END OF MODULE EVALUATION: OUGD501 - CONTEXT OF PRACTICE

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

The skills I have learnt through this module have enhanced my writing ability through making arguments in my essays. An example of this is, being introduced into the triangulation technique. This has been really beneficial for me to practice in order to obtain a well balanced argument and showing comparisons between a multitude of theorists.

I have also learnt a lot about the identity and the other in lectures and talk which had been the main influence for my research and practical designs. These lectures are a good way for me to think outside of the box and challenge myself through look and other subjects.

I have also learnt a lot from the mini study tasks given for the module, this constant challenge for writing and practicing different methods has enabled me to achieve a better understanding of how to construct a well written essay, which I have applied to my final essay writing work.

2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

For this module I have focused on contemporary design but also using cultural references such as colour, type and image to synthesis with my essay practical. 

I have also used my work across a multitude of platforms to show the range in which my ideas and theory can be expanded. For example instead of actually creating an exhibition I mocked up a design for it, this has not only saved me time but also money and has allowed me to push my idea's further for people to connect with.

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

I have a strength in writing and making arguments, I think I will continue to develop my skills in triangulation and other argument methods to strengthen my essays. I will also capitalise on this skill by looking into more theorists and focusing on one or two instead of multitude to build a strong argument and to show that I have really studied in depth with the writers thoughts.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

I think my weakness when it comes to context is ensuring that their is a design element synthesis between my work and my essay. I will develop this by looking further in to more associated design contexts  and doing first hand research. Another weakness of mine is trying to keep consistency throughout a design. I think for my black myth posters I should have kept them more minimal to fit in with the rest of the posters overall aesthetic, no the less I am still happy with what I produced.

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

To produce more developed outcomes for a brief to enable the best concepts and work  are produced.
To spend more time of focused research to make stronger arguments in my essay, this will heighten my writing ability.
To be realistic with my concepts and the time frame in which they are given, this will avoid me from making mistakes and overworking myself.
Spend more time with the crafting of my work this will enable a more professional aesthetic.
To create more mock ups and thumbnails to create a range of idea's.

6. How would you grade yourself on the following areas: 
(please indicate using an ‘x’)  

5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor

	1	2	3	4	5
Attendance			x
Punctuality			x
Motivation					x
Commitment					x
Quantity of work produced					x
Quality of work produced				x
Contribution to the group				x

Overall I have really enjoyed this module due to me choosing an issue, that I felt strongly about and was personal to me. I am really proud of what i've done and although I could of made a few design decision changes, I will now look forward to progression to my 3rd year of COP and challenging myself with a new topic!

PPP 2: EDITOR IN CHEIF OF ELLE

For my OUGD501 module, I proposed to research and contact inspiration women to speak to, to present in my work. I came across Michelle Ogundehin who is a really influential figure in the creative industry.

She owns MO studio and is the creative director of Elle decorations UK.

Elle Decorations Background: The authority on style and design, ELLE Decoration UK showcases the world’s most beautiful homes and makes good design accessible to everyone through its mix of styles, products and price points. ELLE Decoration UK combines all the inspiration, information and ideas you need to bring your 
home to life.
I thought by chance I would send her a tweet, as I couldn't find any other way of contacting her and luckily she inboxed me directly, with her personal email. Below are some screen shots from our conversation.

*I can't disclose all of the conversation as some of it is personal information*

However after talking to her about things for my module, I decided to keep in contact with her by sending over my work and asking her for her opinion. I felt that by being able to speak to her in the first place was a great opportunity and I would really appreciate some feedback and advice from a recognised professional!

 

That fact that she is the editor in chief for Elle Decorations magazine and owns her own studio is a really inspiration thing for women to look up to and I have also created a contact in the industry.

END OF MODULE EVALUATION: OUGD503 - COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE

The D&AD Asos brief has been a really fun and interesting brief. Over the course of working with my collaborative partner I have acquired new skills in how to use software and experimented with things I have not felt confident in before, which has helped me grow and develop as a designer.

In doing this brief I think I took on a more art direction role with the organisation of the photo shoot, looks and cross course collaboration which is something I am more confident in now than before. I think that in doing this I have gained a lot of new contacts that want to work again with me in future which is really beneficial.

