BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN LEVEL 06 Module Code OUGD301

Module Title DESIGN PRACTICE 3

END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION

NAME

Marty Aaron Edwards

1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them? Screen printing would have to be one of my biggest improvements this term as my most significant brief was Obediah (OTTO), after the initial branding design, it included a lot of silk screen printing. At first the prints were coming out with small marks where I was forgetting to do certain things such as masking of the side of the screen, this was allowing small amounts of ink through and ruining the stock. However I have now learnt how to best utilise this process. In the FMP, where OTTO will be taken further I feel I could now prepare and print a collection of clothing comfortably. I feel my typesetting skills have developed drastically; this is from the brief ‘Grand Opening’. This brief included re-designing the menus for an already established company. Making sure that all the type was readable for all age ranges and possible clients, across all menus and making it represents the image that ‘Dare’ in Headingly wanted to be visible as. This term I also learnt about the different printing processes which Leeds College of Art can offer, these range from, laser cutting, book binding, copper plating, heat pressing and dye printing. This will give me the opportunity to use these in my FMP projects and develop a stronger, more diverse portfolio.

2. What approaches / methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process? When developing a brief I will normally stick on a idea for a set amount of time to try and make it work for me, I found that by putting down as many different ideas as quickly as possible, I can then take aspects of each of these ideas and create more, once doing this I have a vast range of ideas which I can then select the strongest and take these ideas further. Not being scared to take an idea down a development path which may seem too risky or as if it would be a bad idea, however after taking that risk I have been able to develop some of the stronger ideas in my projects which may not have worked for the final outcomes but created interesting ideas which in turn lead to my final outcomes.

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these? Through this module I have managed to work strongly with the correct software for type setting and layout, I used to design on illustrator (foolishly) to plan out editorials. I now use InDesign and I feel I can successfully develop my ideas and produce proficient outcomes at a faster rate that are more concise with how they are formed. This has given me a purpose to design using InDesign, which in turn has built my confidence and will defiantly become a useful tool through my professional career. I believe that when I have my mind set on an idea and I know the creative direction I want to go with a project I can become highly productive, as I get excited and start to run with the ideas that come to mind, this in itself is a strength when this happens for me. To capitalise on these I will need to make sure that I create more initial ideas at the start of a brief so I can get past any of these problems before they occur.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future? When trying to design I find that I can be easily distracted by the most simple of things, if my head is not fully engaged with the work then someone laughing on the other side of the studio can draw my attention. To try and counter this I need to work (when possible) in quieter area so that I take myself away from the distractions. Another approach is to put my headphones on so it blocks out the other surrounding noise. I also have a tendency to procrastinate a lot when looking at my work, ill waste time moving type back and forth by a few millimetres instead of moving on and designing something new to try and push the concepts further. To try and combat this I could set myself daily targets, this is what I did towards the end of this module (OUGD301) and it proved that I could work efficiently when I set my mind to it.

5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these? - Set myself weekly deadlines and targets so I become more concise and procrastinate less - Use a diary so that I don’t make foolish mistakes such as double booking or missing meetings - Blog as I design so I don’t have to do heavy blogging sessions each fortnight - Organise my progress folder as the term develops, so I can reflect as I design. - Don’t assume that it can be done later; there is no time like the present.

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.