Friday, 22 March 2013

OUGD406 - Speaking From Experience Crit 22.3.13

The format of the crit was presenting the concept, method of delivery and production ideas to a small group, Simon & Amber, and two third years.

Feedback given:
The main bit of feedback I had to take into consideration was the production and final outcome and how costly it could be to make a book. If this was the case the cost would be high, especially if I intended to have full colour throughout.

Things I need to consider from feedback:
Publication type - does it need to be a book? Would a poster/cards be cheaper & easier to produce?
Colours - full colour vs limited palette
Tone of voice - informal or formal?

Monday, 11 March 2013

OUGD406 - Communication is A Virus: Evaluation

As a group what problem did you identify and why (In response to 5-A-Day / 10,000 Steps / Drink Tea)?

Our group was give 5-A-Day. We decided that we didn't want to go with the typical meaning of 5-A-Day with healthy eating & lifestyle, we wanted to focus on something that was more exciting & contemporary.
We looked into activities that we did 5 times a day, and concluded that a good route to go down would be looking into social media and networking, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. These have been integrated into our every day lives and is something that we do without even realising how many times we are doing it/have done it.
We felt this was a good problem to try and find a solution to, doing something which would make people aware of this and consciously make an effort to use it less.

What methods did you use to gather your evidence to prove this was a problem and what forms did it take? (Categorise, your research using the terms primary, secondary, quantitative and qualitative)

Primary research - As a group we decided that we should all carry out the same quantitative primary research in the form of a tally of how many times we went on social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Online gossip/news, texting, WhatsApp etc. We then pooled this research together and found that we were all at very similar levels of using these sites, confirming that it is a problem in our age group.


Secondary research - Original secondary research was relating to the app idea, so in pairs we each researched into a different area relating to this. I looked into App & Website Layout. Although after the first crit most of the research wasn't really that relevant, I still found it useful and important. When we had a solid idea and concept secondary research became individual work. I looked into Branding & Identity, and then Twitter do's & Don'ts.

What methods of research did you find useful and why?

In terms of our concept, the primary quantitive research was the most useful. It enabled us to get an accurate representation of social media and the addiction to it. Creating a tally made us all very self aware of how much we actually use these sites, and has given me that conscious effort to stop.

What research could you have carried out that would have proved more useful?

I think the primary research definitely could have been expanded and we could have asked an audience to carry out the tally themselves so we would have a more accurate and reliable response than just the six of us.


How did you manage the workload as part of a group?

As a group, I feel we managed the workload well and effectively. I do feel that perhaps a couple of the designs produced should have been done faster than they were, but overall we did a good job as a group. When it came to designing the logo, posters & stickers, we found it was effective if the majority of us came up with design ideas/mock ups, and then we pooled them all together as one and decided on the best course of action.

Group communication was good throughout this brief as we had a Facebook group and were constantly updating each other with ideas & mock ups of work, gaining feedback and criticism before actually finishing something off. This had a very positive effect on the group as a whole as it felt like we were moving as a unit to get everything done. 
This was shown while working on the logo design. Originally Adam had a couple of designs, which Joe edited and made a few variations, from there we added my wording designs, and created the logo like that. The same with the stickers, where Grace, Adam and Anna had original designs and they were pooled together to create the stickers.
On the individual side of things, I think we all managed the work well, all having an individual task as well as contributing to the group tasks we did. Adam and Grace created the posters together from feedback given in crits and from the group. Grace also created a flier. Anna created masks to add a comical and more informal element to the concept. Ant created desktops & a video. Joe did work into how we would further the concept, coming up with an app design. I created the book on twitter do's & don'ts, along with this, I used work from Grace's flier and turned it into a leaflet.
I think I personally managed the workload well, contributed to the group and got everything done with a decent amount of time remaining. I took time to create designs which were effective, but didn't take too long as to put the whole group behind.

Monday, 4 March 2013

OUGD402 - Study Task 8: If You Were A...

Session

We got into our groups for the 'Communication Is A Virus' brief, got into pairs and swapped our 10 visuals from our statements from the task.
We then had to go away in the pair, sort the visuals into Personal & Professional and then write a statement for each summing up exactly what the five pictures for each represent & put across about them as people.
Me and Anna got Adam & Grace's images.

Adam
Personal
Adam is a tea drinker, particularly Earl Grey. He obviously cares about animals and we are presuming he owns a dog. Along with this he has a large film collection, which means that he enjoys to watch them. He also likes technology.

Professional
The images given are all different, but have a few similar aspects, meaning he appreciates different kinds of design, but there are certain aesthetics he likes more than others. He clearly likes illustration and textured work, along with Russian Constructivism and simple design. He also likes bold, colourful design.

Grace
Personal
These images show off a broad range of personality. Swimming is obviously important to Grace, along with reading. Alternative/Rock music is clearly a favourite of hers. By the book about species, we are assuming she also has an interest in science of some sort. The image of the forest is obviously important to her, and could be somewhere she visits regularly.

