OUGD504: PPP2 - 10 Successes

10 things I've gained from the first year;

• Passed 1st Year,
• Living alone/learnt to be independent,
• Learnt to cook,
• Printing resources/learnt screen print/workshops - new skills, foundations to build upon this year,
• Developed digital awareness, new skills with profession standard software,
• Learnt how to be more focused answering the brief correctly,
• Developed my level of confidence, the ability to stand by my work, 
• Improved personal and professional practice,
• Improved literacy skills, 
• Balanced a part time job, work, and a social life as well as the course, 
• Learnt to integrate work shop skills into practice,
• Developing a system, learning which brief is more important/urgent, prioritising. 

10 Successes as a class, collectively

• Presentation skills,
• Feedback,
• Workshops,
• Independent,
• Research/development,
• Understand time management,
• Working in 
• Confidence/motivation,
• Theory/context,
• Style/signature

Pick out 10 traits you want to be successful at this year; (post/publish on PPP blog).

• To develop my understanding of typography,
• To broaden my skill set in terms of design process, 
• To improve, out of college, my financial position, learn to budget, and stick to it. 
• Improve my time management, this year matters, it counts towards my degree, so I feel it's important to focus of planning ahead of time,
• I want to improve the final quality of my work, apply more techniques to my work to make look more professional, for example, applying spot varnish.
• I feel that I can improve the motive behind my work, rather than only creating a solution to a problem using Graphic Design, I want my work to be an extension of the individual to whom my work is aimed at, allowing to connect with them on a deeper level.
• I want to improve my English, by this, I mean I'm dreadful at essays. I think I did poorly last year. I know I can do better If I apply myself. 
• I want to create some sort of signature, sort of a style, a timeless visual representation which I can implement into my work which separates me from other designers. 
• To fix my Mac, I broke it. 
• To expand on my level of visual research, explore it.

Presentation Feedback

Useful Feedback:

• I received a lot of feedback mentioning I spoke incredibly fast, trying to fit everything in, teaming with my accent, it may have been difficult to understand, speak slower, and account for time in future,
• Someone also mentioned that I had issues with the timing of my presentation, I wasn't in control of the slides, so I had to keep up with them, rather than stopping and expanding. 
• The introduction to the presentation was entertaining and in the style of a James Bond film, which set the theme for the presentation,
• Pick out the more important parts, rather than focusing on the timeline, 
• Focus more into the Graphic Design side of the Bond films, such as the posters,

Could be Useful Feedback

Ego

• Well researched,
• The introduction to the presentation was entertaining and in the style of a James Bond film, which set the theme for the presentation,
• Strong Powerpoint, 
• Very good enthusiasm in the subject, it was interesting to hear about, 
• Memorised very well,

3 Objectives, how to improve that summer brief from what I've been told;

• Speak slower, and clearer to deliver the information, so people can understand, learn more from my presentation, getting a better insight from the world of 007.
• Include some more imagery and less text, reduce the amount of reading in the presentation, and try to include more images in the slide show. 
• Try to focus on more important events, rather than focusing on the timeline in full. Perhaps cutting down the information on each individual Bond actor, and including more exciting info graphs which convey the information in a much more elegant manner. 

OUGD402: PPP1 - Study Task 8: If You Were A...

If you were a book, what would your subject be and who would read you?

If I were a book, I would be an instruction manual of some sort, allowing things to be fore filled correctly and as easily as possible, detailing technical illustration drawings throughout, following my OCD-like passion for making sure the communication is clear and accurate, so the reader can achieve what he or she needs to. 

If you were a package what would you contain and who would open you?

If I were a package, to start with, the packaging itself would have two functions, It would not only be a container for the product it would have a second function to perhaps go with the product it contains, or even just a make-shift bottle opener. It would contain something technical, isometric, which would perform an important function. It would be opened by anyone who needs something doing. 

If you were a shop what would you sell and who would buy it?

If I were a shop, I would be a shop which sells solutions to problems, something which can issue a tool to create or fix something within someones life, for example, a logo for a company, if need be. It would be for anyone who wants something made. 

If you were a poster what would you promote and to whom?

If i were a poster I would promote the 1958 film, Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock, as It is a wonderful film on the surface, with a very deep, dark undertone throughout, which leads to a fascinating analysis, It would be for any film fanatic. 

If you were a brand what would your values be and why would they be important?

If I were a brand, 

If you were an exhibition what would you show and where would you show it?

If I were an exhibition, I would show moment from history in film, to allow others to see the magical essence of film and cinema at it's finest - it's a real experience. I would love to show it in Hollywood which is the central locations for entertainment in the world, the home of cinema.

If you were a leaflet what information would you contain and who would read it?

If I were an information leaflet, I would most likely talk about film, once again, as it is a love and passion of mine, something which I feel I know great amount about. I would talk about the magic which is mise en scéne, I would once again show it to like minded people, perhaps cinephiles. 

