OUGD403 - Alphabet Soup - Typeface - Self Evaluation

In this project i was asked to create a typeface, using the personality of another person as a starting point. I was partnered with Tristan Currie.

I initially found it quite difficult to get started on ideas because Tristan's style is pole opposite to mine. But through exploring all of the material that he gave me i was able to come up with a design that i not only enjoyed creating but am happy with the finished product.

The few technical errors i had with my typeface were quickly resolved through group crits and constant feedback from Tristan himself. Other than that i had no problems with meeting the deadline or time management, all seemed to run smoothly! 

My typeface scales down quite well to the namebadge size (without drop shadow), but I do not think that it would suit going any smaller, as it is mainly a display typeface. 

If i were to do it again, I'd look at it another way and pursue my original ideas further rather than abandoning them for something else. 

Other than that i have thoroughly enjoyed creating this typeface and feel that the outcome was more than suitable.

Question 5

5. What can I improve about my blog? 

Question 4

4. What are my strengths of my blog? Is there anything that i do on my blog that makes it easier for the reader/ clearer/ better?

Question 3

3. Are my blogs well written? IE, do you understand what i mean in my evaluation and written work. Is my grammar and punctuation of degree standard?

Question 2

2. Is my blog complete/ up to date? (please state date of review in your comment)

Question 1

1. Is my blog organised? IE, are things in the right place, and is it easy to navigate around?

OUGD402 - Feedback is Essential

What is higher education?

definition of 'teach' - Show or explain to (someone) how to do something

however;

definition of 'educate' - meaning to extract knowledge

The idea that feedback IS teaching, and that the teacher helps to extract existing knowledge from the student is the manifesto of learning in the studio in higher education. 

(lectures, workshops and sometimes seminars does not work in this way)

With this is mind,

FEEDBACK IS ESSENTIAL

types of feedback: formative and summative 

• one to one sessions - verbal
• progress surgeries - verbal and written
• progress tutorials - written and verbal feedback
• studio based feedback - verbal and sometimes written critique
• concept crits/ progress crits/ final crits - verbal and written feedback

What a student can be critically analysed on:

• Use of blog - quality of content, tagging, organisation, quantity.
• Assessment criteria
• time & project management
• academic/ writing skills
• critical evaluation of oneself & others
• Quality of work/ design decisions
• Individual progression - where/ if I am improving?
• How appropriately one has responded to the brief

This list can be put into 3 categories:

1. My work
2. My documentation skills
3. My academic progression

In groups, we came up with a list of questions that we would like feedback on about our blogs, so that we may respond to the answers with improvement/ correction of our work:

1. Organisation of my blog - are things in the right place? Is it easy to navigate?
2. Are my blogs complete/ up to date?
3. Are my blogs visually engaging - we're on a Graphic Design course!
4. Are my blogs well written? - does it make sense?
5. Is the quality of writing degree standard? - am I using the dialogue of design?
6. Has the quality of my work improved?
7. How can I improve?
8. What are my strengths?
9. What are my weaknesses?
10. Are my posts labelled correctly? - and so easy to grade...

Lots of these questions seem to repeat the same sort of ideas and so we each chose 5 from the list, which we then were to post individually to our PPP blog:

1. Organisation of my blog - are things in the right place? Is it easy to navigate?
2. Are my blogs complete/ up to date?
3. Are my blogs well written? - does it make sense?
4. How can I improve?
5. What are my strengths?

The rest of the group would then respond to these questions in the comments section of the post with constructive feedback.

OUGD402 - Study task 3 - What is Graphic Design? - Part 2

What is Graphic Design? What does it mean to you?

Graphic design is appropriate, creative, obsessive, frustrating, organised, structured, ongoing...

Although all Graphic Design is different, there are a basic set of questions that most successful designs/ designers ask themselves when creating work:

• hand drawn and/or digital?
• think about the language/ dialogue
• personal opinions of the designer
• information and how you communicate it
• think about the scale/ space/ format
• think about your media, it doesn't just have to be print based
• what can be created successfully in the time frame?
• think about colour
• think about structure/ organisation
• image and/or type? image as type/type as image?

After bringing in printed versions of our 25+ images from task 2, we discovered that there was a way to classify these into a further 5 categories that most successful designs fulfil:

• Function
• Design Context
• Scale
• Tone of Voice
• Message

Then, in groups, we wrote down lists of what main traits of designs we considered to fall under these categories, IE;

Function: what is it doing? why does it exist?

- to inform/ decorate/ instruct/ promote/ educate/ warn/ advertise/ explain/ entertain/ inspire/ express/ present

Context: who is the target audience? what is it?

- branding/ publishing/ campaigning/ advertising...

-time/era

-audience

-class

-gender

-style

Tone of Voice: how does it suit the target audience?

-informal/ playful/ chatty/ comical/ powerful/ inspirational/ proud/ simplistic/ witty/ serious/ satirical/ angry

Message/Ideas/Concept: what is it trying to say?

-awareness/ decorative/ political

Intended Scale: what is its intended size? is it effectively applied?

-billboard/ poster/ side of building/ Ad shell/ side of bus/ magazine/ TV/ web

Using this list as a starting point, here are a range of examples of design appearing in these categories:

FUNCTION

INTENDED SCALE

MESSAGE/ IDEA/ CONCEPT

TONE OF VOICE

CONTEXT