Using the three 'Free ads' which we were asked to design following last weeks PPP session 'What is Design Practice?' this weeks session focussed on the concept of portraying a 'personal style' in your design work.
-Final three ads produced by me
To start the session, we were asked to write down the fives words which described our practice and the five words which described us a person which were given in response to last weeks questionnaire.
We were then asked to - using the three ads which we produced following last weeks session - write five things for each persons ad which we were trying to communicate about them as a practitioner and/or individual.
After moving to be seated with our groups, we were able to compare and contrast at the three ads design specifically for ourselves. Using only the three ads which were produced to advertise ourselves we were then asked to write what worked and what did not about the ads.
I believed that both Harrison and Issy captured the 'organised' and 'perfectionist' aspects of my personality within there designs. As well as the 'simplistic' and 'minimal' style I like to use within my own design work.
However, I do believe they could have given more consideration to the media in which they used as I personally prefer to use 'hand-rendered' rather than 'digital' in my work.
As our group of three, we were then asked to analyse the three advertisements produced for each member of the group and write the similarities and differences across all three ads.
The commonalities in the description of my advertisements were;
- Simplicity
- Minimalist
- Clean
- Modernist
Finally, following a discussion we had in our groups about portraying a personal style within your own design work, we were asked to write down the 'pros' and 'cons'.
PROS
- The audience would get to know you and your personality
- Design work would be more personal
- Style would become synonymous with 'you' and designs would become known as 'yours'
- Agency could employ you on the basis of your personality portrayed in your design work
CONS
- Your personal style would have a specific audience which may not be the audience you are designing for
- Could be hard to represent yourself in a piece of design
- A personal style may not always be appropriate
Study Task
Five statements which describe you as an individual
- What you believe in, your preferences
- Associate each statement with a image
1. Liverpool - Although I have always been proud of my home town, I believe moving to Leeds has perhaps made me even more proud of where I grew up and my roots.
2. Family - Although, it sounds quite cliched my family are one of my main inspirations and are somebody I always talk to, should I be having any difficulty with my design work.
3. Traveling- I have always enjoyed going on holiday and in particular, visiting new places, therefore travelling is something I would like to do in the future.
4. The Catcher in the Rye - The Catcher in the Rye is one of my favourite books, I find the tone of voice that JD Salinger wrote in, easy to read and engaging.
5. Music - Whenever I am working on a piece of design for a brief, I always listen to music to aide the design process and to inspire me. I prefer older artists such as The Beatles and Billy Joel compared to the contemporary music in the charts.
Five statements which describe you as a practitioner
- Things you want to say about yourself as a practitioner
- Supported by an image of Graphic Design
1. Tone of voice - Whenever appropriate, I like employ a humorous tone of voice within my design design work, as I personally find it more engaging.
2. Concept Driven - With my design work, I strive to produce something that is different or creative and therefore I put a particularly emphasis on the idea generation aspect of the design process in order to achieve this.
3. Promotion - When designing, I have found my best design work comes from when I have a particular purpose, more specifically when promoting a product. This is, therefore, something I would like to specialise in, in the future.
4. Traditional Techniques - Although I felt at the beginning of the course my skills in hand-rendered techniques compared to my digital software skills were quite developed, I have found through my time on the course there are still several techniques I want to and are yet to learn.
5. Organisation - I believe myself to be quite a organised person, which is quite often reflected in the minimalistic style which I often employ in my design work and the modernist style I take inspiration from.
