Tuesday 28 May 2013

OUGD402 - Studio Brief Two (It's Upto You): Final Product and Development

I printed all of my nets out at college on the A3 printer and it took me a whole day to cut them out as precisely as possible as well as construct them all. If I had had more time then I would have been able to use the lazer cutter instead. However I quite like the feeling of achievement after having cut them all out by hand. In addition, this is the same process I have used all year round so it would seem strange to change it on this final brief about me.

It was quite a struggle using a scalpel for all of the nets, so with some of them I used scissors as it saved me some time when cutting out the curved edges.



An alternative way of presenting my information would be to keep all of the pieces of paper inside loose so that they can then be taken out and stored in a separate container. Below I have photographed what this would look like. For example, if I was to send it off to a studio and they had nowhere to store the boxes, then this would be a practical alternative. However, the whole reason behind me printing the largest net on A3 paper was so that the overall product was compact. Therefore this would defeat the purpose and would also make the product less functional and more complicated. I have therefore decided to glue all of the text down instead like I had originally planned to do.


Below are the photographs of my final product or pack to represent me. I am really pleased with the outcome. I had a few issues with the closures and they could have been improved, however I have developed them so that the final box in the centre is the refined design with a well designed and functional closure. This illustrates the changes I have made along the way to make improvements to ensure that I am happy with the final product.












 
I did consider creating a belly band to put around the Sanctuary box. However I feel as though this would have been unnecessary, and simply a feature which wouldn't have had much of a function, rather be there for aesthetic purposes. I also wanted the boxes to be as accessible as possible and feel as though this would have probably made the pack more complicated than it needs to be.


OUGD402 - PPP: Review of Presentation

I felt as though the presentations today were really successful. We spent the whole day presenting in two halves, the morning and afternoon. Everyone had thoroughly prepared their presentations and it was clear that we have all grown and developed quite dramatically over the past year. I felt as though my presentation went as well as it could have done at this stage. I felt confident when presenting and actually really enjoyed reflecting upon all of the work I have produced over the past year, as I have put 100% into everything I have produced. I am so pleased with what I have achieved as an individual, and I am really looking forward to the Summer break and using it as an opportunity to do the following things:

  • Research further into relevant studios and potential placements
  • Contact Fabien Barral
  • Update my CV
  • Create a LinkedIn account to get involved with networking
  • Completing my Summer brief
  • Visiting galleries when possible/whilst on holiday
Although I feel as though I am ready for a break over Summer, I think it will feel strange going back to being at home over Summer and not being surrounded by creative, motivational friends. I think this has been one major high point of this year, and I absolutely love working with like minded people on a daily basis, allowing me to ask for opinions and get constructive, helpful feedback. I am really looking forward to strengthening my skills in the second year and I am excited to discover what my future holds.

Sunday 26 May 2013

OUGD402 - PPP: Evaluation

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

Throughout this module I have realised the importance of keeping up to date with blogging. I have also developed my reflection skills, and now value how important it is to constantly think about the work I am producing, to ensure that I am on track and always considering my future and aspirations. I feel as though these evaluation skills have allowed me to develop considerably as an individual. It has made it clear to me just how much personal life can have on professional practice. Throughout the whole year I have developed my software skills considerably and as a result I was able to produce my final product successfully to fulfill the 'It's up to you' brief. I hope I have effectively applied the skills I have acquired and demonstrated this through the boxes I created. Through being aware of design studios and designers I have been able to blog relevant imagery which links closely to me, therefore allowing me to build a collection of useful sources.

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

I have demonstrated my packaging skills when completing my brief for PPP. I feel as though I have been able to apply skills I have learnt in Illustrator as well as InDesign to produce the end product. As a result I have been able to work more efficiently, as I was only ever able to use Photoshop prior to starting the course.

I think in the future I need to experiment further with design production and use a wider variety of mediums, possibly ink and paint to see whether I enjoy it. This way I won't look back and wish I had tried more things.

