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