If you were a sign what would you show, to whom and where?

if i were a sign I would show direction, to a location some way finding, fore filling a solution, to help someone have an easier and more informed experience. It would be for anyone who is lost. 

If you were an App what would you do and who would use you?

If I were an App, I would feature content and information about cinema, the goings on in the studios, which would aloo

If you were a blog, what would you be about and who would follow you?

If you were an event, what would it be and how would you promote it?

OUGD402: Studio Brief 2 - It's Up To You

For this PPP1 project we have to Design, develop and produce an information pack that effectively communicates or promotes you as an individual, designer and learner. You will need to reflect on the first year of the programe and aim to communicate what you have learned, the skills you have developed and how you see yourself applying them in the future. You should  also aim to communicate the context of your interest by referencing specific designers, studios, principles and audiences where necessary. 

We should use this brief as an opportunity to explore, develop and demonstrate content, processes and areas of design that interets you at this point in time and may indicate your emerging creative concerns in Graphic Design.

I'm going to use this post to explore examples of creative self promotion, and perhaps tie some ideas together to inform my own design for my self promotion pack. I hope to look at general self promotion packs, packaging design, business card design and perhaps even some creative CV designs, which I've seen a few times before. 

Jon Cleave's Self Promotion Package

Selma Roberts' Self Promotion Package

Matt Ludvigson's Self Promotion Package

Looking at the brief, I've decided to create a small fold-out which will have cards within it, clearly stating the following: 'Who are you now? What have you learned? What skills do you have? What do you know? What do you believe?' Whilst using my style to show my interests and support my statements.

Below you can see the interior content to the fold-out, which clearly answer the questions posed by the brief.

OUGD404: Design Principles - Module Evaluation

OUGD402: PPP1 Session (04/03/13)

Analysing a set of 10 images given, 5 from personal, 5 from a practitional standpoint. 

Emily

Practitioner

• She seems to be a fan of typography, quite dense.
• She doesn't really divulge into the minimalist style. 
• She likes lots of colour,
• She doesn't have a preference between modern and post modern work.
• She likes work which is directed at children.
• She's a fan of print - both letterpress and illustrational, 
• In relation to fine art, she's a fan of Roy Litchensutein. - Fan of Pop-Art

Personal 

• She likes watching films, the main genres of the films are Drama-Thrillers.- Likes films
• She like skiing/snowboarding, or possibly just extreme sports. - Winter Sports
• Music: She's a muse fan and generally likes music, indie-pop-rock. - Plays the Drums
• Judging by the paparazzi photos, she may like photography. - She likes the celebrity culture

Anna

Practitioner

• Minimalist style, with a subtle use of colour. 
• She also likes the buss of geometric shapes to create a complex form, for example the rain drop out of red triangles. 
• She admires clever use of typography, using bolds and italics to creating an empathises, or even colour.
• She likes promotional work, which would be use to used in advertisements. 
• A vast scale of typography, from huge blown up and cropped letters, to small body copy type. 
• She seems very attached to Roman fonts. 
• Clean style. 

Personal

• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, possibly her favourite book.
• A fan of the Beatles, which could suggest the genre of music she's into or the period of music she enjoys.
• She also included an image of New York, so I assume this is her favourite place to visit.
• She included a photo of her family, which would indicate that she enjoys spending time with them, or going on holiday.
• She's from Liverpool, and she likes Liverpool. 

Bold text indicates what we were corrected upon, and the regular text was our assumptions. 

OUGD402: PPP Session (18/02/13)

1. What's your professional name and contact details?

• Ant White 
• anthonywhitegd.com
• antwhitegd@gmail.com

2. What 5 words best describe your design practice?

• Clean
• Minimal
• Simple
• Bold
• Blue

3. What 5 words best describe you as a person?

• Dedicated
• Determined
• Drained
• Blue
• Awkward

4. What are your 5 strongest design skills?

• Image Manipulation
• InDesign efficiency
• Illustrator efficiency
• Idea generation
• Design Process: Design Development

5. What areas of Graphic Design interest you the most?

• Branding
• Publication
• Web Design
• Typography

6. Who are your favourite designers/design studios?

• Saul Bass
• Neville Brody 

7. What makes these your favourite? (Where can you see their work?)

• Saul Bass
• His work on 1950s film posters, specifically Vertigo (1958)
• http://Saulbass.tv

8. What are your favourite design blogs?

• http://www.windowsofnewyork.com/

9. What are five things you want to be?

• More efficient
• More diverse 
• More traditional (not using the Mac as much)
• More to the point
• More professional

10. What five things do you think you need to do to be this?

• Focused
• Experimental
• Experimental
• Clear
• Experienced 

_________________________________________________________________________

TASK:

In a group of 3, design a THREE-ADS (3 Adverts) which will communicate the design practice of yourself and each of the other two people in the group.

• None A-Format, but to an A3 scale. 
• 50 words maximum. 
• It can be type, image, type and image.
• They have to be a different former for each one

What you produce for yourself, may look different for the other people. 

