OUGD603 End of Module Evaluation

What skills have you developed throughout this module and how effectively have you applied them?

This module has ensured myself a path within graphic design, which is primarily branding and identity. I have developed my ability to identify a concept and ensure that it is a running theme throughout me designs. On top of this I have taken much more care over my choices of stock and the quality of my printed materials. I have found that this year I have been striving to push myself further in terms of my designs and also my ideas. I have tried to always ensure innovation in my designs and make them completely unique.

Working with a range of clients has made me much more aware of how to work in industry, and has improved my ability to identify the wants and needs of a client. Similarly, after the interim submission I have been striving to pay more attention to my target audience, and what they want from the product or event. My skills relating to layout have greatly improved, as well as paying attention to detail in mocking up images.

This module has been most successful in defining where my strengths lie, and leading me on a path that I feel I can excel on. I have developed a lot of existing skills with has resulted in me producing work that, for the first time on the course, I am really proud of.

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

This module I have tried hard to pay more attention to the context of my designs, and thinking about the placement of the products or posters and the setting in which they will be presented. This in turn has informed my approach to much of the designs I have produced this year, as I am more aware of the manner in which my audience will see them. Similarly, given that a lot of my briefs were focused around brand identity, I have become aware of the importance of researching into the ethos and ideals in the brand. This is something I learnt while completing Brief 2 (Born Free) as their mission statement and ethos of the foundation are evident in all of their campaigns.

I have found myself spending a lot more time on the initial stages of development, which was an aim of mine for this module. This has ensured more variety in my options and has also ensured that I have chosen the best option to pursue.

While another one of my aims was to develop my skills at designing for on screen purposes, I have since realised that this area is not one of my strengths, and so I have been more focused on print based design.

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

I have been able to identify that my biggest strength is in branding and identity, and promotional design, and most of my briefs have been centered around these two aspects of graphic design. I really love the outcome to Brief 1 (Cannes) which was a brief I pulled all of my energy into and tried to ensure not to restrict myself. I have realized that when it comes to promotional design I can work to a very short timescale, and this has actually improved my work, as with no room for error, I find myself making fewer mistakes. By ensuring these two aspects to design are evenly weighted, as well as the incorporation of typography, I have been able to produce a varied portfolio.

While much of my work falls into the branding and identity bracket, I think that there is enough variation within this to show that I approach every brief differently, and avoid similarities in them.

I have managed to develop the manner in which I deal with client briefs, and have found myself doing the appropriate amount of research to be able to interpret their ideas well. I have also found that I have developed my patience skills when working with clients, and with groups, as has been evidenced in some of the more difficult briefs.

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

I have found that in several instances I have struggled with constructing packaging. One of my aims of this year was to improve my crafting skills, but when it came down to it I still found myself struggling to put some designs together. This is something that I am going to try and spend time practicing, as I think where I am struggling is in not doing enough test pieces to get it right. While I am aware that this skill may not be relevant for the field I aim to go into, having the understanding and ability to perfect this skill will always be beneficial.

I have at times struggled with having confidence in my work and wanting to present it to people. This year I have produced work that I have found myself taking great pride in and I am much more comfortable with people seeing my work. This module has taught me to understand the way in which I work and how to apply that effectively, which has resulted in me know feeling confident enough to apply myself to the industry.

Brief 13: Personal Branding for Makeup Artist Design Boards and Evaluation

This brief was short, as all the client wanted was a logo and business cards. She was a great client as she was very specific about what she wanted, and had already seen some of my work that she liked, wanting her logo produced in a similar fashion.

The final logo fits the brief well as in incorporates bright splashes of colour and a facial feature. The design is very current and quite edgy, but also does not hint at any particular preference of makeup styles. The logo is easy to vary in terms of colour and context, and could also be adapted to fit different aspects of her job.

The business cards are consistent with the logo by featuring the inky texture on the back of the card. Similarly the web design is appropriately minimal due the the busy nature of the logo. This could have been made more succinct with the overall design, but given that this was not included with the brief, I chose to keep it simple to see if she wanted to use it, which in the end she decided to use.

