Wednesday, 20 February 2013

OUGD402: Free ads.

In three's we were to each answer the following questions:

What is your professional name and contact details?
What 5 words best describe your design practice?

illustrative/ organic(not geometric)/ ornamental type/ minimalist/ fliud

What 5 words best describe you as a person?

What are your 5 strongest design skills?

What areas of graphic design interest you the most?

What are your 5 favourite designers/design studios?

What makes these your favourites (Where can you see there work)?

What are your 5 favourite design blogs?

What 5 things do you want to be?

What 5 things do you think you need to do to be this?

my answers:

What is your professional name and contact details?
Sarah Goldthorpe- Sarah.goldthorpe@hotmail.com

What 5 words best describe your design practice?
illustrative/ organic(not geometric)/ ornamental type/ minimalist/ fluid

What 5 words best describe you as a person?
Creative, considerate, Joker, determined, compassionate.

What are your 5 strongest design skills?
illustration, customised type, hand drawing/painting, papercutting, Editorial.

What areas of graphic design interest you the most?
Branding/Identity, typography, digital illustration, packaging, editorial/publishing

What are your 5 favourite designers/design studios?
Marian Bantjes, Si Scott, Daren Newman, Madebyanalogue, Root studio

What makes these your favourites (Where can you see there work)?
Marian's type and the fluidity/patterns she creates in her work are amazing.
Si scotts website: His recent paper modelling is some of my favourite work, his constant fluidity and how this seems to be successful in everything he designs and who he designs for.
Daren Neman- His website meandmypen.com - His typography skills and results are amazing, I especially love his glow in the dark work.
Madebyanalogue - creative branding, out of the box and experimental materials. Lockside and hummingbird branding.
Root studio for their illustrative design, in particular work for mission burrito.

What are your 5 favourite design blogs?
Behance, The Die Line, Design Boom, Identity designed, Mag spreads

What 5 things do you want to be?
Successful, Known for great design, happy, balanced, Individual (recognised by signature style etc)

What 5 things do you think you need to do to be this?
Organised, hard working, motivated, forward thinking, positive.

Sarah Heal's answers:

What is your professional name and contact details?

My professional name is Sarah Heal, my email address is sarah.heal@hotmail.co.uk

What 5 words best describe your design practice?
illustrative
free flowing
feminine
youthful
colourful

What 5 words best describe you as a person?
Chatty
bubbly
experimental
aspirational
honest

What are your 5 strongest design skills?
free hand lettering
illustration (by hand or using adobe illustrator)
paper engineeringconcept designing

What areas of graphic design interest you the most?
branding
identity
packaging
poster designs... anything illustrative

What are your 5 favourite designers/design studios?
Walt Disney Imagineering
Jessica Hische
Kate Forrester
Brittney Lee
Chris Sanders

What makes these your favourites (Where can you see their work)?

Crafting, working in groups, concept designing and amazing colour application is everything i love doing. You can see the designers at Imagineering's work in the Disney theme parks, en-captured in family photo albums forever.

What are your 5 favourite design blogs?
http://www.chrissandersart.com/
http://britsketch.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.neighborhood-studio.com/
http://jessicahische.is/thinkingthoughts
http://www.thedieline.com/

What 5 things do you want to be?

An imagineer
An illustrator
A Graphic Designer
A Concept Artist
Successful

What 5 things do you think you need to do to be this?

Motivated/ Driven
Friendly / Happy
Skilful
Organised
Enthusiastic/ aspirational

For my design for Sarah's free ad I concentrated on a few elements, the first were her design practice illustrative, free flowing, feminine, youthful, colourful. I also took a look at one of her favourite artists to grasp a particular style she liked and may aspire to be like, I had a look at Kate Forrester's work.

Kate Forrester seems to have a signature style that takes on a paper cut appearance.

I noticed a similar style in some of Sarah's previous work.

Combining these ideas/ aesthetics I devised a free ad for Sarah.

