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.
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