Myself and my partner chose the brief because we have very similar interests in music, fashion and events and I think this is a main factor in how we thought of a good concept, due to our knowledge and passion on the subject.

Althought the brief has been a experience there has been a lot of ups and downs which can be expected in any collaboration. I feel like myself and my creative partner have different work ethics but with us combined we achieve what we could to the best of our ability. There are small factors such as time management  reading over the brief in depth and roles that could have been more refined in our collaboration. 

One example of this was when we created the prop for the ASOS shoot and painted it in our signature green colour, if we had read over the branding guidelines in depth we would have known  that the logo couldn't have been changed and would of let us use more of our images that had impact.

Also we spent a lot of time trying to find someone to programme our app and focused on the printed material which was not something that was a mandatory. I think this showed that we wanted to push the brief further but it was essential for us to focus on the main task at hand, which was something I talked about with my partner and it enabled us to complete our work to a good standard.

Compared to previous group briefs I have been more assertive, I think is something I still need to work on in order to feel like a project is going in the right direction.

In doing this brief it has sparked an even bigger interest for me to work in a art directive role in the future, and was the main reason I joint a graphic design course. Putting these roles into play has made me realise what I want to achieve in the future.

Overall I have had a lot of fun working with my partner, there have been some really good idea's shared and developed and even if we don't win a yellow pencil i'm proud of what we have achieved.

END OF MODULE EVALUATION: OUGD503 - RESPONSIVE

The responsive module has been a new and challenging experience, as a designer I have been able to challenge myself by working in a multitude of graphic design areas that has helped me expand my skills and knowledge. Working with clients and  keeping up with deadlines has been a challenging but successful process throughout the module and I felt that it has allowed me to grow as designer. Entering international competitions has been a really exciting prospect as this is  something I have never done before and getting work out to people outside of university. The responsive module has given me a glimpse into what life could possibly be like after graduation and also has built my awareness on the importance of reading briefs and meeting their requirements.

Throughout the module I have identified my areas of strength which are based around branding and identity and editorial and layout. From the people I have worked with and my final design outcomes the majority of work I have done has been based within these fields of design. I also think I have developed my crafting skills in this module and found other strengths that I can capitalise on in the future such as packaging and promotion and digital design such as apps and blogs. Something I have also realised during the course of this module is the selection of briefs I have chosen, which are down to what my personal interests are, who I am as a person and what inspires me. I have chosen a lot of music and fashion based briefs which are industries I would like to work in, in the future and hopefully work my way up to an art direction role.

In this module I think I have really excelled in regards to collaborating with other creatives. I have worked with people on my course, in other courses, universities and other professional fields such as make up artists, business owners, poets, musicians, events management companies, models and videographers. In doing this I think it has broadened my brief outcomes and has really benefited me as a designer in making future contacts to work with. I have also really enjoyed working with a multitude of different creatives because they have a different perspective on things compared to myself and have opened my eyes to new ways of design or have taught me some invaluable skills.

In doing these briefs I have also been able to identify the areas I need to work on for improvement, some of the briefs I have done, I felt I could have done more in-depth research into more contemporary design and target audience information. However the majority of work that I had received from clients, they had already proposed what they wanted specifically. I think by me not doing this some of my design work could have been pushed further.

I also think another area of improvement for me is to make sure I am meeting the briefs requirements, in regards to the secret 7 briefs I felt that I definitely could have pushed my concepts further and made stronger designs for the exhibition, but with balancing all of my other work I found my concepts very quickly and ran with them. On the other hand with the Oasis brief I really pushed my concepts and wanted to create something that was quite challenging and different to what anyone else would think of creating. I think in both of these briefs I have learnt not to over work myself but also not to under work myself, and this is something that I am learning as a designer and trying to find a good balance between the two. With these areas of improvement now brought to my attention I think this will definitely help me develop as a designer when it comes to concepts and time management and this will be an on-going investigation during my time on this course.

Overall the responsive module has been a big learning experience for myself not only as a designer but also as an individual. I have learnt about the importance of being weary on who you work with because they can’t always be reliable. I’ve learnt that you can’t always design things that you like and that there has to be a balance between yourself and your client. I have also learnt that you should only take on projects that you can handle and make sure you design them to the best of your ability, and most of all I have learnt that I need to be more positive about myself as a designer. I felt that I have achieved a lot of things and learnt a lot of lessons in these 9 briefs I have chosen and will continue to keep up my hard work.