Once I had finished Sarah's ad I found that this was my favourite of the 3 I had produced, and would be more happy of something this style to represent me rather than the piece I had created for myself.

Danielle yearsley's answers:

What is your professional name and contact details?
Danielle Yearsley
dlyearsley@live.co.uk

What 5 words best describe your design practice?
Exploritory
Organic/Natural aesthetics
Mixed medium
Reflective
Illustrative

What 5 words best describe you as a person?
Outgoing
Open-minded
Experimental
Motivated
Determined

What are your 5 strongest design skills?
What areas of graphic design interest you the most?
Branding
Identity
Product & packaging
Typography
Illustration

What are your 5 favourite designers/design studios?
Si Scott
Isidro Ferrer
Christoffer Relander
Mateusz Witczak
Yi Xiang Lim
Lucinda Rodgers

What makes these your favourites (Where can you see there work)?
Mostly because of the personal, hand rendered styles of production. For example, use of mixig media such as water colour
and fineliner demonstrates traditional artist skills. Advertizement, Magazines/publications , personal websites and blogs
etc.

What are your 5 favourite design blogs?
Creative Review
Design week
I love Typography
Behance
Pinterest & google+

What 5 things do you want to be?
Graphic designer
Illustrator
Photographer
Inspired
Motivated

What 5 things do you think you need to do to be this?
Be Organised
To stay determined
Array of media(eg, kit of tools, pens etc)
To research
Stay open-minded

When I designed Danielle's free ad, I found that her likes were very much like mine. We both had a preference for hand rendered work, particularly the use of water colour and so I wanted to emphasize this. The black references the fine liner which when in combination with other traditional media, Danielle thinks shows true artist skills. I have use dream catcher symbolism in this piece, not because of a comment that Danielle made but from know her as a person, she is very free spirited and easy going. I found that Danielle liked very organic pieces of work, one artist she mentions in particular Christoffer Relander, takes some breathtaking photography in which he accentuates the occurence of trees. I wanted to reflect this in the piece below:

From these answers we have been asked to design a free ad, for ourselves and our two partners.

The ads must be A4 format but a3 scale.
Have a maximum of 50 words.
They can be either type, or type and image.

Thursday, 7 February 2013

OUGD402: Task 4 - Where am I now?

Congratulations on completing the first semester of the programme. At this mid-way point of the year we are asking you to reflect on the last few months of your studies and evaluate what you have learned about yourself, how you learn, the content that you have been introduced to and your growing awareness of Graphic Design.

Your task is to review your blogs, your research, your work and your experiences to date. Having done this you are asked to identify:

10 things that you have learned about yourself as an individual and as learner. These should reflect your personal development and individual journey since the start of the programme.
10 things that you have learned about yourself as a designer. These should reflect your growing awareness of your own interests within graphic design as a subject, discipline and profession.

10 things I have learnt about myself as an individual and as a learner are:

I am a home bird. I only come from Bradford originally and I battled with my parents to let me move to Leeds as I thought this would be the answer to enjoying university. However I have found that without fail I have gone home every weekend since starting university and sometimes go home on a wednesday too, due to having no classes on an afternoon. However I have also since learnt that I need to start learning to let go of my home comforts and will aim to stop in Leeds more.

There is such a thing as being able to work and play. When I first got the news that I had received an offer to go to Leeds college of art, I was convinced that the hours I spent awake, would be consumed by work. I felt that I would not make it through the first year and the work would overwhelm me. However I have found that I am able to enjoy myself at the same time as doing work, and that I get great enjoyment out of doing work too. I have slowly over the semester learnt to always create a balance in my life.

I am the most boring fresher that ever graced university, and alcohol is not my thing. Since I first moved to university, the weekend before starting at LCA, the total of nights out I have been on is 1. And this night out was the first day that I ever moved into university. Paired with my insomnia and 9 o'clock starts at university, I switched the alcoholic beverages for some hot chocolate.

