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.