BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN
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DESIGN PRODUCTION - PRINT
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END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION
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sl-lawson1013.blogspot.com
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1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
With doing the 'What is design for print' brief, I've had a huge insight into print and the industry, I have a much better understanding of how printers can effect your final outcome, whether that be print quality and finishing, or the way in which you set up your document for print. This can most certainly work to my advantage with my own work, its quality, and if I work for others, I know the correct way to save and document a file for print.
My final outcome for 'Good is...?' Is printed to a higher standard than I had achieved with other products and briefs within the first year, I am genuinely quite proud of how professional my work is beginning to look.
My time management skills I feel have massively improved, I have found methods which suit and work for me best. To do list have their place, but I managed to, throughout this module, create huge A3 hour by hour, day by day lists. Although time consuming, I found I really stuck to them, I was able to outline my week, and see it in one go.
Layout skills is also something I feel I have improved on, just slightly. I've never really approached catalog / book design before. My first drafts, in regard to laying out the content was quite simply, abysmal. I wouldn't have identified my lack of skills in this, if I hadn't created an initial drafting to begin with. After doing the print tasks, and my own initial research I gained much inspiration. I was able to create something which looked 'ok', not brilliant, but far better than I had began with.
2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
When having a tutorial with Lorenzo, he introduced the concept of creating a 'story' in approach to the given brief. Although this didn't quite work for me, as I was using an existing company to brand and design for, its certainly something I can think about in future briefs. Something else I did which really impacted my design production and development was the mass amount of design sheets I produced, It felt most appropriate considering the range of ideas I had. Producing them in pencil was also a different approach, although not very visible on blogs via photographs, I most the vast amount of detail I can achieve to really help me in the design process. I was quite literally designing straight from my design sheets, in every amount of detail. Another paper approach to design development was the mass series of 3d mock ups in regard to packaging, books, business cards and leaflets. Having a hand held structure made designing that bit less confusing! Designing for 3d pieces is particularly difficult, I find. So such visual aids were a necessity. Another advantage of having these, is to see whether the product will actually work, and in some cases, things which worked on paper, simply couldn't be constructed.
The print visit to Duffield was also very helpful and informative in regard to print. I'm very much a visual person, in that being taught the ins and outs about print through slideshows, books and the internet isn't particularly ideal for me. The print visit enabled me to visualise the taught information from the sessions, to apply them to my own designs. It also gave me a better and clearer understanding of the limitations of print within the industry in regard to time, stock and quality. To know how I could produce the work I wanted printing.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I really wanted to push my ideas and imagination, deciding to produce a pop up catalog did just this. I was able to put my crafting skills into play. Having gone to crafting sessions when I was younger, and producing and selling hand crafted cards for a few years (having access to embossing and metallic heated embossing) I had some knowledge and skill with a pen knife. I believe this can be seen in the delicate crafting needed within a lot of my final products.
Because of my crafting history I knew about embossings and metallic heated embossing, I have found this knowledge has come into play when attempting to mimic printing processes, to prove my concepts in relation to printing for my final outcomes.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
Using a range of printers, to print my final outcome was a huge mistake. All in all I had used 3 different printers, in a range of environments, each having their own colour settings, thus resulting in my iconic brand colour green, becoming, some what, a range of greens. Unfortunately I didn't have the time, nor funds to correct this mistake. So when approaching the next brief, It will be most certainly something I think of before designing. Another mistake I made was stock. Again because I printed onto a range of stock, colours were different, also I feel I used the wrong stock for the pop up catalog. I found cutting out windows and fine detailing extremely difficult, the stock used simply wasn't durable enough; window panes snapped. The way in which I attempted to fix the mistakes wasn't too brilliant either, so the quality of the product diminished.
Layout, although something I feel I improved on slightly, towards the end of the brief, I was able to identify the many way I could improve it further. Program usage for instance, I used illustrator to arrange my content, I really should have create a grid, opened my designed into InDesign and arranged content accordingly using columns, bleed and crop marks. The way I approach layout thus affecting my print preparation.
Not being able to see the obvious was a huge misfortune I had! After spending hours developing my logo, I failed to notice it was hugely inappropriate in its shape, luckily enough I happened to place the designs on a site to gain feedback, in which fellow students pointed this out to me, I changed it soon after to say the least.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
- When printing, I will most definitely use the same printer to be sure colour palettes are consistent throughout designs (if more than one product)
- Produce many, many mock up sheets. My imagination and creativity is much easier to draw first, then design to screen, rather than going straight in at the deep end. I think the designing process will be a lot more affective to myself, less time consuming and easier for me if I approach each brief I get in the future with lots of paper and a pencil.
- Consider using InDesign is producing something with a sum of content. My work will look more professional, aligned and overall a better outcome.
- Read more. Its only until after the brief submission I realised the vast amount of information in regard to layout I've missed out on, which really could have aided me.
- Get first hand experience. Whether that be a print visit, contacting a professional or doing it yourself. Not just in regard to print, but anything you may learn for the first time, now I know I'm a visual and doing learner, take this idea on board.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas:
(please indicate using an ‘x’)
5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
Quantity of work produced - 4
Quality of work produced - 3
Contribution to group - 3
