What if... Self evaluation...

What problem did you identify?

Our problem was how can we promote the entertainment in Leeds to prospective students.

What evidence did you find to support your decisions?

I created an online questionnaire which was sent to everyone in uni. I had 97 responses which gave me a more accurate result. The 3 questions i asked were:

- Do you live in Leeds?
- Do you like Leeds?
- What do you think are the most important aspects of Leeds?

Shopping
Nightlife
Education
Business
Entertainment

We found that entertainment had the least support, so we knew we had to focus on this aspect of Leeds to attract prospective students.

What methods did you use to gather your evidence and what forms did it take?

The majority of my research was primary quantative, this is because the questioonaire i created was based upon numerical results.

I did have some secondary research, this was to find out the student population in Leeds and also information about the entertainment in Leeds found on websites and flyers. I also asked people their opinions about the entertainment in Leeds (current students) which is primary qualitive source material.

What methods of research did you find useful and why?

I found using a primary quantative and qualititive way of research the most useful and relevant. By asking first hand what current students allowed me to understand what students thought and liked. It would be no good if i gathered the opinions from the website as sometimes the reviews could be not be from students. In this case aswell it was interesting to first hand ask people thier honest opinions. Its a more hands on approach.

How did these inform your response to the problem?

From learning about current students opinions on Leeds entertainment we could write up reviews and begin to communicate to prospective students where the best places to go are. We created a website, blog and posters to communicate entertainment. It was written by students by students.
The purpose of gathering current studenst opinions was to make it easier for new students to find the best places to go out, where as alot of the booklets and flyers new students recieve only really show the typical and well known places to go, which isnt what Leeds entertainment is about.

What methods did you encounter as problematic?

I think with our problem it was harder to use secondary source material in any form because we couldnt be sure if the opinions online for example, would be those of current students in Leeds, so we had to be sure we had accurate results.

How did you overcome this?

I went out and did my own primary research, both quantitive and qualititive.

What research could you have carried out that would have proved more useful?

I think that i could have asked more students about their opinions on the entertainment in Leeds and also gone to a few of the places they said they enjoyed to be able to write first hand reviews.

List five things that you have learnt about the design process over the last two weeks:

- Gather as much source material as you can, whether it be primary, secondary, qualititive or quantitive.

- Dont invent a problem, focus on one that already exists or you just make it hard for yourself.

- Make sure your a pro at time management, because you need to allow yourself to go back and research again and again before you even get close to a solution.

- When you get your problem, pretend you know nothing about it, it gives you more scope when it comes to research, dont assume you know everything, because you dont.

- RESEARCH IS EVERYTHING!

List five things you would do different next time:

- Gather more source material.

- Create a more specific questionnaire.

- Manage my time more appropriatly.

- Group the research i gather into the four terms (primary, secondary, quantitive and qualititive)

- Do more and more research, because it never ends.

What if... Rationale

What if rationale:

Group members:

Kirsty
Niall
Chris L
Alex S
Sophie W

The problem:

How do we convince/persuade people to come/live in Leeds?

The evidence:

Research gathered, primary source material, photographs, facts, opinions, words and statistics.

We intend to...

We intend to gather market research, compose a questionnaires and interact with the public to define what it is that makes Leeds so desirable. This will involve approaching businesses and pedestrians.

The only way in which we can produce a final outcome/solution (s), is to extensively research into why people like Leeds, we will directly approach people for primary source material. Ways in which we could deliver our solution are broad, such as a website/page, mailshot, t-shirts, posters, flyers, a video. We need to try and persuade people to come to Leeds.

End of Module OUGD101 Self-Evaluation...

Kirsty Hardingham

www.K-hardingham1013.blogspot.com

1.       What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

I have learned a lot during this module, i think the main thing is that the generating of ideas are endless and there is so many ideas and solutions you can generate from one brief. I found this out during the design a typeface brief, i had so many ideas and didn’t know which one to draw up as a whole alphabet and glyphs, i asked a tutor what they thought and they said i should draw them all up. Once i had drawn up about 7 versions i just kept designing. I really enjoyed this brief and pushed myself to the limit and since then i have been doing the same thing in present briefs. I have also learnt how to use illustrator, at start i hated it because i got frustrated but now i do a lot of work on it.

