This module has been the one which I have enjoyed the most, and feel like I have learnt the most about myself as a practicing designer. The progress in my skills and design aesthetic has increased a huge amount from the end of second year. I feel that this module has really helped me in becoming a professional practicing designer, and not just a student, with confidence in my work and ability to apply my skills to any given brief and style.
My interest in areas of design has changed throughout the year as well, and while some things such as Typography have remained constant, I have found that I have a much larger interest in design for Web and Packaging than I previously did. While I do not have any incline to continue with Packaging design, I did find working on briefs with this element in enjoyable.
The main reason I enjoyed this module was because of the completely self-driven briefs and work ethic of this module. Being self-directed it meant I could do the briefs that I wanted and not have to create to the same brief as everyone else. I also liked the fact that it meant I could pick my brief time scales, creating as many small or substantial briefs as I wanted. I think that in the first two years of this course, the structure of it was beneficial, but something that I didn't always enjoy. Though this independence I think the main thing that I have developed this year is my consideration when it comes to design and how I approach briefs. My design has become much more refined and sophisticated - something which I set out to do at the beginning of the year, and I believe I have succeeded. There is a clear improvement from the projects at the beginning of the year to the ones which were completed near the end.
One example of this is 'Kakawa' - my collaborative project with Charlie Rotherham. This brief was initially supposed to have been completed in the first term, however we decided to leave it until the end so we could execute it better, which we definitely did. We also managed a huge amount of work within three weeks, something that would have definitely not happened in the first term. This project just showed me how far I really have come as a designer in design and in organisation. Setting out a clear plan for exactly what we wanted to do and when definitely helped in moving the project forward and developing it to something we were happy with.
A second project which I thoroughly enjoyed was the last brief I completed - Brief 14 'Visit'. At the beginning of the year I had set out to develop my skills in all areas of design, and in particular web and App design. This was reinforced even more when I completed my placement and enjoyed working on Apps and websites all day. This brief had originally started off as a branding, editorial and promotional project in creating a holiday pack for people visiting New York, however with a better insight into what I wanted to create, I found that an App was just so much more suited to what I actually wanted to do. I found it enjoyable in working through a brands identity through the App and having to think about elements which would not be thought of if the branding was for just print. I also enjoyed working on the same format and size continuously. I think that the final designs definitely reflect my bettered skills in this area and my love for working on this format.
The brief which I feel I accomplished the most in was Brief 15 - Simplex. It has always been my aim to create a full typeface which is usable as well. Setting out to do this at the beginning of the year, I didn't think I would be able to do it as well as I quite liked, however through extensive learning of the principles in COP, I felt I had much more technical insight into typeface design and how to construct a successful typeface. This brief definitely left me feeling extremely accomplished when I finished it and was able to type text in it, and for it work reasonably well. This is definitely the brief which I did the most work for, from creating the initial designs by hand to creating the variations.
While I enjoyed the majority of the module, I do feel that there are a couple of projects which were weaker and definitely did not do my design skills justice. The first is the yearbook pitch, and the second is DSM. For the yearbook, while I don't necessarily have anything against the pitched idea, I don't think it was as strong as it could have been, and it is definitely not the kind of direction which I would usually move towards or excel at. I don't think that I excelled in this brief at all like I would have if it were something a bit more in my comfort zone. In terms of DSM, I don't think I ever really got on board with this brief since getting the subject for it, and this is what stopped me from getting really involved with it and coming up with something I was proud of. I think the main thing to take away from this brief is that as a designer you won't always get a brief you like, but you have to work on it anyway.
Another brief which I was a bit disappointed at was Brief 5 - The Woodshop. While I am happy with what I produced for it, as it was a client brief which never really got off the ground, I do think there was a lot to be desired, and there was a huge potential for the branding, which just wasn't put into practice in the end. I think this is something that I would really like to expand on in the future and create the brief that I wanted it to be. In contrast, my other client brief - Wheatless & More - became enjoyable and a large amount of various bits and pieces were created.
Something I also learnt this year was to enjoy collaborations and appreciate other people skills. I particularly enjoyed my collaboration with Charlie, and DBA with Sam W, Ant & Ewan. I think both of these projects have a good split in terms of responsibilities and work produced, and the concepts for both of these are strong and refined, with some really good work produced from it. Doing these collaboratives successfully has definitely shown me that I can work in collaborations and do so very well with good outcomes.
Overall I think that there are definitely positives and negatives from this year, but definitely more positives. It has definitely been a huge learning curve and has helped me refine exactly what kind of design it is that I enjoy doing and why I enjoy this. It has also taught me that while I like a certain style of design, I can apply my skills and create something completely outside that, and do it well.
Thursday 21 May 2015
Wednesday 20 May 2015
Brief 14 - Advertising
As I do not have much time left, I decided on doing a very quick look into the possible advertising for the App.
In these, I wanted to incorporate the same elements as in the App, and be very simple as it goes with the brand idea of planning a trip easy and simply.
I had quite a clear idea of the design that I wanted to go with, having half colour, half photographic imagery, the App over the top with a bit of text, and along the bottom the branding.
The idea of the branding across the bottom is to have the brand logo and then a line of city names, with the chosen city in red, as explored in the branding when I was doing this.
For the case of this advertisement, I will be doing New York, as the App is mocked up to support this.
