Task 1 - Who am I – Who are they?

Brief Title	Who? What? Why? Where?	Semester	1
Session No.	Lecture 1	Doc. Code	code/link

Task 1 - Who am I – Who are they?

TASK

Based on the principles that have been introduced so far in the Enterprise module, investigate who you are as a creative in relation to who is out there looking for creative talent. Write a list of all the possible client groups that use graphic design in the development, production, distribution, promotion and/or communication of their products or services. Identify one client group that reflects your current ambitions within the graphic design area (music industry, retail, publishing, education etc.) and focus on identifying:- What skills / interests you have and how they relate to the needs of your client group? What skills are needed and what skills do you want to develop? What are your professional/creative aims and how do they relate to the needs of the client group? It is essential that you make references to the ʻ4 Psʼ which formed the core learning of your first Enterprise Lecture. This is an exercise in applying that theory – it is not appropriate to write about the theory itself. Demonstrate your understanding of it by actually using it.

Research Sources / Further Information

See the Enterprise online resources for support material.

Mandatory Requirements / Deliverables

The results of your research should be posted to your PPD blog. and summarised by a 250 word statement/evaluation. You should aim to illustrate your opinions with relevant examples of contemporary design practice. All posts relating to this task should be labelled OUCE255 Task 1.

Studio Deadline	Module Deadline
01 / 11 / 2011 - 9.30am	Wednesday 28th February 2012 - 4pm

....

Response to task

Client groups:

- Retail

- Publishing / editorial

- Packaging

- Web

- Travel

- Educational

- Electronics

- Fashion

- Commercial 

Enterprise - Lecture 1 - How to get yourself out there

Notes taken during lecture:

Marketing roles

- Identify what customer needs to develop new products

- Develop pricing strategies

- Promote products to a target market

- Identify distribution networks

- Add value to your product through customer benefits

- Monitor the performances of the products

An example - Amazon book club

- To offer quality products and services using the best technology available and at a reasonable price.

- Customer satisfaction, and operational frugality

- To help people find exactly what there looking for

Value proposition tips:

- Make it short

- Be specific

- Use your customers language

- Pass the 'gut feeling test'

Past:

- Skills

- Personality

- Ambitions

-Key interests

- Value

- Awards

- Competitions

-n Testimonials

- Press articles

- Exhibitions

Future:

- Marketing plan

- Key objectives

- Opportunities

- Collaborations

- Resources

Networking events:

- Crafts fairs

- Art markets

- Trade show

Social networking is useless - Seth Godwin

Useless and fake, you can't count on a cocktail of people from facebook. It just isn't real.

Negotiate and close the deal:

Two types of customers - Consumers and Business to business

Product - Service  you offer

Price - Pricing strategy, rate, fee, royalty

Place - Best location to sell, sales environment

Promotion - Marketing methods, branding, value proposition

Quiz on VLE after every lecture

A lesson from Barnham and Bailey

"Without promotion something terrible happens...nothing!" PT. Barnum

Promoted his circus through many methods

- Free events

- Visiting hospitals

- Parading streets

Let customers know who you are, Success = Great product, great promotion

TIPS

-Sell something unique - find a point of differentiation

- Promote , promote, promote!

- Showcase yourself

....

In conclusion

I found the lecture really quite insightful, I have always been so clue less about the business side to graphic design and how on earth you even start anything! But after having the lecture, and having it broke down into simple step and tips, I found it a lot easier to get my head around. At first I did find it tedious, but once I left, the worry of never knowing anything about business, went. I know these lectures will really help me out. By completing any given tasks and doing a little research myself I will gain a much stronger understanding about graphic design in the outside world. I feel capable now!

Module Brief: Creative Industries

Creative practise, what I want to become as a designer.


7 / 8th June - Presentations given - 50%

• Visit professionals
• Internships
• Online portfolio
• CV
• Personal development portfolio on blog - 30%
• Promotional materials - 20%

Reading list:

- How to be a graphic designer without losing yours sole - Shaunghnassey A

- Studio Culture

-Creative review

-Baseline magazine

-Emigre Magazine

Enterprise Seminar

Notes taken within seminar introducing enterprise. 


Monday - 3pm , Lecture (5 lectures) Presentation to give 28th Feb (group of about 4)


Topics include: Business, marketing, copy right, legalisation, accounts etc


Part 1 - PPD , reflection, analysis, online portfolio of responses. - 50%
Part 2 - presentation - a business strategy as a group - 50%


Reading list:

• Principles of marketing - Brassington, F and Pettitt
• Funky business - Nordstrom, K
• 100 habits of a successful graphic designer - J berger
• Design management : Managing design strategies, process and implementation - K Best

Study task - Why am I here? What do I want to learn?

