Tuesday 3 December 2013

Final Print Critique

The Crit;
During the final print crit, we were split into two groups, the first group set their print things, then left so that the second group(my group) left them feedback, then the groups swapped about and the first group gave us feed back on our work so far.


When I went into this crit I was a lot more confident than the web interim crit, as I am a lot further on in my print than my web, and print is something I am better at than web. Going into this crit there was some things that I noticed in my printed books that I wanted to change, therefore knowing that I am going to reprint my books means that I was very open for any changes that people felt were necessary.

The feedback;
  • Layout - check that the first word of the second paragraph can't fit into the first paragraph - you have some orphan lines (e.g. Format book A series) that want addressing.
  • looking good - just keep going.

  • For the laser cuts I think that the decorative pattern isn't consistent with the typeface - it doesn't go - so I would go towards the squares or circles.
  • Within the books I think having two tones of the same colour looks slightly odd - again some of them don't really go - maybe stick to just one swatch - it would still be clear.
  • The diagrams and content is clear and concise - very useful for target audience.
  • I think belly binding the booklets would work well - the band could also be colour matched to the book.
  • You would definitely need to test screen printing the white ink, you can test both white and black then come to a decision based on legibility.
  • There's a lot of colour, be careful this doesn't affect the aesthetic.

  • I think an elegant simple belly band would work well with this, personally.
  • You should use top right laser cut it looks very clean and simple.
  • I don't think white would work on yellow, try it thought, if you do multiple passes, it may work.
  • Lots of strong stuff. However I'm not entirely sure the grids are consistent.

  • I think the laser cut design with the lines works best ans is the most consistent with your aesthetic.
  • White screen printing on yellow could work well, you could maybe do several pulls to get a more intense white, the higher the contrast the better.
  • A box would be an appropriate packaging method - more permanent and durable than a belly band and you could apply design. This also make an overall product more durable, something the audience enjoys having rather than just to get info from.

What I have taken from this;
After this crit I have realised that I don't only want to change a couple of things in two of my books but I am going to reprint them all, also the pages aren't exactly in line, therefore I would like that to be better. I am going to go back through my books, and consider whether having two hues of the same colour through each book or just one. Also I will take into consideration everything that everyone has said in the feedback.

Tuesday 26 November 2013

Web Critique

Group Crit;
This is the second to last web crit therefore it is very important to get something from it. Although I didn't get a lot of peer feedback, I did take a lot from this crit, I could see where everyone was at with their web designs. Seeing that people had started to code their website allowed me to see I need to organise my time more efficiently between multiple briefs.

Feedback;
  • Take time out to just focus on web, have a day where that is all I think about.
  • Remember about the target audience being crucial for my content and concept.
  • Stop thinking about my content for a bit, stop designing cards and things, focus more on the design of the website, then think about the content when I need to apply it. Code the website while I can get help, rather than during Christmas when I cant get help.
What I have taken;
  • I need to take some time out to do web as I have been focusing on print for the past week or so, and need to get back into web.
  • Keep my target audience in mind when designing my website.
  • Consistency in navigation is key when creating my website.
  • Tone of voice is crucial, don't want to send the wrong message to the wrong people.
  • Design in pixels not mm.
  • Consider web safe colours, so they will work everywhere - colour palette.
  • Think about how my website will work for mobile as something to propose.
  • Do some digital scamps and wire frames so that I can make it from those, and make it visual.
  • Deadline is the 10th December, therefore I need to crack on, have as much done as possible by then.

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Interim Crits

The Crit;
During this crit we were to all sit round a table about each have an amount of time for both web and print, discuss where we were at with each brief and get feedback from our peers.

Design for Print;
  • Think about the audience
  • Refine ideas more
  • Book, how to? or posters, how to? -consider
  • Find audience
  • Find colour scheme
  • Books, are they too standard?
  • Keep it simple if I am screen printing the whole book.

Design for Web;
  • No feedback

What I have taken from this crit;
This crit didn't work very well as there were many big voices and no time consideration, therefore a few people got a lot of time and feedback, and a lot of people didn't get a lot. At the end of the crit our group ran out of time, therefore I didn't get to talk about web in this crit, which meant I got no feedback. The crit should have been organised better as I came away with nothing and found it unsuccessful. Although it did allow me to see that just because I enjoy screen printing I don't have to do it for the whole book, I could save making a whole book of screen printing for a subject more relevant. I could still use screen printing in my publication but I could just do the covers or something.

