OUGD202... End of Module Evaluation

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

Obviously, the most important new skill I have learnt is a new software skill. My ability to use this piece of software, after effects, has developed greatly through this module. I think I have applied my new skill really well to my work, as I have tried to show case the techniques and effects I have learnt in my sequences. I have also recorded what I have learnt in tutorials and workshops, to mean that when I need to go back and re-do an effect, it is easy for me to remember how to do it.

There is probably always room for improvement, but my time management and organisation skills have developed greatly, as they seem to do with each module. I have tried to make my blog easy to navigate around, as well as making sure my work and design choices are understandable. This is the first module where I feel happy with my work, and feel as if I have worked hard enough throughout the module to not feel like I have to rush it at the end. I hope this shows in my work. At the same time as I think I have effectively applied these skills to my work, I know that there is more to be done.

I have learnt so many new software skills through the tutorials I have been doing, and not just for after effects. I have learnt more about photo shop and illustrator. An example of how I have applied this is the pattern making tutorials that I did, which then meant that I could use these patterns as backgrounds in my after effects sequences to save them from looking plain.

I have improved my research skills in this module, because this is something that had always been written as something to work on in my feedback through my previous modules. Before, I would put work on my design context blog and not really explain its relevance, and it wouldn’t seem to have an impact on my work. But in this module, I have been selective about what I put on my design context blog, and have made sure to explain its significance. I feel as if the pieces I have chosen have really impacted upon my work as well. In particular, the tv show intros that I watched inspired my storyboards greatly, and I think this meant that they worked a lot better than if I had not done so much research. I am really pleased with myself that I have managed to work on this target.

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

As mentioned above, in this module I have really taken my research seriously and therefore it is really helped my design development process. All research I have included on my blog has been relevant and inspiring, making a positive impact on the way that I have worked.

I have spent a lot of time researching my subject for my top ten, which was cupcakes, to make sure that I was an expert in my area, so I could create the idea for a show which could possibly work as a real show. I have also researched my theme that runs throughout my work for the top ten, which was the 50’s, to ensure that my designs suit the theme, and everything is consistent. I have received positive feedback in crits about this, so I think doing my research has paid off.

Researching videos created on after effects, as well as TV and film intros has been a crucial part of research, as creating a video is something that I have never done before. I was so unsure about where to start, or what I should include, but after looking at so many videos, I felt like I knew what I needed to do. Initially I really didn’t think that this module would interest me as much as the others, but it was after doing so much research that I really got in to the module, found out how creative some intros are, and felt inspired to create a well made final piece.

As always I have done a bit of research on general graphic designer’s work that could influence my designs, but I think I could have done a bit more of this - in particular, looking more at typography would have helped. However, my research from my briefs from other modules has also helped to inspire me, such as the type as image brief from the image module.

As my main interest is in illustration, I have enjoyed looking at inspiring works by illustrators, in particular to do with the theme of cupcakes. This helped me to think about experimenting with different styles of illustration before choosing a style which I thought would suit my theme best.

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

Illustration is the area of graphic design that I am most interested in, which is why I wanted to create illustrations to work with for this top ten brief, rather than photography. I think my style of illustration is always improving with the more that I do, and I especially like the cupcakes that I have created as assets for my videos. I experimented a lot with my imagery before deciding on which style to use. To continue to improve, I will continue to practice with my illustration, trying new techniques and styles.

Simple things on after effects like figuring out things like timings are a strength in my work. I don’t know how successful it has been, but working to the beats of the music helped me to decide on how my action would move throughout my sequence. Really putting thought in to my design choices and figuring out what I wanted to do is a strength which I will continue to work on.

I am happy with my work for first time, and I think this is a strength, mainly because it is a target I have written on every evaluation I have done. I want to feel happy and confident with my work, so that I can show it off to others, and help me improve my PPD work. I think I am happy with my work because this is the hardest I have ever worked, and I hope this can be seen through my blog. I have not slept a lot during this module so I do need to find the right work and rest balance to ensure I continue to work hard without getting exhausted!

