END OF MODULE EVALUATION//OUGD502

END OF MODULE EVALUATION:

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them? 
This module has taught me a lot about the industry, through study tasks and various lectures I have learnt about areas such as networking, sectors within the industry, costing and a better understanding of both PEST and SWOT analysis.  It has also given me a clearer direction of what type of designer I want to be and has allowed me to reflect on my work throughout the year which has lead to a clearer understanding of what career path I would like to go down.  Throughout this module I have discovered new studios and designers that I have become increasingly interested in and used as a source of inspiration, this module has also encouraged me to get in contact with some of these places and start networking.  This was something I had thought about in the past and the prospect of it seemed quite daunting but this module has made the idea of networking and getting in contact with people from the industry seem a lot more approachable and achievable.  The knowledge I have learnt throughout this module, I was then able to apply when we worked as a group for 'Life's a Pitch.'  My understanding of how to set up a business in terms of costing, individual roles and work ethics is a lot clearer.  I feel throughout this module I have also been able to improve on my presentation skills, both with the group presentation and the individual.  The end of year PPP presentation has allowed me to look back at everything I had done from the year and reflect on it in a general overview, presenting it to my peers was something I was nervous about but doing this has made me feel more confident and given me a sense of achievement.

What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process? 
This module has allowed me work on my own personal self branding.  This was something I hadn't given too much thought before this brief but has definitely given me a starting point which I now can progress from.  It has also given me new experiences when working in a team, putting ideas together and generating concepts in order to come up with a successful proposal for a business plan.

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

I think the main strength I can identify within this module is the ability to reflect on myself and my own work.  I think this is a vital skill that has definitely benefited my practice as I am able to recognise my mistakes and weaknesses and improve on them for next time.  It has allowed me to get a better understanding of what sort of design I am interested in and therefore what type of studios would be appropriate for me to work in.  I feel this module was the reason I got a work placement over summer, it was constantly encouraged to start networking and emailing studios which I did, this resulted in me getting a work placement in one week at Feref, a branding studio in London.  I feel through the study tasks I now have a much better understanding of the industry, the various sectors and how to apply SWOT and PEST analysis to my writing.  I have also improved on my analysis of designers and design studios works.  Another strength I can identify is team work through 'Life's a Pitch' this was a project that was structured in a way that allowed me to grasp a better understanding of what trying to set up your own business would be like.  I felt like our group worked together to create a realistic and successfully thought out concept and proposal.

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

Even though I wasn't disappointed with my self branding I do feel like I need to build a stronger concept and make it reflect me more as a person and as a designer.  I think it was a good starting point that I can now build on.  The main weakness I can identify within this module that has been a running theme all year is time management.  I think this module highlights this weakness more than any other as it was an ongoing module throughout the year and was quite easy to postpone with the pressure of other modules right until the end.  It was quite frustrating with the design presence brief as I feel this is something that I would of enjoyed spending a bit more time on and would of liked to explore more possibilities to create something I was fully satisfied with.  If I would of organised my time more effectively I would of liked to of pushed the boundaries with that brief further and improved upon the products designed, the range created and the methods of distribution it could of taken.  Something that I have always lacked confidence in is the ability to present my work, even though the end of year presentation has allowed me to gain more confidence for next time I feel I definitely need to improve on my presentation skills.  I underestimated the time it would take to prepare a presentation that is basically an overview of what I have done in a year.  I also feel for next time I should try and make the visual content of the presentation more engaging for the audience as I was quite unsure what to put on some of the slides.

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

• Time management - I feel this has been the biggest weakness all year along with organisation skills.  Next year with the PPP module I will treat it as an on going blog that I update weekly.  I will also keep up to date with study tasks and tasks set within the module so to not feel the pressure of trying to get them all done towards the end.
• Networking - I feel I should of got in contact with more studios and made more of an effort with networking.  This is something I will definitely be concentrating on more next year.

• Online presence - This felt like something I didn't work hard enough on throughout this module and will make a conscious effort over summer to set up a behance and a Linkedin.
• Studio visits  - Even though I have arranged a studio visit and a work placement over summer I wish I would of organised a few more visits throughout the year to get a varied experience of a range of different studios.
• Self branding - I would of liked to of focused more on my self branding, this is something I found enjoyable but the design could of been improved massively in terms of concept and what it says about me.

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