Communication is A Virus, Group 2 Feedback

Overall is it clear to see that there was a lot of effort put in by all team members.  The idea is strong and with a little bit more development recording evidence gained the whole process would have been solid, this is one of the few things that the group were let down on.  The group would definitely benefit taking this brief further as we feel it could become something big because of the interaction of reading and the environment you had chose.  The impact the concept of something being absent and then one day many things being present is one that we think works well, however, we did not know if it worked well because of the lack of evidence obtained.
Because of the effort put in and a few obstacles we as a group feel that this was an engaging concept, which despite initial problems on location sounds great, yet we just need to see evidence.

What is a line? -creating brief & action plan

Design is about doing. Final Resolution.

My final resolution for this brief is the poster with the strongest concept behind it- 'Listen to the silence'.
Here I have screenprinted the design on 'Snowden' stock from the print resource.  Then used a dark grey and pearlised white for the colour scheme.  Giving it spooky connotations.  I am proud of my concept for this brief.  The soudwaves represent the words being said- the soundwaves are the type.  However, visually, I think there is a lot more that could be done with it.  
In response to the brief I feel it can be justified that there is little evidence of typographic design however I understand that the idea is abstract.  Because the fact that it was for a book about typography was highlighted I felt that overall, I had become a lot less enthusiastic about my response to the brief, and therefore didn't send it in for the competition.  I wasn't proud of what i'd produced when I started thinking about it in relation to the brief.  
I now understand that you have to do exactly what the brief tells you.  If it were for a client of mine and I went directly against what they were asking for they wouldn't be happy and would probably therefore never hire me again after that.  There are rules to follow in graphic design and i've got to remember to keep this in check for future briefs.

Final Crit, Design is Doing.

From the final crit on friday I found that with the amount of time I spent on the brief, my final resolutions should be worth £1,900- they are not worth this.  I need to produce quality work quickly so that I come as close to real industry standards as possible.  I was told that I need to think about the context this poster will be in- somewhere it will work, where my audience will pay attention.  I found that people thought my concept was strong but the visuals could be improved, and I agree with this.  Overall I found the whole brief really interesting and felt compelled to work hard at it, i've decided to take the concept further as self directed work.

'What is a line?' Book List

All of these books are relevant.  They serve different purposes in the sense that some breed inspiring thoughts (The art of looking sideways) some aid in technical drawing (above(this will give a more structured feel that will oppose the light flowing lines of the music)) some are factual.

End of Module self evaluation.

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
Throughout this module I have definitely developed my 'Adobe Illustrator' skills.  It has been more self driven than tutor taught unlike the Photoshop induction.  I have used Illustrator more so in 'Collection 100' than any other brief.  It has been the main focus in the majority of my designs and I feel I have finally got to grips with the basics of Illustrator as well as some more advanced techniques- I am now confident using the programme to create physical designs initially in my mind.


What approaches to/methods have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
Throughout this module I think that my research methods have highly developed- specifically primary research (qualitative and quantitative).  I think i've been able to recognise what research is relevant to my project so that I can successfully communicate my message and create more informed designs.  For example, in the Collection 100 brief I did a lot of primary research concerning money and people's thoughts, I communicated this research through three different infographic designs that visualised and solidified it.  I think I realised research played such an integral part in my designs after the 'What if...' brief, which, I feel was lacking slightly in primary research.  However, in the 'Collection 100' brief I had full control to do what I wished an applied this research accordingly.


What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
Surprisingly in this module I have been more happy with my visual resolutions and how they have turned out.  For example in the Collection 100 brief I am happy with the way my three posters look.  They are visually engaging and in my opinion just nice to look at.  I plan on capitalising on this by incorporating strong concepts with visually engaging resolutions.


What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?
In contrast to the 'strengths' I think my weakness in this module has been fully formed concepts.  I think that in the previous module I have developed strong concepts and failed to produce a strong visual resolution.  Whereas now, specifically in Collection 100 my ideas have lacked depth and consistency.  I will address this issue in future by always referring back to the brief to keep my thoughts on track.  
I also found that I took to long in the decision making process.  This is relevant to the 'What if...' brief along with the 'Collection 100' brief.  My development took form too late on in both briefs because I was waiting for an amazing idea when I should've just worked with what I had and capitalised on this.  Next module I plan on constantly working whether I think it is good or not rather than stressing out because I don't fell I have the best idea possible.  The key is just getting on with it.


Identify five things you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
- Experiment more with different mediums.  I think this will create a more successful final resolution because I      will know what works well and what is most relevant for the target audience.  
- Book myself in the digital print room.  I found that this became an issue when it came to printing my final resolutions.  Rather than stressing out and coming in at 8 in the morning for drop in I need to pre-plan and book a place so that everything is ready in time for if amendments need to be made.
- I need to be constantly going back to the brief.  This will force me to think about every decision I make and remind me that they have to have a reason behind them.
- Blog.  Everyday.  I think that I fell short this module in keeping up-to-date with blogging.  Though I think there is a sufficient amount of work here I also think that if it was done on the day it would've been more in depth as it is fresh in my mind.
- Read more.  More specifically the recommended books in specific briefs.  I think there is a lot more to learn and I could also solidify what I have learned in taught sessions by doing this.  This will develop my skills in less of a design sense and more of a theoretical sense- one which I think I am lacking.


How would you grade yourself on the following areas?
Attendance:                                       5
Punctuality:                                       5
Motivation:                                        4
Commitment:                                     4
Quantity of work produced:               3
Quality of work produced:                 3
Contribution to the group:                 4

Final Resolutions, Collection 100