OUGD602 | Studio Brief 02 - Evaluation

This was the most successful brief in that it resulted in a job offer that suited personal aims and ambitions. Over the course of this brief a sense of professionalism has been developed and a view of qualification to enter the industry. This has been grounded by a personal initiative to investigate graphic design employment. An overall excitement by the industry has also been maintained by the exploration of disciplines specific to personal interests such as packaging.

Career track Tuesday sessions were the first steps to employment. Sessions attended that covered CV’s, interviews, presentation, confidence and finding a job all contributed towards an eventual job offer. As a result, a CV and portfolio were created that could be sent with confidence, and this confidence was strengthened overall for entering an interview situation.

The overall application was strengthened with a variety of work experience in the area, ensuring there was confidence in ability and awareness on interview. This experience was invaluable in that it taught what a graphic design course cannot teach. Working in the industry is extremely different and having this experience improved overall readiness to begin work. Feedback from placement also suggested overall professionalism and initiative.

Prior to the interviews, substantial preparation was undertaken using personal research and skills learned from the career track session. This meant that each interview was entered with full confidence and arguably helped to solidify the offer. The interviews themselves were also essential practice for the future. On reflection these interviews were very successful.

An initial designers statement of intent helped to focus the aims this year and over the course of the module there is a newfound certainty in these interests. Excitingly, the new job deals with all these interests (editorial, packaging and branding) which is highly motivating and a step in the right direction career and ambition-wise.

One way in which personal development could have been improved is through the development of new design skills. This was an aim for final year, particularly while many resources were still available. Skills such as how to animate vectors and how to create ceramics were amongst these aims, however time constraints meant this was difficult to organise. However, many briefs are now being approached with self-learning in mind, with many focussed on learning a particular skill or technique. This approach has been successful so far and allows self-learning to not intrude on workflow.

Overall, this year has been the most insightful for interests, challenging for job applications but successful in the eventual result. Hard work and initiative has paid off and an excitement for the subject has been grown and maintained.

OUGD603 | DBA - Evaluation

This challenging but engaging brief was an insight into professional pitching and branding. The major strength of the final outcome was it’s conceptual approach. The concept was well informed, creative and executed throughout the branding, products and packaging. This concept would not have come about if it was not for the wide exploration of ideas and options as well as sketches and response to feedback from DBA. Encouragement from the art directors to push the brief further and consider the concept led to the best outcome.

This brief was aided by the general approach of finding a problem from research and identifying the best solution for this. This problem-solution approach to idea generation has helped to focus this brief and many others, directing briefs more clearly overall. Furthermore, the presentation of the solution was strong, ensuring the concept was communicated quickly and clearly through both verbal and visual communication. Preparation as a group for this pitch also ensured it was successful and any questions could be easily answered.

Personally, many software skills were developed during this brief due to the creation of innovative packaging. As digital mock-ups do not exist for all types of product, this meant the 3D designs needed to be clearly mocked up. Development of this skill with regards to perspective and shadows on Adobe Illustrator was incredibly useful. Other Illustrator skills were developed through the application of grains and textures as well as the use of clipping masks meaning skill in the software overall was developed.

This brief could have however been improved with the development of these 3D shapes as DBA suggested that some of the packaging shapes were difficult to understand without explanation. This is expected with this approach being unfamiliar but this skill will certainly be developed into a more professional output.

It would have been ideal to expand the brief further, considering a bigger picture for the brand. For example a campaign may have benefitted the presentation to give the client a picture of how the brand would grow and be implemented. Overall thinking outside the boundaries and deliverables would create a stronger solution.

More in-depth research would have been beneficial to explore more options and develop an understanding of the audience. However with a strong idea early on it was easy to rush into the creation of this. In hindsight, more options would have been explored in depth before settling on an idea. 

Overall this brief was difficult, particularly due to contrasting team dynamics so much encouragement was needed to continue with the brief. However, the outcome was highly successful and could be implemented. Simply presentation needed improvement.

