Evaluation

BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN		LEVEL	05
Module Code	OUGD201
Module Title	DESIGN PRODUCTION - PRINT

END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION

NAME

William Cotterill

BLOG. ADDRESS

W-cotterill1013.blogspot.com

1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
I have developed a broad range of skills throughout this module, which have helped to successfully execute my final piece. The type sessions have been a really big push in understanding layout properly and how type is correctly set out on a page. I have practised this within my work in relation to kerning, working with my logo. I have picked up little techniques in the type sessions that have changed the way I view certain pieces of design, for example learning how to accurately set of a sentence on a page so that the words are read in the correct order is something I find myself constantly noticing. Other than just type based skills, the print sessions have helped me to understand the theory behind print and how the print process actually works. Rather than just going straight into designing on illustrator or Indesign I now know how to set up each document using various colour modes and applying different swatches so that my design is ready to send to print. My understanding of printing techniques and finishes has been expanded massively, before I started the module I didn’t have a clue about spot varnish, foil printing or substrates. Understanding this terminology has helped to acquire a much more fluent way of discussing my reasoning for decisions within my design practice. My technical drawing skills in relation to my logo design have developed over the past 8 weeks, the drawing tasks that we were set really encouraged me to start trying to get my ideas from my head straight down on paper rather than trying to work straight into illustrator or Photoshop.
2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
During this module I have been much more experimental in comparison to last years briefs. I have really enjoyed experimenting with homemade varnish and foils to achieve a professional effect but on a low budget. I have printed on a range of different stocks at a range of different formats, this has really helped me in terms of designing my final piece. Having the knowledge of what looks good on what stock helped me to produce my final outcome so that it was consistent in terms of branding. When we were set the tasks to develop our own nets I really got into thinking of my work as a 3d product rather than just a sketch on a paper. When it came to making my final outcome using nets and thinking about what areas of my work would be die cut made me develop much more innovative ways of packaging my products. I decided to make my final outcome out of wood using the same theory as behind my paper nets.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
It’s always hard to identify your own strengths within your work but something I think I have particularly developed throughout this module is working with type. I have began to appreciate type in hole different light, and treating it in a rather different fashion to prior 8 weeks ago. Learning about kerning, letter spacing, alignments and point size has made me start to develop my work in a much more professional way. These guidelines and this brief knowledge has made me start gaining more and more interest in type and the way type works, I want to develop the skills I’ve learnt further in the optional sign up module.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
One weakness within my work is my time management, with it being the first term back after summer and it being a completely new brief I found it hard to get back into routine as quick as I would have liked. I found I spent a lot of time of my practical work and less time on my theoretical work, after my PPD session with John I’ve learnt the only way to solve this problem is to pre-plan my briefs using time management sheets and calendars. Another weakness is keeping up to date with my blogging, during the start of the project I found it hard to keep up with blogging and found I wasn’t blogging as regularly as I should have been, After the design for print research task I’ve found myself back on my feet with keeping on top of recording my work online. I think one way to improve this in future is to set aside an hour out of each day or a full day at the weekend to keep my blog up to date and full of the latest information that needs to be on there
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
1. I would change use solely the same stock for all my printed products, the combination of glossy and matt did work to a certain extend but I think in future to make my starter kit that little but better all the print should be in a Matt black stock with a black UV varnish. 2. Making a website for my product to link up with or some more promotional material would be a good direction to take my project in if given more time. I think this would given my practical work much more reference in terms of target audience and where the product would be sold. 3.Next time I would like to complete all 3 of my mini guides, I found that because of my time management and over estimating how much I could produce I only got to complete one. Having all three complete would finish my start kit and give a lot more impact for the messages I’m trying to communicate. 4.I would alter the appearance of my can cap sleeve and cap box, The glossy stock doesn’t do the design justice, I think with an arrangement of layout and some more content these both could be very effective pieces of print. 5.If given more time, I would like to extend the range of products I produced, even though I did screen print during this project I would like to develop my screen printing skills in future, which is something I didn’t achieve during this module. A series of t-shirts or hoodies would be a nice feature to extend the brand I produced.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: (please indicate using an ‘x’)  5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
	1	2	3	4	5
Attendance					x
Punctuality				x
Motivation				x
Commitment					x
Quantity of work produced				x
Quality of work produced					x
Contribution to the group					x
The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.