Although the concept for my idea for the top ten things brief may be quite simple, I think I made my ideas very clear from the start. I capitalized on this strength through my design direction boards, which are the best I have ever made, and I think they work well to show my inspiration, the style I wanted to go with and what it is all about. 

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

I learnt so much through the software workshops and the online after effects tutorials, that I was eager to put every single skill I had learnt in to my work. I realised that trying to put every effect in to a short ten second clip meant that there was a bit too much going on, and everything is a bit crazy. I tried to edit these, so they weren’t too busy, but I think in future, I should consider my sequences to be more of a story, with a reason behind the actions that are being taken, than just a series of effects.

While I have learnt to organise my time well, I need to be sure to organise other aspects of work, such as making sure my blog looks tidy. I have being using websites such as issuu and gickr, to help tidy up my blog, as well as creating contact sheets to show photographs, so I think while I have improved from before, I need to make sure every blog post looks tidy to make my blog easier to look through. 

I need to organise my elements in my sequences better, and I think the only way that this can be done is with more accurate storyboards. My silent movie sequences work exactly as I wanted them to, and I think this is because I spent so much time getting their timing on my storyboards right. While I did lots of experimental storyboards for my top ten, I didn’t produce accurate storyboards with times on them, so it made it harder to actually start creating my sequences in after effects. Especially when creating the 60 second sequence, this seemed very daunting without an almost exact plan to follow. Another element to making my storyboards more accurate and easier to follow would be adding the intended colours to my hand-drawn storyboards.

While I asked for feedback on my final pieces, which really helped me to improve what I had done, I think I should have taken a step back and asked for feedback on my storyboards before I committed myself to an idea, and then any problems with the storyboards could have been resolved earlier.

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

-1- Next time I need to prioritise my time better. This module was a particularly busy period, with the critical studies essay, image module briefs and group enterprise work, and at times I felt like I wasn’t spending enough time on this module. I think this was because I found this module quite intimidating at times, as I didn’t know the software too well, where my work for the other modules seemed a lot easier. I think prioritising would allow me to do more work for the higher credited modules, which would hopefully be reflected in my grades.

-2- If I was doing this brief again I would have spent a lot longer on my packaging. While it is a design for screen module and so therefore it is wise that I have spent the majority of time designing my sequences, I feel like my packaging does let me down, and doesn’t showcase all that I learnt about print in the previous module. I made packaging that aimed to look like an actual DVD case, where I should have been more creative about it to make something more unique.

-3-  Initially I found after effects really hard to use, and even found it daunting to open as I knew I would struggle to create anything. However, with the help of after effects workshops, online tutorials and help from tutors and friends, I feel like I got there in the end. Next time however, I would stop panicking, and just get on with asking for help from the start, rather than putting off creating my sequences in after effects. I kept finding other things I thought I needed to work on, rather than getting on with the actual after effects work, as I felt intimated by it. By doing this, I will make sure no time is wasted, and it will allow for me to learn even more skills with the software, which then in return I can teach to others. Creating the work sooner would also allow for me to get more feedback, so I could make any improvements sooner, rather than rushing at the end. 

-4- Next time, I will not underestimate the importance of planning. As mentioned above in the weaknesses section, I think not having detailed, accurate storyboards was the worst mistake of this module. While I had lots of ideas drawn into simple storyboards with basic annotation, they were not as detailed or accurate as the storyboards I created for the silent movie sequences. So, if I was to work with after effects again, I would plan my content better, and then ask for feedback. This would make it easier to create my designs on after effects, and make sure that my content was interesting and worked as I wanted it to.

-5- While I have worked really hard over term time, I don’t think I got enough done over the christmas holidays, as I lost a bit of motivation. Next time I have a module with a large break in the middle, I need to plan what I need to, and set myself targets so that it definitely gets done. I need to continue to ask for feedback from friends during these breaks, to ensure that I do not feel like I am getting stuck at a dead end. By making the most of my time, and not wasting it, I think I will produce a higher quantity of work, with a better visual quality to it.

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