DESIGN STRATEGY//REFLECTING ON WORK THROUGHOUT THE YEAR//OUGD502

RESPONSIVE MODULE OVERVIEW REFLECTION AND SPECIFIC BREIFS I THOUGHT WENT WELL:
When I first handed in the responsive module I didn't feel confident about the grade as I felt due to bad time management the final execution of the briefs were not to a standard I was happy with.  However my feedback was really encouraging and I felt a lot better about the module after that.   I have selected some briefs that I thought went well throughout the module:

1. Photography rebrand
This was one of the first branding projects I did throughout the year, for my first attempt I was quite happy with it.  For future projects I would definitely like to learn some skills on photoshop so I can mock it up in a more professional manner.  I feel overall the branding was quite consistent and the website mock up was appropriate for communicating a photographers profession.

2. Collaborative//Ted Baker
This was one of the first briefs I had collaborated on and the experience taught me a lot.  I really enjoyed being able to bounce ideas of each other and build strong concepts using two sets of ideas.  I also liked the safety net of having someone else to rely on to enable us to take risks.  It also taught me to be a lot more organised as someone else was relying on me and so meeting preliminary deadlines was important. 

I am overall pleased with the effort and contribution we both made.  There are things I would of done differently in terms of final outcome but this was due to our bad time management skills.  I think the main focus of this brief, for us, was the concept behind it, it was very concept driven in terms of campaign name, location, audience and the idea behind the unique selling point which I was happy with.  However next time I would of left more time for practical designing.


3.Hellfire
I didn't expect to like this brief because at first I struggled with an idea, however once I'd thought of a concept it became a lot easier and I was fairly happy with the final result.  I liked the imagery used and I thought the concept was fairly strong which is what I was most pleased with.  In terms of mocking it up onto a bottle etc. I definitely need to improve as I feel inadequate on photoshop.

OUGD503 END OF MODULE EVALUATION//OUGD502

END OF MODULE EVALUATION:

1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
 I have learnt a lot through out this module, especially time management and organisation skills.  These have been valuable lessons since finishing OUGD503, as I have realised balancing your time is vital when trying to balance a variety of briefs when it involves so much independent study.  I have learnt to work to important deadlines (within live briefs) this has given me a taste for the industry intensity of various briefs coinciding.  As I worked for clients in this module I have learnt the importance of designing to someone else's specific requirements and standards.  The most important thing I have learnt from this module is how important the concept behind design and briefs are.  The briefs throughout this module have challenged me more than any other to try and come up with successful concepts, which is just as important, if not more important than the visual aspect of design.  It allowed me to think a great deal throughout the idea generation/concept stage of briefs to try and create something successful, I found this part of the process surprisingly enjoyable and found my work benefitted from the thought put into the concept (Ted Baker, Hell Fire)  Another valuable skill I have taken from this is how to work collaboratively.  This was something I hadn't done before and can take a lot from it.  Combining ideas and design styles can create successful, strong design and taught me to work to preliminary deadlines.  

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

The most important method of design production I have learnt is the concept aspect of briefs and how important it is to get that right.  The workshops and sessions throughout this module have been very beneficial for me, I understand how important the process of creating a concept is which is something I hadn't focused as heavily on before.  I have also screen printed in this module which is something I haven't done that much but would like to pursue in the future.  

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

I feel this module has improved my blogging as I have annotated and reflected throughout the module on each brief.  Another improvement is the use of Photoshop, something I struggle with but had to use in certain briefs to mock up labels onto bottles etc.  Creating concepts is a skill I feel has developed the most.  I have become increasingly interested in Branding and Identity which I tried properly for the first time in this module, I was happy with some of the results and would like to extend these further.  I feel my presentation boards have improved from the last module, I have learnt what specifically needs to be displayed and what is irrelevant, what to write on each and whats important to inform the audience.

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

I have said throughout my time on the course that I would like to develop my photoshop skills further, this is something I'm really not confident in but would like to be able to use as I feel this sometimes restricts what I want to create, especially with time limits.  Simple things like presenting my work in a professional manner or mocking up concepts on photoshop would benefit the overall quality of my work,due to this lack of skill my work sometimes suffers as a result.    I was disappointed that due to my bad time management I didn't print many things for this module, I definitely think some of my work (UK Greetings) would benefit from this.  I need to organise my time more effectively so I can get the most out of my final product, I have found in the past that I have not been able to use certain processes or print productions as I have not given myself enough time towards the end. 

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

Time Management - This is the biggest problem I've faced whilst being on the course.  With such a demanding work rate and various modules coinciding I sometimes find it hard to keep up to date with all of the tasks at hand.  This module in particular, I found difficult for that reason as it was spread over a long period of time with a lot of independent study.  I feel the final result of my work would be to a much higher standard if I planned my time more effectively and gave myself my time for production.  I also felt in this particular module, due to bad time management, I couldn't print or use any processes/techniques because of this which would of made a difference to my final outcomes in some cases.

Presenting work - Since being on the course I have learnt how important presenting your final product can be.  I want to take more care when printing the final piece, i.e taking stock into consideration, leaving enough time for processes and photographing the products professionally.  This is something that can really effect the way your work looks online and for your portfolio.

