OUGD102 - What if... Self Evaluation

What problem did you indentify?
As a group we had come to the conclusion that we had a wide range of different ideas and research from the original "Collection 100" brief. Working together we decided that an issue we could tackle was the amount of litter produced at Leeds Festival each year due the increase in number of people attending.

What evidence did you find to support your decisions?
After asking people who had attending the festival a variety of questions we found out that litter was a growing problem. Also researching newspaper articles also gave us a clearer picture of how much of an issue litter actually was.

What methods did you use to gather your evidence and what forms did it take?
Beginning by looking at secondary research by researching newspaper articles about the festival and then moving on to looking at sending out questionnaires to people who had been to the festival this enabled us to form primary quantitative research by putting our findings into statistics. Asking people about their general view on litter at the festival and how they felt that it could be improved this provided us with primary qualitative research. We also find online forums regarding the festival where we able to look at secondary qualitative research which provided us with other people opinions.

What methods of research did you find useful and why?
Asking people opinions of the festival gave a real insight into how the festival is ran and this enabled to put together a picture of the festival as only one of group members has actually been. After asking a variety of different people we found that there was a continuos pattern forming - where most people agreed on the issues concerning litter at the festival.

How did these inform your response to your problem?
After asking a number of different people whether they would be more inclined to recycle and collect litter if they had an incentive such as free merchandise I found that 100% of people agreed that they would collect litter if they were entitled to merchandise such as a free t-shirt.

What methods did you encounter problematic and why? How did you overcome this?
Finding sufficient primary quantitative research was an ongoing struggle as we could only determine primary statistics from the questionnaires that we had gathered due to the fact that festival will not run again until next year. We felt that this was an issue considered that this brief was considered to be a "live brief" Unfortunately there was no way in which we could gather any other primary quantitative research.

What research could you have carried out that would have proved more useful?
Carrying out more questionnaires such as asking a wider range of people would have been more efficient  as well. Also getting in touch with the company that runs the festival would maybe have provided a better picture as well as allowing us to gather more statistics in terms how many people attend the festival and other information.

List 5 things that you have learnt about the design process over the last two weeks;
1) Different types of research such as qualitative and quantitative.
2) By continuing to do research throughout the brief allows for different issues to be raised and allows you to solve the problem in the more efficient way.
3) Working as a group ensures that there is a diverse range of research available to work with.
4) By collecting primary and secondary quantitative research you are able to produce more statistics.
5) -

List 5 things you would do different next time;
1) Be more organised in the team
2) Ensure that everyone takes a share of the work equally
3) Learn to work better with people who are more opinionated and being able to compromise with ideas
4) Make a plan of what research needs to be gathered
5) Take into consideration that if it is a live brief then this should be taken into account

The questionnaire that I carried out, asking people about their opinion on Leeds Festival and how they think it can be improved.

Initial Ideas for promotional material as well as Banners encourages people to help reduce their carbon footprint.

Using Sarah's logos on the first 4 T-shirts. Other t-shirt design again as an incentive.

Designing a promotional banner that would encourage people to help keep the festival green in order to gain a free t-shirt.

Banner designs - For promoting recycling as well as the 20p bottle deposit, as well as receiving a free can of beer for each bagful of cans you bring to the recycling point.

OUGD102 - What if Brief... Interim Crit.

After presenting to the other groups we found that the issued raised were;
- More facilities for recycling and more litter bins are needed
- People tend to burn their camping equipment rather than packing it up and taking it back home
- Some people felt that it wasn't their responsibility to clean up the mess
- Incentives such as money or free merchandise would encourage people to clean up

From this myself and the group have decided to focus on changing the colour scheme of leeds fest, creating a new strap line, designing merchandise that would act as an incentive, possibly trying to encourage the acts playing at Leeds fest to be part of the "Green" Campaign..

OUGD102 - What if Brief...

Brief Title What if...
	The Brief What if a group of graphic design students get together, and decide to solve a problem? Based on your common interests, research and knowledge, you must establish a “problem” that affects some sector of the general public in Leeds. You must develop logical, original and adventurous research lines of enquiry in order to justify the relevance of the “problem “ which should inform a range of solutions. The solution(s) must be resolved, designed and presented in the public domain and recorded appropriately.	Considerations This is a collaborative process so you must ensure as part of this you discuss, agree and share all responsibilities. The research process should be gradual and provide the foundation for ideas and challenges, which eventually will inform the solution. It isn’t possible to conclude the brief and then fill in the research gaps afterwards. This is effectively a live brief so please be considerate, respectful and legal in your activities.
	Deliverables Compelling fact based evidence should be presented to prove that the problem you are address is a genuine problem. A photographic record of the solution to the problem as presented in the public domain.  Appropriate supporting work, worksheet, notebooks etc…
	Studio Brief Deadline Concept Presentation Friday 3rd December 1.30pm Final Crit Friday 10th December 10.00am Working in a group with Lewis, Oli, Sarah, Mitch and Eddie we decided to solve the problem of the amount of Litter produced during Leeds Festival each year.

