CONTACTING STUDIOS//RECEIVING REPLIES//OUGD502

REPLIES
After emailing the studios my first reply was from Hato Press which I'm pleased about because this was one of my favourite studios in terms of what the studio environment looked like and what work they produced:

CONTACTING STUDIOS//OUGD502

CONTACTING STUDIOS
As I will be back in London for most of the summer I decided to contact some design studios I like to try and arrange some visits, this is the email I put together:

EMAIL TO STUDIOS:
Hello, my name is Kathryn Brooks, I am from London and am currently a second year BA Hons Graphic Design student studying at Leeds College of Art.

I have been looking on your website and really like the work being produced.  I wondered if it would be possible to visit your studio over the summer and have a better look at the way your company works and how the designs are created. 

Thanks very much and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes
Kate


The five design studios I chose to contact were:

• Hato Press
• Praline
• OWT creative
• Inventory studio
• View creative 

STUDY TASK EIGHT//PART TWO//CREATIVE CV//OUGD502

This is my final CV concertina fold:

DESIGN PRESENCE//WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT//OUGD502

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT:

I wanted to keep my website simple and realistic in terms of what I could potentially code.  I started by applying my logo to where it could potentially be displayed on the site.  I firstly chose to have my navigation top and centrally aligned.   I chose the typeface Gotham as I thought it was bold and simple and worked well with the rest of my branding.  When on the selected page the button will be underlined: 

Standard website layout, with logo:

For the homepage I wanted a selection of photographs from my work that you could click on and it would take you to an individual page where their would be an overview of the project and more images of the work.  For the homepage I tried making the photos black and white so the style of the website would be consistent and all the same colours.  When hovering over a specific project the image would either go back to its original colour or have a faded opacity of the green colour I used throughout my branding.

However, after looking at the images collectively I decided my work didn't benefit from being in black and white and felt that the images looked more appealing and worked better when they were its original colour.

For my homepage I wanted the images to make up one big image without all the samples of work being the same size, these are the images of work for my homepage.  i have also placed my logo on the page for consistent branding:

Individual page of website:

When clicking on an image of the work from the front page you will be taken to a separate page that talks about the project in more detail.  A passage about the brief and the concept behind the design and the choice for the design direction.

This is the final layout for my individual pages on certain projects.  The text chosen is the same throughout my range of branding to keep it consistent.  

I do feel with that final mock up that it looks a bit like a jewellers website, this is down to the choice of type on the navigation bar I think.  Either of these fonts would work much better as a design website.  I think I will go with the top choice, letterhead std as this is in keeping with the rest of my branding.

Final page for individual project page:

I decided on a slightly off grey colour for the background instead of a white, I think the images of my work look better against a subtle colour.

This is a mock up of the page when clicking on a single image:

My contact page and about page are basic designs, including information about where to get in contact and a short passage about me, where I have studied and what particular parts of graphic design I am interested in.

For the homepage I wanted to show the image as it would appear before clicking on it to be redirected to the individual page.  When hovering over it the image opacity will be lowered and a title of the breif will appear as shown below:

I decided to go with the typeface below as it is clearer and more legible for the viewer.

DESIGN PRESENCE//WEBSITE RESEARCH//OUGD502

WEBSITE RESEARCH:
I wanted to look into some basic website design to get some ideas for my own.  I think the simple ones work the best, and even though at this stage I am only mocking it up, I need to be realistic with what I could potentially build and so want to look at some basic designs to start.
This is the website of one of my favourite designers Caroline Aufort, I think the layout and design of the website is quite simple but works well and looks clean and stylish.  All the work is clearly shown in a standard grid format making t=it easy to navigate.

When clicking on a project it then takes you to a new page with a passage about the work and a basic scroll down which shows a selection of images of the project.