2.       What approaches to/ methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

With my design context blog i have gathered pieces of design that i find inspiring, which helps when i need some ideas. Im not really sure how i research to be honest, i just do it. With the research week brief of researching a headline i gathered information about tattoos and the history of them which helped me gain an understanding of what tattoos were used for and how they were recognised, this impacted my design and i developed my ideas from there.

3.       What strengths can you identify in your work and how/ will you capitalise on these?

I have now got to the point where i will experiment constantly with ideas, good or bad ideas is still an idea and ive learnt to take criticism as a learning curve.

4.       What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?

I think that i could improve my digital skills, because throughout this module i have had the chance to develop work digitally but didn’t always do it because i wasn’t confident enough so i may have lost a few good or maybe bad digitised versions of ideas. I try hard to use illustrator but often get frustrated so i guess that is something i can work on.

5.       Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

-          The first thing is to push my digital skills to the next level to ensure i can experiment fully with a wider range of media.

-          Generate more ideas in a brief to have a wider choice in what to develop onto the final processes of a final solution as i felt with some briefs i didn’t push myself enough with my ideas and when you realise its the deadline for the brief and there was other things you could of done it makes you feel like you could have done better when actually its too late now.

-          Learn how to manage my time properly and effectively, i am quite good at this but some days i get lazy and just go home and do nothing when really i could have thought up several more ideas in college that could of made a big difference to a brief.

-          I wish that i had asked people constantly for advice on my work as it does really help, especially with people who aren’t afraid to tell you what they think. I know we have regular crits which are really useful but constant feedback is an essential part of a developing brief.

-          I wish i was able to speak more clearly about my ideas as i felt sometimes during crits i didn’t explain my ideas enough which meant people didn’t understand where i was coming from and i sometimes received unhelpful feedback.

6.       How would you grade yourself on the following areas:

5= excellent

4= very good

3= good

2= average

1= poor

Attendance= 4

Punctuality= 5

Motivation= 4

Commitment= 4

Quantity of work produced= 3

Quality of work produced= 3

Contribution to the group= 3

Message and delivery final presentation evaluations...

Evaluation by Liam and Chris:

What is being communicated and how? (refer to final piece only)

it is trying to advertise a tattoo parlour called 'EXTREME NEEDLE' by stating a fact on tattoos, which leads you to the company name. There is also a business card for an easy reminder.

How well does this answer the brief? (why do you think this?)

it does answer the brief by using the statistic to persuade the viewer to get a tattoo. The black, white and red spot colour keep to the limited colour pattern.

Who is the audience and how well does the resolution communicate its message/content to them? (give reasons)

aimed mainly at students, looking at the mailing list. It communicates well by being straight to the point and having a clear call to action.

What are the strengths of the resolution? (refer to whole body of work)

the way it is presented is a big strength, unveiling different parts bit by bit. I found it enjoyable to interact with. The design is consistent and used throughout, which encourages people to recognise it if seen again.

How could it be improved?


You could experiment with the placement of the patterns or consider a pricing list to entice the viewer to go.

General comments

A very nice design overall, i love the use of spot colour and the simple logo is depicted well. the mailing list is effective and links to the target audience, but why mail it to the company?
Never the less, good job!

Evaluation by Liv and Oli:

What is being communicated and how? (refer to final piece only)

more people should get a tattoo, its like an advert for a tattoo parlour

How well does this answer the brief? (why do you think this?)

- 2 colours plus stock: YES

- size and format: YES

- explored an interesting net

Who is the audience and how well does the resolution communicate its message/content to them? (give reasons)

- anybody thats interested in tattoos (not really specific audience)

- at first glance you cant tell what it is.

What are the strengths of the resolution? (refer to whole body of work)

the text and image (symbol) are appropriate for the subject matter!

the gothic look makes you think of tattoos.

How could it be improved?

less complicated, its a little all over the place although it does fit the brief. I like the business card inside, good for promoting the concept.

General comments

maybe a little more simpler 

its very busy to the eye, i like the use of colour as it relates to tattoos.

My comment

In terms of the feedback given i think i did well to answer the brief and produce a visually engaging mail shot. I took a lot on board from previous crits which has helped me to produce my final outcome. I am glad that people understand what i am trying to communicate and enjoyed interacting with my design.

