PPD.

Ever since we first got given this brief at the beginning of the year, I've been dreading it. However, now it's come to it, I've realised I actually have a lot to talk about. I've come such a long way in such a short space of time, and if I'm honest, I'm quite proud of what I've achieved. By this, I don't mean the work I've produced, but the skills I've developed. God knows I've had my ups and downs, and I've made a hell of a lot of mistakes and will probably make a lot more, but I've learnt from them and moved on.

Looking back at my work, I only see my faults and think of ways I could of improved it, so it's been quite hard for me to pick out pieces of work to put in my portfolio/presentation. Anyway, here's some of the work I've chosen to include.

Pure poster

First attempt at illustration

How to.. Hollow an egg - Final resolution/s

Showing bookbinding skills

Drawing skills/Illustrations - Graphics tablet

What is a line final resolution - Contour type

The piece I am most proud of.

Speaking from experience - Year planner

I am hoping to put this in depending on how it will turn out.

More things to include

Collaborative brief - Calendar & packaging

Type & Grid - Layout designs - Final double page spread

No news is good news - Recycling posters - type, type & image, image

Illustrator brief - Jonny's font

100 project - Catalogue of doors

Photography elective - Photos showing the skills I've learnt

Dance Made.

Packaging design.

Even though I've never really experimented with packaging much before, I do really love it and am waiting for the opportunity to have a go.

This is the work of Janine Rewell, I really love all the different shapes she's incorporated into her designs, and her use of colour. Really nice.

Illustrative type.

Pomme Chan

I really do need to get back into drawing.

Manifesto - What do I want to be as a designer?

What did I used to be?

When I first started this course, I really had no idea what I enjoyed doing the most. I was quite open minded, and still am, which I feel is great way to be at this stage in the course.

I used to only work with image, especially photography. I never really thought about type, and had no idea of how to approach it, so used to avoid it wherever possible.

Where are you now?

To my suprise, I would say I am now completely type based. I absolutely love working with type. I'm not going to say thats all I want to do, obviously there are still things I enjoy doing and things I have yet to experiment with.

I am also thoroughly enjoying type and grid sessions, even doing layout templates and designing grids. It's something I never thought I would enjoy. 

Where do I intend to be in the future?

1. I would really like to expand my knowledge of Typography. I have bought books that have not yet had chance to read, but I intend to over the summer period. I would like to eventually get to the stage where I can identify fonts, point sizes and leading, just by looking at it. Thats obviously something thats going to take a while to accomplish, though.

2. Although I enjoy working on computers, I would really like to start drawing more. I'd also like to get down to the print room and do some screen printing, I love this technique but haven't found the confidence to go and use it yet. 

3.

Ladyhawke.

Just because I really like it.

Grr.

I've found these, which is annoyingly really similar to the typeface I produced for the 'What is a line' project. It's a screen print for the Sasquatch Music Festival and it's done by the designer, Andrio Abero, but the typography illustration was done by Justine Ashbee. Andrio Abero has got a really nice online protfolio to look through.

It's even got the 2 colour thing I did. =(

This is a t-shirt collaboration, again designed by Justine Ashbee.

Anyway, I found it at Fudgegraphics.com which I would suggest you have a look at as it's got some really nice stuff on there.

Visual language - Self evaluation.

I really struggled at the beginning of the 'What is a line' project, I was confused as to where I wanted to take it and wasn't really enjoying it. I kept putting it off to a point where I actually went a few weeks without even touching it. This did result in my work suffering. It got to the point where it was 3 weeks before the deadline, and I was still confused as to which direction I was going to take it. I had somewhat final ideas but they were in completely different subject areas. The crit helped a lot though and pushed me into a final stage of work. I know one of the reasons for this was that I didn't chose a specific statement at the beginning, I started by looking into all the different interpretations and ways I could take them which made it harder to chose a direction. I should of made decisions sooner and limited myself to a specific area of work.

I really should of managed my time better during this project too. As it was an ongoing project, and was going on while we had all the short briefs to do, I felt that the other briefs were more of a priority, and because it was a long project I thought I had time to do it. I really didn't. I should of taken time out more regularly work on this project. I'm now at the very end of this project, and although I have a final piece, there are so much more ideas and developments I would like to do, but now don't have the time.

When it did come to a point where I had chosen a direction, I thoroughly enjoyed doing it, and was happy with the work I was producing, but then I hit a brick wall. I didn't realise we had to come to a final outcome, and that our work needed a context and audience, I thought we were just handing in a body of work which was quite naive of me as we are on a graphic design course after all. I overcome this though and produced a final piece I am very happy with.

Although I did push myself towards the end of the project, I really wish I had put more effort in at the beginning. It would of given me more opportunity to experiment into my final idea, and improved my final outcome.

I wrote all this before I found out we had to fill in a self evaluation sheet, so here it is anyway. I apologise if I repeat some points I've discussed already.

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

I have learnt the basic skills of drawing perspectives. I now know about vanishing points and can apply these skills to basic shapes as well as type. This is now something thats always on my mind when drawing.

This module has given me the opportunity to enhance my drawing skills. I feel a lot more confident about drawing now, and can draw more freely, whereas before I was very rigid and worried about who was going to see it rather than just focussing on getting my ideas down.