I was pleased with the outcome of this brief, and how easy it was to design due to the very detailed brief the client gave me. Due to this I was able to turn around the logo quickly and had very little changes to make to it. It was also a big plus that she wanted to use the web design for her website, as this pulled the whole brand together.

Brief 12: Book of Monkman Design Boards and Evaluation

Given that this was a live brief set by a Creative Advertising student, he was very particular about what he wanted. This was to be a bible-looking digital portfolio, playing on his name - Will Monkman. He told me that he wanted it to appear aged and weathered, with some illustrative embellishments on the page. I made the point that embellishments on the page could distract from the work itself, but he was adamant that it wouldn't.

There are some aspects to this brief that worked well and some that I don't worked as well. The parchment style texture works for the theme of his portfolio, as does the aged leather cover. The front page as a whole gives the appropriate impression of his work, and also insinuates that his work is like following a religion and he is hugely dedicated to it. However, the cross on the front page could easily be taken the wrong way and may even be seen as blasphemous or disrespectful. However, Will was sure that people seeing his portfolio would understand that it is just a play on words.

I managed to change his mind in terms of the embellishments, and they ended up being just on the front two and back two pages which didn't hold any work. This made the portfolio appear much more professional. However, the type used could be considered too decorative, and may distract from the work further. A simple Roman typeface would have been more appropriate, but not as in keeping with the theme and type examples Will had chosen.

Overall, this was a client brief and the client was happy with it, but if it weren't there would have been several changes I would have made to it. However, this was a good lesson in working for clients, and understanding that I may not like everything I produce, but as long as the client does it's a job well done.

Brief 11: DBA Design Boards and Evaluation

Our group for this brief consisted of Joe Harrison, Leo Sims, Anna Sergison, Jake Greenhalgh and myself. Although each person was assigned a different aspect of the brief to design, there is a high level of consistency throughout. Having changed the logo a few times, which was a collective task, the design we landed on is an appropriate representation of our concept for the Capital North brand, which was to exhibit the diversity and culture within each city, while presented them as a unified capital of the North.

This concept is kept apparent throughout the designs of the trains and taxis, as the imagery of each design is individual to the city in which it would be based, while maintaining their unity through the layout and colour scheme, which is kept simple and recognisable. While it may have been beneficial to find some other ways of exhibiting each city, for example incorporating more big landmarks into the designs, this was the idea that the group all decided on.

While the logo was designed well, showing each city in a geographical manner around the N, I feel that it may have been a better option to make the colours more different to each other. This is because if the designs in Liverpool were in one colour, and then travelled to Hull, and saw another colour, they are similar enough that the difference may not be noticed, when the variation in colour is vital to the display of diversity in the brand.

Our group worked well, each of us given an even weighting in tasks and coming together once or twice a week to ensure we were on a similar path. However, a couple of days before presenting it came to our attention that one member hadn't done the work they were responsible for, leaving the other members only a day to complete all the work he was meant to do. Because of this, we presented our brand without him, and stopped associating him with our group.

In spite of a couple of hiccups along the way, the remaining four members of our group worked really well together, each person with equal responsibility and equal say in the design process. All of our ideas were landed on collectively and were of a good standard. Given the chance to do something differently, we may have needed to spend more time on the logo design, as this was a point of weakness in the brand that was picked up by the judges we were presenting to. However, I would be more than happy to work with the same people again as I was really pleased with our outcome.

Brief 10: Secret 7 Design Boards and Evaluation

Having done the Secret 7 brief before, with the restrictions of not using the artists name or song title, it is a challenge that I look forward to and acted as a good break from Context of Practice. The layout is a good reflection of the vocals of Diana Ross & The Supremes, the three of them singing much of 'Reflections' in harmony.

The use of tambourines is apparent in the song and so is a good theme to bring forward in the designs, and while the illustrations are an appropriate modern twist on the instrument, it may not be totally in keeping with the era the song was at it's peak. However, the aim I had was to bring the song and that genre of music into a more focal point in this time, which was achieved here.

