This module as allowed me to develop a number of skills I previously had but did not utilise very often. For example, InDesign, which we used to create the booklet. I also believe my person skills have grown and developed from being in a creative partnership. This has shown me what a good thing working in a pair or group can be; ideas can be bounced around and more analysis takes place as you are continuously talking about your work, ideas and deciding what works best. However, I must say I was very lucky with the partner I got as she is just as hard working as me and gave 110% to the brief.
Organisation was another aspect of my skills I had to step-up a level as there were two people to co-ordinate. I believe our time management was thought through throughly and worked really well. We also managed to split the work up evenly and set ourselves nightly tasks to complete to keep us moving forward.
As I have mentioned I developed more skills in InDesign, as well as patenting the booklet. We also did some screen-printing for the invitation which allowed me to become more comfortable in producing the screen and the processes you have to go through. Paper stock, was another aspect of the brief we had to consider carefully and this gave me the chance to see how ink works on different papers and how they can work together.
2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
From a research point-of-view we did some initial investigations of existing National Portrait Gallery brochures etc, and then moved onto different art galleries. This gave us the opportunity to come up with our own design ideas and see what worked and what didn't. This was a very vital part of our initial research as it gave us the starting point to work from.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I would say teamwork was our main strength. We never had any problems standing up to each other if we had a strong opinion, however it was in a positive manner and never caused us any issues. We were also very supportive of each other, which, I believe, allowed us to get the best out of ourselves. I think this is key in a collaborative project, you need to be able to discuss issues together, and find a happy medium.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I do not believe there were any major weaknesses within our work, however the limitations of brief from National Portrait Gallery were definitely a downside. We had a set colour palette before we even started, as well as a grid system to follow and also the positioning of the logo was set as standard already.
5. Identity 4 things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
6. Please rate yourself on the following areas.
5=excellent, 4=very good, 3=good, 2=average, 1=poor.
Attendance = 4
Punctuality = 4
Motivation = 4
Commitment = 4
Quantity of work produced = 4
Quality of work produced = 4
Contribution to the group = 3
2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
From a research point-of-view we did some initial investigations of existing National Portrait Gallery brochures etc, and then moved onto different art galleries. This gave us the opportunity to come up with our own design ideas and see what worked and what didn't. This was a very vital part of our initial research as it gave us the starting point to work from.
Every aspect of the mailshot was researched into and looked at existing literature for. This informed us about colour, paper, sizes, layout and type. All key elements we needed to consider.
Overall, all of our research informed the design development, in a positive way.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I would say teamwork was our main strength. We never had any problems standing up to each other if we had a strong opinion, however it was in a positive manner and never caused us any issues. We were also very supportive of each other, which, I believe, allowed us to get the best out of ourselves. I think this is key in a collaborative project, you need to be able to discuss issues together, and find a happy medium.
Another strength, was the final resolution. Each aspect of the mailshot was completed to a high standard and looked professional when put together. I also believe the number of items within the mailshot was a strength, we never rushed any of these elements, however, within the time available we still produced a good, full number of selections.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I do not believe there were any major weaknesses within our work, however the limitations of brief from National Portrait Gallery were definitely a downside. We had a set colour palette before we even started, as well as a grid system to follow and also the positioning of the logo was set as standard already.
5. Identity 4 things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
1. More primary research. For example, look at the area we are targeting more and maybe try and collate some questionnaires etc.
2. Keep a record of our decisions. Reflection on why we picked certain designs over others etc. Just another form of ongoing evaluation.
3. Be more experimental. Try more medias and techniques of getting to the final piece.
4. Link to our blogs more. We have not directed the viewer of our research work to our blogs bar at the beginning. I think this is an important aspect of recording and evaluating. Therefore, perhaps we could have made more of this.
6. Please rate yourself on the following areas.
5=excellent, 4=very good, 3=good, 2=average, 1=poor.
Attendance = 4
Punctuality = 4
Motivation = 4
Commitment = 4
Quantity of work produced = 4
Quality of work produced = 4
Contribution to the group = 3
