PPD Presentation

Slide 1. Front page.

Slide 2. Workshops and elective.

Slide 3. Moving image.

Slide 4. Method.

Slide 5. Exhibitions and inspiration.

Slide 6. Like dislike.

Slide 7. Team player.

Slide 8. Boundaries.

Slide 9. Most enjoyable.

Slide 10. Least enjoyable.

Slide 11. Second year.

OUGD103 self evaluation

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them? 
My idea generation skills have improved greatly, especially during the most recent brief speaking from experience. Over the five weeks, I only used a computer and started designing my products in the last 2 weeks of the brief. Over the first few weeks I was researching and generating ideas for what would work best and be most effective. If I hadn't have spent so much time on generating ideas I would not have created the products which I did for my final pieces. I feel that this generation and mass of ideas really helped my project progress as a faster rate once I started designing. Each product had a purpose and a use, which enabled me to crack on with the designs.

What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
For the Don't Panic brief I did some research into who receives the brown envelopes and also looked at alot of the past winning posters to get an idea of the kind of style they prefer. I thought this would help me to design a poster which would have more of a chance of winning. However I think this may have hindered me slightly as I was putting alot of emphasis on making it appropriate for Don't Panic over the receivers of the envelope. I defiantly would have done the poster differently if I had carried out my research differently. Only the other day I though of a design which would have been more appropriate! For communication is a virus I researched alot during the first week and collected a huge amount of secondary quantitative data. However this all turned out to be not as useful as hoped once me and my partner started working on an idea. It helped us choose what we would eventually do, however I think it may have been useful to carry on researching small amounts in the second week to help us produce a design which would have more appeal to our audience. Our piece works well, but I do feel that it could be better.

What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I have experimented more with type in this module which is what I want to specialise in next year. I have also tried out illustrative type on my Don't Panic posters to see if this style suited me. I also researched this at the beginning of the speaking from experience brief and found it very interesting. I think my strengths in this module have been my research, ideas generation and my use of colour. I have found that I do not use colour half as much as I used to. I would really love to only use black and white if I could with just maybe one colour. I much prefer a limited pallet now... Looking back on everything I have done this module, I have only used more than one colour in speaking from experience, and at the beginning I wasn't even going to do that! Also, for speaking from experience I have used a different working method. I have used different paper stocks depending on what I am doing (sketching, writing, printing) and have put all these sheets into one rind-binded square folder. This way I could work on the stock I wanted at the size I wanted, instead of messing about with a sketchbook and missing pages out etc. I have found this way alot easier to work and really believe I have created more work because of it. I have realised I do not always do things in order and often go back and forth before I settle down. this way of working suits me and I think that my new way of creating a sketchbook demonstrates this. I have made a summer list and I intend to develop my drawing skills and understanding of shading/different variations of grayscale over the summer... as well as get a job so I can afford to come back next year!

What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?
I found that I did not work as hard as I could of during communication is a virus. I am not sure if it was because I knew my partner and I worked well together and I felt I could relax, or I was just having an 'off' week. Next time I have group work I will definitely pull my weight more. I also do not write down my time management... I work it out in my head. Recently I have been more effective with my time management, but at the start of the year it wasn't very good. I think it could still do with improving. Also my blogs could be updated more frequently. I need to find the right balance of what should be posted and what shouldn't. I am hoping to come into college for 9 all next year and blog for 30 mins every day so that they are always up to date.

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

1. Blog more, when I look back in a few years I can understand better what I have done.
2. Produce my own sketchbook, this way I work more effectively.
3. Use type more, I enjoy type and want to specialise in this.
4. Produce time management sheets so that the course tutors can see I have made good use of my time.
5. 
   

Don't Panic.

Communication is a virus.

Typesetting.

InDesign.

Type and grid.

Speaking from experience. 

Grids and type continued...

I choose to redesign this article about cricket in Afganistan from 'ShortList' as it had a few images to work from and quite a bit of text. I liked the original layout... but hate wonky photographs... To be honest when I looked closer as I created my thumbnails the images are pretty naff and so I kept the main image but made more use of it and got rid of the others. I feel that in my new layout they are not needed and it doesn't matter that they have been made obsolete.

I used a 12 column grid as I couldn't work out an exact one from the magazine... but there were alot of columns. I really like what I have produced, layout design and working with type is definitely for me. It is what I have always done when I worked and I still love it!

Selection of thumbnails. 

Top two thumbnails draw at half actual size.

Original DPS

Screen grab of InDesign file showing grids and guides. 

InDesign continued...

Check out my intial 'Indesign' post to find out all of the background information on my double page spread...


I have decided to use all of Robs favourite things to make up a imaginary story. I hope this reflects his style of illustration as it has a real life context but is a bit wacky aswell. I have used a bright turquoise background as this is Robs favourite colours but also it was the colour of most of his illustrations I liked the most.


Type/story
Rob Green’s illustrations are an extension of his personality and life. They give us an insight ino his mind. This story has been created by using all of Robs favourite things...