Similarly, the colour scheme of the designs are current and do not particularly coincide with the artists previous album artwork, but again these were dated. The set up of the illustrations shows the unity of the vocalists in the song and how they all overlap each other.

Overall, I was really pleased with this outcome, especially considering only a couple of days was spent on it. I think that it brings the song and the genre of music into the 21st century without altering any aspect to it. Given the time I would have liked to spend some more time coming up with some alternative illustrations because there is little variation in the designs themselves, and this way another, perhaps better idea could have become apparent. However, with the time I had, I feel that the outcome is innovative and unlike other designs that may be made for the same song.

Brief 9: DR ME Design Boards and Evaluation

This brief gave me an awareness of just how much I can get done with limited time. On top of this, designing for the music sector is something I have been interested in in my time at LCA. I was also pleased to be working with Grace, who I have worked with before and has always been a good partner.

The vinyl cover design was drawn up based on the nature of the song we were assigned, and it accurately depicts the varied elements of the track that all come together. The nature of the overlapping shapes also lend themselves to some of the technical elements to the music. However, some more variation in terms of visuals could have been beneficial, as the same idea was repeated in different ways to land on one that worked.

The promotional poster design for Odonis Odonis is based upon what we thought fans of the artist would want to see, or what would make them inclined to go. One of the design uses a mechanical structure which embodies the nature of their music, while the other gives more obvious impact. More time could have been spent developing the layout and type choices, but time was limited anyway.

The final personal design was meant to be a reflection of our own graphic design interests, which is why it features a typeface I went on to design. It is strictly a header typeface and would not work on a smaller scale, but it as a bold poster design it works well in context with the word 'melting'.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this day, as this is a manner in which I would love to work in the future, with strict time constraints. Although it means that research is limited, I also found that given there was no wiggle room to make mistakes with it, I was actually making much fewer mistakes than I ordinarily would, and I found that my work benefitted greatly from being under large time pressure.

Brief 8: Atha Developments Design Boards and Evaluation

This was the first live brief of the year, and the first which was centred around an existing brand's identity. The work produced is a good reflection of the process behind construction and how every aspect of it may influence several others. The logo fits the description of what the clients wanted, a modern approach without being too industrial looking.

All of the wants of the client were met, however if this was not a client brief, the typeface used for 'Atha Developments' in the logo would have been different, as the use of Ariel Black seems to take away from the impact of the initials 'AD' due to it's heavy nature.

Although the clients did not ask for a website design, their lack of a web presence was very noticeable when doing research into the brand, and so I designed the website anyway, for them to use if they saw fit. It is simply laid out making it easy for users to direct around, however, again due to the limited information that was only available via their Facebook page, the content is fairly sparse, using only photos to direct around the site.

Had this not been a short client brief, the work would have benefitted from being expanded over other materials, and some more time spent on the webpage would have made it more appealing to viewers. However, the clients were very happy with the outcome and were pleased with the way the logo translated onto other aspects of their brand.

Brief 7: Belgrave Design Boards and Evaluation

This brief required a quick turnaround as it was set as a one day brief. I was pleased with some aspects to the outcomes of this brief, for example the layout of the final chosen poster works well when placed in context in the mockups, and can easily be visualised as something that would be on the wall in Belgrave Music Hall.

The previous posters show that the designers for Belgrave stick to a similar aesthetic for their promotional materials, and in light of this some aspects remained similar in the new designs. For example the infographic style illustrations are inspired by those already on their posters, as are the background and colour scheme. This is appropriate because in industry it may not be that the clients want a new look to their poster designs, and perhaps just slight variation.

The two posters that weren't chosen for the final are both still appropriate to the event, but the layout and set up of the illustrations seem a bit thrown together, whereas the chosen design is more stripped down to show the essentials - food, drink and music.

I was pleased with what I managed to produce in a day, in spite of spending very little time on research, meaning that a heavy load of research is not always necessary, which I could see informing some aspects of my practice in the future. While this meant that there was not a strong concept to the designs, which I usually take care over ensuring, the end result fits well among the other designs on the walls of Belgrave Music Hall.

