This module included four briefs, Secret 7, Licence to print
money, Collaborative Exhibition Branding and Speaking from experience. Each
being very different allowed me to explore a very wide range of design
approaches and styles. The briefs have really pushed my practice in terms of
informed research, time management and continues design decisions I feel all my
responses to the individual briefs have taught me different things.
I found with Secret 7 I had the opportunity to be much more
ambiguous in my work and the designs didn’t need to be as type orientated and I
could express a more art based style. For this brief I worked totally analogue
and didn’t use a computer till I scanned my final designs, this was an amazing
change and something I would really recommend. It pushed me to create new and
varying designs and I could show my skills in drawing and collage. Responding
to a live brief was something I have never done before and I was really ready
for the challenge I wanted to have my designs included, though this didn’t
happen I would try again as record cover designs was a area of design that I
had no real prior interest in but I now have a new found appreciation for this
field in graphic design. This project also opened my eyes to creating a large
range of ideas my mask outcome was a result of really pushing my designs and
creating as my ideas as possible.
With the licence to print money exhibition I found myself
becoming more and more obsessed my money design. I found so many interesting
design features in the notes I had no idea were there. This project I would
also say has been my most in-depth in terms of research. I looked at so many
different examples of currency design before even thinking about my own
designs, this meant naturally my concepts and ideas were much more refined and
had further research to back them up. Printing is something I have experimented
with a few times on foundation but I never got the chance to screen print
before this project and I feel in love with it straight away. I could take
drawings, digital designs and photographs and print them to totally transform
the designs was amazing. This is something I want to continue with into the
second year and see how I can really push my designs. The money brief overall I
feel is my best piece of design work to date and I was clear in my reasoning
behind design decisions.
In studio brief three there was the opportunity to work as a
group, I was a little hesitant at first about this but I found working with a
team a challenging but enjoyable experience. It opened my eyes to how much a
group could achieve and quickly. Ideas came up that I would have never had
thought of on my own and the group were great in pushing my practice. Our work
in the project seemed to really click towards the end of the project and the
consistency between our designs became much more evident. I was very pleased to
be short listed into the final four groups and hope our group can move forward
to win!
In the final brief studio brief four I was able to reflect
on my year and think about how much I have improved as a designer, my knowledge
of type and grids at the forefront of this in my designs. I feel I identified an
area of great interest for first years and was proud of the final design I
created. I found with this brief my writing changed somewhat and I was much
more concise in my design documentation.
Overall this module has been very challenging but I feel I
was up for the challenge and I have been able to mange my time effectively and
create some interesting and engaging outcomes. Moving into second year I feel
how I go about projects had improved and I can be much more effective in
documentation of my work. Feedback is a theme that is vital in design
throughout this project I have received critique from my tutors and peers. What
I find most useful is having constant discussions with friends on work, this
constant dialect means we have great knowledge of each other work and how we
could suggest improvements. As this feedback is almost all the time it is difficult
to evidence and this is something I could really improve on.
