;s as it got printed the day of her hand in, so I didn't get a chance. I was perhaps a little too polite to let that happen. I am feeling positive about finishing these projects after hand in for both the girls exhibition and my portfolio.
Evaluation
Brief 04—Interdis
Probably one of my favourite ever briefs, definitely my favourite live brief. It took a while for Interdisciplinary to decided upon what they wanted, and took ages to get the content, but when we did the rest of the brief ran like a dream. The initial pre branding was great, I designed the blackboard with the vinyl artwork, allowing for daily customisation. The yearbook itself I designed the majority of in about 3 days flat, with regular input and improvements from Arthur. It was quite hard to involve Jo, as we had to work on it one weekend, to meet an interim deadline set by a course, and she doesn't seem to have the same taste in typographic and editorial work as Arthur and I. She did offer to help where possible though. We had one major change along the way with the quote type changing from TImes New Roman Bold Condensed to Flareserif Bold, as the course didn't like TNR and we also realised it wasn't particularly legible with large amounts of text. Other than that, they were more than happy with everything I designed. This was the most amount of real content, and majorly text content I have worked with and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. This is the first time Arth and I have worked together (well since the Typogateaux victory) and I think we would both say it has turned out as one of it not the most successful brief of our FMPs. Th success echoed by Interdisciplinary who have asked to do the film titles and credits for the end of year show reel, as well as brand and curate the display of their yearbooks on a 32" blackboard—so they must have been pretty happy with the design of the yearbook.
Brief 04—Interdis
Probably one of my favourite ever briefs, definitely my favourite live brief. It took a while for Interdisciplinary to decided upon what they wanted, and took ages to get the content, but when we did the rest of the brief ran like a dream. The initial pre branding was great, I designed the blackboard with the vinyl artwork, allowing for daily customisation. The yearbook itself I designed the majority of in about 3 days flat, with regular input and improvements from Arthur. It was quite hard to involve Jo, as we had to work on it one weekend, to meet an interim deadline set by a course, and she doesn't seem to have the same taste in typographic and editorial work as Arthur and I. She did offer to help where possible though. We had one major change along the way with the quote type changing from TImes New Roman Bold Condensed to Flareserif Bold, as the course didn't like TNR and we also realised it wasn't particularly legible with large amounts of text. Other than that, they were more than happy with everything I designed. This was the most amount of real content, and majorly text content I have worked with and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. This is the first time Arth and I have worked together (well since the Typogateaux victory) and I think we would both say it has turned out as one of it not the most successful brief of our FMPs. Th success echoed by Interdisciplinary who have asked to do the film titles and credits for the end of year show reel, as well as brand and curate the display of their yearbooks on a 32" blackboard—so they must have been pretty happy with the design of the yearbook.
Evaluation
Brief 03—Weird Recipes
Generally pretty disappointed with this brief—I've wanted to work with Alice for ages, as I love her illustration style and I was just wanting to find a brief where we could almost treat each other as clients and not actually collaborate as such. This brief seemed perfect for this and it definitely could have been. Basically I (and maybe we) left it too late and the outcomes although, well executed were pretty standard. Other than the functionality of all books being able to work simultaneously in a jigsaw fashion, the whole brief seems a little unconsidered and rushed. Given the time I would have definitely liked to have explored more avenues for aesthetic, function and finishing
Brief 03—Weird Recipes
Generally pretty disappointed with this brief—I've wanted to work with Alice for ages, as I love her illustration style and I was just wanting to find a brief where we could almost treat each other as clients and not actually collaborate as such. This brief seemed perfect for this and it definitely could have been. Basically I (and maybe we) left it too late and the outcomes although, well executed were pretty standard. Other than the functionality of all books being able to work simultaneously in a jigsaw fashion, the whole brief seems a little unconsidered and rushed. Given the time I would have definitely liked to have explored more avenues for aesthetic, function and finishing
Evaluation
Brief 02—Analogue Website
Definitely the most satisfying and successful of briefs. I've had this brief in mind for about 9 months now, but wanted the portfolio and the website worth promoting. When the D&AD Make Your Mark brief was announced it seemed perfect. However the deadline fully jumped on me and I couldn't have submitted a more bodged mockup pitch having not undertaken any analogue processes. However despite obviously not winning there, it has gone to plan if not more so since. I was hoping that I would get some positive feedback from designers I admire, but to be asked by Fraser and Robert to come in and discuss potential opportunities and to develop an ongoing rapport with Wim Crouwel, has gone way beyond my expectations. This entire contradictory notion of analogue vs. digital within this brief epitomise my entire design practice as of June 2012.
Brief 02—Analogue Website
Definitely the most satisfying and successful of briefs. I've had this brief in mind for about 9 months now, but wanted the portfolio and the website worth promoting. When the D&AD Make Your Mark brief was announced it seemed perfect. However the deadline fully jumped on me and I couldn't have submitted a more bodged mockup pitch having not undertaken any analogue processes. However despite obviously not winning there, it has gone to plan if not more so since. I was hoping that I would get some positive feedback from designers I admire, but to be asked by Fraser and Robert to come in and discuss potential opportunities and to develop an ongoing rapport with Wim Crouwel, has gone way beyond my expectations. This entire contradictory notion of analogue vs. digital within this brief epitomise my entire design practice as of June 2012.
Evaluation
Brief 01—Typeface
With technical ability and skill sets in mind, this has been the most beneficial of briefs this module. It has also calmed me down in times of upmost stress. The idea of designing bespoke type is one of the first reasons I got into graphic design, but is something I haven't really touched on since. The reason for embarking on this brief was to realise the value of typefaces, and to create and be able to use a typeface which either nobody else has or to sell—not for monetary value but to see other people using it. In terms of structure and aesthetic I am incredibly happy with it, but I have definitely learnt a typeface isn't bullet over night. I never did assume it to that extent, but it is still nowhere near ready for the public market. I produced it to a standard where I could be in control of its use, but nothing more than that. Everytime I give the typeface a fresh eye a few days/weeks later I seriously question what I was thinking before. I think this process has to go on for another few months before this typeface is ready for use by another party.
Brief 01—Typeface
With technical ability and skill sets in mind, this has been the most beneficial of briefs this module. It has also calmed me down in times of upmost stress. The idea of designing bespoke type is one of the first reasons I got into graphic design, but is something I haven't really touched on since. The reason for embarking on this brief was to realise the value of typefaces, and to create and be able to use a typeface which either nobody else has or to sell—not for monetary value but to see other people using it. In terms of structure and aesthetic I am incredibly happy with it, but I have definitely learnt a typeface isn't bullet over night. I never did assume it to that extent, but it is still nowhere near ready for the public market. I produced it to a standard where I could be in control of its use, but nothing more than that. Everytime I give the typeface a fresh eye a few days/weeks later I seriously question what I was thinking before. I think this process has to go on for another few months before this typeface is ready for use by another party.
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
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