Speaking from Experience - Final Crit Feedback

Very helpful feedback - they suggested I needed some brief insturctions, however, into how the site can be navigated (though this was hindered by the fact I had only one page fully interactive) therefore I will make sure I incorporate this into the home page.

The speaking from experience brief has been one of the most enjoyable I've had - allowing me to encompass all the skills I have learnt so far and showcasing what sort of designer I want to be. The progress crits throughout have allowed me to explore routes/aspects I would have otherwise ignored and made me reflect on the design process as a whole. Although I could have explored various other media, techniques and processes (ones that I am not so familar with), I am pleased with the resolution and hopefully it would be something the 1st year students would benefit from.

Speaking from Experience - Progress Crit

The progress crit went well as everyone seemed to like the idea. However, it was suggested I could push the concept further, creating signage around the college. I originally planned on doing this but got sidetracked with the interactive website. I will need to choose a set colour palette as currently, I have one, individual colour per facility/resource. However, I decided in the crit to have all general resources i.e. Toilets, canteen, first aid, reception etc in dark grey and the main design facilities in their own unique colour. This will be referenced in the signage around the college in order to keep a consistent corporate identity. 

I will now explore various design ideas for guides and signs to plaster all over college using the icons I have already produced and the same design aesthetics as the website.

Speaking from Experience - Progress crit

The progress crit provided me various directions I could take my concept in. As I wanted to devise a handbook consisting of a basic introduction to each facility/resource/area of college alongside a gallery of work, timetables, pricing etc, they suggested that I needed to simplify the content.

It was noted that the icons could be used as signage around college to help first year students find their way around college during their first couple of weeks of term. The current signage is not as clear or direct - it simply states a room number; and many people in the crit said they never used these but had instead, asked others to guide them. Perhaps I could create a more refined handbook using signage as the main concept whilst still incorporating a brief introduction as to what each facility/resource is and how it can benefit first year graphic design students.

Concept boards explaining the concept, content and method of delivery:

Speaking from Experience - Workshop

For the 'Speaking from experience' workshop, we were required to bring 5 examples of problems we've faced since accepting a place on the course; 5 things we wanted to create and 5 subjects/concepts we wanted to explore (as outlined in a previous post). Me and chris initially worked together to discuss these ideas and decide which had the most potential. After 5 were chosen, we were then asked of 5 ways of solving each of these individual problems. To explore these in more depth once again, we were asked to think of 5 deliverables for each of these problem solving ideas.

After devising an extensive idea sheet, we needed to pick 2 to form two different rationales. This was given to someone else chosen at random, in this case, Liv to then analyse and provide another perspective on our idea. One idea Liv suggested was a poster series indicating what process has been took for it to be printed; such as 'This was screen printed' etc.

The two ideas were as follows:

Web Developer Logo

I designed the following logo for a web developer named Ryan Clark. I kept the design minimalist, using one the key attributes to coding - brackets. < and >. I noticed that an upside down bracket can form the basic structure of a capital, 'A' and as both his forename and surname featured a letter 'A', I decided to incorporate it into the design. It has had a good response on Forrst, here, which I am pleased about.

OUGD104 - Submission Form

Module Code: OUGD104 

Module Title: Visual Language

Name: Joe Warburton

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Themes/Subject & Rationale

For the 'What is a Line?' brief, I intended to full explore the six degrees of separation theory through design. I looked at portraying my own famous connections after extensive primary research whilst using secondary research to showcase the theory working in the film industry. My own connections were to be featured in a small booklet whereas the aforementioned film 'six degrees' would be on a large scale poster to portray how such a simple theory works on a mass scale. Alongside this, I created an incentive for people to discover their own famous connections using simple forms requesting them to ask anyone they know to again, ask anyone they know.. and so on.. to see if they may be connected to a celebrity in some way or another. 

Blogs up to date: x

Work labelled as briefed: x

Work submitted in an appropriate format: x

Self-evaluation completed: x

Paper based form:

OUGD104 - End of module self-evaluation

Module Code: OUGD102 

Module Title: Visual Language

Name: Joe Warburton

Blog Address: http://www.j-warburton1013-dp.blogspot.com

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

Throughout this module, we have looked at how to reduce design to its bare necessities, showing how something can be portrayed in the most simplest form. Design should be self-explanatory and should not need an additional description to explain why you decided to do something in particular. I have learnt not to over complicate things and experiment with a range of different outcomes. For the book fair brief, I took something which was extremely vague (the colour red) and created something which was fairly informative. I enjoyed creating the hot dog fold books and was pleased to sell a couple on the day.

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

Although the book fair brief was for the most part, online secondary research, I made sure to collect primary research for the majority of my 'What is a Line' project therefore making the outcome much more personal. This primary research and data collection formed the basis of my final outcome - a book based on my own famous connections. Another addition to this brief was a poster showcasing the six degrees theory being practiced in the film industry. This consisted of extensive online research to find out who was a film with who. 

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

My designs have taken on a minimalist and concise style which have originated from extensive (although monotonous and mundane) research - for the 'what is a line' movie poster especially. I am most familiar with digital print therefore I want to expand my knowledge even more by hopefully producing more inventive outcomes in the future. However, I still want to experiment with hand rendered techniques as I rarely use this in my designs.

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

Although I have stated this in an earlier evaluation, I tend to decide what outcome I intend to produce in the initial stages of design development therefore reducing the range of work I could possible reduce. In future projects, I will try to experiment with a range of media, look at different sizes and scale and create initial designs ideas focusing on all possible outcomes.

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

- Much more drawing, whether this be initial sketches or even form the basis of my final outcome. 

- Development and experimentation throughout, avoiding using a single idea

- Look at all forms of research, even if it is not directly linked as it may influence the final design

- Evaluate my work throughout, find out where I've gone wrong and rectify problems

- Experiment with a range of media and possible outcomes