Tuesday 29 May 2012

Final Major Project Evaluation


At the being of this module I was worried I would make the same mistakes as last time I rushed in to a brief not thinking about the outcome, and not expanding briefs to make them have more deliverables and outcomes.
I thought long and hard about some of my briefs, how I could expand them and what I was trying to show and why I wanted to do them. I chose a range of briefs which I could set my own tone of voice for whether it being light hearted and fun to a more serious brief. This has paid off as I have throughly enjoyed and been excited about all my briefs (apart from one), meaning I have strengthened my projects as I have been able to enjoy exploring ways to improve them.
Improving from last term I really think I have understood what I am expected to show, a range of deliverables for one, which I think I have accomplished this term and a lot of development saying how I came to my conclusion why I have done what I've done an the process of getting there. I have enjoyed other parts of briefs which I normally settle for “that will do”, like picking the right typeface for my projects and creating logos which aren't hand drawn for a change has really opened my thought about what I am capable off.
My statement of intent was “a hand drawn investigation in to image and type with a focus on publication and merchandise for popular culture” which hasn't changed throughout the module, I think I could expand on “hand drawn” or even change the word to just “illustrated” and be more clear when using the words "popular culture". Other than that I have unintentionally stuck to my 1st draft for my statement of intent. In all briefs I have created publication or merchandise and they have all been illustrated. I have been able o research well in to my projects and other influences to.
In my Statement of Intent I mention using a wider range of materials and processes which has not been kept, I have managed to print on to fabric and I have drawn on to coconuts but thats only one brief, every other brief I have used digital print.
I would have really liked to have screen printed my owl t-shirts, which I would blame on my time management and that I found it quick and easier to iron on my designs without thinking about the quality. When really my work would have looked a lot better and my skills would have been broaden if I had screen printed.
I think my strongest project is brief 3- cocoaroma, my starting point was just the coconuts which I thought would be fun to decorate but I think the patterns I drew were my strong point, leaving me to want to do more and make anything I could out of them. I didn't rush anything in this brief, the packaging I created isn't up the the highest standard but only because the stock used wasn't correct, which I did experiment with, but I have developed my skills in designing packaging in this brief. In the real industry I think the packaging would have worked better. I have taken a new pleasure in designing logos which I used in Cocoaroma and Brief 1- Parliament. I spend a long time trying out typeface's and realise there is a typeface out there for everything you just need to find it and then adding to the typeface, whether it be my own illustrations or a pattern on photoshop, creating this properly an not hand drawing them has made my work more professional when applying it to other products. Although I should have been using indesign from 1st year I have only just really started this last term which isn't good as I have found I need to use it al the time, but this is a new skill I have to offer now.
I defiantly see an improvement to the way I work from last term. I have been making sure what I am doing is important and that I am not wasting time making something that isn't necessary, making a list of things to do has helped as after writing what you need to do down you never forget. A timetable has been used more than it ever has been which I can see is really beneficially now and has kept me on track by knowing how long I have left to do thing. I find setting myself tasks and not stopping until it is done has instead of coming back to it and then only half doing it properly, this is something I need to do in the future.
I believe my weakest brief was brief 4- fashion cards, I chose this after I had just found out I had a placement at hallmark cards, but they would like me to send them some work which "isn't so scary, and more suitable for Hallmark". However I rushed in to this brief and started aimlessly drawing some girls which I ended up hating and would be only be able to expand in one way which didn't interest me. After delaying it I finally had to get going, and after a lot of trial an error I ended up liking my work a lot better, it is defiantly not me and not what I want to be doing, but if in the future I get handed a brief that I dont like I will be able to manage or make myself like it. I guess this brief was valuable as I may need to expect this when going to Hallmark.
I have covered a range of subject in my briefs and used different styles in each one which is beneficial for my portfolio. I am pleased with all the outcomes and deliverables of each project even brief 4, I think a main part in this has to be thinking about each brief in depth before I start and making sure it is something I am interested in.

Monday 28 May 2012

Brief 5- Frankly you're a bore boards


Open publication - Free publishing - More brief

I had the most fun doing brief 5 than the other briefs, I expanded it a lot more than I had planned because of the fact I was enjoying it so much. The used a different style of illustration than I normally do which was childlike and fun. I thought well about the song choice as I have illustrated a song before which I didn't think about enough before hand. I took these illustration which I 1st had planned to just make a notebook and mock a few other deliverable  but found I wanted to create loads, I can see these notebooks working in the real world, but would have to be updated as time goes on and stationary could be made out of a lot of the songs to keep the idea fresh.
I think the quality of my notebooks are to a high standard as I had them sent off to be printed at doxdirect although this was a more expensive option. The intention of this stationary set was for it to look childish but be for adults/ 16+ which I think I have pulled off.
I could see the sets being sold in the shops that I have researched in depth, urban outfitter, joy and magma so research really helped me with this brief.