PPP 2: PIN STUDIOS

For my OUGD505 module I had researched into the branding of music event in Manchester and cam across PIN studios. I really liked the companies design and the clients that they worked with and decided to contact them for further research for that project. In doing this I created a contact within in the studio by speaking to them over email and I propose to send my work to them over the summer for a potential placement, when I have built and established my design presence.

 Pin 

Pin Studios

We have worked with The Parklife Weekender since it was founded in 2010. Since then, the festival has grown from a 17,000 capacity, one-day event in Platt Fields Park to a 40,000 capacity, two-day event at Manchester's Heaton Park, and is one of Manchester's biggest music events.

We created the original brand identity and each year see the whole campaign through; we update the brand ID for that year and provide the design for promotional print, outdoor advertising, merchandise, programmes and event visuals.

We work closely with the Parklife team on online, email and social media marketing and create engagement strategies for each year's event through teaser flyers and posters, competitions and planned lineup announcements.

www.parklife.uk.com was designed and built on our content-management system, allowing the client to quickly update and manage the website content. 



Primary Research

I decided to contact the studio to see if they could answer any of my questions on the subject to help me gain a better understanding of what influenced them.

Contact with the agency:

From emailing this studio I felt really happy with the response I received and how quickly they got back to me. Pin studios is definitely somewhere I want to place with in the future so speaking to them has made me feel really confident in speaking with them in future and after this project is over I would consider sending them my work to get their opinion. I also got all the information I needed in regards to the park life brand and how to create a successful brand.

PPP 2: ASOS PHOTO SHOOT

The photo shoot for the project was very successful. I took on a creative / art director roll, which is something I am really interesting in doing as future career. I set up all the clothes, shoes, and had a list of shots that were needed for the day which helped speed up the process. 

For the shoot I was also changing models, choosing hair and make up looks and directing the shots that the photographer should take. The models all showed up apart from one model who dropped out last minute but fortunately I was able to secure another model on that day. 

Although at points it seemed quite stressful being in charge and organising what everyone should be doing, I think I handled the role well and was really pleased with how it turned out.

The make -up artist on the shoot also expressed how professional the shoot was and that she would love to collaborate with me again for any future projects I have, which is a great connection to have if I choose to do anymore design / fashion related graphic design.

During the shoot I took a selection of images from behind the scenes, to reflect on what we did.

From the photo shoot we had a wide range of shots which are displayed in this PDF publication below. 

This role in the collaboration in the responsive module made me realise another strength within my practice in regards to time management, communication skills and having a creative director role.

 I really enjoyed the process of being able to make initial ideas into an actual successful and productive piece of work. I would defiantly like to experiment in this field again and has created another thing to the list of further aspirations for the future.

PPP 2: ASOS CROSS - CREATIVE COLLABORATION

One of my roles in the collaborative brief was to organise and contact people to work with for the project. 

Models / Creatives

For the photo shoot I sent out a casting call on model mayhem for make - up artists and models. There was a wide interest in the shoot however many of the people who replied didn't fit in with what me and my collaborative partner wanted.

On the website I did find a make - up artist who wanted to collaborate with us on the brief and was willing to do the shoot for free as long as she was credited and received some of the images. 

This was really good in regards to mine and my partners budget for the brief and would enable our shots to look professional.

Although I wasn't successful in finding models from the casting call, I decided to contact reputable agencies for the photo shoot. 

I firstly contact Boss Models in manchester which are a really successful agency with good models. I was able to book Olivia for a test shoot which also saved myself and my partner a lot of money.

I then contacts another agency in Manchester called Jadore were I found another model Jason who was also available for a test shoot.

I then started to contact some freelance models that I knew which were all happy to contribute. I created a small chart of the models for my partner to look at and he was happy with the one's I had selected.

I was really pleased with the models selected and think the looks I have created will look really good on them all.

Photography

After sharing the looks with my partner on what the models could wear and their assigned looks we decide to create a chart of how many looks were needed for the design. For the photo shoot we also decided to outsource a photographer, and we chose Oscar Lawrence who is studying photography and is in his second year. By out sourcing a photographer the shots would look more professional.

