OUGD504: Design Production - Design For Print and Web, Interim Crit

In order to give us a better understanding of where we are in terms of the Print and Web brief and how we can progress from this stage, we were able to attend a informal interim crit with other member of the class.

We were asked to present everything we had to date for the Print and Web brief, including the re-written brief we produced following last weeks studio session in order to receive feedback about whether our new concept was appropriate and whether it will be plausible to achieve this is the timeframe available.

I began explaining the original ISTD brief I chose, Type Factory and how and why I had re-written the brief to be a selective design institution which require and strong, visual identity.

I also showed the logo and icon designs I have produced for institution and the range of deliverables for the brief which I personally felt would be appropriate.

My Feedback:

OUGD504: Design Production: Design For Web Final Critique

Similarly to last weeks crit for the 'What is Design For Print?' brief, we were asked to present and then leave our final outcome for the 'Design For Web' brief in order to receive honest and constructive feedback on our design.

In order to give the people who were critiquing our work a better understand of the development process behind it we were also asked to present a minimum of five design boards explain our concept, content etc.

My Feedback:

• I think you need an image or possibly some kind of info graphic I think you should create a logo for your website
• I think you have a reasonable amount of content and the right amount to go alongside your images
• Your website is too plain I like how easy it is to navigate but the white background with small text doesn't look appealing, change the typeface for navigation?
• Show people what it is you do on the homepage really try and sell your "marketing campaign" plan by making the user feel like he should pick you i.e. picture with happy faces
• Make a different template for each page or else it looks to simple and won't keep the user engaged
• Choose a better body copy font
• What is the point of having failed campaigns?
• You need a title saying what the company is called. Maybe you could move the intro paragraph down or add an image slider to fill up the page space?
• An intro is needed for each page - it jumps straight in! Pretend you're talking to people who have no idea what you are talking about
• You need an indication that there is more content and that I needed to scroll down - I didn't know! Maybe a image of a arrow pointing down and or a different background colour,
• More images are needed
• Make logo a link to the homepage
• Maybe add a background image? Site looks too bland
• It is not immediately clear what the website is for, what is it's purpose. This may be as it is not finished but I think a logo and/or feature title on the homepage would be largely beneficial. Also include a image of some kind on the homepage as it should be visual
• I understand why you have included the content you have and I think it would be useful for businesses but I think the pages would benefit from being more visual - for example create more interesting titles, perhaps you could design a title style that would run throughout the site to give a more visually engaging website that is still consistent and clear.
• A colour scheme other than black and white may also improve the aesthetic, one other feature colour could work well.
• A title! When I sat down to look at your website, it was not on the index page and so I had a hard time understanding what it was at first! A logo on each page that initiates a title would be beneficial to your website as the index page is not always the first page people come into contact with.
• I think that you have enough content etc. but each page could do with a intro.. maybe above the images? A brief summary that informs what you are going to be talking about on the page.
• Make scrollbars visible on your text boxes! The only reason I knew this is because you wrote it down. Otherwise I would have missed half your content. 
• I love your website proposal! Very creative and interactive.
• The whole website seems very left aligned. Left margin is thinner than the right? Can you make these equal so that the website seems more balanced?

Overall I am pleased with the quality of the feedback I received from the group, which gave plenty of suggestions on possible ways I could improve the effectiveness of my site in terms of concept and design.

As one of the pieces of the pieces of feedback I received was to add a preliminary paragraph at the begin of each of the article pages in order to explain what i was about I decided to write a paragraph for each of the articles which I could then add to the coding.

How To Create A Successful Campaign

The difference between a successful and failed campaign can have a huge impact on the given company.

How To Create A Failed Campaign

Although sometimes a failed advertising campaign can have a disastrous consequence on a given company sometimes bad press can work just as well as good press.

How To Appeal To Different Target Audiences

When attempting to appeal to different target audiences and demographics advertisers use different selling techniques and concepts to insure maximum effect.

How To Use Tone Of Voice

When producing an advertising campaign a lot of consideration needs to be made as to what tone of voice will be used. The tone of voice needs to be appropriate for the target audience, using the wrong target audience can have a disastrous consequence on the company.

OUGD504: Design Production - What Is Design For Print? Final Critique

As our final critique for the 'What Is Design For Print?' before the studio deadline, the format was slightly different to last weeks web critique. 

Instead of us personally presenting out for to a group of our peers, this time we left our work to be critiqued by another group. I found this a particular useful format for a final crit, as it meant our design work was left to stand alone which would test whether our design actually communicated what we wanted it to.

