OUGD603 - End of Module Evaluation

OUGD603 – Extended Practice Module Evaluation

At the beginning of this year, I wrote a statement of intent which discussed my ambition to create a strong and varied portfolio through answering relevant briefs. My aim was to develop my illustration and branding while gaining more of an understanding of typography and animation. I also wanted to experiment with film making and photography.

All the briefs that I have completed help to fulfil these aims. I worked on my illustrative skills through creating potters for Shake ‘n’ Vac, digitally drawing the penguin book cover and created a set of three illustrations for John Lewis’ Loved and Found collection. My branding repertoire grew as I complete the End of Year show and created the collision app. I developed my understanding of typography when creating Abbie Howard’s album covers. My animation skills have improved considerably as I am now comfortable using After Effects and have animated all 26 letters of the alphabet in response to the John Lewis D&AD brief. Finally, I was given the opportunity to create a short film for the 60-second documentary brief, which gave me a crash course in film making and production. Throughout this module, I have made a concerted effort to improve the documentation of my work. This was the aim when revisiting the Star Pack Tea packaging brief where I aimed to produce a well-documented outcome of a professional standard.

Throughout this module time management has been crucial. I tried to stick to a structured timetable but it soon became clear that it had to be fluid. There had to be set deadlines to complete all ten briefs but there also had to be room for change and new opportunities. This was a challenge when working independently, although after the first few briefs I was confident in my ability to stick to self-assigned deadlines. This skill was important when working with clients and responding to live briefs, where deadlines are strict.

Several briefs involved working as part of a team. I found it easier to work as part of a larger team, like when working on the End of Year Show brief. I felt with a bigger team, members where more open to other people’s ideas and more likely to give constructive criticism. Whereas when working with a single person, especially when the other person is not a designer (Abbie Howard, Creative Advertising), it is difficult to receive helpful feedback. This may be because they work in different ways or struggle to articulate what they want from me as a designer.

I feel like this year I have really improved the standard of my documentation. I think this is particularly evident in my Star Pack Tea Packaging outcome as I can compare last year’s outcome to this years. It has shown me the importance of investing time into the production of outcomes and how important lighting and strong photography skills are. I also think I have improved my digital presentation skills. For example, I have created a walkthrough for the app, Collison, which I feel could compete against work created by professionals.

My work has been well received. I now have artwork live on Spotify and I am waiting for my work to be displayed in John Lewis stores as part of the Loved and Found brief. Unfortunately, my Penguin Student Award entry was not shortlisted and our team did not win the End of Year Show branding brief. I am pleased with my outcomes and I feel like they make for a well-rounded and multi-skilled portfolio.

OUGD603 - Time Table Revisited

OUGD603

Time Table Revisited

Original Plan:

What actually went down:

I didn't stick to the original time table. This was mainly because new opportunities presented themselves throughout the year. If I came across a brief I was interested in or had the opportunity to work as a group I took it. This did mean some briefs fell by the wayside. These briefs included the D&AD Hostel World brief and the Sophie Helleyers branding brief. I also didn't complete the D&AD Addidas brief. I began the research phase but soon realised it was going to become something very similar to the pieces already in my portfolio. Because of this, I thought it would be more useful to focus my attention elsewhere.

OUGD603 - Research Brief - Evaluation

OUGD603

Research Brief

Evaluation

I am very happy with the outcome of this brief. It was good to let the brief develop organically by following different lines of enquiry. It became much more political and a comment on the science industry than I thought it would. It was backed up by a huge amount of research and I think the primary research was particularly helpful in understanding the issue. I think the outcome answers the brief. The design and colour scheme used appeals to the target audience. The app itself aims to break down barriers such as isolation, lack of role models and less academic success among women by empowering women and in turn empowering the next generation of women entering the field of Physics and other STEM subjects.
The main issue I faced was that my laptop wouldn't allow me to run Adobe XD. This was an issue as in the past I have used this software to mock up an app to understand how it works and how functions interlink. I addressed this issue by drawing very in-depth wireframes on paper to get a real understanding of how I wanted everything to work before I moved onto the digital development. 
I feel like I have presented the pathways clearly but It would have been better to have had the app animated. Ultimately I did not have enough time to do this. Instead, I created a walk through poster that showed all the functions of the app all on one sheet. I made it as visually pleasing as possible, creating a fluid layout and an interesting background. I feel like this might be even more visually stimulating than an animation. It is also more appropriate for my own professional development as it is easier to post on my website and Behance as I don't need to upload an animation to Vimeo, which often results in a loss of quality. 

OUGD603 - Research Brief - Production

OUGD603

Research Brief 

Production

I wanted to create the app using Adobe XD, however, my laptop doesn't have the software to run XD. Instead, I have created a walkthrough poster. 

It gives a summary of the app and shows the logo. 
It shows the colour scheme and explains the colours used and why.
It shows the typeface and its specifications.
It shows the icons used.
It then walks through the app and its functions.

OUGD603 - Research Brief - Development

OUGD603

Research Brief

Development

Issues faced:
- How do users differentiate between mentors and students? 
Need to create some kind of icon that can be used on profiles to show if they are a mentor or a student. 

- How do we encourage mentors to join the app?
An issue that women in Physics face is not being cited as much as their male counterparts. To address this, mentors could post their published work onto the app which will encourage students to cite their work.
Create a dashboard function which published works can be accessed through. 

I created icons for students - a graduation cap - and for mentors - a lightbulb. 

OUGD603 - Research Brief - Wire Frames

OUGD603

Research Brief

Wire Frames

Homepage and profile

Connections

Chat

Maps

Maps

chat

Chat

Chat

I really wanted to create the wireframe in Adobe XD, however, my computer does not have the capacity to run this programme. Instead, I have resorted to creating the wireframes in Illustrator. This does not allow me to test the functions but I feel I have done enough in-depth sketches on paper to have a good understanding of how the app will function.
I will now add colour and make it look more appealing.

Adding Details