OUGD601 | Studio Brief 01 - Evaluation

This brief was challenging in that it had to be completed in a short space of time for interview, as well as the fact that it’s always difficult to define and communicate the self. However, this time the personal brand was approached with clearer aims in mind, these being to appear professional and creative to potential employers (these being graphic design studios based in Liverpool). With the audience also clear the brief was more focused overall as in previous years ambitions and goals have been unclear for the personal brand.

As a result of this, the outcomes were far more focused and relevant. For example, the use of business cards was dismissed due to never finding the opportunity to use them as much more networking was carried out online. Furthermore, the dismissal of using a logo was useful in that the creation of this had always felt forced and unnatural. Having the confidence to make these decisions benefited the branding overall.

Experience found from this brief in previous years helped to create a better solution and a balance between the two approaches. The difficulty was communicating the self without excluding any types or styles of design. The final branding achieves a neutral balance that can be adapted to a variety of situations without excluding an audience or style. Focusing on the strength in competency and professionalism as an employee felt more appropriate than previous attempts.

This brief benefited from a more stripped back approach by focusing on what was needed/desired to be communicated as well as what employees wanted to see. This minimal thinking was refreshing in that it ensured the process of branding was more straight-forward.

A resourceful and collaborative approach also ensured the successful production of photographs for the personal brand. Seeing the benefits of taking initiative has been insightful and has encouraged a more proactive attitude overall.

Ideally more time would have been spent developing the branding. Although it is appropriate and works for personal aims and ambitions, a personal more creative and conceptual approach would have been preferred in order to wow employers, not just give confidence in my abilities as an employee. It would have also been useful to created specialist printed portfolios and promotion packs as something physical that employers could experience. However, as a job was found before the creation of these there was no longer a need for this.

Overall, although the outcome was successful, appropriate and functional and will likely be used for the next few years, it would have been interesting to explore more options and outcomes with a focus on creative communication.

OUGD603 | Studio Brief 02 - Time Planning Evidence from Extended Practice

• CATS RESEARCH PROJECT

Week 1 - Research 

Week 2 - Research 

Week 3 - Research 

Week 4 - Idea Generation + Planning + Concept creation

Week 5 - Experimentation + Development

Week 6 - Production + Presentation

• CREATIVE PACKAGING

Week 1 - Research and Planning

Week 2 - Research and Idea Generation

Week 3 - Idea Generation & Design Experiments

Week 4 - Mock ups and Experiments (Make Print Booking)

Week 5 - Final Developments, material sourcing (Make Photography Booking)

Week 6 - Final Production

Week 7 - Production, Presentation & Photography. + Spare time. 

• EDITORIAL COLLABORATION

A print slot has been booked for Wednesday 3rd May.

Week 1 - Planning + Research
Week 2 - Research + Experimentation
Week 3 - Development + Final Design
Week 4 - Production + Presentation

• FEATHR

This brief has a similar plan to the other 3 briefs in progress, aiming to be completed the week beginning 20th March.

Week 1 - Research and Planning
Week 2 - Research and Idea Generation
Week 3 - Idea Generation & Design Experiments
Week 4 - Experiments
Week 5 - Experiments (Make Photography Booking)
Week 6 - Developments

Week 7 - Final Design + Mock-up

• NOURISH TIME PLAN

Week 1 (6th-12th March) - Brief Analysis + Research
Week 2 (12th-19th March) - Research + Ideas
Week 3 (20th-26th March) - Research + Ideas
Week 4 (27th March - 2nd April) - Research + Ideas
Week 5 (3rd - 9th April) - Planning/Mock-Ups Initial Experiements
Week 6 (10th-16th April) - Design Development
Week 7 (17th-23rd April) - Design Development
Week 8 (24th-30th April) - Production (Book Print Slots)
Week 9 (1st-7th May) - Production (Print and Photograph)
Week 10 (8th- 14th May) - Extra Time

• PEARSON YCN PLAN

Week 1 (6th - 12th Feb) -Brief Analysis and Research

Week 2 (13th  - 19th Feb) -Continued Research/Idea Gen (Book print slot)

Week 3 (20th - 26th Feb) - (Book print slots) Idea Gen/Experiments/developments.