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

My evaluation skills and annotation has improved considerably throughout the year, with constant blogging and reflection. This has enabled me to realise where I have progressed and where there is room for improvement. I will certainly continue to capitalise on this in the future, and also hope to develop even more personal blogs within PPP to help organise my thoughts which will in turn give me an indication into which direction to take in terms of a specialism. Currently I feel as though packaging is what I would like to pursue, however this is likely to change dramatically in the second and third year.

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

I feel as though throughout the year I could possibly reflect on my work even more than I do. I could maybe give myself a target to have a reflection post once a week, regarding how I am feeling towards my future and the work I am producing. I think this would be extremely beneficial to me and it would act as a diary almost, documenting all of my relevant thoughts.

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

  • I will look for more design studios which inspire me
  • I will look for local design studios who inspire me and could be possibilites for placement
  • I will reflect each week on my progress and development
  • I will constantly consider the future and what I want to achieve from my degree
  • I will create more personal posts to give me even more guidance for my future, which will also give me more to look back on in the third year to see how I have changed or possibly stayed the same

OUGD402 - Presentation















Prompts

HELLO I'M LAURA
  • Introduce myself
HOW I KNOW GRAPHIC DESIGN IS FOR ME (SLIDE 1)
  • Prior to starting university I worked at Pandora's Box for two years
  • I hadn't studied Graphic Design at A level, just GCSE
  • Gave me the opportunity to learn and develop new skills
  • Website design, editorial as well as email designs
  • Could have worked my way up but needed to strengthen my abilities
  • Only used Photoshop

HOW I KNOW GRAPHIC DESIGN IS FOR ME (SLIDE 2)
  • Here are some examples of my web based work as well as an email design
  • Looking forward to developing with web design as I only worked with templates

HOW I KNOW GRAPHIC DESIGN IS FOR ME (SLIDE 3)
  • Whilst carrying on with work at Pandora's Box I did an art foundation
  • All work was based on graphic design
  • For my exhibition I used hand rendered drawings to create Thailand booklets

MADE THE BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE
  • Used to really want to go into editorial design and work for Vogue
  • Much preferred this course and therefore turned down the offer at Salford
  • So happy now that I am here

MAIN INSPIRATION
  • Decorative and sophisticated designs
  • Follow him on Instagram to view his latest work
  • Inspired me to try and use illustration more
  • Given me a goal to work towards
CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY
  • Struggle and lack in confidence when it comes to applying colour to my work, especially since colour theory
  • Pleasantly surprised with the outcome of my postcards
  • Would love to try and incorporate colour in to my work more than I do
TURNING POINT
  • Pooch Pouch
  • Experimenting with nets
  • Packaging design

INTERACTIVITY
  • 10 things publication for design principles
  • Designed the publication and then tried to make it a bit different
  • Using trace I printed the grid and was pleased with the outcome as it made it a bit more memorable and interesting

ILLUSTRATION
  • I feel as though I have become more confident throughout the year with drawing
  • The positive feedback in crits have allowed me to push myself and grow
  • I'd like to think I have improved
  • Speaking from experience

FUTURE ASPIRATIONS
  • Visit studios
  • Would love to study abroad for the experience
  • Will be contacting Fabien Barral
  • Experiment with more mediums before settling on packaging alone
  • Want to be able to work in every area and be as confident as I am with packaging
  • Excited for web design
  • More editorial

MAINTAIN POSITIVITY
  • I have a very philosophical way of thinking
  • The main thing is to remain positive even when things feel challenging

IF YOU TRY YOUR BEST YOU CAN DO ANYTHING
  • Most importantly...

ANY QUESTIONS?










OUGD402 - Studio Brief 2: It's Up To You (Logo Research)

Below are some logo designs which I feel are the most successful ones I could find on each of the individual websites. I think sometimes it is obvious when someone has taken too much time on a logo and have overcomplicated it, which is why it is so challenging to create one which is successful and functional.

