OUGD603: Module Evaluation

This year I feel as though I have produced my best work up to date. This is because within each brief I have been pushing myself to ensure that the quality of design is to the highest standard I possibly can. Within first and second year I had ideas but they were often put together a little patchy and rough. This year I have forced myself to develop and feel more confident using the Adobe suite to create vectors and using indesign to put projects together. To enhance the designs I have also been spending time on the layouts of these on sites such as Behance and my portfolio. This has meant that by considering how it looks on the page I have digitally mocked up and screen printed/ photographed various materials to ensure each projects visually both looks aesthetically good but also shows how the briefs could be real. This has meant that I am proud and happy to show others the work I have produced this year and have been I have had the confidence to explain work and show it to various studios. 

I have changed as a designer in ways I didn't expect. At the start of the year I wasn't sure what sort of graphic design I wanted to be and this meant that though out the year my 10 briefs changed dramatically. But what I have found is that I thoroughly enjoy a range of briefs including branding and packaging. By completing work placements in PPP this has enabled me to learn new commercial skills and has led to my design work being more commercially led as I enjoy working with restrictions which I can push and be creative with. 

Being shortlisted for Penguin was one of the highlights of this module and gaining feedback on my designs with the ability to further develop work was a great experience to have. By receiving feedback from studios I have contacted within PPP and portfolio surgeries with Robot Food I am more confident with my designs and looking forward to the end of year show and applying for junior design jobs. 

Overall no matter what the project is there is a consistent element that I enjoy working with colour and impact of designs. This has meant that I have a further understanding of target audience and i have pushed myself with each brief to research further and develop concepts which make designs interesting. Working collaboratively for brief 8 & 9 was a brilliant experience and feel as though I gained so much from working with other creatives outside of the university. 

OUGD603: Brief 10

From completing this brief I have found that I am able to research and create concepts for brands as well as complete projects that already have a written brief. By looking for a problem within restaurant design and what affects people closest to me I have been able to create a solution to a design issue, which is close to my own personal interests.

By researching thoroughly into Indian culture I have also been able to educate myself in a new topic, which enhances my graphic design knowledge. By creating my own concept for a brand I have been able to create my own rules for the company and aesthetic which has been a fulfilling and rewarding brief. To be given the change to extend this as part of the end of year show will be a fun and exciting experience as I am so passionate about this project.

OUGD603: Brief 9

I thoroughly enjoyed creating new packaging designs for SUNDAY candles. Natasha was brilliant to collaborate with as she was very clear what she wanted to achieve with her company. She was also open to my new ideas. Even though I developed the first idea including illustrations this wasn’t the most successful design. From developing the final idea this meant that Natasha was able to understand my vision for how the brand could push forward with the concept of a pattern inspired by a flickering candle flame.

 Working collaboratively was a completely different experience as I normally work alone. Considering the other person’s thoughts and ideas makes the project more interesting and realistic as this is how I will be working once I leave university. Visually I am proud of the outcomes I have created for this new branding and packaging and I believe that if Natasha prints these items for her small start up company that it will stand out more in the store than the original brown paper and white card.

Being able to communicate and create a design I am proud of for my portfolio was a great experience. I have attempted various collaborative briefs within this module and this has been the only successful brief because Natasha was dedicated and focused on improving her packaging to sell more goods online and in store.

OUGD603: Brief 8

I thoroughly enjoyed working alongside Jacqui for this collaborative live brief. Working alongside printers is not something I have done before and it was a brilliant experience as they were so friendly and direct with what they wanted to create. This meant that the process of working collaboratively was incredibly simple and fast paced with payment and critique of designs. Creating designs for wedding stationary has many limitations as they have quite a set aesthetic. However I feel as though with the limitations I have been able to push three concepts for ideas, which will be printed and sold online.

This is an ongoing brief beyond the deadline and I am looking forward to being able to see these physically laser cut. Jacqui and her team were also quite open to ideas for stock usage, which was brilliant as I was able to explain to the team, which coloured stocks each design would look best with. By completing this brief it has given me more confidence to be able to complete paid live briefs and communicate confidently to the client my ideas.

OUGD603: Brief 7

This brief was a quick day brief, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It gave me the chance to work under a small time frame and improve my time management. This brief allowed me to further research into African culture and traditional art prints, which I was initially introduced to from a branding project for OUGD602 (PPP). By creating artwork to a theme it allowed me to work quickly and think about how the overall impact would be on wallpaper, which as a brief is something completely different. By creating artwork for the website I designed a set of wallpapers which had the same theme and research for their concept. The wallpapers I created definitely show who I am: as a designer. By using bold colours and prints it not only reflects my research into traditional fabrics and African prints but also shows my own personality as a graphic designer. If I were to continue this brief forward it would be to look into other themes and create a set of wallpapers which I could sell online as custom prints.

OUGD603: Brief 6 Evaluation

As a personal brief I feel as though this was a successful project. The concept of creating a wine collection, which is representative of its culture, worked really well. I received feedback from family friends who are Brazilian and they loved the entire design especially the use of colour. By using fireworks it gives the design a vibrant personality linking to the Rio De Janeiro Carnival. By using a serif font it comforts the usual wine collector that this brand is reliable however the design provides a completely new outlook on new world wines. By designing the wrap for the wine bottle, box packaging and also an advertising print it shows how the brand could work in wine collectors stores.

By completing this brief I have been able to further my knowledge with packaging design and use of colour within branding and artwork. I have also been able to see how this could work within an actual design by mocking the designs up digitally. If I were to further this design project it would be to take different brands from around the world and create limited edition alternative artwork for them.