Over this year my practice has really
taken change of direction. I thought that I a designer
interested slightly and branding and packaging, but mainly my passion
lied with illustration. In my statement of intent I made it clear that I wanted
to take on briefs that would allow me to experiment with pattern
design. Looking on this is really not what I have become specialised in. I now
see myself as a designer with a passion for brand identity and packaging within commercial lifestyle
brands. I didn't complete all the briefs that I set myself out to do as I
as time went on I felt they were not going to push my practice. However, on the
other hand there were some briefs that I did undertake and wish I
hadn't. For example I completed the secret 7" brief but don't feel like it
really informed my design and didn't stimulate my practice. I have learnt not
to do briefs unless it is within an area that I really enjoy. This year I have
thrived upon collaboration with the course and cross college. Collaborating has
given me more confident that I am a key team player and enjoy working
in a social environment. This has also informed me of where
I see myself working. Back in September I would have said that I
would prefer to work within a small independent, now I see myself working
for afast-paced company, maybe even as an
in-house designer.
What skills have you
developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied
them?
My
web and digital skills have really improved this year. In the past I would have
never classed myself as digital designer, but I was determined to develop this
skill. Especially as I want to work in a bigger company, I think it is
important to have a variation of skills. In my statement of intent I never set
myself website briefs but after doing some brand identity for Lucinda Popp, a
knitwear designer, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to give it a
go. Coding my own website also gave me confidence that I could get better at
it.
I
think my presentation skills have become better. Not just on design boards but
also in my packaging finish. The YCN Champneys brief with Jenna Morse
was a real turning point for me in terms of realising my real passion
for packaging. We wanted the products to be well crafted and look
professional. I think with process we went through with
the marbling and vacuum forming, we managed to succeed. But it
didn't stop at the packaging. I have also improved my photography and art
direction skills. In past modules I have always ruined my final products by not
photographing them well or in context. The Marks and Spencer’s brief allowed me
to apply the packaging to a campaign and experiment with food
photography. I have realised that I enjoy branding and packaging briefs that
allow me to go from print to web.
What approaches
to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed
your design development process?
This year I think I have tried to produce more concept driven
work. A lot of my briefs in my statement of intent were
based around aesthetics which is why I decided not take them on. I think I
started to approach briefs more conceptually and seriously after Elmwood came
and set us a live brief. Even though I didn't particularly like
the work I produced, the designers made it very clear that we should approach
the brief with a light-hearted tone an original idea. I think in the past I
have also worked with an aesthetic influence rather than ideas based. I have
learned that having a strong concept can push the brief much further give more
depth to the end products. In terms of branding, this approach
has informed my design dramatically.
Working collaboratively I have had to alter my approach slightly.
When working on my own, I have to take longer making decisions and normally go
with what I personally think is a good idea. Working with someone else has made
me a quicker decision maker and more sure of my practice. Also sometimes it can
be hard to balance out the workload, therefore I have had to take a more organised
and less selfish approach to make the
sure work gets done and we both have an equal contribution.
What strengths can
you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise these?
I think I am quite an organised person and this comes through
in my practice. I also think this is why I have taken such an interest with
HTML and CSS. I like solving problems and sorting things into categories,
this relates to organising a web page layout and the navigation. I think strength
of mine is working at a fast pace. Once I have an idea, especially if it
is packaging based, I am keen to get started. Even
though I like the digital aspects, my real passion lies with creating
different packaging and applying branding. I feel that having a wide range of
interests within design is only a benefit and
I am glad that I try a different range of briefs rather than attaching myself
to one principle.
What weaknesses can
you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
It isn't necessarily a weakness but
I feel that a lot of my work is directed at a female audience and
very feminine. I do enjoy working for
this audience however I think I could expand my practice by doing
more unisex briefs. The M&S brief got more interested in
food packaging so this is something I want to explore of in the future.
Attendance- 5 Quantity of
work produced- 4
Punctuality- 5
Quality of work produced- 5
Motivation- 5
Contribution to the group- 5
Commitment- 5