It was a lovely spring day when me and Rob Green went on a road trip to Formby Beach. The sea had a turquoise inge to it and the sun was beaming. We watched Biffy Clyro as they surfed. They were awesom earlier on in the day but as it got closer to lunch they seemed to loose their appeal. Gok Wan came over to us and tried to start up a conversation, at that point we ran away to get some food. In the first cafe we entered all the seats were taken up by Pandas eating full english breakfasts. We swiftly exited and ended up in another little cafe called ‘Threadless’ where we both ate chicken madras and drank jagerbombs. By the time we left the cafe the pandas had moved down to the beach and were building sandcastles... it was a strange sight. We started walking towards the pier but as we got closer a strange cartoon character with a green face approached us. “Hey, I’m Gir. Do you want to go on an adventure in my spaceship?” Once aboards we noticed that there were mountains of Xbox’s pilled high and huge display screens on every panel of the ship. Rob and Gir played Call of Duty for a while until the ship began to shake and a loud blast came from the base... Gir informed us that we were heading off into space and said it might take a while and so put on a DVD of Avatar for the journey...

Illustration ‘Gok’ by Rob Green.Check out his Facebook page or http://r-green0912.blogspot.com/ for more great stuff!


Images
I chose to use one of Robs illustrations from the many on his Facebook page and blog. I choose his 'Gok" one to use as it was my favourite and seemed to draw upon what I had said in my introduction. 

Selection of thumbnails.

Screen grab of InDesign file showing grids and guides. 

Speaking from experience - Week 5

This week I have completed all my designs and printed everything. It has been a busy and tiring week... It always takes longer than I expect... and something always goes wrong! This time I could not print alot of my prducts out on the stock I wanted. The third years are all going crazy about their final pieces (understandable!) but it means that even though I booked a print slot I could only print 3 out of 10 of my things... and 2 of them had to be printed on different stock because they ran out of transparent stickers. It turned out ok though as I managed to hand render some things onto larger sized paper, photocopy some onto transparent stock and use double sided tape to make stickers... all instead of printing!

Rule #01 Fred time. 

Rule #02 There is never enough print credit.

Rule #03 Never pull a face at Amber.

Rule #04 A break is not a holiday. 


Rule #05 PICTURE

Rule #06 Posters don't always work. 


Rule #07 PICTURE

Rule #08 9:30 means 9:15.

Rule #09 PICTURE

Rule #10 Green and orange make Amber see red.

Speaking from experience - Week 4

10.05.10 - Never use white type on a black background
Over the weekend I dug out a book I got given when I left my last job to come to uni "Never use White Type on a Black Background and 50 other Ridiculous Design Rules". It is full of loads of stupid and funny graphic design rules, which creatives in the industry will find amusing. This book will help me with my design ideas and act as a bit of a starting point.

Never Use White Type on a Black Background and 50 other Ridiculous Design Rules. 















The book and my crit on Friday have given me the inspiration to take a different approach to the design and this has influenced the choice of product. Previously I was set on producing a range of stickers and having everything looking really similar with a set design style. However now this has all changed! Today I have been sketching out more ideas and expanding upon the feedback from the crit on Friday. Now I am thinking up ideas on how to demonstrate the rules visually. I intend to make 13 products in total. Each rule will have a corresponding product which will reflect the content and be placed in an appropriate location, making 12 in total. The 13th product will be something which can be distributed amongst the new first year students (either by mail or electronically) and will contain the rules and photographs of the products. The products alone may not make sense at first but will once teamed with the information (mailed or digitally distributed) it will.

Starting point sketches of ideas generated form Fridays crit with John.



















11.05.10 - 12 become 10
After my initial sketches yesterday and some idea development I think 2 of my rules are pretty weak in comparison to the others. I will be removing #9. Don't eat the cakes at the tea party and #12. 4pm is not home time. I am unsure if there will be a tea party next year and do not want to scare them by saying they must stay after 4 all the time. I think my range would work best if I have 10 really strong products bought together in some way rather than using extra rules for the sake of it.

I have been creating mock-ups/digitalising all my ideas today with the intention on beginning the design the products properly over Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sunday, all ready for the final crit on Monday morning.

Digitalised ideas printed off for skecthbook.











13.05.10 - 4 day headache
From Thursday through to Sunday I have been designing... Here are the deisgns from start to finish. I really wish I had of started this earlier, but am really happy with my ideas fr each product and it has all come together since last Thursday.

Rule #01. Fred Time

Location of product.

Initial designs working with Rolex and military font. 


















Rule #02. There is never enough print credit.

Location of product.

Variety of designs for sticker to be placed over balance window on Mac screen.











Rule #03. Don't pull your face at Amber.

Location of product.

Hand draw illustrations, traced and coloured in Illustrator.

Mockup of stickers in location.

Rule #04. A break is not a holiday

Variety of designs. Concertina book of photographs from the studio. 

Design of concertina photographs of my holiday in the studio. 


































Rule #05. Type is sexy

Location of product.

Selected designs to choose final from using Malika Favres typeface.





















Rule #06. Posters don't always work.

Location of product.

Typeface development for poster design.













Rule #07. There is never time for time management.

Designs. Measured typeface of original and selected different possible typefaces to compare. 







Rule #08. 9:30 means 9:15.

Location of product. 

Range of designs for selection of final. 


















Rule #09. Haribos make Freds world go round.

Haribo logo edit to incorporate 'Fred'.

Initial net design.

















Rule #10. Green and orange make Amber see red.

Location of this product would be anything green from the walk from reception to and into the studio.

Initial designs for orange and green.

















16.05.10 - Grazed eye
Well its been a hectic few days of designing and about 10 days of mad thinking... finally all the designs are final and ready to go to the final crit. I always expect some issues to be raised in crits and I like to see the flaws come to light, but not this time. I am really happy with the way everything has gone with this brief and even though I was not as convinced by some of Johns tips, I have built upong alot of what was said and as a result I believe the project is much more appealling, humerous and effective!