OUGD101 - End of module self-evaluation

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

Since starting the course I feel that I have been more organised in the way in which I work allowing me to successfully complete the given briefs. The illustrator workshops have benefitted me hugely as I now feel more confident in using illustrator in a variety if ways. Having never sat through a crit before I am now able to give and take constructive criticism. Being able to receive criticism and then using this to better my work has really helped me to understand that my work can always be improved and that it is always a good idea to have other people crit your work and to not take criticism personally.

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

Researching other designers has definitely broadened my knowledge and looking at a diverse range of designers has allowed me to make informed decisions within my work. Researching similar outcomes to those that need to be produced has also given me an idea of how far I am able to push my work as well allowing me experiment in a variety of ways. I still feel that I have not done enough research throughout this module but this can definitely be improved.

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

I feel that my skills have always been in time management as I am able to work efficiently in order to get the most out of each brief. I also feel that I have sufficient skills in software which have meant that I am able to quickly apply my ideas and come up with a finished outcome. Although I have only just learnt illustrator I feel that I have already learnt enough allowing me to work well on the briefs, although I believe there is still much more that I can learn. I feel that I have also been able to keep my blog up to date as well which has allowed me to get on with the rest of my work.

What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?

I have always struggled to quickly come up with a variety of ideas and often feel that I limit myself by simply developing one idea and not looking at a broad range of different ones. I think that to improve this I need to look at getting all my ideas onto paper - not just the ones that I know will work!

Identify 5 things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1 - Be more efficient in gathering ideas as this will allow me to develop a range of solutions rather than just one

2 - Work on design sheets more rather than working with software straight the way.

3 - Plan before throwing myself into a brief as this will ensure I can make the most of the brief and experiment with different media, materials and solutions.

4 - Research more designers that are relevant to what I am doing

5 - Experiment more and do work that isn't in my comfort zone, look at using other materials as well as doing stuff by hand i.e illustration rather than relying on software, this will enable me to make more informed decisions about my work.

Attendance = 4

Punctuality = 5

Motivation = 4

Commitment = 5

Quantity of work produced = 3/4

Quality of work produced = 3/4

Contribution to the group = 3

OUGD101 - No News is Good News - Message and Delivery - Final Crit

What is being communicated and how?
More than 1,000,000 children worldwide will become victims of child trafficking this year

How well does this answer the brief?
99.9%, Layout is nice. Envelope design works very well
Held together well in the post
Message loud and clear "Nice"

Who is the audience and how well does the resolution communicate its message/content to them?
Professionals/School/Doctor..
Accesible to pretty much anyone - "So yes it works well"

What are the strengths of the resolution?
White on red --> strong impact
Clear communication
Font effective for tone of message
Readable and impacting
Direct and to the point

How could it be improved?
Double sided card/ stronger material for further travel

General Comments
Good craftsmanship
Well cut
Works well purely with type
Survived well in the post

Assessors:
James Flanagan
Michael Mooney

OUGD101 - No News is Good News - Message and Delivery - Crit 12/11/2010

Issues raised and action to be taken;
Make the envelope more engaging
Try to make people more aware about child trafficking - use bullet points?
Reference the quote
Use dots instead of figures

OUGD101 - No News is Good News - Final Crit

    

OUGD101 - No News is Good News. Message & Interpretation

OUGD101 - Alphabet Soup crit. (16/10/10)

Issues raised;
- Editing the original typeface, adding a variety of lines and strokes
- Trying the full alphabet in lowercase improving the readability
- Experimenting with the weight of line, background and maybe looking at some other typefaces
- Ensuring that there is continuity between lines
- Looking at the rules of typography


Action to be taken;
- Looking at experimenting with the weight of the line as well as the stroke
- Trying the alphabet in lowercase

OUGD101 - Alphabet Soup, Evaluation

Evaluation - Designing a typeface for James.


Which personality traits did you choose to respond to and apply the typeface?
The main adjectives that I picked when I first spoke to James where, Quiet, Funny, Happy, Creative, Tidy, Neat.. From this i got to know that James likes to be seriously tidy and ordered not only within in his lifestyle but his design work as well. This is what i wanted to express when designing the typeface.


What are the reasons behind the design decisions you have made for the typeface?
For the final typefaces I wanted it to have a sense of simplicity and sophistication. I opted for the Fatal Romance Serif typeface as I knew that James preferred type that has serifs' and based the final design around this typeface. By adding it the lines it extending the typeface almost creating a grid behind each letterform. I thought this worked quite well seeing as James tends to do more technical drawing therefore reflecting the way in which that he works.


In what ways are the results effective?
Overall I feel that the typeface was a success although in certain ways I felt that it was somewhat limited as I didn't fully experiment with the original type itself. I feel that my choice of original typeface worked well and the concept behind the design was visible in the final outcome. I think that the design could be improved by looking at editing the original typeface by either creating just a single outline or working with different strokes and lines. I also think that there needs more to be more logic to the typeface therefore adding more continuity between the individual letterforms.

Editing the typeface after receiving feedback;

After the feedback that was given i decided to try making the typeface in lowercase as well a only using the outline of the letterform. I feel that this set works much better.

