Evaluation OUGD603 –
Changes from Statement of Intent
Over the course of the year I have only completed 1 of my
original briefs from my statements of intent. I found this was because I worked
much better with strict deadlines, and also wanted to take on as many live
briefs as possible. Working to someone else’s brief has been much more focused.
I find when I am carrying out self initiated briefs I find it hard to make
design decisions and more of the time end up designing with myself as an under
lining audience. Working on live briefs has enabled me to take into
consideration the client/studios interest as apposed to my own. I have found
this to be a really enjoyable but challenging experience as many of the briefs
I have undertake over the course of the year have been completely out of my
comfort zone and definitely work I would of never considered taking on off my
own back.
This has resulted in some really interesting work, which has
enabled me to push my skill set and broaden my horizons. I have also really
enjoyed the chance to work with various studios and found that the crits we had
helped to develop my presentation skills and has also boosted my confidence. I
was not always that confident in voicing my opinions and thoughts when it comes
to my design, however this year I think I have really engaged with the entire
process and have tried to say yes to as many opportunities as possible. I feel
this year I have really grown as a person and also a designer. I have tried to
take on as many random projects as possible sampling various aspects of design,
from pattern design, animation, printing, advertising, editorial, typography,
branding and illustration. I have not really found a true focus over the course
of the year but I think this is a good thing as it shows me passion to take on
any project whether its new to me or not.
Although I didn’t really do any of the briefs I set out to
do, I still exploited the various skill sets, which I would have done if I had
completed my briefs. I have also gained some professional experience this year
taking on 2 client briefs, one of which was for Google, which I am over the
moon about. This was a brief, which was completely unknown to me and something
I would of never taken on. However I wanted the challenge and also didn’t want
to pass up such an amazing opportunity. I found that working as a team really
helped in this brief. Each of the team members brought something different to
the table, which allowed for the perfect combination of ideas and knowledge.
Together we produced some amazing idents, which I believe to be of a really
high standard. This also taught me the importance of being professional and
meeting deadlines. During this brief I think we worked harder than ever before
putting in so many hours to make sure that everything was just perfect and in
tune with the brand. It was a exhausting experience but invaluable.
I think if this course and module has taught me anything it
is that hard work really pays off. You can pretty much do anything if you put
in the time and effort and are confident in yourself and your abilities. It has
also taught me to embrace the unknown and jump in at the deep end sometimes, as
you will never progress unless you keep pushing and upping the bar. I have
learned many things over the course of this year and I will keep on doing so as
I develop my practice.
I have found that allot of the work I have produced this
year has definitely got my creative stamp on it this isn’t exactly a bad thing
however I feel like I could benefit for some more corporate briefs as this is
more likely to help me get a job, I plan to take on some more briefs over the
summer period in order to balance out my portfolio.
I have developed many skills over the course of this module
pushing my letterpress / type setting skills working with both wood block type
and lead type. One of my main goals at the start of the year was to improve my
printing skills and I think I have definitely achieved this. I have
experimented with screen-printing producing several different projects with
this print production method. I have also tried out spot varnishing and
produced lino cut prints. I feel I am comfortable with my abilities now and
will be taking on more personal projects through out summer.
I have also tried out creating anamorphic type for one of my
briefs which actually turned out to be a major pain however It was a learning
curve, due to time restrictions I had to knock this on the head however it is
something I hope to experiment more with in the future. From day 1 in first
year I have wanted to improve my Photoshop knowledge and finally this year I
have started to make a stab at it, I now feel much more confident using the
program and feel comfortable using the software. I am by no way a pro, however
I feel much better about using this for my briefs.
I have also become a bit of a whizz on InDesign this year, I
have always avoided this program, but have no come to love it. I have realised
that it makes designing allot easier. In the past I have designed everything
ton illustrator including boards, which made the program, grind to a halt on
many occasions. I have just realised how much faster and more efficient
InDesign actually is and have utilized it to the best of my abilities.
I have also experimented with new book binding techniques,
for my Cop book I used acco fasteners, which made the binding process much
quicker and efficient in comparison to saddle stitching. This was a new thing
for me and saved my socks in the final run up to the hand in.
Over all this module has been really beneficial to my
practice and has opened up many doors to me. Although I don’t feel like I have
a firm direction down for the future I feel confident that I could probably
give most things ago. I hope that over the course of the summer I narrow down
where I want to be in the future. I have a placement sorted at DUST in
Sheffield which is a small studio which does allot of traditional printing
projects, this seems like a studio I might fit into, so I plan to see how this
goes. Hopefully this will give me an insight into my future direction.
Josh Douglas
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