Brief: Produce a graphic response that makes a statement, comment, observation or gives advice about your experience on your first year of this course. Choose any appropriate media or format and develop and identify whether the content will be entertaining, advisory or informative.
Ideas
For this brief I need to identify a problem I have faced and inform the first years about this. Need to consider whether I am trying to scare/humour/excite them etc. I have the opportunity to go back and revisit a technique/process that I wanted to use but didn't get to, instead of doing more of the same thing. Different ideas from over the year can be pulled together to create lots of work. Next year, there will be 46 students, who will all be different, and won't all have the same taste/style etc, this is something I need to consider. I need to think about who I was, what I knew, what I wish I had known before I came. Also, I can include relevant areas outside of the course, such as living alone for the first time. I need to consider what my design voice is, based on reflection of the year so far.
To start to find my voice as a designer, I decided to reflect back on the year I have had personally. I will later need to complete some primary research from asking the opinions of my classmates.
Things I like: Hand drawn and digital illustrations, screen printing, patterns, decorative type, type as image, photography, different stocks, work printed in the digital print room
Things I usually do: Hand drawn and digital illustrations, only tend to use photo shop, don't tend to include photography in my final pieces. I don't think I put everything I have learnt to good use and tend to follow a similar way of working with each brief - maybe now would be a good time to change this.
Things I'd like to revisit: Making my own typeface, screen printing, moving image, photography (with the specialist equipment), book binding (basically everything that I was introduced to in the workshops), paper folding
Things I want to do that I haven't covered yet: Printing on to other materials, animation, successfully making a brief 'live', printing many copies of final piece
Who I was at the beginning of the year (graphic design wise): At the beginning of the year I only really had experience with hand drawn and digital illustration so this was what I focused all my projects on initially, however, I was eager to learn about different areas within graphic design. I still use illustration quite a lot, as I enjoy it, but now know more about other aspects of graphic design. I think at the beginning of the year I managed my time quite well, and still think I do. A weakness at the beginning of the year was not being able to face criticism about my work, whereas now I know how helpful and useful constructive criticism is.
Who I was at the beginning of the year (outside of the course): Moving away from home to live in Leeds was the first time I had lived on my own so I was a mix of nervous and excited. My main worry was would I be able to cope with the course? I was worried I wasn't good enough to be on the course as I knew how good the course was and felt shocked I actually had a place. I was also worried about my flatmates having heard bad experiences from others about their time in halls. I am a clean and tidy person and already knew how to cook and take care of myself so this wasn't really a problem, however, in the first couple of weeks I did realise how things like not having a car, doing food shopping etc actually take up quite a lot of time.
What I knew about Graphic Design at the beginning of the year: At the beginning of the year I didn't know anything about colour theory, had never printed on to any other stock than standard white paper, didn't know anything about readability or legibility and didn't know anything about making my pieces work as a set. At the beginning of the year I was nervous as I didn't really know how to use the software such as Illustrator and Photo shop and was worried that every body else would be experts, but luckily there were inductions to help me out.
Five problems since I was offered a place: - I wish I'd known how to access information such as what will be created through these speaking from experience briefs. I would've like to see more examples of past students work, but didn't know where to find it before starting the course, so only saw the examples on the website/open day/year book. I think this would've helped for the summer task as I didn't really know what to expect when I came to college. - I worried quite a lot about not being good enough/ not knowing as much as others, so some more reassurance about inductions and workshops would have been useful to put my mind at ease - Before starting college I was unsure which equipment I would definitely need. I found that some of the items on the list we were sent through the post were given to us and some items I have not used yet, whereas there are pieces of equipment that I have later been recommended which were not on this list which have proved useful. - I didn't know what to expect about my accommodation and the area around it, and so was worried about it. It took a while to discover the quickest way to college, the best places to shop/eat and other things like this, so it would've been useful if I'd have been able to hear from someone who have lived in the are the previous year. - Before starting the course I didn't have much knowledge of contemporary graphic design, only having been taught about the 'famous' graphic designers at college. I was a bit worried about which 'style' of graphic design I thought I should be interested in. A varied list recommending relevant, contemporary graphic designers including artists who have visited college would have been useful so I could have done more research and found more things to inspire me before starting the course, to prepare me for tasks such as 'what is graphic design?'.