As well as displaying a selection of the instructional leaflets I had designed for 'What Is Design For Print?' brief I also left a couple of questions which were areas I would most like to receive feedback on.

My Questions

• Would it be more appropriate for the format of instructional leaflet for the inside of the leaflet to be produced using hand-rendered or digital techniques?
• Is the information / content appropriate for an instructional leaflet? And is it clearly laid out / legible?

My Feedback

• Good concept and good use of colour and binding choice
• I think the leaflets are better suited to digital print because of the readability and clarity. It would also be easier to mass produce.
• Images / diagrams / sketches needed to make the booklets more unusually dynamic and interesting.

• Simplistic, readable and legible type choices and body copy.
• Type justification should be sorted to ensure correct alignment and structure, i.e. process leaflet  6-7.
• The instructional leaflet should be digitally rendered to correlate with the other booklets - continuity. 
• Nice use of mini fold-outs as examples, unusual, but good physical examples opposed to hand-rendered drawings.
• Not enough content for colour, finishes etc. but idea is strong.
• Thick, appropriate stock choices used with screen print / digital print.
• All layout are clean, readable and legible and allow for folding without too much interruption of the text.

• I think the inside should be digitally printed as this will ensure high readability.
• Physical samples are effective although maybe think about appropriate sizes as your prototypes seem quite small and fiddly.
• I'm missing some illustrations, step by step to clearly demonstrate how to do things. I don't personally respond well to instructions in written format only - although I can see sample.

• Digital print it, I don't see a reason why you should traditional print it. It won't add any additional qualities that digital will bring.
• The content is appropriate, but I don't think it really shows that when you open it without folding out the rest. Have the technical inside something to draw on the inside / yes it's legible.
• Adding onto that, I think some imagery would really help, the format is cool, but its a bit strange it being just text for something that it very practical and hands on. The room is there to fit it on.

OUGD504: Design Production - Design For Web Interim Critique

In order to prepare us for the final web critique which will be in two weeks, we were asked to attend a interim in order to show two tutors and our peers where we our up to in the Design For Web brief and receive any pieces of feedback which will aid our development.

I began by telling the group of the content and concept which I had decided upon for my website, however, unfortunately I had not begun the actual coding for my website and instead had to show my proposal for the website which I want to create but perhaps due to time constriction and my limited knowledge of Dreamweaver will not be able to. I will however be able to create a simplified version in Dreamweaver.

My Feedback:

• Consider audience and tone of voice
• When working in Illustrator work in pixels to make it easier
• Logo - It would be appropriate for a website about branding to have a logo, where will it go?
• Content - There is a lot of type, perhaps too much? Think about how you can show the information? Needs more images
• How can the 'tab' design be applied and work on phones and tablets etc.
• Make sure all the pages have a purpose
• Is the sliding motion achievable on DreamWeaver? If not you could present the inter-active design as a proposal.
• BEGIN CODING.

One of the main areas of feedback which I wanted to gain from the critique was how the website could be interacted with by the target audience and why they they would use and reuse the resource.
I have decided that the website should be used an an informational resource by the target audience, filled with articles, instructions and the dos and don't of promotion, which will be update by contributing designers.

OUGD502: Personal and Professional Practice 2 - Studio Brief 1: A Design Strategy, Behance Set-Up

Throughout the first studio brief of the Personal and Professional Practice 2 module, our sessions have been based around the theme of improving our professional practices by networking, contacting professionals and how to conduct ourselves within the industry.

Although I believe my time management has improved a lot since the first year, as I have been completing the tasks as and when I get them, I have not exactly been pro-active about contacting studios and arranging visits.

I believe this is because I am not exactly confident in myself or within my work, and therefore do not feel like I can 'sell myself' to professionals. In order to improve my confidence in my design abilities I have decided to set up a Behance portfolio for the design I will produce in this upcoming academic year that I am proud of.

Having a Behance account will also be a appropriate place to send prospective contacts rather than my university blog.

Link: https://www.behance.net/annasergison

OUGD502: Personal and Profession Practice 2 - Studio Session 2: Networking and Contacting Professionals

Our second studio session as part of the Personal and Professional Practice module focussed on the subject of networking, how it can benefit our practice and how to go about contacting professionals.

I found this session particularly useful as contacting studios in order to make contacts and ultimately get a placement is something I personally have been starting to think about, and the tips we were given on how to start this process and how to conduct ourselves will has helped me increase my confidence that I can do this.

NETWORKING

• Sharing and gaining pertinent information that helps us gain something
• Starting to get to know people NOW is important - But it should have a reason and a plan

• You 'network' for many reason, and it can be friends, family or colleagues, teachers, tutors or whomever you see beneficial to your practice.

Why you network

•  So people know you exist as a creative and see what makes you special
• Getting to know your 'peers'
• Receive advice, mentoring, feedback, visits, placements, collaborations, employment

• What methods can you employ to start contact? Investigate yourself

• But above all we must have a reason to speak to them

• Once you have identified areas that you may have a voice in

• Linked In

Things to Consider

• Why are you contacting them?
• What do you want from them?
• In what way do you want them to respond?

• What should we consider? An identity of some kind

Task:

Investigate a list of methods you can employ to contact other creatives, studios etc.

CONTACTING PROFESSIONALS

• Become a key player within the industry, be in communication with our peers
• Reinforce your position as a new professional creative in the industry

• Planning and documenting - Like undertaking a brief, relevant research that we record and utilise

• Above all remember it's all about you

• Methods: Email, telephone, Twitter, post?
• Check out their website, give them a call

Have a few questions ready to ask

• Why are you contacting?
• Could you possibly arrange a visit?

• You are a valuable asset
• They will want to speak to you, go for it

What do you want to tell them?

• You exist, are looking for advice
• Arrange a visit for advice
• DO NOT ask for a placement

What will they want to know about you?

• Why you chose them?
• What kind of creative are you?

What can you show them?

• Anything at all, a brief you are working on or one you feel happy about
• A creative CV
• Invite them to visit the college?

• This is not just a CV but is a reference they may keep on file, if its good enough?

Task:

Get a friend to write a positive / negative list about you

OUGD502: Personal and Profession Practice 2 - Studio Session 1

Who am I now and what do I feel I have achieved as a Graphic Designer so far?

Our first studio session for the OUGD502: Personal and Professional Practice module mainly focussed on the aims of the module and how it had and we will develop from last year.

In preparation for the next session of the module, we were asked to answer a series of questions which reflect on the progress of our professional practice over the summer break.

1. Reflecting on your Summer what is your most memorable event and why?!

The most memorable event of my summer was my holiday to Berlin, where I went for one week with two of my best friends in August.

As well as the sense of independence I feel I gained from the holiday, which is one of the first I have undertaken without my parents, the city itself was full of history and culture - in particular the East Side Gallery- which not only inspired me personally but has already begun to inform my design practice.

2. Have you made any contacts over the Summer that you feel could be helpful over the coming year or so and what outcomes did you feel you achieved?!

Unfortunately, I did not take the initiative to make any professional contacts over the summer.

3. How did you meet/contact these contacts (methods used or how it happened)!

Unfortunately I did not make any professional contacts over the summer, however, I were have my preferred method would be to set-up a visit at a couple of studio of whom work I am interested in. I believe meeting prospective contacts in a informal situation first would be beneficial to me as I can be quite shy when meeting new people.

4. If you didn’t make any contacts, why? too busy working? holiday? commitments?!

Unfortunately I do not have much confidence within myself or the design work I have produced to date and therefore I have been quite nervous about contacting professionals and having to 'sell myself'. 

I do alo have a part-time job at Clarks shoe shop, whose busiest time of year is the summer, thereby limiting my time to make contacts and my availability to undergo a visit or placement.

5. What methods of contacting creatives can you think of and what would you ask? 

Methods of Contacting Creatives

• Researching studios on the internet
• Researching the studios of guest lecturers
• Talking to printers and other professionals in the industry
• Talking to relatives in the industry, my cousin is a illustrator
• Calling to arrange a visit to studios
• Emailing to arrange a visit to studios
• Via social media? 

Questions I Would Ask

• What advice can they give to a budding graphic designer?
• What roles are there within the studio? Which Would suit me?
• What are the benefits of working within a studio as opposed to freelance?

OUGD502 : Personal and Professional Practice 2

At the beginning of our first year on the Graphic Design programme, we were asked to create a lists of things we would like like to learn, goals we would like to achieve and/or our ambitions for the year.

As we are now at the begging of the second year of the programme, we were asked in preparation of our first PPP 2 session to review these goals in terms of whether we achieved them or not. I personally believe this task we be particularly in terms of our own professional development.

5 things I want to learn during my time on the first year of the course

1. Confidence in Mac software - Despite using Mac software such as photoshop on the Graphic Design course I studied at A Level, I do not feel as confident with digital media as I do with hand-rendered media. I would like, by the third year of the course to be as confident in digital media as I am with hand-rendered media.

2. Printing Processes - As I am particularly interested hand-rendered medias, I would like to experiment with techniques I have never tried before such as printing processes. I feel this will develop the skills I have already gained in this area.

3. Communication Skills - I feel presenting to my year group, will help me to communicate confidantly to an audience, however I would also, by the end of the course like to able to communicate my ideas in group work and crits.

4. Time Management - Throughout my time on the course I would like to learn how to mange my time effectively in order to be able to produce work for several briefs rather than one. I think this will be an important skill as it will required in a graphic design industry.

5. About the Graphic Design Industry - In order to decide on where I would like to be when I graduate, I would like learn about the Graphic Design industry, particularly the different fields and what it takes to be a successfull Graphic Designer.

In terms of experimenting with new techniques and print processes I believe I have achieved this as the first year gave me the opportunity to try new things, experiment and ultimately make mistakes in order to learn about myself as a designer. We were also given workshops into a variety of print process which I had never used before and was then able to employ within the briefs we were set.
I also believe the first year gave me better understanding of the various fields of the Graphic Design industry through the briefs we were set and as a result I now have a better idea of what aspect I would like to go into, which I am now using to inform my work for the second year.

Although, the first year has sort of forced my to improve my time management skills through the heavy workload and my communication skills through the many crits I have attended in which I have had to present my work to large numbers of people, I still believe there is room for improvement within these areas as they are an ongoing development.

One of the goals I set last year which I do not believe I have achieved, is to improve my confidence within the Mac software. Although we were given serval workshops into these programmes which improved my skills slightly, I tended to avoid using the software last year and therefore I am in still not confident when using them to produce a piece of design.

Taking the goals we had set ourselves last year into consideration, we are now required to create a new list of successes we would like to achieve on our second year on the course.

10 Successes I Would Like To Achieve On Level 5

1. Experimentation into a variety of media
2. Exploration into ideas
3. Confidence within myself and my work
4. Professional finish to final outcomes
5. Personal style to my work
6. Independent learning
7. Better idea of my professional practice and my ambitions for the future
8. Develop and communicate my own opinions within the field of Graphic Design
9. Have a more proactive approach to research collection
10. A better understanding of local studios and placements

OUGD502: Personal and Professional Practice 2 - Summer Brief: What Interests Me? Presentation and Feedback

To begin the session, we were asked in the groups of eight we had been placed in to discuss and write down ten things which we believe were a success last year on the course. This task enabled us to communicate as a group which I found particularly useful as we would be working within and presenting to this this group later on in the session.

Using the ten things each of the six groups had suggested we then, as a class, decided upon the ten things that we felt were the most successful traits of the course last year.

Study Task: The first part of session focused upon the successes of our first year of the Graphic Design programme, and therefore as a study task we were asked to as an individual identify and produce a list of the ten successes we want to achieve for the upcoming year.

10 Successes I Would Like To Achieve On Level 5


1. Experimentation into a variety of media
2. Exploration into ideas
3. Confidence within myself and my work
4. Professional finish to final outcomes
5. Personal style to my work
6. Independent learning
7. Better idea of my professional practice and my ambitions for the future
8. Develop and communicate my own opinions within the field of Graphic Design
9. Have a more proactive approach to research collection
10. A better understanding of local studios and placements


Following this 'warm-up' task, we were then able in turn to present our research for the Summer Research Project. We were each given three to five minutes to present what we had learnt on our chosen subject and the direction we had chosen.

Following the presentation we were given a minute to write down - on sticky notes - any constructive criticism and feedback on what we had just heard, I believe this time frame  was effective as it ensured the feedback we received and wrote was concise and to the point.

Using the vast array of feedback we had received we were then asked to categorise this in terms of whether it was useful or not, whether it could be useful should there be more specific information and whether it was the type of feedback which perhaps 'boosted our ego'.

Useful Pieces of Feedback

• Good that you have found focusses within promotion
• Maybe analyse design a bit more
• Look at more design techniques for selling
• What is about the design that makes people want to buy it?
• Look at one brand in depth?
• Could explore even more case studies to a wider variety of sources
• Could have looked more into history of promotion/advertising etc.
• It was very focussed and concise maybe could have had more to it

Non-Useful Pieces of Feedback

• Nice research in relation to personal interest
• Good examples of different promotions - good imagery
• Really interesting research of Abercrombie and Fitch
• Good use of case studies
• Balanced research
• Relevant to your interests 
• Tone of voice and target audience considered 
• Personalised and interesting
• Well research into design and the different elements of it
• Good look into good and bad promotion designs
• Personal link
• Focused on target audience 
• Considered positives and negatives
• Good that you have found focus within promotion
• Really interesting case studies

Feedback Which Could Be Useful

• Maybe go further into depth of research

Feedback Which Boosted My Ego

• Good that you have found focuses within promotion
• Really interesting case studies
• Good look into good and bad promotion designs
• Personalised and interesting
• Good use of case studies
• Nice use of research in relation to personal interest 
• Good examples of different promotions - good imagery

Study Task: As a study task for next week, we were asked using the feedback we had received to identify three targets to improve our Summer Research Project.