A washing machine is a real thing and clothes are not cleaned via magic. Before I had come to university I had never really used a washing machine before, I had done other things such as the ironing, hoovering and loading the dishwasher etc. I found that when I first attempted to use the Washing machines in the halls, That the visual instructions on the wall were not effective enough, seen as I walked straight past them and put my £2.50 into the slot for the dryer. Cue me pressing all sorts of buttons on the washer and yelling at it for not working. I then realised it was not the instructions that were at fault, but my inability to not be blonde. I have since refined my talent and learnt how to use a washing machine.

I do not like noise at night. Coming from a quiet house at home I had never really encountered this problem. People in my house where almost certainly in bed by 11pm on work nights, which was easy surroundings for a good, healthy 8 hour sleep. However I have found coming to university that the 11pm noise curfew must really say 'hey have a 4am party' or wake me up at 3am stumbling in from a night out, this does not always go down well.

I am a human Filofax. Although I have always been organised, I could never prepare myself for how organised I would need to be for university. I took the time before I started the course to try and find a required reading list and take out some of the books on this from the library. This being the start of the journey, I have shown up to every class on time and with the correct work needed.

Blog as you go! Being new to Graphic design, I found at first that just trying to keep up with the practical projects was hard enough without trying to evaluate myself and the process along the way. However I found that my weekends would be sadly used blogging up all my work from the previous week. After gaining more experience in graphic design through a range of briefs and tuning more into the creative flow, I found that blogging and developing at the same time became easier and is essential to being successful.

I am a Kinaesthetic Learner. I have found that through attending both interactive classes such as Fred's design principles context/PPP sessions and attending lectures that I am a kinaesthetic learner. I learn things better when classes are interactive such as the sessions ran by fred, rather than lectures which are more appropriate for auditory and visual learners.

Compromise is key! Suddenly living with people you have never met before from living at home can be quite the challenge. Some people are nocturnal, some people are early birds, and pretty much all 5 people want to cook their tea at the same time. Compromising, so that everyone gets the chance for some good sleep and eat their tea when they would like has proved a key thing to learn seen as though we will be living with a set of people for our 3 years at university.

Friends you make at university are the friends you make for life. I have found that I have met who I would consider friends I will have for a life time at university, and can't wait to move in with my two closest friends commencing year 2. I have found that these friends have also helped me to settle into life more at university and made me more comfortable about being away from home.

10 things that I have learnt about myself as a designer are:

In order to be successful I have to reject personal style. Although it may seem all too much of an attractive prospect to constantly create design that looks like your favourite works, or breathes the style of design to like the most, It may not be appropriate to the Brief. Always look back at the brief making sure that your constantly making sure to create a resolution for this instead of your personal wants.

-A piece I created recently for my room in the style of my one of my favourite designers Marian Bantjes.

I pick things up quite fast! When I first started the course I was scared as I had no prior knowledge of how to use illustrator and had only previously used photoshop for small tasks. I have however become quite confident using illustrator and now enjoy using this medium as much as hand rendering, I thought that for at least the first year of the course I would constantly designing hand crafted pieces rather than digital.

Never forget to consider the effect of stock on your work. I have for a previous brief created a piece of work which I feel quite proud of. I thought I had chosen a great stock however, a few days before module hand in I was advised to try out a different stock and so I spent my remaining printing allowance, buying a stock which was slightly darker in colour (Champaign instead of white) and had a more grainy texture. Thus, this changed the effects of colour and readability of text on my final piece, the colour of the paper had made the colours seem less bright and the grainy texture meant that the text was less readable. Although I wrote in the evaluation that it would have been nice to edit the design to work with the new paper it would have been nice to have a final piece I was happy with, and so I have learnt to always try stock out before I go to final print.

Don't be disheartened. I have learnt not to feel down about my work when I look at others who I think is submitting what I would consider better work than mine. I now remember to be proud of myself and what I have learnt in the 4 months I have spent studying Graphic design. I have also learnt not to put myself down when I look at work from professional designers, as I have only just began my journey and still have a lot left to learn.