Image and Interpretation evaluations...

These are two evaluations from anonymous people about my 3 posters communicating the fact 'One in three Britons have a tattoo'.

What statement/fact/question is being communicated to you? (this might not be what is intended of course...)

That one in three Britons have a tattoo.

Is this being communicated in a clear and focused way?   YES  NO  UNSURE

What could be developed further?

The fact is clearly presented but im not sure if the image poster is clear in what it is communicating.

Have the posters been kept “simple and to the point?”  YES  NO  UNSURE

Is a statement, fact or question being posed? (how do you know this)

There is a clear fact being presented. Which is simple and to the point.

Has the restriction of two colours plus stock been met?  YES  NO

Are the two colours plus stock appropriated to the solution?  YES  NO  UNSURE

Why are the two colours plus stock appropriate/ inappropriate? (if inappropriate offer possible solutions)

I am unsure why the colours red and yellow have been chosen- not sure how they link with the fact. I also think that the colours chosen make the just image poster unclear- im not sure if i would know it was a tattoo without the other posters.

Do the posters work as a set or series?  YES  NO  UNSURE

Why do they work/ don’t work as part of a set or series and could this be developed further?

They do work as a set as the same typeface and image have been used- i also think its good how the text has changed between the posters but there is still a sense of a series.

Is it clearly evident which poster is TYPE, IMAGE and TYPE AND IMAGE? (if it is unclear offer possible solutions)

Yes, i think it is clear which is which but maybe the image in the image and text poster could stand otu more.

Are the posters “memorable, immediate high impact and clear”? (give as much feedback as possible)

-          I do think the type on the posters is clear and the text and image poster is high impact.

-          The image only poster needs to be clearer so you have more of a sense of what is being represented- maybe it needs to be more in context- the tattoo could be on a person.

-          I think the just text poster is memorable but would be improved if the colours were changed, im not sure if they worked.

Do you feel the brief has been fulfilled to its full potential?  YES  NO  UNSURE

Further feedback...

I think the text on the posters is working well and is effective but i think the image alone could be improved. I do think they all work as a set and there is a good continuity but im unsure why these colours have been used.

Evaluation 2...

What statement/fact/question is being communicated to you? (this might not be what is intended of course...)

“1 IN 3 BRITONS HAVE A TATTOO”

Is this being communicated in a clear and focused way?   YES  NO  UNSURE

What could be developed further?

IT IS CLEAR, CONCISE AND TO THE POINT.THEY HAVE NOT OVER COMPLICATED THE DESIGN AND HAVE KEPT IT TO MINIMAL.

Have the posters been kept “simple and to the point?”  YES  NO  UNSURE

Is a statement, fact or question being posed? (how do you know this)

STATEMENT- IT CLEARLY STATES THAT 1 IN 3 PEOPLE HAVE A TATTOO. THE TATTOO IS ABSTRACT BUT IT IS A CLEAR VISUAL REPRESENTATION AS TRIBAL DESIGNS ARE WHAT I THINK ARE THE MOST COMMON. REALLY LIKE THE TEXT IDEA HOW ONLY ONE WORD IS HIGHLIGHTED.

Has the restriction of two colours plus stock been met?  YES  NO

Are the two colours plus stock appropriated to the solution?  YES  NO  UNSURE

Why are the two colours plus stock appropriate/ inappropriate? (if inappropriate offer possible solutions)

RED AND WHITE RELATE TO THE ‘1 IN 3 BRITONS’ STATEMENT AS IT IS A TYPICAL COLOUR SCHEME TO REPRESENT THE UK. ALTHOUGH THE YELLOW WORKS WELL AGAINST THE RED, IT COULD BE CHANGED TO BLACK, FOR EXAMPLE AS THAT IS TYPICAL OF TRIBAL TATTOOS. ALSO, BLUE COULD BE USED TO FURTHER ENHANCE THE ‘BRITON’ STATEMENT.

Do the posters work as a set or series?  YES  NO  UNSURE

Why do they work/ don’t work as part of a set or series and could this be developed further?