Look at their blogs, and look at their contextual references, it should reflect the design values of what they're intreated in. All work produced should be on your PPP blog. 

3 Printed Resolutions for 10am.

_________________________________________________________________________

Interviews

Laura

• Laura Tomlinson 
• LauraTomlinson@ymail.com

• Quality
• Innovative
• Fun
• Professional
• NO FIFTH D:

• Professional
• Easy going
• Massive foodie (Food lover)
• Happy

• Strong Design Skills
• Idea generation
• Screen print
• book binding
• layout design

• Publishing
• Editorial
• Print
• Retail Promotion

• Stephan Stagmister 
• Studio 8 (Defunct)
• Wall Paper
• Elephant Magazine
• William Egliston

• Google them

• Record of The month - creative review
• Design Week's - Book section
• Magnation

• Interesting
• Taken Seriously as a Designer
• Successful
• Good Cook
• More Creative

• Hard Working
• Focused
• Skilled
• Experimental
• Experimental

Caitlin Walsh

• Caitlin Wash
• E-mail: c8_4@hotmail.co.uk

• Through
• Precise
• Clean
• Reinterpreted
• blunt

• Stubborn
• Determined
• Funny
• Acting
• Fun

• Crafting
• Composition
• Photography
• Layout
• Colour

• Branding and Idenity
• Packaging
• Information and Way finding

• Lisa Nilson
• Johnathan Branbrook
• Zimmers Zool

• Google them

• Designspiration
• Lovely Package
• Behance
• Coolinfographics
• DesignWeekly

• Successful
• Happy 
• efficient
• Professional
• Wider Creative Field 

• Working Hard
• Cheering Up
• Focused
• Work on her execution
• Experimental

OUGD402: PPP1 - What is a Graphic Design Practice?

• "Graphic Design is an ongoing examination/conversation between the dynamics of personal exploration and professional practice" - Matt Owens, Volumeone.
• What is it that makes you, you? You need to establish the thing which separates you from the masses.

Three ways to determine an effective design practice

• Appropriateness of response,
• Quality of Resolution, - reflecting your ambitions
• Meeting the deadline. - a good brief is one which comes in on time

Appropriateness of Response

• What is the Problem? 
• Who is the Audience? 
• What is the Context?
• What is the Method of Delivery?

What is a Problem?

• Are you being asked to do something? Professional Standpoint 
• Is it something that you want to do? Personal Standpoint

It comes down to your own personal preferences

• Persuade, inform, ask questions, make a statement, give an order, deliver and instruction, make some laugh/cry?
• What function is it going to perform?

What is your Rationale?

• What are you doing, and why are you doing it?
• You're doing it because you want to do it? Or are you doing it because you have to do it?

What's the way you work, under the Rationale? 

• Concept driven 
• Idea driven
• Research driven

However, it's not always one, or the other. One is not always more important than the other.

Define what your practice is about, under the Rationale

• Audience driven
• Context driven
• Media driven

Creating Briefs and choosing work, under the Rationale

• Creative driven, a chance to create something extremely creative, and work with creative people
• Ethical connection, being able to associate with their aims and ambitions
• Commercially driven, soullessness - for the money.

Where do you sit within this? - if you don't position yourself within these, someone else will.

What are your outputs, how does your practice reflect the Rationale? What are your methods

• Handmade
• Digital
• Lens Based

What are your dimensional abilities work with the Rationale? 

• 2-Dimensional - Digital, flat
• 3-Dimensional - Object,
• 4-Dimensional - Time, movement, sequential development. a set series.

Quality of Resolution

• Depth of appropriate research
• Breadth of initial ideas
• Selection of potential solutions
• Thorough visual development
• Attention to detail/crafting
• Clarity of presentation 

Within that, we're also looking at Type and Or Image

• Do you work with one more than the other?
• You begin to develop your signature, something which is distinguishable as your own, using type and image

Is The Media the Message?

Tone of Voice

• Do you like humouring your work? Is it funny?
• Are you someone who is very authoritative?
• Is it appropriate for the situation? 

It comes down to two key things which makes it better, what makes you, you

• Try it,
• Test it,
• Make it better.

Remember to play, that is what will keep you moving forward.

Collaboration

• The space between people working together is filled with conflict, friction, strife, exhilaration, delight, and vast creative potential.
• With other designers, with other people of different professions.
• Collaboration is not the same as group work.
• Using other people's skill sets to help you produce the best work possible.

Meeting the Deadline

• Time management,
• Project management,
• the is the key skill to develop,
• being able to hand in the best thing you can, however, when you hand it in, you know you could do better.

Message, Communication Clarity and Context 

+

Creativity concept ideas

x

Skills, organisation, discipline, and commitment - These three things will help you create the perfect piece of work. 

/

Boundaries, Limitations, Rules and Time - These thing will stop you getting there.

Are the boundaries, limitations rules and time set by the industry? or are they set by yourselves?

An Effective Design Practice.