I really like the way this advertisement turned out. I think that it flows nicely and incorporates elements from both of the previous advertisements - the branding element from the poster - and the imagery to the side of the phone from the bus. I think the symmetry of it works really well and is simple and execution and shows quite a lot of what the App can do.
I'm pleased with the way the advertising looks. I think that if I had more time I could explore this more thoroughly, but I think that I have done is good and definitely puts the App in the best light possible. I think the use of the colours works really well and the good photography pushes the professionalism side of it.
In these, I wanted to incorporate the same elements as in the App, and be very simple as it goes with the brand idea of planning a trip easy and simply.
I had quite a clear idea of the design that I wanted to go with, having half colour, half photographic imagery, the App over the top with a bit of text, and along the bottom the branding.
The idea of the branding across the bottom is to have the brand logo and then a line of city names, with the chosen city in red, as explored in the branding when I was doing this.
For the case of this advertisement, I will be doing New York, as the App is mocked up to support this.
I decided on the small line of 'plan your trip easy' as it's quick and simple, and gets the point across. I was unsure of the App image to use, but I think the list of activities gets the point across of planning a trip. I tried both red and green for the bottom half, and found that the rest just sat much better for this particular design, however I do want to incorporate the green into the advertising somewhere.
I think the bottom branding works really well. It's simple and effective. The idea is that if this were a digital ad, the city list would move across and different cities would go red to indicate the fact that this can apply to any city.
I also added the App Store icon to the top right to give it a bit more of a realistic feel. I think it works really well and actually sits really nicely against the photographic imagery.
I mocked this up into two possible situations.
Following this I wanted to create an advertisement to a different format, so decided on a red bus mock up. It has quite an interesting space to fill, so it will really make me think about the placing of all the elements. There is a low dip in one side which will fit a mocked up phone perfectly, so I have to work around this.
I also decided that I'd mock up a different city for this, choosing Melbourne. I also think this is a good place to incorporate the green colour as it will be going on a red bus.
I initially found the layout a bit tricky to get right, but found that the final layout I had worked really well. With the placing of the phone definite from the beginning, it was jus a case or working all the information around it. I think the green really works in this too.
For a final advertisement I found a mock up which had two sides, so I thought it would be good to do two ads that work together - one side red and the other side green.
On the first side it would be what I've used in the other ads - the 'plan your trip easy', and on the second side it would be something else about the app.
I wasn't quite sure what to do for this, but decided on showing the Map and having 'map your day easy'. It works with the other line and is four words again, so will fill the exact same space.
I really like the way this advertisement turned out. I think that it flows nicely and incorporates elements from both of the previous advertisements - the branding element from the poster - and the imagery to the side of the phone from the bus. I think the symmetry of it works really well and is simple and execution and shows quite a lot of what the App can do.
I'm pleased with the way the advertising looks. I think that if I had more time I could explore this more thoroughly, but I think that I have done is good and definitely puts the App in the best light possible. I think the use of the colours works really well and the good photography pushes the professionalism side of it.
Tuesday 19 May 2015
Brief 1 - Final Evaluation/Reflection
I started this brief at the beginning of the year with the intention of completing it relatively quickly, however it ended up lasting the full duration of the year, and looking back at it, I am definitely glad it did. Working on it at various points during the year gave me the ability to continue to develop designs and make them more successful and professional.
I think that the diversity of packaging and printed elements also helped in the development of the branding, and made me think about how I would apply the branding to a variety of media, for example, the glass jars and the plates. The varying sizes and shapes meant that a lot of consideration had to go into how the branding was applied and what would work well. This diversity in packaging also worked very well in the final photographs.
The simplicity of the branding allowed for successful extension across a retail environment, showing how the interior of the establishment would look if it were created. This made me think about how the branding would be applied across an interior design situation, and meant that I could incorporate more than just the logo, such as photographic imagery as well.
The changes made to the website following the completion of Brief 11 definitely improve the overall image of the brand and create a much more consistent approach to all aspects. The previous design did work well, however with the development made in Brief 11, it was inconsistent and obviously so. The changes made were simple and following the same structure, also with skills that I did not have at the beginning of the year when I previously made the website, so I feel that it looks much more professional.
I think the project was very successful and I did what I set out to do in creating collateral which spoke to a high-end audience and was luxurious and sophisticated in appearance. The most successful part of the project was the putting together of it all, where all the elements came together to show a fully rounded brand.
I think that the diversity of packaging and printed elements also helped in the development of the branding, and made me think about how I would apply the branding to a variety of media, for example, the glass jars and the plates. The varying sizes and shapes meant that a lot of consideration had to go into how the branding was applied and what would work well. This diversity in packaging also worked very well in the final photographs.
The simplicity of the branding allowed for successful extension across a retail environment, showing how the interior of the establishment would look if it were created. This made me think about how the branding would be applied across an interior design situation, and meant that I could incorporate more than just the logo, such as photographic imagery as well.
The changes made to the website following the completion of Brief 11 definitely improve the overall image of the brand and create a much more consistent approach to all aspects. The previous design did work well, however with the development made in Brief 11, it was inconsistent and obviously so. The changes made were simple and following the same structure, also with skills that I did not have at the beginning of the year when I previously made the website, so I feel that it looks much more professional.
I think the project was very successful and I did what I set out to do in creating collateral which spoke to a high-end audience and was luxurious and sophisticated in appearance. The most successful part of the project was the putting together of it all, where all the elements came together to show a fully rounded brand.
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