SAME/ CONSISTENT COLOUR SCHEME THROUGHOUT AND SIMILAR COMPOSITION (TOWARDS THE TOP OF THE FRAME). TYPEFACE IS ALSO THE SAME BUT THERE IS A VARIATION- LOWERCASE ON ONE YET UPPERCASE ON ANOTHER. HOWEVER, I DONT HTINK THIS EFFECTS THE AESTHETICS.

Is it clearly evident which poster is TYPE, IMAGE and TYPE AND IMAGE? (if it is unclear offer possible solutions)

YES THEY HAVE COMBINED THE IMAGE AND TEXT DESIGN EFFECTIVELY.

Are the posters “memorable, immediate high impact and clear”? (give as much feedback as possible).

THE TEXT IMMEDIATLY STANDS OUT AGAINST THE RED BACKGROUND- VIBRANT, ENGAGING AND EYE- CATCHING. THE STATEMENT IS CLEAR, ESPECIALLY ON THE TYPE AND IMAGE DESIGN WHICH I THINK WORKS REALLY WELL.

Do you feel the brief has been fulfilled to its full potential?  YES  NO  UNSURE

Further feedback...

THE IDEA THAT 1 IN 3 PEOPLE HAVE A TATTOO COULD HAVE BEEN EXPANDED ON IN MORE DEPTH AS IT IS ONLY EVIDENT ON THE TEXT ONLY PIECE BUT I THINK OVERALL IT WORKS EXTREMLY WELL AND IS VISUALLY ENGAGING.

Alphabet soup take two evaluation...

My name : Kirsty H
My partners name : Steph L

Referring to the typeface you have designed answer the following :

Which personality traits did you choose to respond to and apply to the typeface?

Elegant, direct and proud.

What are the reasons behind the design decisions you have made for the typeface?

I have included elegant curves within the letterforms to show elegance, which is one adjective i chose to respond to, i then bloated the serifs on the letterforms and seperated them internally from the letter to create a point. Direct also means to the point, so i thought this would visually communicate this.

In what ways are the results effective?

I think that the typeface overall has met the requirements of the brief and more. My favourite typeface design that i created responded to the chosen adjectives, but not only have i come up with one final idea, i continued to experiment with designs and have now come up with several ideas that still respond to the original brief. My partner, who the typeface was for was pleased with the outcome and also said that it works beautifully aesthetically.

How to rational...

Group members :

Kirsty H, Kirsty A, Kirsty F, James F and Frankie.

The problem :

New students in Leeds need to find a way to cope with the new weather conditons on a student budget.

Evidence :

Students in our year have told us how they have found it difficult to adjust to the weather in Leeds.

We aim to :

Create posters informing students of ways in which they can survive the new weather conditions on their student budget. The posters will be student friendly, simple designs and useful.

Alphabet soup two crit one

Issues raised :

- how much can i remove? in order to simplify my designs.

- experiment more with my ideas to help me broaden the possibilities of my typeface.

- using line within the letters, or maybe blocked in.

- work backwards in terms of my design process.

- simplified, try to simplify my design as it is becoming too complex, which means it will become illegible and unreadible at a smaller point size.


Action to be taken :

- begin to simplify and breakdown my designs to make them more legible and readable at a smaller point size.

Alphabet two rational...

Brief (What is the problem you intend to solve?)

To design a typeface for a full alphabet and glyphs, that represents the personality/ character of my partner.

Who needs to know? (who is your audience? Be concise)

The person i am creating the typeface for.

What do they need to know?

Why the typeface is relevant to them as a person, their personality\ character and elements of type they prefer.

Why do they need to know? (The concept of your problem)

Because i'm answering the brief and giving them a typeface that they have set based on aspects of typography they find interesting and adjectives that i have defined about them as a person.

What will they respond to? (How will they connect/undertstand the outcome?)

The clear, legibal/readable piece of typography that i will have designed for them.

What research is required? (What do you need to know in order to complete this brief to the fullest potential?)

I will need to ask my partner questions in order to gather information about typographic elements that they like and dislike and also things about their personality that will help me to design a typeface that responds to them as an individual.

Secondary

I will need to look at existing fonts and typefaces, looking at aspects such as the anatomy of type to help me begin the design of my typeface rather than starting from scratch.

Alphabet soup self evaluation.

