However, the first module this term proved to me that I still had a long way to go. I was not pleased with the outcomes, did not enjoy the project that much and felt I was pushed for time throughout the module. I believe my outcomes, are not really me and do not show people what I am interested in. However, two good things did come out of this; my fighting spirit and the urge to do things I am interested in. I also think I did not take on as much information as I should have about the printing processes, therefore I have arranged a 2 day placement/experience with a printers in my hometown. I hope to gain first hand experience from this, and I believe seeing the processes from start to finish will help me understand more clearly.
Once I had recognised this fighting spirit even the next module title ‘Motion’ couldn’t scare me! I decided to take this challenge of motions and do the best I could. Luckily, I really enjoyed the first mini-brief we had to do and I learnt that I really enjoyed the storyboarding process. Some of my initial ideas can be seen on the screen. The storyboarding made me realise that this module was going to be about a lot more than just sitting in front of the computer day in, day out. I therefore started the Christmas holidays with a real sense of anticipation.
As I have already said, I realised this brief needed more than a strong animation and I decided to inject some fun into it. I also wanted to be doing something I was interested in and passionate about as I had learnt from the previous module that if I have no interest in the subject my work suffers. I took a rather unorthodox approach to my research and decided to melt ice lollies on to fabric to ascertain what the stains looked like.
My research I had been able to identify the top ten most popular ice lollies which were the ones I used for my test. Another experiment I did, where I took a photo of each lolly every minute as it melted. I then put it into a stop motion animation. These little experiments over Christmas allowed me to have freedom and fun with creating the main animation and iweb.
From doing the iweb I rediscovered my love of organising everything into categories and having everything in the right place. I was able to create some sections within sections to allow the viewer easy navigation around the website, probably too many subsections but I got carried away!
Strangely enough, when I handed that module in, I had no idea whether it was good or not. I just knew I had had fun and had learnt so much about the animation side of graphic design. Initially I thought it was for boys and that I was going to be rubbish, however, I enjoyed it immensely. With this is mind I have actually organised a 3 day work placement with a freelance animator down in Bristol. He has worked with the BBC and is currently working with Stephen Fry, so I hope to learn a lot more about this area of design. Although it is not my main focus and interest, I believe it will teach me key elements that will stand me in good stead for the future.
When we were given the Music in the Mountains brief Iwas so nervous and worried about it, at the start of the day. Trying to come up with something by the end of the day? No chance I told myself, however, once I started the initial research around the topic I soon realised it was not too hard and the outcome just needed to be vibrant and lively. I am pleased with the final logo, especially as I had never designed a logo before! I also learnt that one-day client briefs do not have to be scary and daunting. As designers we will have to be able to do this kind of thing and I am glad I had the chance to do it now, instead of later on in the real world!
Another thing I was concerned and worried about was working with a creative partner. What if we clashed on key design choices? What if we didn’t get on and a friendship suffered? What if they didn’t put as much effort into the brief as I did? These were just a few of the questions running through my head. However, when it came down to it, I was very lucky and got Alex as my partner. I knew she would be a brilliant partner from the start as she is hard-working, a good friend, easy to talk to and has a similar style to me. Therefore the collaboration was fun, exciting and produced a strong final outcome. The final mailshot is one of my favourite pieces from this year as we remained focused about the target audience, produced work to a high standard and presented it well. However, I realise I was very lucky to get such a good partner as it could have easily been the complete opposite. Overall, doing the collaborative brief has shown me that it is a lot of fun working with other people particularly be able to bounce ideas off them, however you have to be careful as it is not all plain sailing and in the future I may not be as lucky.
After and during the collaborative brief we had the additional module, I had selected the ‘Type’ option. I did this as I believed, and still do, that I need to be a more rounded designer and have knowledge on this matter so that in the future I won’t feel out of my depth when it comes to magazine layout and font selections etc. Don’t get me wrong, the drawing element is key too, but personally at the moment, I am more interested in the design than the illustration side of things. Overall, the type module taught and introduced me a range of new skills and rules. I definitely believe that module was the right choice for me, especially as my main interest is packaging, therefore I need to learn about fonts, layout, nets and spacing. All of those elements and more are key to me developing in the direction I want to go.
The last section of this year, where we were able to pick our own 3 briefs, gave me the perfect chance to work with packaging and focus more on the design I am interested in. The Sainsbury’s brief, shows my interest in illustration. Yes, although I selected the type module I do still have an interest in illustration and believe the two can work together. I thought I would take the chance to experiment with drawing and creating visual elements as I don’t normally, and saw it as my chance to try, before I reach the 3rd year. I am pleased with the outcome, however I would like to have pushed it further and included the image on packaging and made more from it.
The lastminute.com brief was not a packaging requirement from the start, it actually just asked you to raise awareness of the brand. However, I decided to use a mailshot to do this, rather than posters and advert campaigns. My main thinking was their slogan ‘turning the whole world pink’ and I wanted to play on this by using the rose-tinted glasses idea. I thought the relationship between the two could be a nice juxtapose. If you see the world through rose-tinted glasses you are seeing it through lastminute.com glasses. This brief was only a week long and I am pleased with the outcome, although I should have probably spent less time researching around the topic.
My final brief was the Wagamama one and this is definitely my favourite outcome from the whole year. Again, I made it more about packaging then anything else and focused on the thoughts people have when you say ‘take-out’. Style boxes seemed to be the main thought so I made them into the main restaurant’s placemats, with the eat out menu on the inside. This is my favourite piece, as it includes all my interests, from packaging to grid layout, as well as an illustration element. I want to carry this through to next year and start off where I am ending this year. To this end I have arranged a 3 week placement at a packaging company which I hope will help me to get an insight into a field that I hope I will ultimately be able to make a career in. I have also decided that my dissertation will essentially be based upon packaging with a particular focus on green consumerism.
I have had a number of ups and downs, however I now believe I am discovering myself as an individual designer. This year has taught me what I am interested in, what I do not enjoy and what I need to improve upon.
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