End of module evaluation

BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN		LEVEL	04
Module Code	OUGD102
Module Title	DESIGN PROCESS

END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION

NAME

Sadie Thompson

BLOG. ADDRESS

http://s-thompson1013.blogspot.com/

1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
The main skills I have built on are my Illustrator skills due to the Collection 100 brief, especially when tracing the 100 sex positions, which through repetition has helped me to vector very quickly. Also I have had to think quickly when changing subject quite a way into the brief. I had to make a judgement whether it was best to start from scratch or carry on with a subject I saw going nowhere. Choosing to start over I feel is a decision that has paid off in the end.
2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
My methods of research have improved greatly throughout this brief, I have been encouraged to consider many different types of researching which I have never thought of before. Such methods include primary, secondary, qualitative and quantitative research. I have particularly found my primary research very useful, as it is my potential audience and target markets opinion that counts towards my finished products.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I think the main qualities within this module’s work are my ideas and development on these. I think that in both the What if… and Collection 100 briefs the ideas are solid, original and have potential to be successful in today’s market. Especially in the Collection 100 brief I have been able to come up with a solid idea and develop it through my research and also respond to feedback in my crits to improve the final outcome.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?
I feel that my final designs in the Collection 100 brief could have been improved. For example I would have made the packaging slightly bigger to accommodate the contents without damaging it. I also found it quite an obstacle to find a way to package an egg shape that both looks good, is cost effective and is easy to make within the facilities and equipment that I personally have access to. Also in the What if… brief I feel I made great input when considering the research and development side of things, but I feel I could have contributed more to the final designs, but found it hard to do this as a group.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
*Work better within a group and try to get everyone to contribute equally in all aspects of the brief. Being able to work well within a team is a valuable asset to have, but something I maybe need to work on. *Use more questionnaires and surveys within my research, this would help me to organise my findings and also be able to respond to accurate statistics and numbers, rather than random opinions. *Organise my time more efficiently. Although I do feel this has improved since the last module it is something I could work on more to respond to the briefs set to my full potential, not just until my time runs out. *Blog as I go. This is another thing I feel that has been improved since the last module, but I have still found that I had to fill in a lot of missing blog posts when the deadline came closer. Instead of blogging straight away I have been saving the information to post later, which is something I need to get out of the habit of doing. This is not only to save time and stress at the end of the module, but to keep my blog posts accurate and fresh. *Use more design sheets. This module it seems that I have leapt straight from research to designing on the computer, without many mock-ups. This has meant that I have had to re-do a lot of my designs, rather than developing them to their full potential in the first place.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: (please indicate using an ‘x’)  5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
	1	2	3	4	5
Attendance				X
Punctuality			X
Motivation				X
Commitment				X
Quantity of work produced			X
Quality of work produced				X
Contribution to the group				X
The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.

Visual Language... Book Works

The Brief
Create an edition of 10 hotdog fold books with the theme 'squares'

Considerations
Layout- open like a book or a leaflet? Think of pop-ups, pouches, inserts, repeat patterns and posters.

Target Audience
Book fair goers, mainly art students.

Tone of Voice
Aesthetically pleasing. Funny? Quirky?
Something that is visually appealing, considering a poster... having a second use from being a book.

Background
Initially looked at squares of food. Repeatable patterns? Thinking illustration of things 'square' on poster side, on book side the image enlarged and pixelated, leaving just coloured squares.

Mandatory Requirements
Broad range of visual investigation. Ten books that are a series or a set.

Deliverables
Edition of ten hotdog fold books.

Studio Deadline
Tuesday 1st March.

Collection 100...

Feedback from 2 minute presentation

Change of topic!
After doing all of my initial research unfortunately my tattoo gun broke, which left me with no more ideas and at a bit of a dead end. I decided to change my topic to 'sweets' and start from the beginning.


Progress crit
I was told that my idea to design and produce 'Love Eggs' which would contain a condom and a different sex position was a good one and is something that is current and marketable. Although the idea was good, I had to rethink my design paying attention to the appropriate font used and layout, and watching out for widowing with the text. Also I originally used the same colour scheme throughout the 100 designs, I was told to add a bit of a mix with this to give it more variation. The way I decided to resolve this is by using the classic traffic light colour code to depict whether a position is rated as easy medium or hard, to not only keep the designs looking interesting but to also give the colour variations some relevance.


Feedback from students
Issues raised:
Size of plastic packaging potentially damage product.
Image works but colour and typeface?
Action to be taken:
Larger packaging- try bright pink (look at Anne Summers for colour examples) not keen on heavy orange.
Add cigarette to package.
Blue one= group.
Put a Unipol mint into packaging.
Other accessories? Cock ring?


Self Evaluation
I am extremely pleased with my concept and have had a lot of positive feedback from other students, which could be a potential audience to aim at. I think that it actually has potential to sell, to the extent that I am considering emailing places like Anne Summers with my idea. I like the idea of using colours to indicate the level of difficulty and effort involved with the position, especially on the packaging so that the consumer has the power to choose beforehand without taking away the element of surprise when getting the random sex position. I do think however that I need to make it clearer what the colours are indicating which proved a problem in the crit which involved other students. If I had more time I would resolve this by making a point of sale that would present the eggs in a shop, promoting the product and clearly indicating what the colour coding means. 


Final Pieces: