OUGD303 End of Module Evaluation

...and breathe. It doesn’t seem like two minutes since it was my first day on the course, but here I am writing my last ever end of module evaluation after three (very intense) years.

As a whole, I am happy with how my final major project has panned out. I admit, I could probably have done more and pushed some of my briefs further than I have done, but then again, there’s always going to be something else and it’s knowing when to stop that’s the biggest challenge at times.

It didn’t start out so great though as I spent the majority of the first month concentrating on my dissertation and just getting done what I had to for this module – then, before I knew it, I was already a fifth into the module and hadn’t made any sort of significant progress. Oh dear. I quickly got myself into gear though and made a realistic time plan for how I would get everything done that I was planning. My time management skills with this module have definitely been put to the test, and I have to say I am rather impressed with myself with how well I did with it. I have managed to not only produce the minimum requirements of briefs to a standard that I am happy with along with my design context brief, I have also produced additional briefs alongside these that I am more than happy with.

Two of my main briefs were competition briefs for YCN, one of which was done in collaboration with Baljeet Samra. These briefs were interesting as the time that I had to produce these was cut short, which ultimately made them more intense than they ideally needed to have been. Nevertheless, I completed both and got them submitted in time to the competition in March, meaning I had already completed two of my significant briefs. For both of these, I produced designs that were mocked up in context to the location that they would go. By doing this, it has learnt me a hell of a lot about how to really make the most of the design areas that are available – there’s actually more shapes/sizes out there than a standard A sized piece of paper! Who’d have known?

As well as the YCN competition brief, I also collaborated with Baljeet Samra on a quick day brief that had full intentions to be fun and type/batman related. We have similar design styles and thought processes with briefs, so working together is a dream as we agree and disagree on the same things and somehow picture things the same. My collaboration skills have come along in heaps and bounds since first year after I nearly dropped out in the second week because of how much I hated it. I now no longer dread even the thought of it, which is something that I never thought would happen, and actually enjoy doing them. Saying this though, I also did a collaboration brief again with Baljeet, and Beth Yates and Lisa Whitaker that turned out to be a lot more effort than it should have been. It was a learning experience though in terms of working in a close knit group whilst also collaborating with ‘real’ clients.

My strongest brief within my final major project is definitely my Proper Coffee brief. This originally started out as a quick day brief after a portfolio surgery with Ben from The Beautiful Meme, which soon escalated to become one of my main substantial briefs within the module. I really enjoyed producing the work for this brief as it combined my love of type and coffee perfectly. There wasn’t any underlying niggling reason for this brief, like it wasn’t a live brief or a competition one, so it allowed me to really get my teeth stuck into what I was doing and to do it how I wanted to do it (with feedback of course). I enjoyed it, and I think it’s a great back up plan to pursue if I don’t end up making it as a graphic designer.

As much as I couldn’t wait for the end of college to come to go off into the ‘real world’ and start earning some coin, now that it’s actually here it couldn’t be more scary. But thanks to the course, I do feel ready and prepared to go out there with my head held high with a portfolio in my hands that I am actually proud of. I couldn’t have asked for more from it really. Thank you.

Attendance - 3/5
Punctuality - 3/5
Quality of work - 4/5
Quantity of work - 4/5

Submission Form

Here is my end of module submission form.

Brief 4 - Design Board Submission

Here are my design boards that I am submitting for Brief 4 - STA Travel.

Brief 4 - Finished & Sent

Brief 4 - Range

Brief 4 - Idea Development 3

Brief 4 - Idea Development 2

Brief 4 - Idea Development

Brief 4 - Initial Ideas

Brief 4 - Facts about Paris

Along with the brief, I got emailed a list of fact about Paris as a starting point for what I produce. They don't necessarily have to be included in what I do though.

Brief 4 - Change of brief

Due to time running out, I have decided to not continue with the doodle books brief. Instead, I have been given a live brief from an interview I have just been to so I have decided to include this as part of my FMP instead. The brief is quite exciting, and is definitely do-able (it has to be!) but wont take up too much time away from my other main briefs.

Here is the brief that I got from the studio.

The brief is really quite interesting, and definitely has the potential to be pushed further than just one poster. I really want to prove myself with this brief to the studio as it is what will determine whether or not I get a second interview with them. 

Following what the brief is asking, I typed up my own version.

Brief 4 - Left handed check

Knowing that Kirsty A is left handed, I took along the mocked up doodle books that I have done to get get to try them out and get some feedback from her for which is the most easiest for her to use.

Brief 4 - Book Size 3

Thinking about the size of the book and looking at what I have, I've decided to try out having the book more horizontal but still bound from the top rather than the side. So basically what I have done is I took out the page divider from what I used for the first ones I did.

I can make the margins round the edges of the pages larger by basically having the letter areas touching, like this.

None of the letters will end up touching as the W is the only one that goes to the very corners, and this sits fine against the X.

Plenty of white space surrounding the letters and they sit on the page better than before. Printed this out to mock up and see how it works.

Works alright, feels a lot more like a proper book now rather than like a small pocket book. Had a quick doodle to see how it feels actually using it.