Processes - I feel like I limited myself in this module when it came to different design processes and techniques.  Next time I would like to plan my time wisely in order to try things such as laser cutting, embossing, binding etc.  I feel this  could really add to the overall result of my work and allow me to improve on elements of design production.

Briefs - I think within this module I was happy with most of the briefs I picked however, I do feel like I should of given some more thought about what i could of potentially done.  Some briefs when I first read didn't appeal to me but thinking back I would of been able to do certain things within certain briefs that could of worked.  Next time I really need to focus on specific areas of a brief and think of all the possible outcomes I could create before selecting.

Design styles - As I progress throughout this course I feel I should make the most out of the chance to try as many different design styles, techniques and processes as possible.  I should think about trying things that I'm not as confident in to improve my skills.  Things such as photoshop, embossing/foiling, photography and screen print are all things I'm interested in and haven't used enough within design.  These are things I definitely need to incorporate in my work before the course has finished.

6. How would you grade yourself in the following areas;- 
(5 = excellent, 4=very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor)

Attendance = 4
Punctuality = 4
Motivation = 3
Commitment = 4
Quantity of Work Produced = 3
Quality of work produced = 3
Contribution to the group = 3

DESIGN PRESENCE//SELF BRANDING RESEARCH AND INSPIRATION//OUGD502

SELF BRANDING RESEARCH AND INSPIRATION:


BRANDING FOR N. DANIELS “This is the stationery design for N. Daniels, a rep and photo producer in Vienna. It’s simple, cool and thermo sensitive. The black color of the varnish fades at body temperature – as soon as you hold it in your hands you literally produce an image by yourself. It’s a dynamic and living design – the business cards are little polaroids with a constantly changing surface.”

I really like this simple, clever idea for the branding of N. Daniels.  It looks very professional and the concept works really well for what the branding is for (photo producer)  The simple typeface against the images that constantly change are really effective.  I like that each card is unique and one off due to the thermo sensitive paper.

I think the branding looks clean and simple, refined designs making it look professional and consistent throughout.  I would quite like my self branding to look this clean cut, however I don't feel it would reflect my work as much as it should.

SELF BRANDING: OLESYA KURULYUK

Creating an identity for myself was one of my most challenging projects. This project required me to create an identity that would tell about me as a person, me as a designer, and would solve my biggest challenge so far – my foreign background.

As a designer I tend to start with an idea and create my designs the way a builder builds a wall – brick by brick.

As a person I aim to reach higher (step by step) and I am eager to learn something new every day.

As a foreigner I have a name that is unusual and can be hard to remember. I want to show that unusual is also unique, and that being a bit different lets you see things others don’t.

The result is a logotype focusing on my name with an element (the underline) that represents both a brick and a stair.

I chose a “less is more” approach for my identity that conveys style and quality. It is meant to visually complement my portfolio designs instead of visually competing with them. I therefor carefully chose paper stock and used subtle color throughout the design.

The attention to detail is what I feel makes this self branding successful.  The idea of using a bottle to create your CV on has been done quite a few times, however, because of the executions and consistent branding throughout, I feel this stands out.  I also think, for online purposes, it was a good idea to make a giff just showing the bottle as a moving image so that you can see the detail.

COST OF LIVING SPREADSHEET//OUGD502

COSTOF LIVING SPREADSHEET:

Total for physiological needs adds up to £6,050 annually.

I then added my 'safety and security needs' and 'love and belongings needs' to the physiological needs to bring it to a total of: £6920

A long weekend break and a two week holiday puts almost another grand on the total, brining it to £7900

Annual entertainment spending is a total of £2090 added to my total making it:  £9990

Adding esteem, self actualisation, travel and personal needs gave me a total of £970

 

My total now considering tax allowance is £19, 916, this is the amount I am required to make in order to live as I do now.

Working out the daily rate of charge, add on business expenses, for now lets say, £10, 000.  This brings my total up to: £29,916. 

Divide this by the number of working days in a year (roughly 233) to give me £128.39

Working out the daily rate I should be charging, so total income required plus business expenses divided by the amount of working days in a year, excluding holidays:

£19,916 + £10,000 =  £29,916

£29, 916 / 233 = £128.39

I will round this total figure up to £130 a day, this will be my daily working rate.

DESIGN PRESENCE//SELF BRANDING RESEARCH//OUGD502

SELF BRANDING RESEARCH:
I decided to look at different examples of branding to get some ideas of the sort of style and look I want when doing my own self-branding.  As this is the first time I've tried to brand myself I want to keep the design quite simple.  I really like this design, its very simple but I think the use of stock and layout helps to make the design look high end and professional.  I want to try and do something similar to this for my branding, I want to focus mostly on type and a possible subtle pattern.

Again, another branding example based on type, simple and clean but interesting.  As my self branding will progress and improve from this point onwards I would like to try and incorporate some photography at a later date.

I really like the business card design, I think its very simple but works well, for my own self branding I would quite like to include a selection of stocks and as my branding progresses I would quite like to make a stamp that could be put over a range of my branding products.

A very simple design which is helped by the use of stock choice, I like the idea of using brown and cream stocks.