OUGD101 - Alphabet Soup Crit. (08/10/10)

Issues Raised:
Typeface appeared to be a bit feminine
Need to find out more about James

Action to be taken:
Focus on developing ideas further, make the typeface more masculine
Research a wider range of typefaces

OUGD101 - Alphabet Soup, Problem Analysis

Brief:
Design a full typeface that represents the personality/character of my partner.

Who needs to know?:
My partner (James) as well as a wider audience.

What do they need to know?:
The decisions I make in the typeface I choose and how I edit it to reflect their character/personality.

What will they respond to?:
Clear visual typeface.

What research is required?:
Primary: Talking to my partner, asking specific questions.
Secondary: Internet, Books.

 

OUGD101 - Alphabet Soup, Self Evaluation

What is being communicated and how?
After being given the word "Damage" I needed to communicate a sense of damage to a particular letterform. I opted to use techniques such as collage as I wanted to explore a different way of working other than digitally.

How well does this answer the brief?
I think that the techniques that I used enabled me to answer the brief, the final piece shows how I have been able to damage the chosen letterform using a range of different media and materials.

How well has the idea been visually explored?
I feel that I would have benefitted more by researching a wider range of ideas.. I looked at the work of Eric Boucheron and was inspired by the way he works, It would have beneficial if i had taken more consideration into researching the given word and exploring different ideas rather focusing on one individual designer who i had been inspired by,

What are the strengths of the resolution?
I was able to go ahead and experiment with different media and materials as well as looking at using different letterforms which meant that I knew which letterforms work best. I feel that the final outcomes reflect what I had hoped to achieve.

How could it be improved?
The final outcomes appear to be somewhat repetitive, better research and planning would have ensured the letterforms were more unique. Misinterpretation of the brief meant that could have also used 10 different letterforms rather than just working with the letter Q. I feel that although I used different media and materials I could have been more selective in the way that I had chosen to work.

OUPD101 Targets to complete by the end of the year..

Having started the Graphic Design course here at Leeds college of art and design I have set myself 10 targets that I hope to have achieved by the end of the year;

1) To be able to use Adobe Illustrator
2) Be able to create to an identity for myself as freelance designer
3) To be more confident during group/class presentations
4) To be able to take criticism from others without taking it too personally
5) Learn from past mistakes to enable myself to become a better designer
6) Practice drawing more and using hand skills rather than simply relying on software
7) Experiment with a wider range of materials and be willing to take risks rather relying on what I already know
8) Contribute more during group work/briefs
9) Learn new skills such as screen printing
10) Meet loads of people who are genuinely passionate about design

OUDG101 How to... (Rational + Self Evaluation)

Rational

The Brief;

You have a problem to solve. use your conceptual and practical design skills to solve the problem in an appropriate and creative manner. Your solution should take into account the receiving audience and make use of methods of audience interaction.

What do you need to communicate?

A simple and effective way of helping new/freshers students settle into university life.

Why do they need to know?

Relevant information that will enable them to settle into a new city/university.

What will they respond to?
The idea of a freshers pack specifically designed for freshers students including specific leaflets with relevant information.

Where do they go? (how will they access / receive / discover)
The fresher packs will be handed out freshers fairs as well as at student accommodation. 

3 Ideas which we decided we decided would be suitable for the brief;

• Creating an app which would organise your week and alarm when you had to places also little tips about the week.
• A freshers box which would contain watches, energy drinks, alarm clock etc...
• A set of leaflets which would help through your week. Covering topics such as cooking, going out, meeting people and getting around the city.

As a team we decided the 3rd option would be the best.

Working as a team our group set upon solving the brief by developing a series of mini posters that are checklists ideal for new students starting university. The main areas of student life that  we are hoping to help organise are:

Morning / Waking up

Cooking

Cleaning / Washing

Daytime / Journey

Night out

Evaluation

What role(s) did you take on in the group?

I designed one of the five final posters as well as helping to make decisions with type and colour. Also helping to come up with new ideas. Researching different kinds of material that helped to influence the final design of my individual poster.

How well do you think you preformed in the roles(s)?

I think that i successfully played my part within the group.

How well do you think you worked as a group?

I feel that we worked really well, everyone played an equal part in the group and took responsibility for each poster that we had to complete. We also got on well with each other which meant we were able to complete the task efficiently and on time.

What were the positives of working in a group?

Having a range of ideas and skills meant we were able to solve the the problem easily. Everyone played an equal part. It was also great to meet and work with new people.

What were the negatives of working in a group?

There were no major issues working within the group although it would have been easier if maybe we all lives closer together so we could have discussed and developed the project further.

What will you do differently next time?

Experiment more with type and layout as well as different sizes and formats. Develop the idea further, maybe for this project we could have looked at more promotional material.

Where could you have improved your resolution?

Could have created a more diverse range of products, for example larger posters as well as the leaflets that we had created. We could have also created more promotional materials such as t-shirts.

What were the strengths of your presentation?

Everyone contributed during the presentation and we were able to present photos and ideas that we had uploaded to the blog. We had also mounted the work rather than just having it in digital format.