Brief 6: Typeface Design Boards and Evaluation

Given that my specialisms within graphic design fall into branding, promotions and typography, this brief was written to spend some time practicing the process of designing a typeface. The aim was to bring two traditional type forms together, and this was done by using Times New Roman Bold, the ultimate traditional font, as a base to modernise it and make it a more decorative typeface.

The letters effectively still evidence their shape but have been fragmented in a way that informs the viewer of the perhaps unnecessary elements to Roman fonts. In some way, by taking away parts of the embellishment of Times New Roman, the result has ended up being more decorative.

This typeface, named Building Block, has evidenced that it can be used on a variety of scales and in a range of different contexts. However, it can only really be used for headers and titles, as the nature of the shapes of each letter make reading more than a couple of words appear quite hectic and confusing. With hindsight, I would have made the lowercase much more simple, allowing for it's use to expand to other media and materials.

I was pleased with the outcome of this brief, and how easily I was able to use it in situ for brief 1. This means that it can act as a commonly appropriate choice for posters, logos and other promotional materials. It has been limited by it's lowercase, which would be something I may choose to change in the future to make it more usable and applicable to multiple outcomes.

Brief 5: Miel Handmade Design Boards and Evaluation

It states in the brief to design for a shop/restaurant that would be of interest to you. For a couple of years now I have found that I would love to own and run a shop that sells specialised jams, sweet or savoury, as well as honey and cooking ingredients, so this acted as a sort of preparation for if that were to happen one day.

This was a collaborative brief with an illustrator on Visual Communication, who designed the images of the fruit, vegetables and herbs that are used throughout the branding. These illustrations when combined with the logo and type give and impression of authenticity, and are seemingly quite homey, which fits the nature of Miel Handmade. It is a brand which is designed to remind people of home comforts in an upmarket setting.

While the design and layout of the jar and bottle labels is effective, the label could do with being slightly more transparent, allowing for more o the illustration behind to come through. However, this did make some of the type slightly less legible and clear, which is of higher importance than the illustrations.

The packaging is either a simple tote bag, costing 50p which goes to a charity which varies each month, or can be packaged as a gift in the basket. The incorporation of the basket ensures the rustic and home made theme is continued past just the shop. This is similarly translated on the web proposal, which allows for the products to be bought online.

Ideally I could have spent more time creating a wider range of jar label types and sizes however due the cost of the jars this was not a feasible option. While I would have been interested in going into more depth with some promotional materials, that was not totally appropriate for the brand. I would have liked to have created some sample packs to have been distributed in the opening week of the shop, and spent more time branding the cafe further.

Brief 4: Paco Rabanne Design Boards and Evaluation

The work on this brief was a challenge due to the existing nature of the brand. The aim was to promote a fragrance which was designed for men, but visually the promotional materials were to appear gender neutral, which has been achieved in the promotional designs.

The decision to limit the use of photography in designs throughout this module has been somewhat of a challenge, but the time in which it became most difficult was with this brief, because Paco Rabanne's previous advertising and promotional materials have been heavily centred around man or woman, and the corresponding lifestyle which supposedly accompanies the purchase of the product. However, keeping the black white and gold theme made a huge difference to how the posters were designed, making them seemingly sophisticated and classy.

The designs of the posters are very effective, with the phrases used hinting at a man earning his fortune, whereas the previous campaigns would argue that the fragrance brings it's buyer luxury. The gold tones only give an underlying element of excess, while maintaining that a man makes his own fortune and it is not handed to him. The strict grid of the pattern is softened by the loosely composed inky textures.

I was not as happy with the outcome of the box. Although the design remained sophisticated and worked well with the other materials, not enough thought was given to stock, as the initial print was using an off white stock, while the rest of the designs are strictly black and white. On top of this, the rebrand as a whole would have benefitted from more designs for the box, perhaps making it more of a line of fragrances as oppose to just the one fragrance.

Ultimately there are some aspects to the design which I feel are very effective, for example the posters and business cards, however the design as a group was let down due to the construction of the box, and my crafting skills, which is something I plan on working on to improve.