Three Targets to Improve Summer Research Project


1. Research more into the context of promotion - history and facts etc.
2. Analyse the design of the advertisements I have collected in more depth - What is about the design that makes people want to buy it?
3. Look at one brand in depth - Collect and analyse a range of their advertising campaigns

OUGD401: Context Of Practice - End Of Module Evaluation

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

Throughout the Context Of Practice module I believe I have developed skills within the collection and application of research. 

The first half of the module focused on the contextual sources which have influenced design practice and informing us on other areas of the design industry. I was then able to apply this knowledge with the second and more practical part of the module. 

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

Throughout the Context of Practice in module, I believe I developed a more considered approach to design process, by taking into consideration contextual references to influence and inform my final design.

For example, for the second half of the module 'Theory Into Practice', the design decisions I made for the publication we were asked to produced were informed by the research I had collected on my chosen subject in order to the specific aesthetic.

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

Within the work I have produced for the Context Of Practice module, I believe my strengths have been within collection of research from a variety of secondary sources such the internet and books in order improve my contextual knowledge to inform decisions made during the design process.

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

Within the work I have produced for the Context Of Practice module, I believe my weaknesses have been within forming my own opinions and theories based upon and backed up by the evidence collected in the form of research.

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

• Improve primary research - Although I believe the research I collected from secondary sources was strong throughout the Context Of Practice module, I do believe my primary research could have been improved as this information would perhaps be more reliable way to inform my design work.

•  Forming my own opinions - Although I am able to collect a broad range of research and analyse the information based upon the evidence collected, I do believe I could improve this process in the future by analysing the research in more detail in order to form my own opinions and theories on the subject.

• Improve time management - On both the studio brief one and studio brief two of the Context of Practice module I felt my time management was poor and therefore felt rushed to meet the deadline on both occasions. Next time, I will therefore improve this skill in order to produce work of a higher quality for the briefs.

• Extend Tasks - Throughout the Context Of Practice module, I feel that I only produced the minimum amount of work asked of my by the tasks we were set. By using the tasks were were set in the module as a starting point for deeper investigation I would improve my contextual knowledge. 

• Improve Blogging - Although I believe my blogging was kept to date during the Context Of Practice module, I do believe the quality of my blogging could be improved by analysing imagery collected as research and communicating design decisions in more depth.

6. How would you grade yourself on the following areas?

• Attendance - 5 = Excellant
• Punctuality - 5 = Excellent
• Motivation - 3 = Good
• Commitment - 3 = Good
• Quantity of work produced - 3 = Good
• Quality of work produced - 3 = Good
• Contribution to the group - 2 = Average

OUGD406: Design Practice 1 - End of Module Evaluation

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

Through the Adobe Indesign workshops which we were asked to attend as part of the module, I was able to not only develop my skills in the software but in the set-up of a grid / layout which I was then able to apply to the development of the diaries I produced for the 'Speaking From Experience' brief.

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

Throughout the module I have developed my skills in the traditional methods of production which I am particularly interested in through inductions into screen printing and letterpress. 
However, I do believe I could have taken advantage of these methods of production when producing final outcomes.

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

I believe the strengths within my work for the Design Practice 1 module were in idea generation and the range of ideas and concepts I considered for the briefs I was set, which is something I wanted to improve upon from the last module.

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

I believe the weaknesses within my work for the Design Practice 1 module were in the research aspect of the design process. Therefore, In future I will gather research from a range of sources - both primary and secondary - which will aid idea and concept generation.

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

1. Improve Research: In order to produce more appropriate and informed designs I believe I could produce more in-depth and specific research.
2. Experimentation: In the next module I would like to be more experimental, specifically with method of production by taking advantage of the facilities available at uni.
3. Managing Briefs: Due to the time of year I found myself juggling several briefs at once and therefore I feel some of the briefs wee neglected.
4. Communicating my ideas: As well as in crits, I also found this difficult in the group brief we were given .
5. Consider stock: As I progress into the second year I believe it is important to consider production issues such as stock by experimenting with a range before print.