I really enjoy the research aspect of design. I have found that I have really enjoyed the Design process module as this considered the process and context in which the works have been designed instead of focusing all energy on the end product. I have enjoyed having more well informed design, and having a thirst for knowledge, constantly learning things that I did not know before. I found that this appeared in two specific briefs, 'How to: get people to use public transport' where we created 3 different research boards which would inform our design process and outcome and 'Research, Collect, Communicate: PRODUCT, in which we were given 3 weeks to fully research, initially design and come up with a final resolution to the brief.

I am just as successful working in a group as I am by myself. When we first arrived at college we were given our first brief which we were to create a resolution for in a group. I feared working in a group with a bunch of Graphic design students who most probably wanted to try persuade each other to go along with their ideas I found the experience very rewarding. Although you quickly found who you would not particularly like to work with again, you learnt what type of designers you would work well with. I have since learnt that, even when we are working on individual briefs, we are never working alone because we are constantly receiving crit from our peers that allows us to progress and become more open minded. I also felt working in groups that I absorbed others knowledge which I was unaware of before.

I do not want to get stuck in a rut. I have found that in a couple of projects I have developed a style which incorporates creating designed combining both illustration and photography. However I would like to create some design in the future that works without photography and solely with original illustrations I designed.
This can be seen in my 3 posters evolving into my mail shot design, for Design skills and the most redent brief of Design process, Research, Collect, Communicate: PRODUCT.

Don't always be safe, be experimental. For the first few briefs I worked with on the course, I feared that my designs would not be good enough and so I ended up being quite safe, constantly using the same stock, creating works on small scale because I felt it was easier than creating something on a large scale. For the latest Design process brief 'Research, Collect, Communicate: PRODUCT' I decided that I would work on a range of different stocks, these included white card, champagne grain card, acetate and ribbon. I was given good feedback for being ambitious with my choices and very much enjoyed how much I learnt from printing on different stocks.

I enjoyed working independently. Up until the last Design process brief we were given a lot of guidance as far as where to take our designs, what size they should be, how many colours we should use. However for the last brief 'Research, Collect, Communicate: PRODUCT' we were allowed to work a lot more independently picking our own subject matter, creating a problem and then resolving this. The independence was furthered due to cancellation of crits due to bad weather, however I Found that I quite enjoyed the experience. Before during one weeks briefs where we were given a lot of limitations, I found it difficult to fully research my subject, brainstorm ideas, create initial designs and then a final resolution, alongside workshops and classes. I found that over the three weeks where we worked independently I could really research into my subject, create a range of design ideas and progress with the one that was most appropriate.

Criticism is good and not a personal attack. I think that before coming to college I very much relied on people complimenting my work to feel good about it, and that If someone said they didn't like something about my work I would instantly become disheartened. However I have learnt to love crits and use them to my advantage, especially at LCA, what is better than getting advice from 50 other budding graphic designers and tutors that have done work within industry? I have also found that now I much prefer getting criticism more than compliments because criticism opens a door in which I can better my work, where as I cannot work with a complement.

Thursday, 31 January 2013

OUGD405: End of module self evaluation.

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

I think that first and foremost I have learnt to take the time to really research into my subject, and use this research to inform my design decisions. I have thought more about what media, ideas, formats are appropriate for the pieces of work I am completing, I think this shows particularly in the 3 week brief we completed. I have become more ambitious with materials instead of staying away from them, experimenting with a varied range of stock, including acetate and printing ribbons. I have explored functionality more within this module, learning that first and foremost design must be functional and well communicated in order to be successful. I have also learnt, that when designing, I should keep the brief close by as a constant reminder of my aims, and to not stray away from the brief and design a product that although may look great, does not stray away from the brief, which is useful for work in the future working to the clients wants.

