Evaluation

As a whole OUGD503 was an interesting module that made me value the benefit of collaborating with other students from different disciplines. Having the briefs set by industry professional clients such as Penguin Books, Monotype and Fur For Animals demanded a higher level of professionalism and quality from the designer. Looking back on the work produced for the module however and there was a noticeable lack in aligning the solution to the briefs aim.

For Penguin, the briefs final resolution is a very typographical approach that may not take the design far in the competition. The brief suggests that a creative and unique approach to the book cover should be adopted as Penguin want a design that breaks the mould of what is seen on the shelves today. The typographical approach however is suited to my strengths in graphic design. The specific choices in typography, type size and layout demonstrate my awareness of typography and layout and is better communicated than an illustrative approach. My interest in typography had led to discovering type foundries such as Emigre which has influenced the outcome of the brief. Therefore my solution is both a demonstration of my understanding of graphic design and the designers I've encountered through personal interest. However with professional briefs, understanding the clients needs is an essential aim in creating a solution that is appropriate. The solution shows a lack of understanding of Penguins brief that may limit its success in the competition despite the solution representing me as a designer.


The AmazonFresh brief was a good opportunity to further practice creating art directions and as a way to get experience collaborating with other students. The client needed help in creating an art direction that better communicated towards her identified audience. I was given a good amount of creative freedom which can be both an advantage and disadvantage. On one hand having this freedom allowed for more interpretations of her ideas, creating designs that was unrelated to her own mockups. However when given back for feedback, the immediate approval of the design meant a lack of feedback that didn't necessarily push the concepts potential. Nevertheless the designs we agreed upon were representative of an understanding what the client wanted and a demonstration of my interest in graphic design.

D&AD's Monotype brief was chosen because it was a chance to demonstrate my interest in typography given the large library of fonts offered through their library. However, the solution presented is relatively ordinary for the context of a big brief within the module. A lack of personal drive and sudden disinterest in the brief half way caused under developed ideas that resulted in a campaign that misinterprets the brief. Instead of creating a campaign that would help 'generate a conversation' the solution became more about generating tourism. This highlights an important aspect of maintaining or finding a sense of enjoyment during briefs. Enjoying the brief often makes more thought out and creative design solutions. It is my responsibility however to actively find this be it through research, feedback or simply reinterpreting the brief. I should not rely on an good idea to suddenly come to me to help drive the solution forward.

Studio Brief 02's collaboration was the most enjoyable out of the briefs. It was exciting to properly work with an illustrator who provided an art style that I've never used before and to work with someone from another discipline. It also made me realise that working with other people produces much more thought out designs as opposed to working on your own. By collaborating, there is always the chance to ask for feedback on the work because it is everyone's obligation to help develop the solution. With this constant feedback, ideas are taken further and details fine tuned to produce a solution that best represents our aims. Working with Kieran was beneficial in providing a perspective on briefs from an illustrators point of view. Working with Georgina provided a female perspective that was beneficial in offering a different approach on the brief, a perspective that helped appeal the video to a wider demographic. When working in a team towards a professional brief, it generated a healthy amount of pressure to deliver your responsibilities. As a result the designs became more motivated than if it was a solo effort. An unexpected aspect of the brief was the amount of animating I had to do for the video. With little experience with aftereffects, it was surprising to see the video look as professional as it does. The experience of working collaboratively in this module has encouraged me to be more open about collaborating with others, especially with other disciplines