6. How would you grade yourself on the following areas?

• Attendance - 4 = Very Good
• Punctuality - 5 = Excellent
• Motivation - 3 = Good
• Commitment - 3 = Good
• Quantity of work produced - 4 = Very Good
• Quality of work produced - 3 = Good
• Contribution to the group - 2 = Average

OUGD402: Personal and Professional Practice - Studio Brief Two: It's Up To You

Studio brief two of the Personal and Professional Practice module, enables us to exploit the practical elements of Graphic Design we we have developed to communicate ourselves as an individual, designer and as a learner.

In order to achieve this we are required to reflect on the personal and professional development we have made throughout our first year on the course to design, develop and produce a 'information pack' which communicates or promotes.

Within our final resolutions for the 'It's Up To You' brief, there are a  number of considerations we needed to make in order to represent ourselves which is main aim of the brief.
I therefore began the design process for the brief by answering some of the questions posed by the brief about our development.

Q) Who are you now?

A)
As an individual I believe I am now a more confident person within both myself and the design work I produce, I am also a more independent individual in comparison to when I began the course.

As an designer I believe I am now a professional individual who is able to approach briefs in a professional way to produce design outcomes that are both appropriate for the brief and have a professional finish to them.

Q) What have you learned?

A)
As an individual I have learned; the importance of organisation which is required when working on several briefs/module at a time, to have confidence in myself and the work I produce through presenting to the group in critiques etc., that I personally prefer to work to work individually rather than within part of a group and most importantly I have learned to be more independent both personally through moving away from home and professionally by managing my own time.

As a designer I have learned; that promotion and publication are the particular areas of Graphic Design that I am interested in, that I have more confidence within the traditional/hand-rendered production techniques rather than digital within my design work and that in terms of my practical development that the critiques within the design process extremely useful.

Q) What skills do you have?

A)
As an individual I have developed skills in public speaking through the various crits we have been asked to attend and discussing my work within a group, time management and organising the time I have to insure that each brief deadline is met in the time available and I have developed skills in living and working independently.

As a designer I have developed skills and confidence within the Adobe software such as Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign through the practical modules and briefs we have been given as well as the traditional printing processes such as letterpress and screen printing and through the Context of Practice of module I have developed skills within the collection and application of research.

Q) What do you know?

A)
As a individual I now know how to communicate my ideas and opinions within the format of a group confidently and professionally through the group crits, I know how to break down and manage briefs in order to meet all the deadlines and I also know how to live and work independently.

As a designer I know the contextual aspect of Graphic Design such as the history of typography and the influence of art movements such as modernism has had on contemporary Graphic Design through the Context of Practice  module, through the Design Principles module I have learned the basic design principles such a typography, colour theory, grids and layout and how to apply them to my own design practice and I also know my personal interests within the field of Graphic Design through the Personal and Professional Practice Module.

Q) What do you believe?

A)
As a individual I believe in the importance of optimism, treating everybody with the same amount of respect and most importantly I believe in the importance of family and friends.

As a designer I believe in the importance of creating something that is different and shows an experimentation into media, concept and design and therefore strive to achieve this within the design work I produce for set briefs.

Q) What information do you need to include?

A) Within the pack I will need to include; my name, contact details, specialisms within graphic design and my personal interests which I have discovered through my time on the course.

Name: Anna Sergison
Contact Details : a-sergison1215.blogspot.com, as108600@gmail.co.uk
Specialisms Within Graphic Design: typography, idea generation, layout design
Personal Interests Within Graphic Design: creating concepts and idea generation, typography, hand-rendered media

Q) What format effectively communicate this?

In order to communicate this information effectively I believe it is important for concept I choose for the format to be creative which will show my interest with the idea generation aspect of the design process.

Q) What tone of voice?

As I particularly enjoy using a humorous tone of voice when necessary within the design work I produce, I therefore believe this would be an appropriate tone of voice for information pack as it will evidence one of my interests within design.

Q) What experiments have shaped your opinions?

Experimentations both different hand-rendered techniques such as screen print, letterpress and lino print  and digital software such as Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign through the inductions and workshops we were given has showed me that I prefer to use the traditional techniques within my work which I believe give the design a more interesting and engaging feel to the design.

Q) How to communicate this conceptually and practically?

In order to communicate this conceptually I will produce a concept which is explores the format of the information pack creatively. To communicate my interests practically I will produce the information pack using hand-rendered processes.

Q) What is brand 'you'?

Q) What is visual Identity?