What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

I have developed working with print in this module, mostly digital print. I have experimented with printing on alternate materials, some which I have found successful and can be used for future projects. I have took an approach to design that is much more well informed to previous work I have completed. I have learnt to research a subject widely, often going off on tangents as this may inform my original research subject. I have also looked into more possibilities of design, drawing up initial ideas, and freely changing these to reflect feedback that I have been given by my co peers and others involved with graphic design. I have created mock ups and experimented printing on different paper stock, where as before I would automatically stick to a stock I was comfortable with using. I think the experimentation and experience of working with other materials through the module, and the methods such as vast research is making me into a more well rounded designer.

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

I think something that shows in my work is a large sense of thought, from being handed the brief to submitting work. I think my main strength that has appeared in this module Is my want to be more knowledgable. I think that for each brief we have completed I have a strong breadth of research which has essentially underpinned everything we have completed in this module. I also think that I have managed my time better, although the 3 weeks that we had also allowed my to complete ongoing work, It also gave me the time to really cull my research, experiment, and evolve within the brief, fulfilling it to a point where I was quite happy with what I have designed. As a pose to other briefs where we would, research, experiment and design within a week.

What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

I think that I still need to experiment with other materials, I would have liked to try screen printing during this module however I stuck with using digital print as I know this is what I am comfortable in using. I think towards the start of the module there is a lack of wanting to create more than one possible outcome – initial designs, however towards the end of the module I have designed more freely and designed a range of design outcomes. In order to combat these issues in the future, I would book time slots effectively for screen printing, leaving myself enough time to iron out any mistakes that may arise, and for thorough research and planning. I will also plan out a time scale in which I can complete the three week brief in a shorter amount of time, to ensure that I can work to shorter deadlines more effectively, for industry and the rest of the year/course.

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

Try out screen printing – gaining another skill in print and becoming more considerate to other printing techniques.
Experiment with hand rendered ideas and then import these into adobe for further visual investigation to create a broader range of technique, as hand rendering is also one of my strong points.
Experiment with stock effectively early in the process, so that I can decided the pallete of colours and text etc, appropriate to the stock.
Create a process in which I can complete the thorough 3 week brief in a smaller time scale so I am more prepared for industry.
To practise and work more with photoshop to gain a wider knowledge on how to edit photos, so I can work more comfortably with the program and also use my own photos for work where possible.

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.

Sunday, 30 December 2012

OUGD402 PPP1 - What is graphic design used for? part 1.

Using the areas of Graphic Design discussed in the seminar, studio workshop as a starting point and with reference to the 'What is Graphic Design For - Part 1/2' presentation. Identify, record and evaluate a minimum of:

5 examples of websites/blogs. that will help you to define information & way-finding design.
5 examples of websites/blogs. that will help you to define product & packaging design.
5 examples of websites/blogs. that will help you to define branding & identity design.
5 examples of websites/blogs. that will help you to define editorial and publishing design.
5 examples of websites/blogs. that will help you to define retail and & promotion.

You should aim to identify sources that represent the breadth of design practices, functions and audiences. Once you have identified your sources, you will need to:

Write a brief statement defining your understanding of each of the design areas
Identify 10 examples of each discipline and 'categories' them by genre, audience, content, sector, budget and/or any appropriate method as discussed in your groups.
Comment on the effectiveness of the examples with regards to content, format, function and media.

Information and Way-finding design.

Infogr8

What Schwarzkopf product is right for you?

Audience: It is clear from the semantics of this piece that it has been created for a specific audience, woman of those who are interested in hair care. It also caters to those who are interested, whom have different hair types, offering solutions for every hair type. This is shown in a quiz type layout often found in publications aimed at this demographic audience such as women's magazines.

Digital eye strain infographic

This info-graphic uses a format which references its subject. The designer has used illustration that reflects its subject matter, focusing on a pixelating effect in reference to the digital. Although illustratively impressive the piece also relies upon a simple and effective format, first established on the info graphic is defining digital eye strain, followed by causes, results and a solution.