The Opalyn logo below is clean, functional and sophisticated. The font which has been used creates a bold statement whilst at the same isn't too overpowering.


I really like this design below and feel that the colour works well against the white. Together they create a very feminine logo which is memorable and easy on the eye.


I really liked how the first part of this logo links together in a typographic sense. The way the black and white has been inverted works well to separate the two words from each other, but at the same time linking them together with the use of the same font.



I love how an image has been incorporated here, in a subtle yet successful way. I think this is very hard to achieve without it losing legibility to a certain extent, but the balance is just right here.


Although it is not my favourite, I still think this logo works well. I am not sure whether the surrounding shape is necessary but I like how each of the letterforms are rounded off, making the text inviting and professional at the same time.



Here is another example of how an image has been subtly placed within the text to represent the word. The bold, font allows the image to fit in without it taking over, whereas if a light font had been used it wouldn't have been successful at all.


The V&A is one of my favourite museums to visit, as there is such a vast array of different things to look at. Their logo is striking and very cleverly put together, as they have managed to lose a stem completely but yet it still works just as well.



I love the symmetry in this design. The type is very representative of one I would choose to use, and the black background allows it to stand out.


The way the initials have been separated here with the simple use of lines is very clever. It looks balanced, would be easily applied to lots of different mediums, and is functional as a logo.



I love the logo which has been applied to different products below. I think it has a certain illustrative feel to it, and the W and the H really complement each other and merge very successfully whilst at the same time producing an ampersand in the centre. 

Kevin Cantrell via www.mr-cup.com

Kevin Cantrell via www.mr-cup.com

Source

The three logos below all differ quite considerably but use the same colour palette. I love all of them and the first one reminds me of the one I created for a previous task when we had to illustrate two other people and do their branding on a poster.




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I love the illustrations, the chosen typeface and how the lines have been used to separate information here. The black border simply finishes the design and it works really well as a functional piece of design. I will most certainly be taking inspiration from this.




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This logo design is very clever in the way that it has been produced, however I am not fond of the font which has been used to create the logo inparticular. I think I would prefer it if it was created using sans serif fonts alone. The colours however are really striking and quite feminine, and the way in which they have packaged themselves is creative and inspiring.






















Source


This is quite similar to the work I found earlier, linking back to the black and white design the photographer had used to create their logo. I love the simplicity of this design and think the logo is really striking and bold.


Grebban Design AB is a design and web consultancy based in Skövde, Sweden. They commissioned photographer and graphic designer Emil Karlsson, from Gothenburg, to come up with a new visual identity for their business. The brief demanded a design that was heavy yet elegant in terms of style and appearance. Emil introduced a degree of boldness to the design by emphasising and bringing to the fore the letter ‘G’.

















This certainly stood out to me as being one of the most striking and thought provoking logo designs. The way the initials form the shape of a cube is extremely clever in representing the individual's specialisms in a subtle way.

Belgian designer Louise Mertens is a graduate of St Lucas Antwerp University College of Art & Design (Antwerp), where she recently completed a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. For her personal identity design, Louise decided on using the initials of her name. The letters L and M are arranged, formed and interconnected around the edges and vertices of a cube. Besides doing freelance work, Louise is currently pursuing postgraduate studies at the aforementioned institute. She formerly worked as both a model and photographer, and the two strands continue to influence and inform her work.
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I absolutely love this. It is creative, original and very well designed. The design hasn't been over complicated and there is a lot of meaning behind how it is created.
Ayoob Ullah is a freelance graphic designer from Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. Formed from the initials of his name, the acronym Au represents his personal brand identity. The overarching theme of the logo is the famous Golden Ratio. Ayoob has constructed and devised his design using the precise mathematical proportions of the “divine section”. The choice of gold colour is further intended to correspond with and illustrate the designer’s skills and work ethics.
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Reference to an inspiring website: Source