I believe a key aspect of my visual identity would be the traditional and hand-rendered techniques that I enjoy using within my design work as this is uncommon due to the vast amount of digital software available.

Research

Self Promotion: The act of promoting oneself, such as an individual or small business, particularly when it is not considered to be famous or notable.

Initial Idea Generation

As producing and developing ideas and concepts is a particular aspect of the design process I enjoy, I felt it imperative that the format of my promotional pack showed this. I therefore began the design process for the 'It's Up To You' Brief by generating several different idea for possible formats for the pack.

One of the Ideas I had for a possible format for my promotional pack was to create a 'Do It Yourself' pack which would ideally be constructed by the audience, I felt this concept would be appropriate as it demonstrates my interest in the traditional processes over the digital.

As one aims of the 'It's Up To You' Brief is to show the personal development we have made over the past nine months of the course, I had the idea to produce a map which would plot my 'journey' through the Graphic Design course.

However instead I chose to use the format of a 'supermarket' product promotional campaign, I believe this would be an appropriate format for the promotional pack as it communicates to the audience my interest in this aspect of design. The concept also worked well with the idea of selling myself as the 'product'.

Developed Ideas

To fulfil to outcomes of the brief it is imperative that our final outcomes for the 'It's Up To You' brief represent ourselves as an individual and as a designer through a reflection of our first year on the Graphic Design course. I therefore developed my initial idea of creating a 'supermarket promotional campaign' by producing a range of designs which incorporated this information.

Within the promotional pack I am producing we are required to communicate the three main aspects of the 'Personal and Professional Practice' module in order to meet the outcomes of the brief; Personal or us as individuals, Professional for example us as a designer or how we want to be seen and Practice which is how these skills will be applied within our future career. I believe the concept I had to communicate this idea as each of the main aspects being a new 'flavour' of the product would effectively meet the criteria in a light-hearted, humorous tone of voice I enjoy using within my work.

 Another concept I had to display information in humorous way, was to use the format of the 'nutritional information' often found the back of food products to list the different aspects of Graphic Design and there significance within my personal design Practice.

Final Promotional Pack

OUGD402: Personal and Professional Practice - Studio Brief Three: Design Strategy 1 Presentation

The third and final studio brief of the Personal and Professional Practice Module requires us to produce and present a seven minute presentation which demonstrates a reflection and summary of our personal experience on the course to date.

Within the presentation we should aim to reflect on who we are as both a learner and as a designer in comparison to who we were at the start of the course nine months ago and how these experiences have affected our aims and ambitions now and progressing into Level 5 of the programme.

When producing our presentations we need to consider our personal development as a individual and designer which has affected all aspects of our life over the past nine months. The development we have made during our time on the course have and will inform the decisions we that we have and are making about the future.

In order to have a refined content which would not under run or over run the seven minute time limit which was set by the brief, I began by pulling together the information and imagery based on the questions which were asked by the brief.

Q) What have you learned?

PERSONAL:
Moving from Liverpool to Leeds to attend university has had a massive impact on me and I have learnt .a from the experience.
Prior to university I had lived at home having never moved house in my life, moving to Leeds have given me a sense of independence which I have never experienced before by meaning I have to do things for myself which I had relied on others for before and meaning that I have to manage my money.

PROFESSIONAL:
Throughout the nine months I have gained a broad amount of knowledge from both personal experience and the modules I have now completed.
Through the lecture of the Context Of Practice module I have now have basic contextual knowledge of the movements which have had direct influence on Graphic Design as well as the context of the other arts courses available. Another thing I learned from this module was gathering of research from a range or primary and secondary sources and the application with academic writing to evidence and from own ideas and theories and in practical design work to inform design decisions.

Through the workshops and studio sessions we were asked to attend as part of the Personal and Professional Practice module I have discovered my own personal practice and what aspect(s) of the Graphic Design I am interested and I have learnt about my own personal development.

Through the more practical modules such as Design Skills, Design Process I have learnt about the different stages of the design process and how to manage briefs professionally. I have also developed skills within digital process such as the Adobe software like Illustrator and Indesign and traditional process such as screen printing and letterpress.

From the Design Principle Module I have learnt the importance of the basic principles of Graphic Design such as typography, colour theory, grids and layout and how to apply these principles properly with a piece of design.

Q) What do you want to learn?

PERSONAL:
Although I have been living in Leeds for the past nine months, I still feel there is a lot about city I do not know and have not seen. I would therefore like to learn more about the city whilst I have the opportunity over the next two years.