I think this is a nice design, I quite like the idea of having images of my work all in black and white on the homepage as I think this will make the design look more consistent.  When clicking on the image of the work it would go back to its original colours.  I think having the logo placed at the top of the page works well.  I also like the idea of having one big image to focus on as soon as you click onto the homepage and then having other projects below with a smaller image:

I like the simplicity of this layout with the navigation at the top, I think laying the images of the work out in different sizes makes the layout slightly more interesting.  I also like the way the logo has been applied in the top left hand corner, noticeable but not too distracting from the work.

OUGD505 END OF MODULE EVALUATION//OUGD502

END OF MODULE EVALUATION OUGD505

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them? 
I feel with this module it has given me the opportunity to develop my research skills, I spent a lot of time researching into my subject before creating my final products, and felt like the initial body of research and original concepts developed extensively from that point.  It has highlighted the importance of research to inform design development.  I feel throughout this module I have learnt the value of developing a successful concept through workshops and tasks.  This has made me think in more detail about my ideas, how well they work and if they could be improved.  I tired foiling for the first time in this module which I think worked well with my set of products and is something I would like to use more in the future.  I felt this module really allowed me to engage in the subject as I chose it and was allowed to take it further in a direction that I preferred. 

What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process? 
I have used different research methods to inform my design direction.  I felt the research booklet was a new approach, for me, my project progressed a lot since first creating the research booklet so it was good to look back and see how my research and ideas had developed from the half way point.
I screen printed in this module to design my products for the restaurant area of the hotel, I definitely want to improve my screen printing skills as I feel this is a good way of making a range of products on different materials and products.  I enjoyed using a stock that I cant print on in the digital print room which worked well on screen print, range of stock and printing methods is something I want to explore further next time.

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

I feel throughout this module research was a strength that has definitely improved.  It was something that I did regularly to enable me to make an informed design decision.  I felt this on going research and concept workshops really helped me to develop my idea further and I think the ideas, concepts and research progressed throughout this module, developing into work that I found interesting and engaging.  This was one of the first branding briefs I had done and I found myself enjoying the process of designing products for a range.  I felt my research helped inform decisions such as the logo and hotel name as well as smaller details like the name of the cocktails on the menu (named after french poets and writers.)  I feel the digital aspect of my range worked quite well, I have started enjoying mocking up websites more and I think the app design was a good way of enabling more of my initial research to show through.  I feel my presentation boards have improved in terms of layout and work as a set that takes you through my thoughts, design development and final outcomes.

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

I feel I can identify a lot of weaknesses within my work from this module, the most crucial being time management, which had a knock on effect with other areas of this module that I would of liked to improve/done differently.  Because of having a number of module deadlines and final crits to attend I felt it difficult to try and juggle all the modules at once and struggled to organise my time effectively.  I found myself needing more time to really produce everything I wanted to in this brief and if I would of maintained a work and research ethic on a regular basis with this module I wouldn't of felt like I had so much to do towards the end, which I regret because it definitely had an impact on the final results and quality of the work.  Because I had so much freedom with this brief, in terms of being able to choose a topic and direction, I feel disappointed at the outcome because even though I liked the direction it was going in I wanted more time to expand, explore and leave room for trial and error.  Another weakness, mainly down to time management and organisation skills was not leaving myself enough time to try processes.  I managed to do foiling and screen printing but felt disappointed with the results of screen printing and if I would of given myself more time I would of been able to go back and do it again.  In general I needed more time as the quality of photographs for my final range of products were poor and this is something that makes a difference with presentation.

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

• Time management - This is something I feel I need to address at the end of every module.  I think my work could be massively improved if I give myself enough time for the design and production of my work.  I feel I always take too long coming up with concepts and researching, trying to ensure that my idea will work, however sometimes I think you just need to start designing and see where it goes from there.  I always underestimate the time certain projects will take and so this effects the final outcome and quality of my work.
• Photographing products - This is something that will improve the final presentation of my work and it is crucial that I give myself enough time to not rush this.
• Primary research - I feel informed and varied primary and secondary research is something that could inform and improve my practice and is something I will explore further, especially within this module.
• Range of products/outcome - I feel next time I want to explore the possibilities of the final outcome and look at a range of products that could be made.  Another area I want to improve is exploring different processes and print methods which could improve the final outcome instead of limiting myself to stocks and digital print.
• Concept/idea generation - This is something that I need to get quicker at in order to give myself enough time to make the product/publication to a high standard.  I feel like in the early stages of idea development I should test out different ideas and do quick mock ups and designs to see whether they would work and how I could develop them further, instead of waiting until I think an idea is strong enough to take forward.
• Crits - Being prepared for crits to get the best feedback possible to take forward in my designs.