Professional
On a professional level, all visuals suggest Grace likes simple design, but also likes loose, hand drawn illustrations. There is clearly an interest in editorial and packaging work, and perhaps infographics as well, though this is not clear enough to say for definite. A lot of the work seems to contain green, whether this is a coincidence or a preference, it is not clear.

We then got back together as a group and shared what we all said, and told each other the proper statements to see how close we all were. In general Anna and I were quite close to what Adam and Grace's Professional & personal preferences were.
Joe & Ant did mine, and I found that they were quite close, though their knowledge on the designers I chose did deter their answers a little, but they still had the main point of the images.

Task

If you were a book, what would your subject be and who would read you?
If I was a book, the subject would be on up and coming graphic design as I feel that these people aren't paid much attention until they do something recognisable and considered big. People to read it would be those of graphic design students as it would give them a broad range of designers to use.

If you were a package what would you contain and who would open you?
If I was a package I would be a very bespoke design, designed specifically for the person it is for. I would contain something that is generally easy to come across, but can be personalised for a persons traits and needs, done at their own hand. So anyone could open it, but each would be designed specifically for them.

If you were a shop what would you sell and who would buy it?
If I was a shop I would be selling something that never gets old and continually reinvents itself to fit in with contemporary times. Vans for example, they are a brand that have been around for fifty years, but is still very current and is widely recognised and worn. For that reason, I would sell Vans shoes and other shoes which are the same, like Converse or Nike shoes. The people who would buy them are people who aren't just buying them because they're in trend at the minute, it would be people who recognise the value in the company and shoe.


If you were a poster what would you promote and to whom?
If I was a poster I would promote typography and the value of it as I feel this is a subject that is largely overlooked by the general public, and certainly not appreciated unless you are someone who works with it on a day to day basis as a graphic designer does.

If you were a brand what would your values be and why would they be important?
If I was a brand, my values would be that everything created under the brand would have to be of a high standard and as consistent as the last, whatever the products were. A high standard of work and finish is important because if it doesn’t look good enough, people aren’t going to want anything to do with it, the products wouldn’t catch their eye like high quality products do. Like Apple, the creative team is in control of advertising and showing the quality of the products produced in a way which appeals to the audience. Creative control is important as I feel this would be the best way to continually improve the brand name and reputation.


If you were an exhibition what would you show and where would you show it?
If I was an exhibition I would be a collection of large scale, colourful and bright Art & Design work. There would be something for everyone, but all in the same aesthetic style of work, as my own work is like this. I would show works from the likes of Warhol to those of Mike Perry and Pentagram. A mixture of work, which is ultimately commercial and recognised by the general public. I would show in a place which is easy accessible and easy to get around. A large open space gallery which is easy to navigate around.


If you were a leaflet what information would you contain and who would read it?
If I was a leaflet I would be a mini self help for digital design programs, such as Illustrator and Photoshop as I feel I have enough experience in these programs to help someone who has little or none.

If you were a sign what would you show, to whom and where?
If I was a sign I would be a 'straight ahead' road sign as it is straight to the point and doesn't give any nonsense. It tells you exactly what you need to know, when you need to know it with no unnecessary information at inconvenient times. It would be on a motorway, or where signage was complicated and confusing the viewer as they would see it and know exactly what it entails.

If you were an App what would you do and who would use you?
If I was an App I would be something to do with organisation, like iCalendar or iPlanner, as I feel an organised approach to work is the only way to get the best out of the work, and have enough time to fulfil everything on the criteria. I would best be suited to someone who isn't organised and needs to make a note of what to do.

If you were a blog, what would you be about and who would follow you?
If I was a blog I would be a collection of Editorial design work, primarily in book work, showing all the various ways of how content and images can be displayed on pages, ranging from Post modernist approaches like Carson, to very straight laced displays like Experimental Jetset. It would show the variety that is out there and why each is appropriate to the content.

If you were an event, what would it be and how would you promote it?
If I was an event I would be an All Day movie day, and I would promote it with a series of printed posters and leaflets, distributing them in the area where the event would be taking place. It would be open to everyone, showing films that are widely known, but are maybe only properly appreciated by few.

Friday, 1 March 2013

OUGD406 - Communication is A Virus Crit 1.3.13

This crit was with Simon and two other groups, each with a different topic to us so we could get some decent feedback which would be beneficial. We discussed our concept, initial ideas, how far we had gotten with it all and what our problems were.

Our main problem was interaction from the audience it is aimed at. We have found it difficult to get feedback and get people involved in it. To address this, feedback given was that maybe we should go down the route of doing bold, shocking posters/leaflets which would catch people's eyes, and put them around the university.

All feedback was positive and helpful to us, and we found it will definitely help us get a solution. They all liked the concept and our method of delivery, but agreed that it needed some work to get it to reach the audience and for them to interact with it.

From the feedback we have decided to create a series of posters which are bright and catching, and get the point across very easily.