Design is about doing. Letter, Word, Sentence, Paragraph.

.Opposite - Blue & Orange, Red & Green, Yellow & Purple

These are opposite colours on the colour wheel

Concept - I will spell out the name of a colour with objects that are the colours opposite. I will do the same for the opposite colour, and include this underneath so the idea is obvious.

Crit

How much is it worth?

In our crit, we worked out roughly how many hours we thought we had spent just on this brief, to help us to work out how much our work would be worth if we were professional graphic designers.

Mon- 5 Tue- 0 Wed-2 Thurs-7 Total-14 hours

Charging £100 an hour would mean this work is worth £1,400

Feedback

It is a good concept, and is interesting because it is 3d, but some photographs may need to be retaken to ensure that the images are sharp.

Things to consider

Is the concept clear? I think the concept is fairly simple so can be understood by everyone.

Is the typography legible? Some letters are not as easy to understand as others, but I think next to the other letters and with the use of colour it is obvious what the words are.

What stock would you print it on? I am not sure yet, I will need to experiment in digital print, but I probably won't print the posters on to snow white paper as the contrast between the white and the colours is too harsh.

Receipt

Final Piece

My Evaluation

Despite this only being a one week brief, I am really pleased with my final posters. The pieces are quite different to what I would usually do, due to the restrictions with the brief, but I am happy about this, as it has pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to do things differently, and as a result, I am really pleased with how this has turned out. I think considering the time we spent everyday on the brief was a really good way of reflecting that I think I will use in the future. With so many other things going on also during the week, I do feel as if I left the designing of the final piece until the last minute for the final crit. However, after the final crit, there was still an amount of time before the piece had to be submitted for the competition. So, after the feedback I received in the final crit, I went back and neatened and edited the images to ensure that all of the letters were clear and easy to read. I have printed each poster onto A4 gloss paper in digital print to ensure the best quality presentation. 

End of Module Self Evaluation

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



I have learnt how to create a moving image, something which I enjoyed greatly as I have never done anything like this before. I haven't put this new skill to full use, as I decided not to make a moving video for my Collection 100 product, but would like to create a video in a future module.


Through the photo shop workshop, as well as through my own experimentation which followed, I have learnt a lot about photo shop. Previously, the processes I had been using to edit my images had been destructive, meaning that I couldn't go back to the original image if I needed. This workshop has been useful, as I created all of the dinosaur pages in photo shop, so I had the opportunity to apply the new things I learnt to my Collection 100 work.


I have learnt about different book folds and binding. This practical research process inspired me to create a concertina book for my Collection 100 final piece. The prospect of creating a book previously had always seem daunting, so I had always stuck to flat pieces. By doing something different to what I would usually do I feel much happier with my final piece. 


I learnt how I can translate data into graphics through the task of plotting life events into a graph, as well as researching info graphics in the What is Graphic Design for Screen brief. I haven't applied this new skill to my work for Collection 100 as I didn't think info-graphics were relevant for my target audience, although in hindsight, simplifying the information I gathered may have been possible with the use of info-graphics.

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

In this module I have learnt a lot about research, from why it is important to different types of research. I have done a lot more of it, and made sure that it is relevant. Previously the only research I really did was secondary research of images. For this module there has been both primary and secondary research, as well as qualitative and quantitative research. I have used the internet and books, as well as other approaches, such as setting up facebook groups, questionnaires and actually testing out my product.


In particular, in the What If group brief we did a lot of research, not only of graphic design, but with our audience to make sure there was actually a place for our idea. Through this research I have learnt that what I think is needed or is a good idea may not actually be the best idea, the only way to know which idea would work the best is to find out what the target audience are looking for and to test the idea. Therefore, I think the primary qualitative research which I gained through methods such as questionnaires and responses to a facebook group has been the most informative to help with my design process.

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



I have realised that when things don't go right this is not a weakness, in fact, mistakes and wrong decisions are useful, and that is what this module has been all about. Unlike in the previous module, in this module I haven't just gone with my first idea, no matter how good I think it may be. Instead, I have thought of many ideas, tried out different things, as well as letting my ideas develop and change because of things that have inspired me, things that have gone wrong, as well as comments I have received in crits. 

Learning about type and grid in a visual language session has made me ensure that there is a visual consistency with the grids of all my products. This was especially important when creating a book with over 100 pages. Previously I wouldn't have made sure my measurements or layout were exact. 

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



Despite a lot of progress, I haven't improved on all the things I wanted to in the last module. I think the quality of presentation is still a weakness in my work. I haven't really experimented with different stocks and paper sizes as I had wanted to. I think creating stickers to go with my book for Collection 100 could have made it more exciting. 


A weakness is not making sure that my product is understandable earlier on. Through this module, I have learnt that the ideas and thoughts in my head may not be what other people see. Especially if a product has to do the talking for itself, its important that I regularly ask for feedback from tutors as well as asking the opinions of others, in particular the target audience. 