Location

The location for the photo shoot was originally going to be in the infinity cove studio in university. Myself and Rinesh decided after organising the time we had free and the photo's we wanted that we should book out the studio. Unfortunately due to construction all the photography studio's were being shut down until April so we had to find another alternative.

The tutor suggested that if we had a free studio space that he would be happy to help us set up some lights and a backdrop. So we decided to ask Phil and Simon if we could use studio 3 in the graphics area, after this was confirmed we booked this space and let all the models and creatives now about the dates and times for the photo shoot.

Clothing

I started sorting out clothes for the photo shoot and piecing together looks to order from Asos.

However, when starting to add up all the looks and items the total came to £180. Although the clothes were going to be returned and just used for the photo shoot this was not within our budget for the photo shoot.

We then decided to go for an alternative and buy less items and ask the models to bring a few of the items we didn't have to still make up for the photo shoot.

__

The organisation of the photo shoot has taken a lot of out sourcing, which I think is a good way of getting to make contacts with people in professional fields. I think by me and Rinesh collaborating with more creatives will benefit our work and make it look more professional. I also feel my communication skills as a individual have improved from doing this. 

PPP 2: FIBRE MAGAZINE

During my summer internship I created a contact with the creative director at the time, he wanted to expand his business and open up a new magazine company 'FIBRE' and offered me the role of a graphic designer which I was happy to take on. At this moment in time the job is not paid but I will work there to see how I like it and what I gain from it as a designer.

Background: Fibre is a The Luxury Fashion & Lifestyle Magazine, its an invitation to one of the most exciting and fashion forward events in the centre of Wilmslow.

I am currently on the website listed under the creatives section listed as a graphic designer, and will be working with a multitude of creatives and advertisers for the company!

What can I benefit from working here?

• Creating more contacts in the industry.
• Learning more about working in a professional creative industry.
• Doing something that meets my personal interests.
• Developing my skills as a designer.
• Improving my communication skills.

I expressed that during my university time I will be busy until summer but will be able to take on small briefs. However I am excited to start working again in the creative industry and developing more contacts to work with and my skills as a designer.

PPP 2: EXHIBITION 1978

I was asked by a final year contemporary art student at Manchester Metropolitan university, to model in a catwalk for his exhibition. I thought this would not only be a great opportunity to meet new people and connections, but the exhibitions theme sounded amazing and something I wanted to be apart of.

About

'1978’ will aim to create a dialog that explores Manchester’s historic subcultures, examining the correlations, and therefore producing a visualistic and concise timeline of predominant cultural happenings and movements. Thus occurring from the late 1970’s, a time where social expression was rejoiced through the Punk movement. The 80’s - a period fueled by acid house, recreational drugs, and a sense of creative euphoria which oozed into the early 90’s and beyond.  

The exploration of these movements will act as the driving force of ‘1978’, and how each played a key part in the ideological change of Manchester’s cultural aesthetic.

Located at Beehive Mill, just shy of the city’s Northern Quarter, we have transformed this Grade ll listed cotton mill into an interactive playground, which will seek to inform you on the city’s bold, and expressive attitude, through an array of different art mediums.

The exhibition could be considered more so as an on going project, a collaboration on a national scale that draws a creative thread through the social, intellectual and artistic practice of students in the North. We have exhibiting works from students with very different backgrounds and practices, not only this, but a range of different Universities and courses that has allowed for a more diverse response to what we consider, arguably, the United Kingdom’s “second city” and its interconnected past.

Most importantly, it’s an opportunity for reflection. Looking back on a city that’s had its fair share of explosive political and social movements, which has inevitably acted as a major source of influence for past  practitioners within the city. Now, it’s our time.

As we seek to explore this vast metropolis of street culture, fashion, architecture and music, we invite you, the viewer, to join us on this incredible journey of creative endeavours. - website

(me working it, haha!)

I invited all of my year to come down and some friends who study at manchester art school, and the exhibition was really fun. I met a lot of other creatives at the exhibition who i have kept in contact with from copywriters, presenters and artists. This was a really good experience and I would like to attend more exhibitions to network with people.