Friday 25 October 2013

Who are you now?

The Session;
Things to think about;
Who are you now?
What were your highlights this past year?
What made it memorable?
What do you feel you gained from that experience?
The smallest things we experience are important in many ways.
Make note of things you find interesting, then share them.

We build up a data base, because we are visually based animals, we create an onboard database of information and experiences that gives us a methodology of research. Work you have seen, studios you appretiate and have either contacted or are now considering contacting, all are part of your PPP journey.

Networking, meeting people and staying in though with them. Now is the time we start to plan what we can do to get ourselves known out there in the industry. Next session we will start getting out 'ducks in a row'.

PPP Fundamentals;
1. The exploration of assumptions concerning personal learning, investigative strategies
and the management of self learning through tasks and research.

2. Using effective strategies to facilitate personal and professional development though
critical enquiry and problem solving.

3. The demonstration of evaluation of professional development, through presentation
and documentary evidence.

4. The evaluation of personal developmental needs based on and through the critical
reflection of personal growth through reflection of personal work.

Task 1;
1. Reflecting on your Summer what is your most memorable event and why?! 
This summer I did quite a lot, form going on holiday, experiencing life, doing designs for myself e.t.c, although whats sticks in my mind the most over summer is working in my cafe. I worked most days of the summer as I needed to earn money, although its not the most amazing thing I have done this summer or ever, its what sticks in my mind the most, as I always found myself working.

2. Have you made any contacts over the Summer that you feel could be helpful over the coming year or so and what outcomes did you feel you achieved?! 
Through this summer I have found a connection through a friend about a packaging company I really like, although I haven't been in contact with them, I know that if I need to I can ring my friend. A lot of what I have done over the summer was just for myself rather than networking, it is something I will work on.

3. How did you meet/contact these contacts (methods used or how it happened)! 
No I didn't contact the company as I didn't have any free time to do a placement if they wanted me to, therefore I didn't ring them at the time. Thinking about it now I should have rung them, even if it was just to tell them who I was and what I was interested in.

4. If you didn’t make any contacts, why? too busy working? holiday? commitments?!
I didn't make any contacts because I found myself working for money in the summer, as I didn't have any, I did also go on holiday, but everyone needs a break.

5. What methods of contacting creatives can you think of and what would you ask?
I have learnt that I shouldn't just email someone as they can easily just delete it, I thought about maybe sending a letter, or a piece of design with a letter on the back, something I made obviously, this may attract their attention more.

Wednesday 23 October 2013

10 Things

10 Things;
At the start of last year I thought of these 10 things for what I wanted to learn and achieve on this course during the first year.

  •        How to manage my time more efficiently with multiple briefs
  •        How to use Photoshop
  •        How to produce more detailed screen prints
  •        How to successfully establish myself
  •        Learn more about typography
  •        Evaluating my work and improving my writing ability
  •        Skills on illustrator
  •        Organizing my ideas
  •        Working better in groups
  •        My understanding of the current Graphic Design industry

How to manage my time more efficiently with multiple briefs;
Being on this course has made me realise how important it is to know how to manage my time efficiently so that I don't get behind on myself, also so that I can meet deadlines and not rush work, so that I can get the most out of my time. I think the first year was a learning curve for me, although I did panic a lot and rush before deadlines and leave things till last minute, I will learn from that. Already this year I have improved on my time management skills, and I am improving my work this way.

How to use Photoshop;
I would say that I have a better understanding of Photoshop, but never find myself using it, I have different programs I would rather use, like Illustrator and InDesign. We did have to do a brief in the first year using Photoshop, I didn't enjoy it, but that is because I'm not that confident with it, although I do know the basic tools in Photoshop.

How to produce more detailed screen prints;
Screen printing is something I have always been interested in, therefore in the first year I wanted to do it as a process. This pug print is a screen print I did at the end of first year, I really enjoyed doing it, and think I want to do more in my second year.

How to successfully establish myself;
I have started to establish myself, but I think I need to go further with this, I need to start putting more of my work on behance and network a bit more.

Learn more about typography;
In the first year we did a module based around typography, I learnt so much from this module. I learnt about what works and what doesn't work, I learnt about the characteristics of type and how changing the font can change the meaning of the message or change the audience.

