Evaluation OUGD301 Design Practice 3

This module has been extremely challenging both time management wise and also handling unforeseen problems.  I had set myself the target of focusing on Dissertation every Sunday and over reading week, which I have achieved, however I believe this has been to the detriment of the Design Practice on this module.

At the stage where I should have had my eye on what four briefs I was going to focus on, I was desperately trying to get 500 leaflets screen printed for The Loft Space.  I have already discussed the  ramifications of this on this post http://l-whitaker1013-dp.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/the-loft-space-client-disappointment.html so I wont dwell on this here.

What I learnt from experience is:

• Don't propose ambitious ideas which are not fully tested first . The Loft Space did not have a print budget so I thought a cheap solution to this was to screen print the leaflets. Although I had been reasonably successful at Screen printing before I had not tried anything like this before.

• Don't offer to do something just to please your client.  I should have just offered to design the leaflets and let Janet source her own printing.  Her budget is not my problem.

• Screen printing is best used for limited edition/special effects rather than high volume runs.

To get over the disappointment I felt after this experience I threw myself into the Circus and Typo briefs which was a positive way forward.  I did not however revisit my beautiful Excel Spreadsheet Project plan and revise it...EVER again throughout the module.  From a project management point of view this was not the best way forward as was to proved when I had five days to Module hand in and I had only just started the fourth brief, brief 2 What make a good App design.

My Time management, something which is normally a strength has been atrocious on this module.  As well as what happened with the Loft Space and the Dissertation, another reason for this was the three main briefs Circus, Typo and The Loft Space were very research and content heavy.  This was deliberate on my part as I love really getting under the skin of a subject before I start concept developing.  Going forward I need to find a better balance with my process so that I have time to make my Design outcomes are as strong as the initial ground work.

On a more positive note I have developed and honed a range of skills including:

• Screen printing
• A simple way to create 'Spot varnish' using foiling and a heat press.
• Type and layout skills including my understanding of Typeface choices, combinations and best practises. For example I have a better grasp of what to do abut widows, hyphenation and hierarchy.
• In design skills - Becoming more efficient and consistent with approach. Paragraph Styles, Booklet design and printing, General grid and layout skills, managing images for print and screen, formatting paragraphs i.e. managing hyphenation, using features such as slug area and attributes such as overprint.
• Illustrator skills - more confident with vectoring and pen tool
• Photoshop skills - Using Filters such as Vanishing Point to create perspective,  experimented with different layer styles and blending options such as colour burn and multiply, drop shadow and bevel and emboss,  Correct resizing of images between RGB and CMYK
• Continuing to develop  Dreamweaver and Web design skills
• To check and re-check work after each change.  Spell check, proof reads, check consistent use of Typeface - all so vital when trying to achieve a high standard of Type and Layout.

My crafting skills still leave something to be desired but that was due to not using College facilities such as Vernon Street due to Time constraints.

One area which I am aware I did not fully exploit on each brief was I did not push the range or consider methods of distribution as much as I should have done.  I was deliberately focused on developing certain aspects of each brief i.e. Type and Layout in Typo and Circus rather than expanding the potential of what each could bring.

Going forward to FMP I plan to be more outcome focused and have less content heavy briefs.  

Although I did not use Digital as much as planned, I still have a real interest exploring how I can incorporate Design for Screen into my practice leading up to FMP.