Plenty of space and what not. Feels more like a notebook really, which is good as people doodle a lot in note books. Had the thought to also try this landscape, so shifted the clips round that are holding the mock up together. Then had a quick doodle again.

Again with the right handed thing. BUT, it must work for leftys anyway because this is more like a notebook? I will have to ask someone I know who's left handed to give them a go and give me their opinion.

There's a lot of white space above the letterforms - could try reducing this? Decided to drop this from being 120mm to 100mm, then mocked this up as well.

In terms of opening the book it feels a lot tighter and like there's less room. The actual areas of the letterforms to doodle on are still fully on show though with some white space. Hmm. This might work better being portrait rather than landscape? Literally just turned it round and tried it out like this.

Again, I think the binding would have a lot of influence to how this would work. it was harder to hold the pages back while I doodles in it, but when I moved the clips to be as much on the edge of the book as I could get them it worked a little easier (which is when I took the photos above). Obviously the letterforms would need to be rotated, which will take some to be a lot closer to the spine of the book. Also, this would create a lot more white space between the letterforms - may need reducing? 

I'll try it as it is first. Used the red bounding box for the letterform area to make sure I get them lined up properly and what not.

Leaves plenty of white space around the letterforms, but yeah would probably work reducing the length a bit as well.

Looking at the amount of white space, it would probably fit three letterforms within that area. Might as well give it a try.

Pretty tight and wouldn't leave much white space though.

Printed it out anyway to see how it would work in context.

It does look a lot tighter than having the two letterforms. Decided to have a doodle on letterforms on the ones with two and the ones with three to see if it really makes a difference because after all it is still doodling within the same sort of surface area.

Thinking about it as I said about with it being just doodling in the same sort of area, it doesn't actually really make a difference at all whether there's two or three. Maybe I was more aware there was others around on the three one than the two but overall pretty much the same. In terms from an aesthetic point of view though, the letterforms do sit a lot more comfortably on the page where there's just two with there being a nice amount of white space around them. 

Hmm. Think I need to get a lefty to try them out before making any definite decisions on how to go forward with this.

Brief 4 - Book Size 2

Another idea for a possible layout is to literally turn what I ended up with in the last post but have it so that it would work horizontally instead. Decided to have a quick try on what I have to see if it would work.

I need to have the letterform the right way round I think to get the right idea.

Fills more of the area of the layout having the letterforms this way round. Going to have a quick doodle to see how it feels to use it like this.

It was fine using it for me as I am right handed, but wondered what it would be like to use it if I was left handed so gave it a quick go and it felt so awkward. Mainly because the folded back pages just seemed to be in the way a bit and then I had to try and hold them back with my right hand without covering the area to doodle on. Not sure if it would be better for someone who is actually left handed. Wouldn't have had this problem with having the book portrait as either side of the letterform is free with the binding being across the top. 

Definitely something to think about. I was going to suggest to myself to maybe try having the pages not as wide now, so not having the shorter length at 80mm with me not having the letterform needing to fit exactly into it. I could possibly take off up to 20mm - but after discovering this I will give it a miss. 

An alternative to do if I do want to do it horizontally bound is either have the longer length, or have a 'right handed' and 'left handed' version. But then I think that is getting a bit too complicated for such a simple book. 

Brief 4 - Book Size

Considering the area that I have now worked out that I require as the minimum amount of space to have for the letterforms in the doodle book, it got me to thinking about the page sizes.

Considering that the width of the letterforms area needs to be 76mm, but this is just for the W and then the rest are well within the area, then to guarantee white space around this I can have this at 80mm minimum.

I've had the thought to have just a single letterform on a page and have the book itself portrait with the binding across the top. Hmm. So I have the width decided on at 80mm, so going to try out having different lengths for the book. I'll try:

• 80mm x 80mm
• 80mm x 100mm
• 80mm x 120mm
• 80mm x 140mm

I'll print and trim these out as this will give me the best idea of how it could work.

Out of the four, taking into consideration the binding of the book and the pages folding back, I think the two larger sizes would be more suited. Decided to print out a small number of both of the larger sizes to trip out and clip together to get a better idea of how it could work as a book.

The longer one feels a bit too long, although it might fit two letterforms? Hmm. I think I need to actually have some letterforms printed on some of the pages as I think this will give me a better idea.

Put them at 10mm from the bottom of the page.

Hmm. There wouldn't be enough room without it looking squashed to have two letterforms on the longer version. Decided to try out actually doodling on the areas of the letterforms for a short white to get an idea of the feel of possibly using them and see which of the two feels most comfortable to use.

There wasn't really much difference. They were both comfortable to hold while drawing. Decided to see how they would look/feel/work just being held in general.

The shorted one feels more 'pocket size' than the longer one. This could maybe make it better/easier to have as something to just have in your pocket or bag to pull out and doodle in where ever you are and when ever. I think having the book longer is just having extra wasted space really that isn't really necessary so going to decide on the shorter version.

I think I should probably experiment with a few more possible size and layout ideas though before making and final decisions to make sure that I properly consider it.