Brief 3: Robin Williams Design Boards and Evalutation

This brief was set with Robin Williams in mind and was acting as a means of practicing a minimal approach to design, something which I have at times struggled to grasp over the past three years. Each poster capitalises on one element or scene in each film that is note worthy or vital to the plot, which made most of the films instantly recognisable.

The series remains consistent, due the strict two colours plus white colour scheme, as well as the nature of the illustrations. The type and layout out choices work well with the illustrations, however something that could have been done differently would be to experiment with some more varied illustrations, giving a wider range to choose from. This could have made the series slightly more succinct.

I was not as pleased with the mock ups I made, as I feel that I should have given more thought to context for the designs. In a public setting (tube station and bus stop) they can go fairly unnoticed and almost blend into the background a bit. Giving more thought to the context of where the posters would be presented may have impacted and altered the designs.

Overall, I would have liked to incorporate more variation in the designs to make them jump out at the viewer a bit more. Some of the choices of illustration were quite obvious and more thought could have been given to them. Otherwise, the typeface and layout of each works well collectively and brings them together, while also acting as a reminder of Robin Williams' effect on so many people's childhoods.

Brief 2: Born Free Design Boards and Evaluation

This brief stemmed away from branding and identity, which has been an underlying theme in much of my work this year. The Born Free Foundation fit the criteria of the chosen charity for the brief as it has a variety of constant campaigns trying to free animals from caged environments, and working on something current and with guidelines gave more of an insight into working post Leeds College of Art.

The consistency in each of the design would make the posters very recognisable in a public setting. Research showed that most people remember numbers over words, which informed the decision to feature the statistics and facts underlying the endangerment of each featured animal. Similarly, the illustrative elements exhibit the deterioration of the species, showing all that remains of them as shapes, which are melting away.

The aim of the stickers is for them to be given out to students, either in the packs that students receive from their student union, or the packs that a lot of student accommodation supply their tenants with. This would prompt students to get involved in the charity, and even if not it would increase their awareness of it as it would become a talking point.

This brief was restricted in it's time boundaries but given the chance, extending the campaign to give it a web presence would have been beneficial in raising awareness of the issues the charity face. On top of this, a campaign which may have been more experiential would put the public in a situation where they would be confronted with the problems and would be more inclined to get involved.

I enjoyed this brief as it was slightly different from the other work I was doing, and allowed me to see further into the future of work as a graphic designer. This kind of brief also gives the work more of a sense of purpose, even though it was not to be going into effect. I feel as though it could have been extended, and more consideration into the context of the promotional materials, where and how they would be situated may have altered some aspects of the design, for example, when printed the colours were slightly duller than on screen. Overall, I think the illustrations combined with the facts and statistics makes for quite a striking impact, and, if I were a first year confronted with the designs, I would be keen to get more involved in the charity.

Brief 1: Cannes Desing Boards and Evaluation

This brief exhibits a slightly different approach to others done in this module, as there was not a specific visual aim for the outcome. It had been decided that the end result would be a promotional pack sent out with invitations to the festival, but there was not a particular settled visual outcome, which allowed for the creation of more variation in the initial stages of development.

One of the mandatory requirements for brief 6 (typeface) was to use the outcome in situ, and I felt it was appropriate for this design, so that was one element that was set in the design. The typeface embodied the promotional aims of the brief and worked well for the logo on a small scale, but also the promotional posters on a larger scale. While some experimentation with other typefaces may have been beneficial, limiting the options to one made the design more of a challenge.

The printed materials are varied and equally relevant however there are some areas in which stock could have been considered further, for example with the festival program. A sturdier, more durable stock may have been more appropriate given that this was designed with the idea that guests would carry and use the program a lot. Similarly it may have benefitted from being slightly smaller, as this would have made it more of a convenience to carry around. However, I feel the stock chosen for the invitations and tickets is appropriate to the grander of the event.

The aim of the newspaper was to add a less ordinary aspect to the design, at a size that is suitable to read in several environments. It also allows for the colour scheme and theme of the rebrand to extend across more materials, making it more than just a promo pack. While initially the idea was to send these out in large black envelopes, the decision to send them out in a tote bag came from being able to give the guests a souvenir of the event.