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

OUGD501 END OF MODULE EVALUATION//OUGD502

END OF MODULE EVALUATION OUGD501:

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them? 
I feel I have learnt a lot throughout this module, particularly my knowledge within certain academic topics.  I feel the set of lectures has given me a broad understanding and interest in certain areas of academic study that can be related to graphic design.  The lectures have helped me to develop an understanding of theory and current issues.  I feel my research skills within essay writing has improved, having to research thoroughly and use books as sources to quote and support the content of the essay.  I also understood the concept of theory into practice a lot more this time around, having to design something in a way that displays, successfully, your findings or is theory based is an important skill to be able to apply.  This year, I feel the outcome of my publication was a lot more relevant to the type of outcome required.  Taking a concept, exploring it through different research methods and then applying these skills to individual case studies to prove the idea of the concept, all in a way that is relevant to its format and design style.  Another skill I feel has massively improved is the development of concepts.  At first I struggled to think of ways I could put my theory into practice but after relevant research and tutorials I felt my idea progressed massively from my essay which I used as a starting point.

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

I feel one of the biggest strengths I can identify in my work from this module is my research skills, for the essay and for the publication.  I used quite a few academic sources for my essay, taking advantage of the resources the library had to offer.  I feel this improved the content of  my essay.  I also feel a lot of research went into the development of my publication.  I feel the concept developed and changed throughout due to informative research, taking a small starting point from my essay and using this as an area to explore and expand.  I feel I am now quite informed about certain areas within the subject I chose to look into.  Tutorials and discussions helped to push my idea further and improve the quality of my final outcome.  Another strength I capitalised on was the understanding of theory into practice, I felt this time my research was thorough and that I took a certain area of this and applied it to prove the concept, shaping it into a design fitting for the content.

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

I think I can learn quite a lot from this module that can be improved for next time.  The first thing being my essay.  I feel like I have a good understanding of the topic and that some of it was written to a good standard, however, I feel some writing skills need to be improved.  In order to do this I need to organise my time more effectively to complete and improve it without rushing.  I feel like I should of dedicated more time to improving the essay even though I tried to amend it according to the feedback given.  This is something I have taken on board and am keen to apply to in third year.  Another weakness that ties in with time management is print production.  I feel I should of left myself enough time to be able to print without rushing, this would give me more options when considering how I could print it, stock etc.

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

• Time management - This is something I feel I need to address at the end of every module.  I think my work could be massively improved if I give myself enough time for the design and production of my work.  I feel I always take too long coming up with concepts and researching, trying to ensure that my idea will work, however sometimes I think you just need to start designing and see where it goes from there.  I always underestimate the time certain projects will take and so this effects the final outcome and quality of my work.
• Writing skills - This is something that I felt let my down on this module and needs to be improved, again this is mainly down to time management, not giving myself enough time to improve it.
• Primary research - I feel informed and varied primary and secondary research is something that could inform and improve my practice and is something I will explore further, especially within this module.
• Range of products/outcome - I feel next time I want to explore the possibilities or making more than one publication and look at a range of products that could be made.  Another area I want to improve is exploring different processes and print methods which could improve the final outcome instead of limiting myself to stocks and digital print.
• Concept/idea generation - This is something that I need to get quicker at in order to give myself enough time to make the product/publication to a high standard.  I feel like in the early stages of idea development I should test out different ideas and do quick mock ups and designs to see whether they would work and how I could develop them further, instead of waiting until I think an idea is strong enough to take forward.

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