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BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN

LEVEL 04

Module Code OUGD406!

Module Title Design Practice

END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION

NAME

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

I have used screen print in all but one of the briefs and have refined my skill in this area considerably. The crisp look yet tactile aesthetic at screen print can provide worked really well on the second brief where we alternated the black and white colourings. We learned the limits of the process on this brief, using types with hight contrast stroke weights and very small sizes. I have definitely developed my abilities in organisation as was tested by the group brief. A large amount of what we did was not design but rather timing, organisation and just getting stuff done. Considering we pulled it all of I think we applied organisation very successfully. I have always loved working in a team because it is so challenging. During this module I definitely got the chance to expand on my team work skills in the second and branding day brief and in both situations we worked really well as a team. There were slight hiccups in the balance of work being done in the second brief but it seemed pointless to nag so we just dealt with problems as they came along.!!!!!!!!!

2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?!Through gaining skills in the screen print production method I found myself thinking very differently about the designs I was producing. Because of the separations it was easy to think in layers and the way different aspects of the design really interact with one another. I think this has helped me to really pay attention to the details more and realise just how important they are. I have also gained a greater understanding of digital print. Through the fourth brief I found out that the printers actually rasterise vector graphics wen they are sent of to print, resolving in slightly jagged lines. Up until this point digital print was always my fall back production method if other went wrong but this brief taught me that the production method is so important and one method can’t do everything, choosing the production method is vitally important and something I will send more time doing in the future.!!!!!!!!!!!

!!3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?!!I really enjoy my illustration and hand drawn type (which was just brought to my attention through the type and eye project). I made the decision to create a chalk board look for my speaking from experience piece was definitely aided by the promise of trying out the calk style type. If I hadn’t of had the existing strengths in drawing, taking this risk with hand drawn type within my projects before I had done any outside a brief was much more manageable. With the third brief I also challenged my self in this area by making the type design the focus on my sin City poster. I think this paid off in the end even though I wasn’t stunned by the type. Because I had already developed organisation skills on a personal level with my blogging and the way that i tackle each brief, I dealt much more able to look at the idea of a type blog for Type and Eye and say that we could manage it. It involved lost for figuring out programs and staying in touch with people, but as a group we managed it, capitalising on all of our organisational skills.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?!!I would have to say that my biggest weakness is self doubt. It holds me back from trying the really outrageous stuff that would be so exiting to try. I think the only way to solve this is to give it time, as I prove my self brief by brief, hopefully will start o believe that can do this. I have always had a problem with the balance of aesthetic and concept. To start with I was too concept heavy and recently I have become perhaps too aesthetic orientated. The best way to solve this is to be aware of it during each brief and evaluate this specifically at the end. Looking back at the work I have done this module i have realised that my use of colour is astonishingly minimal. These decisions all had a reason at the time but colour is something that i need to learn to use and make a conscious effort in doing so. in the future I will challenge my self to use a certain number of colours well in a certain brief and throw myself in at the deep end.!!!!!!!!!!5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?!-Make more comprehensive prototypes !(this will allow me to find and solve problems before the become apparent during the production of the piece.)!-Make time to step back from a design. (I tend to get very caught up in what I am designing and although crits help I find the way I see the the design too much to let got of, so if I make time to separate my mind from the brief I can come back to it with new eyes and new ideas for improvement ore ready to take criticism.)!-More mind maps, less lists. (The restricting layout of a list restricts the way I think I need to take the conscious decision to use mind maps more for documentation, they really help free up the way I think; less laterally.)!-Make a set of work tools for college only use. ( I love working in the studio but sometime is is made difficult when you have to lug all pour equipment backwards and forwards. So by having another set their getting the advantages t studio work will be much easier.)!- To take more risks with colour and its use. (to learn more about its inner working=s an how I like to use it.) !!!!!!!!!

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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.