OUGD602 PPP Module Evaluation

PPP has been more of a self discovery than a module this year, which I suspect is the point. However, I have been wrangling with how I want to work once I graduate. I was convinced for sometime that I wanted to set up as a letterer, freelance. This came from my visits to independent creatives such as Roger Grech and others I interviewed for my COP project. I understood that it is a difficult way to set up but it appealed to me not to have a boss, and to do the work I wanted. Through my work experience at vernon street and multiple collaborations as part of my extended Practice I found that although I love lettering, it is more important that I work with other people,  in a collaborative environment. I don't think it matters whether this collaboration is with the client or other designers but that interaction is something that I have found I need to enjoy graphic design to its fullest. This is something that has formed the centre of my self branding which is constantly striving to be tactile, human and approachable.
As PPP has helped me understand this I knew the kind of Job I wanted for myself strata out of College. I have applied both for a junior designer position at the studio Six Design and in the design department at Leeds University Union. I have an interview for the LUU job and am currently past the interview stage and doing a trial brief with Six Design. I don't know which, if either will come to full fruition but things at least look positive and I know what I want from my career for the moment.

OUGD602 PPP 03 Brief 02 Design Strategy Evaluation

Throughout the year my external engagement has been a fairly consistent theme of my practice. My first contacts being ones initiated for my contact of practice module, soon blossomed into incredibly inspiring people to know. Especially talking to practitioners such as Phylecia Sutherland got me thinking about how I work and how I want to work in the future. This was reinforced by my viewing of 'Made You Look' a documentary style film about in depended Graphic Artists and how they work. I saw a hard working but fulfilling life style which really attracts me. However, my exterior engagement ale illuminated the reality of working in the creative industries. I have made a number of applications to jobs that interested me and I am currently doing a trial brief for a junior designer position in a Leeds based studio. Through the interview, and my work experience assisting at the Vernon Street evening classes I have found that, yes I do love working practically and I find that very rewarding. However, it is the mix of people I get to work with, talk to and learn from which is really what drives me in Graphic Design. 
Through Job applications and the college organised portfolio tutorials I have really stated to understand the art of presenting my work, of telling a story but in a concise and confident way. This has allowed me to feel fully competent in my Job applications.
It would have been nice to get some work experience in studio so that I could figure out that environment in greater detail. However, this was not for lack of trying and I do feel that the evening class assisting was exactly the right experience for me to do at the time because it is and was a type of job worth considering.
Overall, I feel that my external engagement has not only helped me gain confidence in my design ability in a real world context but also has informed my extended practice briefs, in the way that I approach them.

OUGD602 PPP 03 Brief 02/01 Development of Printed Portfolio

Today I had a portfolio tutorial with Lee Goater. I got a good amount of constructive feedback. Mostly it was about spreading out the content in a way that told the story of interacting with each piece of design as well as the story of the work I have done on each project. I have reworked my print portfolio into the version you see below.

OUGD602 PPP Brief 01 Self Branding Final Outcomes

Final Outcomes Include:

-Business Cards

-Stamp

-CV

-website

-Portfolio 

-Promotional Sketchbook

Evaluation:

Overall I am content with the outcomes for the self branding brief. I have created all the things that I set out to. The brand its self was developed over a much greater period of time than any other of my self branding designs in other years. This has meant that the continued appeal of the design has been through the test of time and I still feel that the logo and its surrounding design choices still represent me both as a practitioner and a person. the bright key orange stands out no matter the background which is ideal for a stamp. Using a stamp to re create the logo gives it a sense of tactility which is perfect for communicating the way in which I work. One unintentional change was the stock choice for the sketchbook cover. Although the finish is not what I envisioned it actually creates a nice contrast to the Bier Gmund stock as well as clearly connoting the fact that it is a sketch book, more informal and casual.

At some length I considered a more complex and creative format for my CV. However, through the applications that I have made to jobs throughout this year it has become apparent that a simple single side of A4 is the most practical and accommodating format for a CV. It means it can be printed out on a run of the mill printer (at the employers end) and shows an ability to be a bit more concise and straight to the point which perhaps my other work lacks.

In particular I am happy with the over all continuity of the theme of tactility and craft. It is communicated everywhere, from the logo to the stock choices and this is what makes it succeed when other self branding designs have not.

OUGD602 PPP 03 Brief 02 DR ME Personal Promotion Brief

The work I produced for the DR ME extended Practice Brief is very relevant to PPP because it is a mailer intended to promote my self and my work. I created a fun mix of the old botanical designs which inspire me so often with a ver modern look at digital work in vectors and bright, pastel colour usage.

The back of the mailer was a fairly simple affair. Allowing space for a personalised message depending on the studio and lining up the 'Muses of Graphic Design Skills' to ensure a positive and funny finish to anyone's interaction with the piece. 

Evaluation:

This was the first brief that involved my home pint set up. It was a challenge technically to achieve the colours that I wanted but the colours are something in particular that turned out perfectly. The harmony of the two colours, their ability to contribute to and support the dominance of the type is well executed. The type its self could have been better had more time been spent studying and developing the actually calligraphy, rather than drawing out the letters. However, the result of this is a lot more of a rounded version of blackletter, which suits the purpose of the design (communicate myself as a designer and person) than what can appear more quite aggressive and angular as a full blackletter. It would have been nice to turn the poster design into a little pack as perviously mentioned and planned. However, as the design developed, it felt unnecessary and overcomplicated to do so, the design should and can communicate all that is required. If I had the chance to re do this brief I would have looked at stripping back the design a bit, reducing it down to what makes it function. However, there could be two sides to this because 'stripped back and minimal' arguable doesn't communicate me, more what I need to focus on achieving more as a designer.

OUGD602 PPP 03 Brief 02 Digital Print Set Up

Having recently been gifted a photographic printer I have spent some time working through the technicalities of colour matching and bought some stock specifically for this printer.

It Involved some recalibration of screens but I now have a great set up. Not only for submission but for design and presentation boards when freelancing after graduation. I have used this set up to print finals for three briefs in extended practice and it has not let me down yet.

OUGD602 PPP 03 Brief 02 Reflection on Live Brief Letters by Louise

As Part of my extended Practice I had a very successful lettering brief in which I was asked to create a lettered logo for Louise Fletcher. I really enjoyed doing war I love most and Louise was really happy with the finished cards and has agreed to do a client review for my website.

Evaluation:

I am really pleased with the finish of these business cards. The layers of paper make the weight and tactility of the cards communicate value and make them items in themselves that someone would want to keep. I do wish that I could have made more cards. However, the imprecise nature of both screen printing and finishing by hand meant that I should have allowed a wider margin for error. For the most part the printing was fairly standard in terms of success rate but because I had not allowed extra paper (the client couldn't afford it) naturally the final total was a little bit lower than expected. Registration was the main issue, mostly because of shifts in the true grain on the bed, difficult to have foreseen or done anything about really.

The colour matching of this project in particular is something I am really happy with. It took a lot of gentle mixing but I think this is a skill that I learn't well during the GF Smith brief and came in hand here. The colour on the screen print is almost exactly the same as the digital colour that Louise approved. Because I had less control over the stamp ink I was concerned about the colour differences. However, although the ink is a little darker it does harmonise with the cards, creating a sense of cohesive design even if it doesn't match exactly.

The client response was really positive and Louise has agreed to do a review on my website which is great and return to me when she needs anything else done!

I also created an invoice for my freelance work for the first time which was a really useful thing to do at this stage. Simply establishing how I will store and number such things is useful.