Responses to study task 1.




Identify and explain 5 reasons why you chose to study on this programme.


- I had realised my liking for graphic design quite late on in my A - levels, at first I saw it simply as another creative subject which would keep me interested. It soon became more than that, I became quite passionate about messages I was trying to convey, and began studying in depth ways to do that, rather than 'just doing it'. I soon decided doing a graphic design degree would be right for me.


- I had asked several teachers, and students for recommendations for university's offering BA (hons) graphic design degree's, as I had little knowledge of which were renowned for their degrees. I had a few mentions of Leeds College of Art, but the place was only known by teachers within the art and design field. It wasn't until after the interview I became aware it was a prestigious college in what it did and offered. I decided soon after that I REALLY wanted to get in, but it felt doubtful due to the high standard of students it wanted.


- After having the interview with Lorenzo, I realised the enthusiasm and drive which the course had, and the opportunities it would give me. I have always struggling with self drive, and felt the need for reassurance at most stages within design, but Leeds College of Art would give me more independence, as we had to be self driven to achieve anything. With this in mind, I felt by studying on this course, I would have a new ability to push myself and become a better designer for it. 


- The college itself was a main contributor to my choice to study there. There is inspiration everywhere you look, it's entirely design driven, students you talk to from all the courses, can offer and share idea's as they all link into one, our overall main interest, which is art and design. With this in mind, there was a huge opportunity of collaboration, which in the long run, would give me a vast array of contacts. 


- I lacked little knowledge of the working world and industry that is graphic design. The course was very driven in getting you ready for the working world, and getting you the knowledge you would need, to the extent by the time you left the course you would have the ability to set up your own business. Other courses I had looked at had little or no mention of preparing you for this.It was something I really felt important and wanted from a degree.


Identify and explain 5 things that you want to learn during your time on the programme


- As pre mentioned, I want the skills and knowledge of the working industry to be able to finish my degree being able to set up my own small business.


- I want to be able to do freelance jobs, and have the knowledge and skills to give pricing, time, materials and produce mock ups.


- I want to have the ability and confidence to apply for roles and jobs within graphic design, and not feel I lack the skills to do it.


- To know what I want to specialise in and where my skills lye as a graphic designer.


- I would like to develop a range of contacts within the industry, through work placements, experience and internships. Also from graduates, I would like to be prepared for when I graduate, myself, to actually know what I'm doing.


Identify and explain 5 skills that you think are your strengths.


- I feel I have skill within illustration and drawing, due to my very creative and art based background, I can produce scaled, detailed, and accurate drawings using an vast array of materials. Whether it be by hand, or computer I'm varied in style.


- I can analyse my work to a high standard, knowing what changes I need to make, to achieve my wanted design for myself or for a target audience.


- I have the ability to accurately transform ideas in my head, to design, or to screen.


- I feel I am quite good at printing techniques after doing several inductions and the print workshop. Theres now a wider range of outcomes I can achieve to a variety of materials.


- I feel a lot of my skills lye in software knowledge, saying this, I'm about up to standard with everyone in illustrator and photoshop. But compared to what it used to be, I feel I have achieved and know a lot!




Identify and explain 5 things that you want to improve.


- The ability to understand a brief near enough straight away, and know how to approach it. I feel I still struggle with this, it takes me a few days to get my head around it, meaning I don't work to my full capability from the start.


- I need to be more motivated and realise that staying after the day has finished is a good thing!


- I feel the need to be more ambitious in my projects and my outcomes


- To be able to time manage my projects so they make sense in my own head. I get too confused!


- To blog super hard! To keep up to date, tag and organise correctly.


- I want to improve on my skills within CTS, although i did pretty well last year, i'd really like to get down and work hard, as I felt the course very useful within my studies.

Identify and explain 5 ways that you will evaluate your progress


- To keep updating my blog with posts recording any achievements in regard to things I wanted to achieve.


- To keep logging to do lists, timetables etc to show my time management skills.


- Blogging important and useful things I learn in CTS as theres a high possibility it could be used within other projects.


- To aim to do a certain amount of hours work a day, blogging. Recording it with lists, times etc.


- To write a list of things I haven't done and would like to do, in order to be more ambitious. 


Identify 5 questions that you want to find the answer to.


- What am I good at, what do I specialise in?


- What area of graphic design can I see myself going into?


- Will I be able to gain a 1st in a brief? I really want to !!


- How do you price up a job?


- Should I focus on things I know I'm good at, or take take more risks?




