Summative Module Evaluation

Summative Module Evaluation 

This module played a significant role in the professionalisation of my practice, teaching me key lessons on how to deal with clients, time management and work collaboratively with other creatives. The openness of the module forced me discover my own sense of direction and see how working on briefs can be quick, depending on the strength of the concept. Often there is a need to refine and develop, however design for a specific reason can be less conceptual and more practical in its design decisions. The breadth of the module further elevated my abilities with a range of materials, as well as design for print and screen. Knowledge of colour and design theory stimulated the context for a lot of the projects, keeping the word justified.

The overall module seemed overwhelming to keep track of at first. As a designer, I have never experienced such an abundance of different tasks operating at the same time. Nonetheless, it was completely manageable which made me realise I could be accepting more work in different places rather than focusing on one brief at a time (which is more reflective of industry).

Due to the nature of the module, I had to personally branch out to people asking for design work. None of the competition briefs really stood out to me or interested me in a way that I’d be developing my path as a designer if I chose them. As such, I found responsive briefs from other connections which has since broadened my scope as a designer and given me a platform to understand the market. Previously I had always thought I wasn’t ready to take on clientele projects, however now I would confidently. Initially the designs would be more responsive to the client, however as the module progressed, and I gained confidence in my abilities and knowledge of design, I began to push my design decisions and concepts, which ended up being well received.

The background visuals project was especially enjoyable, and seeing my work projected at an event at the end was really rewarding. As these briefs had purpose, I feel a lot more momentum went into them, as I wasn’t just completing the projects for me, but for the people who actually needed the design work. My skills on Photoshop, After Effects and similar digital software has also improved, simply spending prolonged periods of time on these programmes has mean their visual literacy has become a lot easier to manoeuvre and thus operate. This has been reflected in the success of my practice in a digital sense.  

Working collaboratively was a great way to build my network as a designer. I particularly wanted to focus on publication design as this was something that began in the last module however was not developed enough. The intentions were to become more comfortable with stock choices and binding methods to broaden my horizons in this area. Additionally, I felt passionately about each photo series and wanted to see how layout design could play a role in translating this imagery, and thus if photographers (or any other creative specialist) could also thus form an appreciation for what graphic designers can do.

Nonetheless, the collaboration side to the module – although essential – proved more difficult for me. I was initially told to not collaborate with a graphic designer so looked further afield. However, due to contrasting schedules in and outside of the University, gaining momentum for the photographers proved hard, and I ended up carrying most of the load for the LFW lookbook particularly. Instead of working side by side it was very much I asked her opinions and she agreed. Next time I would like to reach out to creatives in several different pathways and work on a project to see how different aspects that I’m less confident with can be done more efficiently and effectively (such as photographing the publication after production).

Overall this module was definitely the most advancing of my practice thus far. The scope and scale of work, as well as the need for self-direction, progressed my work more than any module of the course prior. Covering the spread of design that I did – poster design, branding, motion graphics, zine and publication design – allowed me to fully understand my strengths and weaknesses as a design and where to specialise in future.  

  

BxB Publication: Production

Printing
In order to cut costs and save paper waste, the publication was printed on a big sheet and the pages were cut down individually to scale. This decision was made as the stock choice of Museum Heritage is printed from a roll, and so the layout needed to cover these dimensions. 


Trimming
The individual pages were then cut accordingly to the required scaled of 18x15cm and stacked in order.


Ordering
The relevant materials were selected and combined with their unique photograph, a series of options were trialled to maintain and minimal balance and coherent colour palette and texturised stock. 







Layout
The extra paper stock was cut to size responsive to each photograph. Using paper clips the cut outs were held in place so that when the holes would be made they would be in the right positioning. 

The order was then clamped in place so the edges were not moved and for consistency when making the holes. 


Making the holes
This process took a lot of time and patience in order to ensure the end result would function as hoped. As the paperclips had to be removed it was needed to find another solution to keep the extra sheets in place, as they were not the same dimensions as the main pages. Blue tack was attempted however this ripped away the paper when taken off so was not of use. The final decision was to line it up in place and clamp the entire block together. 

The initial idea was to use a hole puncture and line the pages up after however this seemed like it would be too inaccurate and risky. The final decision was to use a paper drill once the entire contents had been lined up and clamped together. This was successful in getting consistent holes, however was hard to operate and didn't give the cleanest finish.






Binding
Two loops were made in each hole with string to give the publication the same rustic and feel that is evident throughout the other material choices. 