I have learnt about how to find different ways to represent a word or an action. This has enabled me to think outside the box more and opened my mind to different possibilities.

My confidence has improved dramatically when it come to presentations. At the beginning of this module, I was very nervous about presenting and talking about my work which resulted in stuttering a lot, and basically completely forgetting everything I wanted to say. Although I still get nervous, obviously, I feel more confident and am able to talk more freely. I feel this is shown in the last presentation, where we had  to present our work for 3-5 minutes. Normally, I wouldn't have spoke for very long, but I managed to go over 5 minutes without even realising. I was quite happy/proud with how this went.

Also, my photography skills have developed dramatically. Even though I'm still struggling, I now have more knowledge and confidence than I did before this module. I am now renting out cameras more regularly, and using it as much as I can. I feel these skills are shown in the photographic documentation throughout my blog.

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

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

The way I have constantly documented my progress throughout this project. I have kept an ongoing diary on my blog, documenting my thoughts, opinions and reasons why I have moved on from a particular piece of work. It really helped me manage this project in terms of helping me make decisions based on points I've said and rules I've stuck to.

What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?

Time management. I know I keep repeating myself but it really was an issue within this module. I plan to start doing more time management sheets and sticking to them. I will use all the time we are given for a project appropriately, starting it when we get it, and not pushing it to one side to complete other briefs.

I am very indecisive, and this let me down in the 'What is a line' project. At one point I was tackling two different pieces of work just because I couldn't decide which to do. If i'd of chosen sooner, I would of had more time to develop my final outcome.

I also need to work on putting my ideas down on paper quicker. During the lessons with Lorenzo with the icons and pictograms, I was too busy making sure it looked good, rather than concentrating on getting all my ideas down. This is also something that has let me down in other modules and I plan to resolve it by trying to work more freely, and also by working in pen straight away. That way I can't rub it out.

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

1. I know I keep mentioning this, but I really need to manage my time more effectively. I should start the project as soon as I'm given it, we're given that amount of time for a reason.

2. Do more design sheets. Although I feel comfortable working in a sketchbook, I feel I would benefit from working on something of a larger scale.

3. Start thinking about audience and context from the beginning. This way I will be able to make decisions based on what's relevant to the context.

4. Take even more photos of my work. When gathering all my work at the end of this project, some was missing and unfortunately I have no photographic record of it.

5.

How would you grade yourself on the following areas:

5= exellent, 4= very good, 3= good, 2= average, 1= poor

Attendance: 3

Punctuality: 4

Motivation: 4

Commitment: 3

Quantity of work produced: 2

Quality of work produced: 4

Contribution to the group: 3

Final poster.

I'm very happy with it. The join between the seperate colours almost create an ongoing line throughout the whole alphabet. 

Playing with layout/colour.

I have decided I want to keep with the green/blue colour theme to relate to maps.

It's about time.

A complete alphabet.

Very happy with how this has turned out. The letters are clear and recognisable, which is one of the things I was worried about. I think they work really well together.

Illustrator.

Based on the existing typeface, Century Gothic, as I wanted a very round, bold, smooth finish. And also more of an area to work with.

I haven't stuck exactly to what I was doing with the books, I have added more lines simply to make the letters more legible. 

I've been thinking about audience too. I think this typeface would be most suitable for designers, or more specifically architects, or just simply anyone who works with technical drawings.

More contour type.

But this time with more colour.

Just the same as before but bigger and with more colours. In the crit it was suggested that I experiment wit colour more, and I wanted the lines of the contours to be more defined.

Again, I put the contours back together to make 3D type. 

I love how they work when they are put back together, and would really like to create a complete typeface based on these letters.

Contour type.

Putting the contours I'd cut out back together. It was suggested that I try making it 3D in an earlier crit.

I really like it. It was very fiddly though but successful, and I plan to develop this idea further.

Contours combined with type.

Based on the existing typeface, Helvetica.

Just doing the same as I have been doing, only using type. 

Really like how this has turned out. It almost works as a flip book too; the letters deteriorating as the book progresses.

Matt Shlian

Becca found this artist for me, Matt Shlian, and I found this piece which is basically what I've been wanting to do in terms of combining type with the contour book idea.

Final Crit.

Ok so, had the final crit today, and everyone in my group basically said that I should continue with the books. When I asked about context, they suggested that I make a set, have the books as a collectors item, something as a keepsake that you'd just look at every so often. I like this idea, however, I don't feel I now have the time to complete a set of books, not to the standard I would want them anyway.

A way around this would not to make the lines as thin/detailed as I have been doing. So, basically use less paper so there's less cutting involved.

As for the typography idea, no one seemed to think it would work. This is, however, the direction that I would really like to go in, and I am determined to make it work.

What is a line? - Rules.

Rules:

1. Stick with contour lines.

2. Limit myself to just using typography.

3. Experiment with colour.

Where I'm going...

Ok so there's 2 main ideas I'd like to do but I don't know which one to chose.

First Idea

Go back to the continuous line work I was doing earlier on in the project and put them into a book. So it would have a continuous line going through the book.

Second Idea

Continue with the contour lines and either carry on with the books or develop my own typeface inspired by the research into fonts I did earlier in the project.

Really confused about which one to go with. I think I would like to continue with the contour lines and maybe find a way to combine both the typeface and book idea.

Continuous Line Book.