Week 4 (27th Feb - 5th March) - Final Developments/Production (Book photography studio)

Week 5 (6th - 12th March) -Production

Week 6 (13th - 19th March) - Final Production Personal deadline

23nd March(YCN DEADLINE))

• PENGUIN

Personal Deadline

In the original plan, this brief was to be completed after Christmas. However, with the movement of a live brief, this will now be completed before. The personal deadline for this brief will be the 9th November. Giving a total of 4 weeks for completion. 

Brief Plan

Week 1-Planning, Research

Week 2-Research, Idea Gen, Initial Experiments

Week 3- Experimentation & Development

Week 4-Final Design, Production, Presentation + Evaluation

OUGD602 | Studio Brief 02 - Creative Report

OUGD602 | Studio Brief 02 - Final Presentation Notes

Rough notes and slides for the design strategy presentation. 

REFLECTION

• I wanted to begin by reflecting on last years design strategy presentation to see if I’ve achieved my aims. I was glad to see that I mostly have.

• I said I wanted to get an internship - I’ve done two since which I’ll talk about later!

• To network to the full - I’ve developed a wealth of contacts across 6 studios, one of which was able to help get my foot in the door for a new job.

• Expand my practice out of uni briefs - I’ve engaged with a variety of live and competition briefs this year including YCN and a live brief from a company I interned at. I have also found that freelance work has come to me, I’ve created album covers, design for a web, business cards and logos.

• Be the designer that I want to be rather than what I think I’m expected to be - I have managed to relax into my own style and interests this year. The freedom of third year has allowed me to explore my own interests.
• 
  

DESIGNERS STATEMENT

• So where am I now and who am I as a designer?

• My designers statement states that ‘ I am a multidisciplinary designer specialising in Graphic Design. My focus is on creative, conceptual and innovative solutions in the areas of branding, packaging and editorial design. I also like to explore concepts through illustration and enjoy to apply a playful element to my designs.’

• Although this was written at the beginning of the year I still feel strongly that these are my areas of interest. I get most excited to work on these projects. These are the areas of graphic design I would like my career to be focussed on.

A BRAND?

• My personal branding this year was very much focussed on job hunting. So my audience was studios in Liverpool  

• I decided to prioritise the presentation of my CV and  digital/printed portfolio in order to send to employers for job applications.

• I wanted a professional appearance that communicated my organisation and attention to detail. I used a serif type to communicate this as it shows personality and creativity as well as professionalism.

• I chose a peach for my branding as I always wanted to communicate my feminine approach to design without overdoing it. I found that my personal branding for last year was far too girly and limited my audience. PERSONAL BRANDING

• No logo, photos instead. Social media focus.

WORK EXPERIENCE REFLECTION

• Work experience has been very valuable and helpful. Teaches you things a graphic design course can’t teach you. In reality it’s very different in industry. I’ve sourced work experience every year of my degree.

• DUKE STUDIOS, Leeds - Not what I expected, but developed confidence in gaining work experience in the future. Developed contacts and confidence overall. Enjoyed engaging with a large pool of creatives. Unfortunately undertaken at a bad time Bad time, few client needs and moving, but useful and fun overall. Grounding for future work experience.

• RED NINJA, Liverpool. Design led tech company often working on health care products Much more intense. 2 months, 1 of which I was the only designer. Involved the reality of long commutes. Lots of responsibility placed on my shoulders, thrown in the deep end. Lots of knowledge was expected of me - self-learning on the job. Friendly staff gave me confidence in my ability stating that I was the best intern they had ever had. Developed illustration skills particularly on a project for the NHS which is one of my best achievements. Also learned how to work with a developer and about user experience in general which is useful to put on my CV. Also gained experience with file organisation and sending files to clients which has informed my own freelance work.