Here is my self evaluation for the Alphabet soup brief.

What is being communicated and how?

I had chosen the word FLATTEN for the Alphabet soup brief, my final resolution was a sequence of the letter B which gradually got flatter, i took measurements from the height of the letter form and added it onto the width, so it elongated the letter. As a sequence you can see the transformation clearly and i felt that i had achieved the element of FLATTEN within my work.

How well does this answer the brief?

I feel that i answered the brief in terms of communicating the letterform with the word flatten, my audience were able to understand my letter form sequence. The way in which i chose to communicate the word flatten were quite literal yet it was still effective.

How well has the idea been visually explored?

When i first recieved the word flatten i thought of many ways in which this could be communicated, i made a brainstorm of my ideas and then began to look at letterforms that had some relevance to my word. I tried out a few ideas with some letters but decided on the letter 'B' as i felt this was a letter i could play around with in more ways. In terms of the way in which i created my resolution i feel that i could of tried it out on an array of letterforms rather than just 'B' to broaden my visual research.

What are the strengths of the resolution?

My final resolution visually communicated the word FLATTEN and i answered the brief in my own individual style. I hand rendered my resolution and i think this gives it another successfull visual. I had experimented on the computer with my resolution but felt it was too much for my simple design.

How could it be improved?

I think that i could experiment with other letterforms to see if my concept could work as a whole typeface. I could also experiment with colour too, to push my idea further its just a case of experimenting with all aspects of the letterform i designed. In terms of my final resolution, i feel that i done well and i don't feel theres anything i could improve.

General comments...

I enjoyed working on my own in this brief as it gave me a chance to work with my own individual style, after working in a group for the previous brief i felt that it gave me alot of inspiration and motivation. This is the first time i have ever really focused solely on typography so it was exciting to get this brief, although when i first read it i was a bit iffy. I'm glad i took on the challenge and at the end of it, i found i really enjoyed it and learnt alot.

How to... self evaluation.

 The How to... brief. The title of our problem is 'How to survive the Leeds weather on a student budget.

What role(s) did you take on in the group?

We all took a fair, responsible role in the task and presentation of our brief within the group. I read out a little more in the presentation to set myself a challenge of improving my confidence in front of a larger audience.

How well do you think you performed in the role(s)?

I think i played my role well, i inputted my ideas and discussed with the group why i wanted to do something. I was also open to any ideas from the group and i was able to tell people ideas that they could adjust within their own work.

How well do you think you worked as a group?

As a group, i think we worked really well together, we stayed focused yet still had fun. We got on really well too, which always helps. We weren't afraid to tell each other our ideas or to share critism about ideas.

What were the positives of working in a group?

You get the chance to see how other people work, you can share ideas and help eachother. It gives you more confidence in yourself when people in your group say you have a good idea.

What were the negatives of working in a group?

Sometimes people can take over with their ideas (not in our group though). Because we all work in different ways and designing posters, we found a compromise to suit the group members individual style and it still met the brief requiments.

What will you do differently next time?

Within the presentation, probably talk more about the ideas behind the layout and colours etc on the poster or what ever the final solution is, as i felt i didnt talk enough about the actual design. But as a group and team work and also the work we set ourselves in the time given. We did really well.
Another thing is probably research into the background of an idea more, as i felt as a group we didnt do much compared to others in terms of gathering research.

Where could you have improved your resolution?

I think we could have extended on ways in which we could represent our idea, such as a website and small flyers.

What were the strengths of your presentation?

I think we engaged well with the audience by keeping our presentation humourous, informal and witty. I really enjoyed myself.

Alphabet summer brief.

My final solution for the summer alphabet brief.

The big 10...

10 things i want to achieve this year..

1: Have more confidence in myself, through the  presentation of my work and my ideas.

2: Learn to use Illustrator effectively.

3: Explore new medias and techniques such as screen printing and letter pressing.

4: Learn how to talk about my ideas to a group of people.(i always know what i want to say in my head but i just cant say what i mean out loud).

5: Be brave enough to tell people what i think of their work honestly, good or bad.

6: Learn some technical Graphic Design words.

7: Learn how to manage my time more effectively.  

8: 

9:

10: Be the very best i can be and really push myself to the limit.