Five things as a designer that I want to make: - I'd like to make a moving image, as I enjoyed the induction on this but didn't find an opportunity to use this new skill. I have enjoyed researching kinetic typography so would like to create a moving image containing this. - I'd like to make a series of screen prints containing different layers, and maybe frame these to add to the quality, as again, this was an induction that I really enjoyed and was fascinated by the results yet didn't find time to screen print again. - Instead of working in a group, I'd like to collaborate with another designer whose work I admire or maybe someone with different skills than to what I have to see what we could produce. - I'd like to make a book and bind and print it properly, taking lots of care with presentation and the quality. I know this would take a lot of time so I am unsure when I will be able to do this. - I would like to create designs for myself, such as to create my own personal identity for use on business cards/blog etc.
Five subjects that I'm interested in doing: - A website that can be accessed by people who have a place on the course showing them examples of previous work, giving them artist recommendations and basically giving them an insight in to what to expect so that they can be better prepared for the course. This website would be a bit like the VLE but better designed and easier to use. - A moving image which is humorous, exciting the new student about what is to come on the course, and reassuring them that they don't have to be the best now, as if they were, they wouldn't need to do the course, but also telling them that a lot of hard work is to come. - A book featuring website links and examples of work of graphic designers who have visited college as well as past students to inspire and excite the students, preparing them for tasks such as 'what is graphic design?' - A welcome pack containing different printed materials and a few useful items, just touching on the different problems stated above and telling the new student how to find out more. This idea would cover more areas with less detailed information than with answering one problem. - A screen print which has a quality to it which would make the new student want to keep it and stick it on their wall, rather than just discarding it with other posters they are given. This print would have to get straight to the point, but could contain information to reassure/excite/scare the new student.
All these points lead me to finding an answer to 'who am i now?' as a designer.
Problems
On Thursday's session we were allocated a partner with whom we discussed our problems and ideas with. I also thought about some broader problems that I faced other than the five above. These included:
not being motivated; being lazy; having to deal with scruffy housemates; not knowing the quickest way to college; not knowing where the shops are and organising my time.
My partner was Max and this is his feedback to my favourite idea for my problem, about creating a website so first years know what to expect from the course before starting. Here are points from our discussion:
- Like the website idea
- Look at LCA website/portal/VLE - see what is already available
- Could create something which is an add on to the website
- Website could just include first years work, a link would be sent out by a business card
- Could include a leaflet through the post with a showcase of first years work
- The leaflet and business cards could be screen printed for quality, to persuade people to look
- Could try to bring different ideas in to one thing to answer all problems
- For primary research ask students what they would've like to have known, and ask did they look at college websites beforehand? Find statistics from the survey.
- Focus on what to expect from your first year.
After discussing this we then took a step backwards to make sure we had considered many different ways to solve our problem. For each five problem, we created five answers, including what the method of delivery would be.
Not knowing what to expect from the course
1. A website with work of current first years and links to blogs that can be accessed by people who are offered a place
2. A screen printed hot dog fold book to be sent to people offered a place with a showcase of first years work
3. A binded book printed in digital print (with the same content)
4. A moving image with hints of what is to come
5. Postcards with others work on that you could use, with a link to their blog on the back
Worrying about not being good enough
1. A moving image using kinetic typography reassuring student in a humorous way
2. A screen print with a simple reassuring message
3. Stickers with reassuring/motivational messages
4. Useful items such as notebooks with these messages on
5. A humorous poem to be sent out including the message
Not knowing anything about accommodation and the area around this
1. A welcome pack with advice from students who lived in the area last year
2. A website/blog with information about the area
3. A mini magazine about the best places to shop/eat around the student accommodation
4. A map of routes to college/shops from different accommodations
5. A face book group which is interactive with recommendations
Not knowing what is the best equipment to have
1. An equipment list with reviews from students
2. A face book group where students can add recommendations and say which items not to choose
3. A wish list for the students to fill in and leave for parents
4. Make your own pop-up Mac - a jokey kit so students without don't feel left out
5. A poster with items categorised into 'needed' 'wanted' 'extra' etc.
Not knowing enough about graphic design
1. A postcard with lists of artists to research
2. A moving image reassuring you that you will learn lots
3. A leaflet with samples of what you will learn in the inductions and workshops
4. A poster with tick lists and tasks of things that will help you
5. A mail shot with the same information
Final Problems
Not knowing what to expect from the course
Not knowing anything about accommodation and the area around this
Rationale
We then wrote our own rationales, which we then swapped with a different partner. Mine can be seen on my PPD blog.
Week One Direction Boards
These are the boards I created for my week one crit. The feedback I received can be seen on my PPD blog.