I think I should have thought more about the content of my Collection 100 book before starting to actually create the pages. I did initially plan to make cards, so when I decided to make a book instead I should have thought more about the content, instead of straight away turning my ideas for the cards in to a book. I created 100 dinosaur colouring pages as well as activity pages and introductory pages. If my idea had been 100 pages instead of 100 dinosaurs, I think I would have had more time to concentrate on improving the quality of each page. Also, I could have included more activities and this range would have been a better way to keep the readers attention. 


With a book you have to consider how the pages work with each other when placed next to each other on a double page spread, but as I had initially planned to create cards, I hadn't put much thought in to this. There were some pages I had to re-design after not considering this until later on in the project, and there are still some pages I am unhappy with. If I was creating the book again, I would create more mock-ups before making the final piece, so I could ensure that all of the parts of the pages were where I wanted them.

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

In the next module I would like to learn how to use different software, as I feel that there could be a better programme to edit book pages on, instead of photo shop, which is more useful for the manipulation of photographs, as can be seen through the postcards I created for the photoshop brief. I think if I knew of a better way to arrange the pages on the computer before printing, I would be happier with the layout of the final piece.


Next time I think I will create more mock-ups of my product, and print these on different stocks and at different sizes. This is a similar to how in the previous module I wanted to ensure that in future I was not rushing in with my first design idea. I need to not just choose the simplest stock or size, or the first one I think of, but to experiment. I think I will be able to create much more exciting, eye-catching pieces if I was to do this differently next time. 


I think since the last module the way in which I work has improved, as the PPD time management sessions made me realise the amount of time I spent doing things. However, I am still not managing my time as effectively as I could be, especially during stressful times. There were a lot of things going on at once at the same time as this module, such as the critical studies essay and visual language work, and at times I have struggled with completing my work. If next time I kept more up to date with to-do lists, and planned ahead about what needed doing, I wouldn't need to rush to complete anything but could ensure every piece of work was the quality I intended it to be.


I think I need to consider what is the most important part of the module. I realise I have spent quite a while on the photo shop brief as I found it the most enjoyable and because I found I was learning a lot through my experimentation. Yet, due to the time I spent on this, my Collection 100 work suffered slightly.


Next time I will consider the cost of the product I am making before I start to make it. I was aware that the costs would affect the product, and I feel like I have limited my designs because of this. In future, if I can plan ahead for what I will need to print, I could have the best quality printing and good stock instead of choosing the cheapest stock in the end as I had so much to print. With about 30 a3 sheets for my Collection 100 book, this would have been quite expensive to all print in the digital print room.

6. How would you grade yourself on the following areas
(5= excellent 4=very good 3=good 2=average 1=poor)
Attendance = 4
Punctuality = 5
Motivation = 3
Commitment = 3
Quantity of work produced = 3
Quality of work produced = 3
Contribution to the group = 4

Visual Language: Book Fair

Design Work

Week One Crit

We had a crit with other students to discuss our initial ideas, asking questions about stock, colour, crafting, process, format, and whether or not the book works as a poster as well. 

Issues Raised

- What stock will be used? Plain white paper can look cheap, it would look better on a thicker stock, maybe with a texture or colour behind it.

- Will you hand draw the images or create them on illustrator? It may look more professional on illustrator but will take longer to do.

- The text inside on the poster looks too much in comparison to the other pages, and also it doesn't have any shape to the layout. You could re-arrange the layout and maybe have a big three in the middle instead.

After the crit I decided to create a developed version of my book, re-arranging different aspects.

Week Two Crit

Considerations

Format: A4

Stock: I will try printing my book on to different stocks, ideally something with colour and a slight texture that is still thin, such as parcel paper or newsprint

Interactions: Just something to look at

Is it image, text, or text/image: Images made out of text, possibly hand drawn and scanned in, or created on illustrator

In our second crit we had to explain our ideas and reasons to a different group of people than in the first crit. After explaining my book, showing my mock-up and listening to others feedback, I realised that I was still unsure about my book, as I thought the images looked a bit scruffy, and I was worried I do not have the skills on illustrator to create the images. So I decided to go along with an early idea - a book containing text and illustrations about the significance of the number three in children's fairytales and nursery rhymes. I will still keep the book the same format, and still intend to print on the same stock. It was a difficult decision to change my idea so late on in the brief, as it meant I wouldn't get the feedback I had received recieve for my first idea, and obviously I had a lot less time to complete my book. However, after asking my peers about this decision, the general response was that the second idea was stronger.

Final Book Screenshots

Photographs of Final Book 

Books with belly bands

Front Cover

Book pages

Inside Poster

Showing hot dog fold

Evaluation
I am much happier with my final book since changing my idea, although this left me with difficulties, such as a shorter time to work with, and not having the opportunity to present my new book in class crits. I have experimented with stocks of different colours, textures and weights for this brief, which I haven't really done before, but I think the use of a different stock allows for a more exciting final product. I think as the outcome of this brief has always been about the physical book, I have taken better care with my presentation, which is something that I previously noticed I needed to improve on. I think the restrictions on size and layout have actually helped me within this brief, rather than limiting my design as I first worried they might.