At the end of each module we have to write an evaluation from our perspective. The areas that need to be analysed, are my strengths, weaknesses, things to improve, and design skills utilised.
OUGD505- Evaluation
1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
This module I used quite a lot of processes however because I had done most of them before, I felt as though I could complete the process to a higher standard and be more productive. I did not waste time having do to multiple practices in case they went wrong. I think this comes will being more organised and planning which processes I want to do, what I need to do them and when is the best time. However, laser cutting was one process that I wanted to do more of in this module, which I did. I created more complex designs, for example my exhibition poster and used different stocks such a ply for the buttons.
2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
I think that I thought more about the concept approaching this module and this informed my design production. I tied everything together through the aesthetics and the idea of my project. Relating the printed products with the digital work was an approach I wanted to carry through. I have attempted to think of products as whole set rather than individual pieces which is helped me develop a more realistic and effective final outcome. I also worked hard on creating functional products that could actually be sold rather than just mocking them up. I think this communicates a concept better and more professionally.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
Strength within this module was probably my concept and the fact that it allowed for the brand to be expanded if I was to carry it. I think the problem I set myself was realistic and relevant; equally, my response was appropriate. I think the processes I used are strength as I feel I used to processes more effective for my design. It may not be a main strength, but something I have definitely improved on is photographing my final outcomes in a more professional manner. I think I managed my time well in this module and focussed on producing design I enjoyed doing.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
I think my weakness is mocking up my products in context. I really need improve my Photoshop skills in order to mock-up professionally and realistically. Another weakness in my work is my presentation boards, even though I have had lots of practice, I still feel as though my layout and content could be greatly worked on. I need to get into the habit of spending more time on them and analysing the most appropriate way to present the boards.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
Next time I will expand my project even further. Even though I allowed space for this, I could have done more. By doing this I think I would gain a wider range of products and a deeper concept. I would like to spend more time doing primary research, even though I did do some in this module, I generally enjoy this approach and is something I can gain a lot out of. In the future I would like to try and code some of the website I have proposed. I really want to improve my coding skills so I think this will be beneficial even if it takes time. Lastly, next time I would like to do even more processes such as embossing, just because I feel as though doing the processes is very beneficial within my design process and production.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas?
Attendance- 5
Punctuality- 5
Motivation- 4
Commitment- 4
Quantity of work produced- 4
Quality of work produced- 4
Contribution to the group- 4
OUGD504- Evaluation
1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
As this module has been quite long at thorough I feel as though I have improves my project management skills. At the beginning of the academic year I felt as though I didn’t do much work but as the projects have built upon each other I have become focussed and organised on what I need to do. I have done more hands-on processes, especially in the last brief. This is something that I have also wanted to do but never left enough time or didn’t really know to go about doing it. Learning how to screen print as laser cut has given me the confidence to apply it in future projects.
2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
The approach and perspective of this project has been different to any one I have done before. I have obviously never made a website before and very proud of my self for doing so. It is much different than I imagined and want to improve my understanding of code as I think it is an impressive skill to have. Obviously being more hands-one gave me a different perspective of design and taught me that I need to handle my time well to do more traditional processes.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I think one my strengths is learning new techniques and skills. In this module I tried lots of new things, coding a website, laser cutting, screen printing and foiling. All of theses things are very different. I was better at some than others but I enjoyed learning and applying every single one of them. However I think they are skills that I need to keep developing to get better and quicker at them, so this is something I want to carry on doing.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
I feel as though sometimes how my final outcomes and development are presented lets me down. I think my presentation boards could be greatly improved and this is something I want to work more on. I’m not very good at picking out which are the important bits and displaying them in a professional manner. I think to help me with this I need to improve my photography skills and get some good pictures of my final outcome. I need to learn to leave more time at the end of a brief to make finishing touches to presenting my work. I find that research really lets my blog down; I obviously research as I go along but never actually put it on my blog until the end so therefore it is not as in much depth.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
Next time I will try and make sure I stick to a proper timescale in terms of balancing out research time and designing time. This will hopefully give me a more reliable and valid outcome. Also now I have seen a different approach to a project I can take what I have learned and apply it to the next one. I think I will experiment more with different outcomes of design as I really enjoyed the construction side of my products, which isn't something I often do. Hopefully by doing this I will broaden my knowledge of design and it will also test my composition and printing skills. Next time I want to do even more screen-printing, as it will improve the outcome whether it is paper or fabric. Also, I really enjoy doing something that is away from the computer. Lastly, I think I would try and do more primary research because I think it is more beneficial. I would like to take a more practical approach to it and have something as a creative a response, rather than just writing and images. For this project I have so many ideas for primary research but because of time management, I did not get around to doing all of them.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas?