Given the time to make changes or do some things differently, I would have printed the program on a smaller scale using a more durable stock, and some more time would have been spent fine tuning the web design, which mostly acts as a way to tie the rebrand together in a digital setting, connecting it directly to the festival.

Overall, I am really pleased with the outcome of this brief, and the slight variation it allows for in different aspects of the design. The underlying theme that highlights 68 years can be reproduced in multiple ways, and I believe that it fits the requirements of the brief, to exhibit something so timeless, but making it modern and current to this day.

OUGD603 Publication Design Boards and Evaluation

While all the printing for this design came out the way I intended, I feel that there are some aspects i should have thought about more. For example, my choice of stock for the cover would have benefitted from being heavier and more durable, as, with the nature of the Z bind, the weight of the inside pages are heavier than of the outside. This means that it doesn't stand as strong as I would have hoped for it to.

In spite of this the stitch binding was a success, had they been individual booklets like my initial plan they would have held up well. However, I feel that the booklet is still a good reflection of my design process. I keep separate elements separate, and pull them all together at the end. It is also a reflection of my lacking skills in crafting!  If I were to do this again I would made the time (and saved the money) to print off some text pieces, as this would have informed me earlier that the Z bind would require a heavier cover. In spite of this the content of the booklet accurately depicts my process and my methodology.

Brief 13: Live Logo and Business Cards

I received a message via Behance from a young woman hoping to be a makeup artist, and she asked me to design her a logo and business cards. I was happy to do this as it would be a short brief and luckily at this stage i still have the time to do it.

I was only able to speak to her over email as she is located in London, but she told me she wanted something colourful, perhaps with an image or illustration of a facial feature, specifically an eye. She didn't want it to appear too feminine and just wanted it to be eye catching. She had said that she liked the watercolour effect on the posters I had done for my Paco Rabanne brief, and that she would like something similar with a vibrant colour like green or red. Since these images were initially colour i would be able to use the original files for them.

I started doing some digital illustrations of eyes and lips before incorporating colour:

It was difficult to create outlines of shapes of the face because of the usual variation in tone to a persons face, when they were block colours they do appear as just shapes.

I chose to work some colour into the above mouth shape and the eye, because I thought that the mouth actually looked better than the eye, but the client was more keen on using an eye.

I started by using the colour as a background, which worked well with the nature of the eye image.

I tried the same as with the eye on the mouth, but I thought that this looked more like a toddler playing with makeup than a logo for a makeup artist. Instead of this I chose to place the colour into the outline of the lips, which worked much better

I chose a couple that I thought were the best and mocked up the full logo to send to the client, for her to choose which she liked more or if she wanted me to change them further.

I was pleased with the response I got as, upon seeing them, she had also decided that the lips worked better than the eye, and particularly like the purple one.

She said that the imagery was perfect, but she wasn't keen on the type I used for her name, however did like the idea of using a script font.

I tried out a few of a similar nature and sent them on to her:

The type Mistral (below) is the one that the client was happiest with and was keen to put onto business cards.

She said that she was happy to leave the business card designs up to me as she wasn't sure how she wanted them. I thought it was best to keep the front side simple, with just the logo as the colours already draw the eye enough.

I decided on the reverse to include the whole image of the colour, with the text in white, were it was best visible:

After I sent these over to the client, she was really pleased with them and was happy to get them printed exactly as they were. She also sent a few of them over to me after printing so that I could include them in my submission.

Brief 13: Personal Branding brief

OUGD603 Design Publication

I decided that instead of doing three separate booklets, it might be suitable to Z bind the booklets together. This way they would be associated with each other but can be appropriately separate based on the nature of the binding. I looked into more examples of binding options.

I wanted to just simple stitch bind the booklet, as reaching the end of the year, I can't really afford to get it properly printed and bound, So I plan to stitch ding the booklets to an appropriate length of cover paper.

OUGD603 Design Publications

I started working on the design for my branding publication, and setting out the layout for the booklets:

I followed the same structure for each few pages, explaining a part of the process and backing it up with my own work. This followed the same structure for all the booklets.