• FABRIK, Liverpool- Smaller agency, involved working with the creative director and senior designer mainly on property development marketing. Live work now seen in Liverpool on hoarding which was useful as attention to detail was required, proud to see it implicated now. Really gained networking skills here as I met someone who used to work for a company where I had applied for a job. Taught me the value of networking. Learned how different companies approach briefs and workflow in general. I was also able to learn some InDesign tricks. I also ended up speaking to some clients on the phone which was difficult and scary but I now feel more prepared for this in future.

 WHAT I’VE LEARNED THIS YEAR

• Self-employment won’t work for me right now. I’d always considered this as an option and was inspired by the likes of Hungry Sandwich club, however, after a year of self-direction I’ve found that I prefer being given deadlines. I work better when people put me under pressure. I’m not motivated to work for myself.

• Confirmation about what my design interests really are - I found my designers statement difficult to write but once I had it down it was clear that that is what I am interested in.

• Technical skills have developed all round. I find this happens naturally with practice. In particular my Illustrator skills have developed and I am seeing this applied to many briefs. I am enjoying the process of taking on a brief with the aim to learn something and being able to apply this to new work is satisfying.

• The value of presentation and how it influences the view of work. I take pride in my presentation skills now and I am for it to not appear as student work but professional work.

• Aside from design, I have learned so much career wise from Career Track tuesdays. Through this I was able to improve my job search, develop a strong CV that I was confident in, develop interview skills and develop an understanding of job applications overall. I believe I would be in a worse position if it weren’t for these sessions - I now feel more confident entering the industry.

 CAREER

• I’m very excited and proud to be able to say I have a graduate job waiting for me in June.

• The job itself is exactly what I desired for after uni - a junior designer position in a large studio in Liverpool called Liquid Agency. The studio work a lot with branding, packaging and editorial which is exactly the kind of work I’m interested in.

• They also deal with other areas which is ideal for me to keep me interested and challenged. As far as I’m aware the creative director assigns projects that she feels you will be most interested in which is also a bonus.

• They also focus on my personal interests - food, drink & fashion which is another bonus!

• I’m excited to become a part of the industry there and be confident in calling myself a professional.

ASPIRATIONS/PROGRESSION

• Ideally I would like to remain within Liquid and progress through the company. I want to feel comfortable working there and enjoy going into work - I’d like to develop strong friendships there too and feel comfortable there socially as well as as an employee.

• I’d like to advance quickly into a mid-weight or even senior design role within the next 3 years and I feel that I am capable of this. My Confidence has been built from previous work experience and I know I will make the appropriate steps towards these goals.

• My ultimate goal is to become an art or creative director. I feel that I would naturally succeed in this role especially with years of experience behind me. I would also enjoy the responsibility of the role.

• Aside from career progression I have other aims. Liquid told me that they tend to approach their clients without being asked for work, so I am welcome to bring great ideas to any of their clients. With Liquid working with the likes of clients such as Warburtons, I would love to bring a great idea to the likes of this company and see that implemented and succeed.

• A further aim is to become a reputable and well known designer within Liverpool. I’d like several companies to know my name and have confidence in recommending me.

OUGD602 | Studio Brief 02 - Feedback Evidence NOURISH

MENU

In general the response to the menu was very positive, with only minor changes -

• Reduce gutter
• Try bringing leaves into the rest of the design
• Reduce the width of the column for the 'Our Promise Section' 

DESIGNS SHOWN -

Considering this feedback and personal opinion the menu was improved. The first major change being headers. This was changed to the typographic style of the posters. The reason for this was the fun element of the brand was being lost and the menu appeared too serious. The new playful type means the menu is more exciting to read and it promotes the Nourish brand further. 

Minor layout adjustments were made, however the gutter was not increased as this would be too time consuming and would potentially cause major issues within the layout. As the columns were still readable this was left. 

Leaves were also brought in to replace the circles for a better brand consistency.