Evaluating my work and improving my writing ability;
I think that I have got better at evaluating my work, as I blog about everything, therefore I am looking back on what I have done and evaluating it. Although I don't think that I have improved my writing skills, this is because I didn't do very well in my essay, it is something I want to improve upon this year.

Skills on illustrator;
I think that I have improved my skills on illustrator, as I am getting a lot quicker at doing simple tasks, also during my workshops with illustrator I learnt so much, especially the keyboard shortcuts, which were very helpful throughout the year, it made the designing easier.

Organising my ideas;
Organising my ideas is something I have always struggled without, although to the end of my first year I found that I was generated lots more ideas they going form there with my design, rather than just thinking of something and going with my first idea.

Working better in groups;
We did a lot of group projects in the first year, some worked better than others. I found that the last group project was probably the worst, but only because of a particular person in my group, but this gave me patience, and if anything, that's what I got from that brief.

My understanding of the current Graphic Design industry;
Doing lots of different briefs and doing lots of research for each brief meant that I was having to look at design blogs and websites a lot more, and learning more about the graphic design industry and how it changes. Also the module PPP gave me a lot of information about the industry, and this year I will learn more.

My 10 things to make me successful this year;
  1. Learn more about Photoshop.
  2. Learn about professional book binding, not just make shift.
  3. Experiment with more print mediums.
  4. Blog as I go.
  5. Although I have improved, I still need to plan my time more.
  6. Improve my writing skills.
  7. Procrastinate less.
  8. Learn more about Dreamweaver.
  9. Generate more ideas before going with an idea.
  10.  Apply the skills I learnt in my first year, into my work this year.

Tuesday 28 May 2013

It's Up To You - Presentation

My Presentation;















Evaluation;
I am not very good at presenting, as when people look at me I go bright red, this is something that I was really nervous about, as most people were. If I were to do things differently I would have referred to my notes a bit more as I got caught up in the moment and started to forget things that were important. I missed out a lot of things that I wanted to talk about because I was nervous, I also didn't want to go over my time, and I was concerned about my presenting skills, I didn't want to look at the screen or at my notes too much as I don't think its a very good way to present.
I think that the presentation went quite well though as I made the audience laugh and interacted with them, I also didn't look at the screen or my notes a lot so that I didn't look too nervous or unprepared.

It's Up To You - Research

When I received this brief I relised that I don't need to research into me as all of my PPP posts are me and the things I am interested in, so I after thinking about what I want to do for my pack I found that I want to research different logos and packaging.

Logo;
http://www.logoed.co.uk/2013/03/26/the-mark/
What I like about this logo is that it is simple using only geometric shapes to form the name and the logo, also I love the way it has been branded, everything is the same which keeps the brand consistent, using the same colours and stock. Also I wouldn't have just those colours together, although I think that they work really well.

http://www.logoed.co.uk/2012/08/13/creative-space/
What I like about this logo is the simplicity in it, sans serif typeface, the white type on yellow background works really well, it is something that someone would remember due to the minimalism in it.

http://www.logoed.co.uk/2012/07/26/reserve/
The typeface which is used in this logo design is something that I want to experiment with as I think that it looks really professional, although I'm not sure whether it would work for me or be appropriate, although it is something I want to try.




http://www.logoed.co.uk/2012/03/27/lark/
I am a big fan of negative space, I think that it is something that makes a design interesting, having a hidden meaning behind a design which makes the concept more clear is such a smart way yo work, and I envy people who can do this effectively. I think that this works because it is very discrete and small but still effective. This will influence my design as I want mine to include a hidden image, although is is something that I have never done before and find it difficult to make the image relevant or look right.

http://www.logoed.co.uk/2012/01/13/massive/
This has influenced my design as it shows the difference between a dark logo on light stock and vica verca, this has shown me how a light logo on a dark background brings the logo out and makes it more effective. In my logo I want to try and screen print so that I can use this effect.

http://www.logoed.co.uk/2011/08/18/poogans-porch/
I think that this logo would look really good if it was foiled, this is why I liked it as it flows really well. I don't think that it is the kind of logo I would go for as I would like something more simple, but having patterns around it like that would look good foiled.

http://www.logoed.co.uk/2011/05/19/looklook/
This logo is very clever as it is the same upside down as it is the normal way, I also like the business cards as the logo in white on top of a black card in the center of the card is a big statement and I think it is very effective and it makes the logo stay in your mind, this is something which I could consider when making my business cards.

http://dribbble.com/shots/151415-Globarista
I have found this and saved it because I really like the colours, I like the fact that it is quite neutral also that all the colours are quite similar, I think that the colours work well togther, they are appropriate for how they are used. This is an effect that I want to have with my pack, I want all of my colours to compliment each other.