Attendance- 5
Punctuality- 4
Motivation- 3
Commitment- 4
Quantity of work produced- 3
Quality of work produced- 3
Contribution to the group- 3
OUGD501-Evaluation
1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
Within this module I think I have become better at applying a concept based on theory into a practical piece. Last year I found myself trying to communicate quite a broad subject. This year I feel as though I have picked a more specific and relevant subject area in which I found more interesting to research. Therefore, my research skills have improved and I am beginning to make the separation of useful resources and research that doesn’t inform my practice. I have really tried to ensure my final piece is presented the best way possible and I think my photography skills have improved therefore helping in the way of my presentation skills.
2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
In terms of design production I feel as though I was quite ambitious and did something a bit different. The concept was the main focal point in this module, linking the theory to the design. I felt that my concept was strong and I worked hard on expanding it to communicate the theory. I think I tried something different with the glow in the dark design. I have learnt that it is important to try as many processes as possible even if they don’t go to plan.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
In this module, my design was probably stronger than my academic writing. I think my organisation skills were strong in this module and feel as though my final piece represents this. Because I was organised, I had time to make sure my book was to the standard I wanted. I think overall, my research was good and my blog displayed this. I think my work looks more professional in this module as my photography skills have improved.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
I found writing the essay quite challenging, as it was longer than last year. I found it hard to find a subject that I could talk about in depth and interested in at the same time. For me, it is important to write about something that I am genuinely absorbed by. I want to improve my academic writing for my dissertation. I think another weakness of mine is exploring a variation of outcomes. Instead of settling the first ideas I come up with, I need to attempt to produce more ideas even if I decide not to go with them.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
Next time I will be more specific in choosing a subject area for the essay as I think I will find it easier to write about. I will also do spend more time on planning my essay as I think it will help my overall structure. As I find referencing quite confusing, I would like to learn how to do it properly and use a variety of different resources to improve my knowledge. In the future I will try to gain some primary research and try to gain information in different environments. Lastly, I think I would try to expand my concept onto other products or even create a campaign linked to my concept.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas?
Attendance- 5
Punctuality- 4
Motivation- 3
Commitment- 3
Quantity of work produced- 3
Quality of work produced- 3
OUGD503-Evaluation
1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
This module has been very independent which I have really enjoyed. Even though it has been quite long it has been broken up, as there are lots of different briefs. I like how it is self led and I could choose exactly what briefs I wanted to do and how I would complete them. In terms of skills I think I have become better at layout. As I had to create multiple boards to communicate a project I have learnt to how to make them look professional and clear.
2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
As I did seven briefs all together, some shorter than others I became more decisive when it came to approaching a brief. When I have one brief and quite a lot of time I find it hard to make quick decisions. In this module I have found it easier to visualize a design direction. Each brief I have taken I have tried to think about it from the client’s point of view. At the beginning I was coming up with ideas but had lost sight of the brief and not actually coming up with a relevant response. I applied this approach to my design boards. The client is never of going to seen my idea before so make it clear and not overcomplicated is going to communicate my idea the best way possible.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I have always enjoyed packaging but I subconsciously chose all briefs communicating this. I have also really worked on my illustration in this module. These are two elements that I want to explore me into. I think a strength I can also take from this module is my organisation skills. As I had many different briefs on at one time I ended up writing endless lists to help me organise my thoughts and tasks within a brief. I also felt as though working with a partner was a really motivating and successful set-up and worked differently to I normally would. I think I adapt well to other peoples design directions.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
In this module I wish I had spent more time on creating the final products and having something 3-D to show. However, to do this I would have had to do more processes for example, I wanted to screen-print my greeting cards. These two factors go in hand with one another. Another weakness is my photography skills. Photographing a final product or mock-ups of a product is crucial and doing it well is even more important. I need to improve of setting up photos in a professional environment and Photoshop them well. Having bad photos can affect at entire bored and therefore a whole brief response.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
Next time I will try or more processes and focus towards creating a final product. I think this will give me confidence in producing different outcomes and give me more variety in my work. Even though I really enjoy packaging, next time I would try and do briefs that push me more into an area that I’m not so comfortable doing, for example designing a website or something along those lines. I would do more specific research next time for each brief. Sometimes it is hard to get a good range of research whilst also being very focussed. Something I would do differently is try and do more briefs. I felt as though I did to a substantial quantity and quality of work but there is always more room to complete more briefs even if they are short ones. Linked to this I have realised that a lot of my were either aimed at females or both but mainly directed at women. Next time I would like to try designing solely for a male audience. I think this would change how I think and my approach to a project.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas?
Attendance- 5
Punctuality- 5
Motivation- 4
Commitment- 4
Quantity of work produced- 4
Quality of work produced- 4
Contribution to the group- 4