PROFESSIONAL:
Through the three years of the Graphic Design course I would like to learn more about the traditional print processes such Screen Printing,  Letterpress and Lino Print which I have been introduced to in the first year of the course, as hand-rendered process are a particular method of production I am interested in and would like use more frequently within my design work.

I would also like to learn more about promotional aspect of Graphic Design, as this is an area of the field I have an particular interest in and would like to explore in the future.

Q) What mistakes have you made?

PERSONAL:
As I have never lived on my own before I have made several mistakes over the past nine months, most of which are domestic.

PROFESSIONAL:
Throughout my first on the course I believe the main mistake I have made is through managing the time available to fulfil the briefs we have been set. I have found on several of the briefs that I spend a lot of time on the idea generation and development aspect of the design process and therefore the final finish on my final outcome suffers.

Another mistake I believe I have made throughout my time on the course is not taking advantage of the vast amount of facilities available at uni instead of using the first year as a opportunity to explore media and production within my design work.

Q) How have you learned from these mistakes?

PERSONAL:
Although living by myself was difficult at first, as beforehand I had always relied on my parents to look after me and do thing for me I believe the experience has enabled me to be able to learn how to do domestic tasks such as cooking and cleaning for myself as I have had to.

PROFESSIONAL:
Through my experience on the course, I have learned from these mistakes by learning to manage the time I have in set studio workshops and in my own personal time to fulfil each of the briefs to my highest standard and when appropriate exploring the hand-rendered processes I enjoy using within my design work.

Q) What are your strengths and how have you/will you develop them further?

PERSONAL:
I believe that my strengths personally are

PROFESSIONAL:
I personally believe that my strengths are in the idea / concept generation of the design process as I always strive to create something that is perhaps more unusual but still appropriate for the brief we set, therefore making it more engaging for the audience.

Another strength I believe I have is within the hand-rendered medias and process which I generally have more confidence in. In order to develop this strength further I will use these production techniques which I am interested in within my design work whenever appropriate.

Q) What are your weaknesses and how do you plan to address these?

PERSONAL:
I believe that personally my weaknesses are in cooking. Before I moved out I had not had much experience in cooking, particularly when it is just for myself. Therefore there have been a couple of culinary disasters during my time here.

PROFESSIONAL:
I personally believe that my weaknesses are in the digital software such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop Indesign as before I began the course in September I did not have a lot of experience with these methods of production. To address this weakness I will use the facilities available at uni to gain more confidence in this area.

Q) What have you enjoyed and why?

PERSONAL:
The university experience has given me the opportunity to meet and get to know new people from across the country which is something I have particularly enjoyed. As well as the people who I lived with during my first year, with whom I hope to keep in touch with, it had also been nice to meet like minded individuals on the course.

PROFESSIONAL:
Throughout my first year on the course I have particularly enjoyed the opportunity to experiment with and explore a range of medias and process within my design work which has helped me to discover my personal preferences within design.

Q) What have you disliked and why?

PERSONAL:
The disadvantage of moving away to attend university is that I had to leave my family and friends back home. At first I was against moving out as I have always been very close to my family and I do find living by myself difficult at times.

PROFESSIONAL:
From all the modules we have completed throughout the first year of the course I found the Context of Practice the most difficult, in particular the first part of the module in which we were required to produce a piece of academic writing, which is something I have not had much experience on prior to the course.

Q) How does this affect your ambitions?

The first year of my degree has had a profound affect on my ambitions for the next two years and for the future. As I have found the exploration into ideas, concepts and media particularly enjoyable throughout my time on the course this is something I will like to develop over the next to years and apply to a future by working within a organisation rather than as a freelance designer.

Q) What do you want to get from the year? Have you achieved this?

PERSONAL:
Personally from my first year on the Graphic Design course and away from home I wanted to achieve a sense of independence from my parents, whom I believe I had relied upon prior to moving to Leeds. I believe I have achieved this as the experience of living on my own has forced me to learn how to 'look after myself'.

I also believe the experience has enabled me to become more confident myself, which is something I was lacking before and wanted to achieve by moving out and attending university.

PROFESSIONAL:
From my first year on the Graphic Design degree programme, my main aim which I wanted to achieve was to use the opportunity to be experimental with the design work I produce, to explore a range of media, which I have strived to achieve by taking advantage of the facilities available and using a variety of medias for the final outcomes of the briefs we have been set.

 Another aim I set for the year was to ultimately gain experience and knowledge of the field I am interested in, I believe this has been achieved by my attendance of the Personal and Professional Practice module which had taught me about the main areas of Graphic Design and through ongoing self-evaluaton made me realise my preference within the field.

Final Presentation