Packaging;
http://lain56.deviantart.com/art/3D-Project-2-Floppy-Disc-Box-79351604
What I like most about this packaging is the colours that are used, I could also use this sort of packaging for my business cards, or maybe offer a business card holder in my pack with my business card being the first one they have. This would be something that people would never think to need but would be very useful.

http://www.hastaladesign.com/?tag=tissue-box-packaging
Creative and simple packaging, this is exactly what effect I want to have with my packaging. The colours that have been used are quite pastely, also the tone of voice for the packaging is humorous, this is what makes it so interesting, and this is what I want to achieve in my design. I think what makes it more effective is that there are more than one boxes, the other boxes allow the humour to come through.

Designers and Studios;
Denis Carrier;
http://studiofolk.com/EDITORIAL-ILLUSTRATION-1
I started to look at Denis Carrier when I found one of his editorial designs in InD Magazine, since then I looked through his work and found him to be inspirational for my design. He starts with an idea, and starts to create illustrations from that, his designs are often humorous, and they are always effective. A lot of Denis Carriers designs start with illustrations, but always end in a good quality design, with a minimal colour palate, which are usually neutral and pastel colours with a professional finish. He influences my work with the way he does small illustrations of objects, taking something complex and making it simple and effective, this is something that I try to do with my work, having an effective illustration says a lot more than an image.

Noma Bar;
http://www.dutchuncle.co.uk/illustrators/noma-bar/portfolios/portfolio
Noma Bar is a designer who I have been looking at for the past few years, I think that his work is amazing. He uses negative space in a very clever way, to allow the design to have two or more meanings, it shows hidden images to make the message he is trying to communicate clearer. Noma bar works with a limited colour palette and throughout his designs he often uses some of the same colours, therefore whenever I see this colour on Noma Bars design ‘Business is War’ it remind me of him and his designs. Noma Bar is a designer I would love to meet and try to become as successful as within design, he influences my work with his use of simple shapes, colours and how effective something so minimal can be.

Anthony Peters;

http://imeusdesign.4ormat.com/
During my first year I found that I enjoy doing screen prints as I believe that they leave a clean and clear finish to the design, Anthony Peters does this very well. Using only two colours plus stock Anthony Peters allowed his print to be very aesthetically pleasing and has actually sold out of this print on his website, which shows it has been successful. The prints he produced influenced my design in Speaking from Experience, as I created a poster using limited colours as I believe that it works really well. During second year I plan to do a lot more screen prints in my design process, and Anthony Peters is a designer I will continue to follow and look into, as he influences my work greatly.

Paul Rocca;
http://www.blackolivestudio.co.uk/collections/rocca
I found this card in my local supermarket, I had to buy it as I think that it is an amazing piece of design, the illustration is very effective, the card is not specific towards a birthday or special occasion which means it can be used for anything. Paul Rocca has a series of these cards, which all derive from objects or vehicles which have been illustrated in more of a simple way than an image although still very detailed so that its not too cluttered. The colours that he has used in this design are very appropriate for the design, this is another reason why I follow this designer, as his colours are always appropriate to the Although I don’t do illustrations which are this detailed I think it works really well and may try experiment with it in my design.

 PPS - Professional Packaging Services;
http://www.p-p-s-ltd.com/index.html
Through the first year I found that in all of my briefs I have been drawn towards doing packaging, as I find it really fascinating, and believe that people will buy one product over another due to their packaging of the product. PPS is a very successful company based in Leeds, it creates many different kinds of packaging from very simple and minimal design to really creative designs. They have done a lot of designs for drinks packaging, I found that it is very high end drinks which means they have a higher budget and allows them to have a bit of freedom when it comes to the design. PPS would be a good place for me to do work experience as it will allow me to learn more about the packaging industry and I will be able to see if this is the direction I want to go in.