OUGD303 MODULE EVALUATION

"Corporate identity & branding with emphasis on concept, application, proposals & delivery of ideas to client."

I wrote this position statement back at the start of the year, and for the most part it still stands. I was not so much interested in a specific area of deliverables, rather a broader spectrum of design that focused on the client / designer relationship - the delivery of ideas. This gave me plenty of scope to do what I wanted but still gave me a target to work towards so projects didn't become lost. Looking back I realise that I should have stuck to this more strictly - as some of my projects did start to flounder in places. I also think that perhaps it could be a little more specific in places and this is something I will review in future. Overall I think this position statement sets me up well to work with and for other people, not discounting any deliverable but instead focussing on how to get my ideas across in the best possible way.

The actual project work for this module has been below my usual standard. I think there have been some good briefs and great ideas, but they have been executed poorly and not exploited as thoroughly as they should be. This has been due to a general lack of enthusiasm that I think many of us have suffered and is only natural when coming to the end of such a demanding 3 years. Obviously this is no excuse for poor work, but I think explains why my projects have not been up to scratch.

If I could start again from the beginning of the year I would do the following things. I would have dropped the graphic novel brief earlier - and instead produced a range of promotional material and branding, as well as a marketing strategy as this was one of the clients needs. I would have spent more time on the Creative Milk Round brief in its early stages, as this could have been a great portfolio piece had the actual design been of better quality. I would have been more direct in approach to the KTP brief, as I let other things like budget get in the way of producing something to a good standard.
As a result of this I would have had more time at the beginning of the year to get a head start with my other briefs - as they suffered because of my late start.

Overall I'm a little disappointed with what I have produced, but the experience has been absolutely invaluable. I think more so than any other module this has been a time for learning from mistakes, and I now feel happy to leave the course knowing that I'm well equipped to deal with the many issues a designer faces on a daily basis. I do feel that my portfolio is lacking in a few areas however, and this is something I shall address in the coming weeks in the lead up to the end of year show. I'm disappointed with the quality of work, but it is clear to me why my standard have slumped, and exactly what I need to do in future to rectify this.

Brief 3 - Pitt Rivers Evaluation

This project has been one of the better branding experiences I've had - though the range of deliverables was not what I originally had intended. I did want it to be more focused on promotional materials, however far more thought went into the branding than I initially intended, and so the overall focus fr the brief shifted slightly.

Conceptually -I think the branding is very appropriate, fitting with the two extra audiences I wanted to capture without alienating any of the existing museum goers. I did not manage to complete the full range of deliverables and if I could do it again I would spent just a little more time on this, and less time fine tuning the branding. However I think the branding exercise on the whole has been a useful experience, and makes me realise that I can still design around a good concept.

Brief 4 - Steve Edge Evaluation

This brief has been my favourite so far. Steve has been a fantastic client - but I also think this is a reflection of my lessons learnt from previous briefs. Instead of letting the client drive me I have god ahead and produced work quickly - giving the client a selections of choices along the way, and taking on board his own ideas without them having a negative effect on my work. I have come away with a great portfolio piece, as well as a great experience.

Steve was also a pleasure to work with because of his own personal investment, as well as my own, in the project. This great to have such a personal involvement and passion for a project - and this has helped me discover something about myself and the kind of work that I enjoy most.

The project as a whole has been good fun, but in hindsight I would like to have produced more finalised work and a better range of deliverables.

Brief 2 - KTP - Evaluation

The first half of the year has got off to a slow start. The projects I'm working on are all live briefs and after a few tutorials I've realised a lot of my briefs don't allow me to full exploit my rationale. My desire to work with clients has given me a huge amount of experience in dealing with other people and finding a compromise between my own ideas and theirs - however this as left me with a compromised portfolio, and less time to do something about it. This brief in itself has been quite slow - and at first I wanted to blame things with the client, as there were problems with budget and the KTP package didn't end up going to print. There was also a lack of copy to put in the brochures, another reason I felt I couldn't carry on with the brief.

Looking back I realise it was my own fault I didn't resolve this brief quicker - Its my job as a designer to produce the work and it would have been very easy to take things into my own hands instead of letting other issues hold me back. This has been a very valuable lesson. You can't always waste for the client to tell you what they want - to a certain extent you just have to give them it.

Creative Milk Round - Event & Evaluation

Will and I stayed late last night printing the signage and sticking it up ready for today.

This brief has been a bit of a learning curve for me - it's nice to have the experience working on a live brief and with the college, but it hasn't really added anything of any worth to my portfolio. The initial designs were thrown together in a day and just served as a starting point for myself and Will to kick start the year. This snowballed into a brief that could have been really substantial if the initial designs had been any good. Sadly it's just not worked out that way, and I'm left wondering if it's even worth submitting.

There's plenty I could do do make it worth while - but on reflection I think it's best if I focus my energy on more relevant projects. Time to but this to bed!