Design Production (Print) Evaluation

BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN – END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION

Module Code - OUGD201 Module Title DESIGN PRODUCTION -
PRINT

Level 02 Semester 01 Credit Value 20


1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
One ‘physical’ skill that I improved on in this module was using Illustrator to create complex imagery, as opposed to just simple silhouettes and layouts, like I did last year.
I also learnt have learnt how to take into consideration the print process whilst designing, which isn’t really something I’ve had to consider before. I feel that I now know the basics about printing and paper, and as such feel much more comfortable talking about my work, and feel my work has more depth and is more ‘considered’. I have also learnt about issues such as recycling and environmentally friendly printing, and how to apply these to my designs, and fully intend to in the future.

2. What approaches to generating work and solutions to problems have you developed and how have they helped?
I approached both parts of this module differently than in the past.
The summer project and the ‘postcards 4 print’ brief were the first time that any of my design has been serious, or more specifically it’s the first time I’ve been promoting an idea that I genuinely care about. For me this was very difficult, as I’ve seen lots of examples (especially around college) of really poor design about issues such as animal testing. When it is something that you care about it is hard to be objective and pick out the flaws in the your ideas and design, meaning that the final piece is often something that people find hard to take seriously. Looking back, however, I feel that the challenge helped me work a little harder.
The ‘design 4 print’ brief was different because a lot of my work in the past has been more idea led, however with this brief it was the materials the packaging was made from, that led to the surface design. My concept was that I would make packaging that was recyclable, and I wanted my design to reflect that. I found this a bit worrying at first, but I now think that the way you approach a brief depends entirely on the brief. I think sometimes its appropriate to have a really clever idea, but with my packaging I think that it was appropriate to keep it simple and mainly concentrate on the aesthetics –on making it look recycled and organic.

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I think that the strongest part of this module was the communication of my message. Whether it was promoting organic food, or making recycled packaging for food, I feel it was quickly apparent what I was trying to say. The use of the type face Poplar Std and the heart shapes in ‘postcards 4 print’, and the simple 2 colour typographic designs and off-white recycled board in ‘design 4 print’ work really well to promote my messages, as well as holding the various pieces together and making them recognisable as a group. This is something that is important when working with branding.
Another strength (as I mentioned in the first section) is my basic knowledge of recycled stock and ‘green’ printing, which I intend to consider with all my print based design in the future.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how could you exploit these more fully?
I think that the most obvious weakness is the final presentation of my work. It seemed like I just ‘botched’ it all together. I would have really liked to have final pieces printed on the right stock, right nets and at the right size. I ended up, however, scanning in samples of recycled stock and printing them out onto white card. I also had to redesign the nets so that I could print them out at home, and as a result the crisp tub has a join on either side, where as it should only have one join at the back.
In future I should aim to finish everything a few days in advance so that I have time to speak to the computer technicians or print-room staff and work out the best way print it.
I feel, as I normally do, that I could have done a little more research for the ‘design 4 print’ brief. I didn’t really go too far out of my way to find interesting or appropriate packaging or contemporary design. Since I handed my work in this afternoon I have found two pieces of food packaging that show perfectly the kind of ‘look’ that I was trying to achieve.

5. Identify five things that you will do different next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
Do more research – to get a better understanding of contemporary design in general, and to see how other people/companies are approaching similar areas of design.

Be more prepared/improve time management – This will avoid some of the stress that I encountered near the end of the brief, and will allow me to exploit my time more fully.

Create some kind of a filling system – Similar to the last one. I tend to generate a lot of test pieces, however most of them just end up scattered around my bedroom or the studio. My computer is similar, I only got it a couple of months ago yet its already a mess, no files are named properly or saved in sensible places, as a result it takes me a long time to find work and I have also lost some of my backup work. By filing both hard copies and digital files sensibly, I will save myself a lot of time and not lose as many things.

Make more use of crits – I find it quite hard to present my work and my ideas, I feel if I can improve on this then I will get much more out crits, which will no doubt make my work better.

Get up earlier and do more work – Lately I seem to be staying in bed later and wasting hours procrastinating. I want to try and use my time more productively as simple things won’t get dragged out leaving me with more time to do work as well as doing the things that I enjoy.