Killer Infographics

Deaf pet awareness

Not only does this info graphic show how information can be processed and portrayed effectively, It also shows how almost complimentary colours can be used well together. The piece also has a great balance between text and visual. The piece also follows a problem and solution format. Telling the signs and symptoms of Pet deafness but also how to combat the situation which is an informative but also interactive approach.

Make It big online infographic

This info graphic really displays how to section information clearly without confusion. The designer establishes hierarchy of information through different weights and point sizes of typeface. The piece also projects fun, creativity and interactivity by adapting the language used to interest their target audience. However the piece is also very informative and show a serious side with the final section 'Makin' a livin' ain't easy'.

Cool Infographics

Water changes everything

In this info graphic we are encouraged to follow a story, this type of info graphic may also appeal to a wider audience as it adheres it self to not only those who take in information visually, but also those who learn by listening. The use of these fun illustrations ask us to look at the specific subject in a new light, not one in which we are shrouded in piles of overbearing information, and matching heart pulling photos. We are not made to feel guilt, merely well informed in a light hearted manner, in which we are left to decide which is the next step.

Tree Classics infographic

A clear and concise seasonal infographic which uses a great variety of data presented in different formats. The info graphic is well themed, using appropriate illustrations and colours. The info graphic shows critical information and is well section for precise understanding.

Bomb sight

Another great piece which takes interactive info graphics to a whole new level.

'Bomb Sight [bombsight.org] is an interactive map that aggregates all the locations where the bombs fell between October 1940 and June 1941. As this data was previously available only in the Reading Room at The National Archives, Bomb Sight aims to make the maps available to citizen researchers, academics and students. In the map, the bomb sites can be filtered by weekly time spans or only those that fell during the first night of The Blitz. In the future, the map should also include references to memories and photographs from the time period.'

People can see for themselves the devestation that took place during the ww1 as the regular facts and figures may not do the entirety of the war justice. Users can also see how the war may have affected them by seeing if any bombs struck where they lived/ worked etc, which is more personal than any television advert you could see.

New York city greenhouse gas emissions in one year

Here is another great info graphic that demonstrates a problem communicated on a large scale. It again takes a more interactive role, rather than just presenting facts and figures, the viewer is shown in a video the active extent of co2 emissions in new york. Viewing the problem in the most literal way, proves that the issue is easier to understand and provokes more people to consider a solution and commit to a change.

Behance

Budapest Pop-up book

This pop up book is an example of how presenting the facts and figures in a more formal and conservative way can be taken to an interactive level. The book combines both a minimalist format with a playful edge in order to create something significantly informative yet engaging for the brain.

The Cathay Car park

Product and packaging design.

Product and Packaging are very important in the selling of the product. When being introduced to a product the packaging is the first impression that the customer will gain. The packaging needs to be effectively, eye catching, persuasive, low cost and practical if in need of mass production. There is however another side of product and packaging in which is individually crafted, thus having a more luxurious appearance and a more personal feel. Not only must the packaging promote the product, it must also try to create a relationship with the buyer.

Lovely Package

Bzzz honey.

Help remedies.

Packaging of the world

Far Falla.

Sustainability coffee cups.

Hongkiat

Images

Beijing buffet fortunes.

Images

NYC Spaghetti.

The Die Line

Suerte Tequila

Starbucks Holiday 2012

Design Boom

Poilu

Coca Cola Green Packaging

Branding and identity design.

Branding and Identity are visual extensions of a company, Branding refers to the strategy and the routes that companies travel through in order to promote their services/ intentions, whether these be through, events, campaigns, marketing plans etc, the logo is what customers\clients use to identify with the brand. Identity is the umbrella in which these concepts fall under, the Identity is built using the brand and trademarks.

I have found 5 different blogs/websites that discuss Branding and identity design and have selected 2 examples from each.

Strategy Design and Advertising.