OUGD103 Evaluation

BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN­		LEVEL	04
Module Code	OUGD103
Module Title	Design Practice

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?
I have learnt a great deal of skills in this module. First of all I have of course learnt how to use InDesign, which I have found the most challenging out of all inductions so far but still a valuable brief. Working on the Speaking from experience brief has taught me a lot. I have had inductions in various different printing processes, which not only will save time in second year, but also has made me keen to learn more and experiment with these. Not only have I had inductions but I have spent a great deal of time in the printing rooms and feel comfortable to go back and forth and just get on with it on my own, I feel that this can only help my design work next year.
2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
In previous modules I had a tendency to leap straight to the computer on to Illustrator, so all my designs would be rather generic and digital. This module however I have taken a more hands on approach, which I am glad I did. I have experimented with letterpress, woodblock, screen print, foil block, emboss and even had a go on the laser cutter and mixing wax to make a seal. Sometimes things went right and sometimes they went terribly wrong, either way I have learnt a great deal from my mistakes. I feel that before I shied away a bit from experimenting with processes like these, collaborating on Speaking from experience definitely helped. I am now confident to go and experiment more to mix up different media and different printing processes within my design work. I have learnt that sitting on the internet is not the only form of research, experimentation and documenting this is far more valuable and a lot more can be learnt from this.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I want to spend more time screenprinting. I love the outcome of this process and feel with some practice it could definitely improve my designs. I feel that I worked really well in a team when collaborating, especially as a pair in Speaking from experience. I have learnt how when working with someone else you can play on each other’s strengths to compliment your designs. It also makes it easier to experiment; somehow it’s less scary traveling into the unknown when you’re doing it with someone else. I really enjoyed working on the competition brief; although it was only a five day brief I feel that I created some great designs which are the first finalised pieces that I am actually proud of. I have discovered that I really like working with type, but in an illustrative way just like I did when designing my ambigrams.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?
I feel that if time allowed for it that the outcome for Speaking from experience could have been more polished and finalized. I don’t think that this was a problem with time management but more to do with the fact that the entire brief was set on experimental processes. A lot went not according to plan; although this was stressful I have learnt from this and am now more aware of what can be accomplished from using different printing techniques. When reflecting on the Communication is a virus brief, I feel that we got lost on a bit of a tangent and strayed away from what was initially a great idea, and our feedback reflected this same opinion. This has taught me to not get carried away and every now and again to take a step back and evaluate what I am doing.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
*Consider how hard it is to get things booked at the end of the year, especially the print rooms. Be organized and get in there first.  *Take a step back from my work occasionally and reflect on what I am doing, to see if I am going in the right direction. *Spend more time in the screenprinting rooms, and be more hands on with my work as I feel that this will benefit my designs.  *When I have a lot to do, make a checklist for that day. I found that this really helped in the most previous brief, and kept me motivated when I saw the list getting smaller as I ticked things off. This will also help to keep me organised. *Try to balance work and college. Towards the end of term I found it hard to do this and found myself getting over tired, next time I am going to make weekly time plans sectioning off appropriate amounts of time to study so that it doesn’t effect my college work.
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.