Comments made:


What do you want to do in the future where do you want to take it?
What sort of business are you looking to develop- your own studio, or something like a shop/educational?


Response:


I want to get much experience within a range of fields within graphic design, working for an array of companies I feel will do just that. By doing so I think i'll be able to understand what I'm best at and most like. With this, I want to get into my interested field, gain contacts, experience and a great knowledge and understanding, enough to set up my own studio or store, which, I'm not sure of yet.

INDESIGN - My final design - Evaluation

After looking through all of my designs, this is my final outcome. I'm really proud of this design, feeling it has a few interesting quirky elements but keeps to a formal magazine like structure. Using the word 'Epidemic' as a title is in keeping with the content and is quite humorous, after reading it, to then read the article, it will sound very sarcastic. I have kept a low tone on colour, the image hugely desaturated and type in just black. When printing out my designs, it gave me a real insight into the size type needs to be; a lot smaller than previously thought. I have chose point size 8, as its readable and fitting to the page size and amount of content. I chose the type face 'Times' as its quite contemporary and classic, it gives a formality to what is quite an unserious article, which gives it yet more depth and a humorous element.

Overall I feel I have made a real progression in using InDesign, I was very dubious about it at first, feeling it would limit me very much, in only being able to work to a grid system, but its so much more than that. After the InDesign workshops it certainly opened my eyes to the possibilities. My first initial designs, when critted I realised how much I had limited myself, after looking at some design online I realised how magazine spreads can be considered a piece graphic design on their own, some really works of art. I really inspired me that it's not all about content, but how you place it, use it and design around it. 

I feel for my final design I have really experimented and been through a creative process to achieve my outcome.

I have worked with a some what more complex grid system and series of image and type then I would have done, at first approaching this brief. I am very pleased with my design, as I can see how I've grown as a designer from start to finish with this piece.

As always, improvements can be made, some designs can be preferred to some more than others. I perhaps could have used more content, which would give me more to work with.

I am glad I was able to use photography within this piece, as found in previous briefs, I have taken a real interest to it, although my subject matter was quite hard to work with!

This brief has been a real interest to me, I've almost been more motivated to this over other briefs, which was nice, when I wanted to take a break from another brief, I would refer to this one, due to the fact its enjoyable more than a task. I did find research a main contributor to this, the want to re-create and have the ability to design something similar to those amazing designs out there was a real spur on.

SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE - Self Evaluation

BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN	LEVEL	04
Module Code	OUGD103
Module Title	DESIGN PRINCIPLES

END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION

NAME

Stephanie Lawson

BLOG. ADDRESS

www.sl-lawson1013.blogspot.com

1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
I feel I have defiantly explored a range of approaches and mediums in responding to briefs. Since hearing from the last module grading that this let me down, I feel I have really pushed in forward, learning a range of new techniques too; this includes learning how to produce a stop animation, using photography and mixed media. I have also really learnt on the importance on reflection and evaluating yourself, not only does it let other know of your approaches, but helps yourself realise what needs to be done next. Every alteration and change I make to a design, I find myself progressing and writing about this progression.
2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process? I have found researching pretty difficult within this module, I'm not too sure why, but have a feeling it was due to identifying primary methods quite difficult, sometimes it simply couldn't be done, and I do find primary research the most helpful.
I believe I have been quite conventional in methods of research, Using the library for inspiration and resource, internet when necessary and conducting questionnaires and posting onto forums in order to gain primary research.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
Regarding exploration and development I feel I have really pushed myself, area's in which I had previously stayed away from, i've embraced and used what available to me. For instance, I created a stop motion, something I've always wanted to do, but knowing the images would have to be digital, had stayed clear of. Photography, another element I hadn't used to it full advantage. I also feel time management has been on my side, I have stuck to using my diary and 'to do' list book, its a method which works for me.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?
I don't think I have addressed the issue or actually answered the brief with some of my responses, some within a group, other by myself. I have only really been aware when being critted right towards the end of the brief. I need to ask peers for opinions and advice towards the beginning of my designing and responding to the brief, and to always go back and look at the brief.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
- To always look back at the brief, this will give me a better understanding of whats expected, and a clearer idea on how to respond to it. - Ask peers and tutors for advice and opinions before its too late, in regard to whether I have answered the brief. - Embrace a whole new range of mediums, to try something new for every brief. - Research more before going ahead with designing, this will really help me get an understanding of content and context. - Have fun, If I don't enjoy what i'm doing, it will show.
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
	1	2	3	4	5
Attendance		X
Punctuality		X
Motivation			X
Commitment			X
Quantity of work produced			X
Quality of work produced				X
Contribution to the group				X
The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.