Brief 4- Fashion Cards boards


Open publication - Free publishing - More boards



Fashion cards was my least favourite brief and I have had a lot of problems with it. It was mainly the fact that I didnt like the brief or my illustrations and seem like a rushed in to calling it a brief before I gave it some thought. However things did brighten up when I realised I had to get it finished. I'm glad I chose to use a pattern under the dresses and it make them more attractive instantly.
The background add a lot to an image, I created backgrounds which didnt work and eventually found ones that did which made me start to get in to my work and create the cards as best I could.
Another reason I didnt like the brief is that I new where it was going, there was only really one way to expand it and that was by making gift wrap, envelopes, tags etc. I normally would use the illustrations on all of my designs but I took an aspect of the cards and made that in to the main feature of everything else I made.
I have leant that I need to not rush in to picking brief but I also know that when given a brief I dont like you can find away to enjoy it which is a good point for the future.
An other improvement for this brief would be to think about stock. I thought I would go for lovely shinny glossy cards but when I made them i realised that cards and envelopes are notmall plain paper.

Brief 3- Cocoaroma boards


Open publication - Free publishing - More boards



Cocoaroma ended up being one my larger briefs and the one I enjoyed the most. I didn't expect to expand it as much as it was going to be a small brief.
I developed my drawing skills as I designed 3 patterns on to a coconut and a 2D images. I also improved on designing a logo and I am really pleased with the results as I spent time looking for fonts and using indesign to get it perfect.
I used my patten to create a tapestry which is 100cm by 140cm and got taught how to use the fabric printer where you have to upload a tiff file. The fabric came out bright red, which is not how I designed it. This looks great and I now think it works better than the darker red but it means my packaging does not match. However I did find using different types of paper did change the colours of my paper work so maybe it is bright red as it is on thin cotton.
I spent a lot of time on this brief and found things extremely hard, getting a coconut cut in half and then having to hollow it out with a spoon. I think this project show a different size to my style, it is bright and fun and a bit random.

Brief 2- Vogue illustrated boards


Open publication - Free publishing - More brief



I really enjoyed brief 2, I spent a lot of time and effort making sure I was very precise with my illustration and with the background images as I wanted it to look amazing. I found the whole of the brief interesting, I normally only really enjoy the drawing part but I really enjoyed taking photos and editing the colours and placing my illustrations in. 
I have made quite a few mistakes and trial and errors but I think this has helped me to create the best I could do.
However I wanted this magazine to be massive, with a different illustration on each page and have it the actually size of Vogue. I didn't realise just how long that would take, so I chose 3 designers and used the illustration I drew more that once in the magazine, making it 20 pages long. 
I think an area for improvement in my magazine is the front cover. I am happy with the colours, they did not come back different than what I expected. I am unhappy that I dont think the cover and the back page match the rest of the magazine. I think maybe a photograph would have worked better as that is how the rest of the magazine looks.
I hand drew my type which I think works as it matches the illustrated girls. However there is no other type throughout the magazine. I did say it was not about type and how I wanted it all to be illustrations and photos, I should have tried and see what i would have looked like, but I didn't know what information to put in as it wasnt about the designers, it was about me as an illustrator. 
Aswel as the magazine I created proposal for the next few issues and also mocked up advertisement and products you can buy. I would have liked to make something else which you could physically pick up. 

Brief 1- Parliament boards


Open publication - Free publishing - More brief



Parliament was a brief to get me to transfer images on to t-shirts. I succeeded in this by designing a range of illustration for a Clothes company I named Parliament. I wanted to expand the bief so I had to design a logo and a range of packaging and labels.
Through designing the logo I think I have developed skills in that area. I concentrated on the type, finding the right one to match the style and added my own tweak to it. I have improved my illustration skills as  I had to be aware of how the images would work on a t-shirt or garment and design accordingly.
I still think the main strength in this brief is the illustrations and logo, I could have experiment more with colours of in and colours of t-shirts. I think the type in this project is a strong point, I prefer how I havn't hand drawn the logo which I think in the past I would normally do. This makes the work look more believable and professional. If i had more time I would have liked to design more packaging. I have mocked things up, but I would have like to of picked my own stocks and see the real thing.

Friday 25 May 2012

Final crit.

I wasnt expecting to find this crit useful but I think it has been one of the most useful crits, I printed out all my boards to the best I could make them, I received so much feedback on them, about what i need, what ive repeated when it isn't necessary and even feedback on my layout which isnt my strong point. I have never felt confident about my boards but i feel I have been given so much feedback that I will be able to do a better job than i normally do. I spent a long time taking photographs of my work which has made my boards look instantly better.
My blog is now labels correctly making it easier for people to understand and navigate it. 

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Annoyed

my design context publication has come but not how i wanted it to. I had it printed with dox direct and clicked the button saddle stich so when it came i was shocked to find that it was just stapled together at the top left had corner which doesn't look very professional at all. After veiwing my order I have found that although I clicked the button I cant have it saddle stitched as it is too many pages so it automatically went back to stapled. the only way I cant get it bound is by ring bound. which I have now sent off for but has cost me another £20 so I am not very happy.






Monday 21 May 2012

Ribbon for gifts

mocked up some ribbons that you can buy to gift wrap presents

Box to hold cards in





inside of Parliament shop






inside shops

Abercrombie and fitch creates and experience when you enter the shop, it is really dark and gloomy. I would like my parliament to create an experience of powerful clothing.

artwork in shop

I was looking for some artwork that can be displayed in shops, as I have often seen shops like "urban outfitters" have art work and illustrations around the store, instead I found art work made form clothes and thought it was quite eye catching




Sunday 20 May 2012

outside shop




Catwalk illustrations

As the illustrator for each Vogue Illustrated Magazine will be designing their images before the actual magazine and getting their inspiration from designers collections, they could look at the designers collections before and their logo could be used on the catwalk for each of the designers