Interim Evaluation for OUGD303

After the progress crit, I have filled in this interim evaluation to help me realise where I am up to. I have been continually evaluating my progress weekly, which has been useful. At the start of the module, I also made some FMP targets, based on my evaluation for OUGD301.  [See blog post]

I've split this evaluation in to 2 parts. Part 1 is an evaluation based on my crit feedback I have received over the module, and some general strengths and areas for improvement. Part 2 is based on my targets.

1.

Strengths

- Well organised, this can be seen through the documentation of work on blog and in folder
- Improved photography skills, which can be seen through the out of view photographs
- Improved overall design skills, in particular, branding, and knowledge and use of typography
- Hard working, progress is visible
- Lots of work, including development
- Designs are relevant for their purpose and the target audience
- Deliverables are pushed far, with lots of ideas for thinking big

Areas for Improvement

- Improve presentation skills, make things neater, in particular, packaging
- Present work on boards for crit
- Need more evaluation of research to show the relevance
- More use of print finishes to make work stand out

2.


Strengths

- Have worked on a few collaborations in this module, which have been beneficial to learn new things and to improve team working skills
- Work is looking more professional, this is due to taking on a few live projects. The experience of dealing with clients has also been useful, preparing me for the real world
- I have experimented with website design, which is something I have been wanting to do for a while
- My work is relevant to my interests shown through my design context, which has effected my branding decisions. The design context publication has been a useful task

Areas for Improvement

- I still need to have more experience sourcing my own stock and dealing with professional printers. I have started a bit of this with my live briefs and hopefully will have more experience by the end of FMP
- I need to further my skills with website design, which I did on my placement. This may be something that still needs improving after FMP
- I need to use the facilities more, and make the most of my time left
- I need more confidence to talk to industry professionals, to ask for help and to make contacts. This also links back to PPD, and on my placement I have gained in confidence, but need to continue to do so.

OUGD303 Weekly Evaluation

[see blog post]

FMP Targets

Here are some new targets for OUGD303, based on things I realised I needed to improve on at the end of OUGD301. As well as new targets, there are continuous ones from the previous module and before that I am yet to complete. I have thought about why I want to achieve these things and what I will gain from doing so. I will be evaluating my progress throughout to see how I am getting on with achieving these targets. 

Targets

1. Working on collaborations throughout FMP is going to be important for me, as this will help me to gain some live work, as well as preparing me for life in the industry, as I get the chance to improve my communication skills and gain a better experience of working with others.

2. Live work is also something that I want to be able to add to my portfolio. As well as this being a benefit, dealing with clients and issues such as pricing will help me to be more professional and would prepare me for if I was to work freelance after this course.

3. Following on from this, I need more experience dealing with printers and sourcing my own stock. By printing and producing things to the highest quality I will achieve professional results. Most of these targets are about in some improving my professionalism and preparing me for life after LCA.

4. This is a target that I have been gradually improving on, but still need to pay a lot of attention to, which is improving my photography skills. I did make use of the photography studio in the last module, but think I need to practise more next time before the final photo shoot, to gain more knowledge of what works best and how to best use the studio equipment, including lighting and how to set up the studio without the help of others. Having better photography skills will mean that my presentation boards look more sophisticated and showcase my work to the best of my ability.

5. Another target which has been something I still need to improve on is more experimentation with my work. Throughout the last module I did get to try out more new techniques but again I want to push myself further, to learn new things and create exciting work that stands out. I want to increase my skill set before I aim to gain work after LCA.

6. This target is something I always say I wish to improve on, which is making use of the facilities available. As I get closer to the end of my time on this course, I know that I need to make the most of these and not take them for granted as soon I won't be able to. I want to re visit things I have had inductions for, and make them relevant for my work. These include book binding, laser cutting and screen printing. This will help me work to be a bit different and more interesting if I put more effort in to my presentation skills.

7. For FMP, I aim to create a detailed time plan that I will stick to throughout the module, to stop me from getting stressed and rushing things at the end of the module. For the last module, I did not put enough consideration in to my time plan and so did not end up following it, which is something I regret, so now I want to make the most out the time plan I create.

8. As I have been previously focusing my skills on design for print, I now want to allow my digital skills to develop, especially in terms of web design. I want to gain more advanced skills, especially with the use of dreamweaver. Website design is something that I want to look in to in the future so I need to be prepared for this, as I think having digital skills will improve my chances of securing a job/freelance work. 

9. Throughout the last module, the quality of work I have been producing has improved greatly, with me now having a range of work I would feel happy and proud to include in my portfolio. However, I think I need to be careful about how I spend my time, which goes back to creating a time plan, as I believe I can produce a greater quantity of work.

10. I need to stay motivation and focused throughout this module, no matter what responses I get towards my work in a crit. If I feel like I am at a dead end, I need to get help straight away, rather than wasting time, which causes stress. Every moment now is very important so I need to work hard to make the most of the time I have left. 

11. I want to produce a relevant body of work that shows who I am as a designer, that I can include in my portfolio. I need to focus on the PPD side of things as well as this module, as I need to increase my confidence in my work, and so promote myself as a designer, to potential clients as well as to studios. By doing this I want to gain more professional industry experience which may help influence my design practice.