OUGD504 // Module Evaluation

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

Throughout this module i have a lot, with the first brief on Design for print i learnt so much about printing within the industry and how ti set up artwork for industry print. I also got the chance to look at a lot of different print techniques within this brief. I have experimented with different printing techniques, some not working out as well as others but i am happy with what i have attempted and achieved. Within the print brief i used the laser cut a lot - this element was the key to my design - i think i mixed stock and the use of the laser cutter well within this part of the brief. 

Within the web brief - this was the biggest learning curve out of all the briefs. I havent done anything in web design before this brief and i was key to learn about it to set me up with more a skill set. When we first started i had no idea what i was doing and it took a while to sink in, but i found once i started to do it by myself i learnt more and more - using the internet to search for different ways of using the HTML and CSS codes worked best. I now feel happy and confident in using dreamweaver and would feel confident in taking on a website myself.

The print and web brief was good in terms that it brought both aspects of the previous briefs together in one. With the web element i was confident as i felt like i could produce a much better and user friendly designed website. I tried to make it more design based and have a better aesthetic to it, which i think i achieved. 

My biggest overcome was that about half way through the brief i had a design block - the work i was doing i wasn't happy with and didn't felt that it met the brief, so bravely i decided to change the concept and the products with just 2 weeks left. This was hard as i had less time to produce the full set of products but i did manage to do it and i learnt that i can work well under stress and that i dont need to be worried about changing an idea so late on - i was much happier working on the second idea and i think i produced good products for it. 

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

Throughout the print and print & web briefs i have experimented with different printing techniques. The main one i have used is laser cut - i made good use of this in the print brief and think that i used it to an effective use and a way in which supported and made the design better. I have also used alot of different stocks throughout the whole module - I like to work stock hands on and i think i have shown this throughout the module by using a wide variety of different stocks on each brief. 

In the print & web brief i experimented with binding techniques - actually i did this within the print brief too, but i did that in way i had previously bound before. In the print & web i used binding screws - this was a great way to bind the publication and really easy too - the aesthetic of it really worked with the colour of the stock on the front cover and the look it gave the overall publication.

In the web i learnt coding and how to code effectively and the right way - this made the website a lot easier to design and to understand as i was going through the all the coding.


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

I think the strengths in my work have defiantly been the use of stock and printing techniques, even though i have used that many different techniques, the ones i have used have been done well and used in a way to support the work and make it better - i havent just done it to show that i have thought about it. 

The other strength i would say was the publications, especially the print production manual - I think i have increased my editorial design and this shows through that publication. I spent much longer on the design for this and then once i had designed i printed it to look through and find all the mistakes. I looked at all the finer details and made sure everything was lined up and that the body copy was laid out right. I think this shows in the final print of the publication - it looks professional and all the design is carried out consistently throughout the publication.




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

I think the weakness in my work would be not experimenting enough with the design of the products. I think this is more evident within the first web brief - i dont like the design of it and think it could be alot better for the content that it is showing - I think i have done a good job with what i have done and that it shows a working website but i definatly learnt from it and in the print and web brief my website was so much better and the design of it was a more user friendlier site and aesthetically it looks better. 

In the initial stages of my print and web brief on the first idea, i used a very basic design in the publication and carried that through the whole products - i think that was a reason why i didnt like that worked so much, but then when i changed the idea and started on the second design idea, i experimented more with a different style to what i would usually take - using a more hand drawn style and using my tablet to draw within the publication. I felt that this was much stronger and was more in context with the actual content. This showed me again that if i experiment with different ideas and work on things using a different style to what i am comfortable with then it proves to show a better design outcome.


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

1. Take longer on the initial design stage and experiment with different layouts - this will produce a better designed final outcome, with a higher standard finish and a more professional look. 

2. Try out different printing techniques - i have used printing techniques throughout this module but i still want to expriment with emboss and deboss and use foiling within my actual work. This will show different skills that i have and add extra elements to my designs.

3. Photograph final products better - I need to photograph the final products better and show these in context. I think next time i will use the photography studios to get the best lighting possible. 

4. Print presentation boards / take more time over presentation boards - I think i need to improve my presentation boards, i think i have got better as i have gone through the briefs in this module, but i still think there is more that i can do to make them better.

5. Be prepared for crits more - In this module i have gone into some of the crits not prepared and not having all the work to show in order to get the relevant and good feedback from the group.

Attendance - 5

Punctuality - 5

Motivation - 4

Commitment - 4

Quantity of work produced - 4

Quality of work produced - 4

Contribution to the Group - 4