Final Production:
The end product opens and closed as required however is very delicate due to the nature of its composition. Opening and closing works best when stood, and gaps were left in the string so that it can be adjusted at the will of the viewer.

The magnifying card was placed at the beginning of the series to be used throughout / without boundaries. The pocked is subtle which adds a nice layer to the discovery of the publication that mirrors the discovery within the pictures.  

BxB Publication: Design Development

Inside cover
The inside cover design sets in motion the aims of the publication which is then backed up by the written statements. The idea is that the separated image represents the theme of two becoming one. Two photos, two cities, two experiences. The obvious disconnection in this design (seen through the rough edges), is meant to enhance the concept that these photos were never meant to stand alone, and how they don't make sense if separated. It also reflects the interactive nature that the publication hopes to achieve.

Introduction:
This page includes an photographer's statement as well as a designers. This was because we felt the story should be told from the first person perspective to add this personal touch, like the reader is hearing a story being told. It was also thought that the designer's concepts and ideas are great food for thought for the images and that this would stimulate the viewer to engage with the images, and fully appreciate their organic-ness, as they are completely as the camera and photographer made them, without any editing. 

In this digital age where everything is edited to be 'perfect', the photos here can be appreciated more for their natural feel and the authentic/ rustic style of the publication aids this communication. 

Two layout options:
The first follows the border of how the images are placed on the following pages

The second is a more compressed design. This is the one that was selected as we decided the less space the eye has to travel across the page makes it seem like less to read/ take in for the viewer, so they would be more inclined to read it through.

Planning:
ordering the images so they flow aesthetically



Placing the photos next to each other was important to see how they could flow throughout the publication. The idea was to start with what we labelled the 'collage' series, which made up 14 images, and then go onto the 'stain' series, which was the remaining 9. Breaking it up in this way meant the colours and themes of the photographs could be ordered with greater ease, as well as for the magnifying element. As the 'collage' series are harder to gage, the publication thought to include a small magnifying card that would have a pocket at the start and end of the 14 photographs. This further fuels the interactive qualities, with the viewer engaging with all that the complex images have to offer, so that they can explore and spend time with the photographs and their own will. 

The images thus transition from lighter and more spacious compositions to busier, more chaotic collating (urban spaces).   


The latter series looked at balancing the colours out, as well as following the story of the people more, as they are clearer to gage in this section.
nature - street - people - landscape 


As the images are so busy and a lot to take in at first, the design looked to how materials could be used to enhance the content. 

For the printing of the actual photographs, the design looked into fibre based papers, to aid the authentic feel. We concluded on 'Museum Heritage' paper as it was considerably thick and gave the right textures to stimulate the senses of the holder. The off white qualities made the colours of the photographs really pop when tested on a selective few that covered the colouring of them all. 

Additionally, the thickness (310gsm) was what he design was looking for, as each photograph is going to have its own page. Not using double sided pages means each photograph can have the attention it deserves, and someone could even remove one from the publication itself if they really like it. It also builds the thickness of the publication which, with a wood cover, is needed for stability. 

The paper needed for the extra sections only needed to be small, as the pages of the publication are only 18x15 cm. This meant purchasing large scale A3 paper was uneconomical and the stocks needed to vary a lot from page to page. Instead, we gathered scraps of papers with different textures and characteristics (smooth/ bumpy/ shiny/ grainy/ thin/ thick/ glossy) to use within the publication - as if to create miniature mood boards for certain pages. For instance a picture of a something smoking would have grey speckily paper, or one of the desert would have grainy sand paper. 

Laying out the paper and seeing how it reacts with the different photographs provided a sense of the moods and environments that different paper stocks can achieve.
Laying out all the paper really reminded us of the photographs themselves, which was exactly the goal. 

Cover Design:
The design decision to use wood for the front and back cover was based on the idea of choosing a material that represented both nature and the man-made - to represent both the rural and urban depicted in the photographs. 
Using the laser cutter, the title of publication was engraved onto the cover. The type was placed in the bottom right hand corner as the holes will need to be drilled on the left hand side for ring binding.
The choice to use Baskerville Old Face for the typeface was due to its transitional serif characteristics. The balanced nature of thick and thin strokes as the context of it being 'between old style and modern fonts' makes it perfectly inline with the rationale behind the material choice of wood (taking the bark of a tree and processing it into wood).  
The end result is subtle and elegant, as to not take away from the crowded content.