OUGD505: Methodology Workshop

methodology

noun

noun: methodology; plural noun: methodologies

a system of methods used in a particular area of study or activity.

"a methodology for investigating the concept of focal points"

In terms of graphic design and my own work methodology is important because it feeds into the development of my work but also gives design decisions reasoning and depth, designs are not made from mindless decisions they are in fact developed through a process of research. Having a methodology affects my own design choices because it influences my initial research this means that the research I undertake is for a purpose for instance with OUGD505 my primary research in talking to bloggers who have autism or know people who have autism meant that I was able to gain information which has led to content for my book which I will be able to use in my design- the research becomes the content because it is presenting information which is sourced with purpose. I contacted those individuals to find out information about autism so therefore it was research with a purpose to gain particular information from a specific audience. 

The methodology of my graphic design is vital to the development of my projects/briefs because the choices I make feed into the designs themselves for example the J20 brief for OUGD503, I made choices in the use of colour by talking to individuals who do not drink alcohol and asked what they wanted from a soft drink- they wanted something mature which actually meant shying away from and changing the brief slightly and showing why I have done so with justifications in my choice of using the colour black. This was also important in my contextual research for the children's penguin cover I created- through reading the book and looking at current and similar existing books it allowed me to gain insight into what children strive to look at which isn't necessarily safe- the book contained links to death and somewhat darker themes so therefore the book reflected this- in this instance my methodology fed into the research as my design decisions were influenced by the text I had read and thinking about the audience's needs. 

Methodology influences design choices because it feeds into the research for example the audience must be researched to determine what they need and want which also links to the tone of voice used in the design this needs to be determined by the audience. For instance the brief I am working on currently for OUGD505- the booklet I am creating is for parents and therefore the tone of voice needs to be firm but friendly to allow the audience to feel confident and to trust the publication. However if the booklet of information was made for children for example, the tone of voice and purpose of the booklet would be entirely different. Methodology will also provide a vital part of future briefs and into level 6 as improving my understanding of design and also the contextual reasons behind them will allow me to create designs which have purpose and justification. Through using research it will allow me to create work which is useful for a particular audience and therefore my choices will not just be for aesthetic reasons- they will have in-depth understanding of why certain design decisions have been made.

In terms of my feedback I have found several ways to improve and move forward:

I need to simplify my design concepts and work on experimentation as I sometimes try to do too much work/content.
I also seem to do work that could be considered quite safe (illustrative safe zone) so therefore I need to try new styles which are different and take risks more even if they don't work as well. 
I need to look more at contemporary influences and layout design to develop my work from traditional layouts. 
It was suggested that I should work more with typography as this is something I have not done much of therefore I will try to concentrate on my use of type in the future.