PHASE//: 10 EVALUATION

1. What practical skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

To start with, my craft abilities and how these have been improved, is the digital application and manipulation used in order to better my designs, for instance, the 3D basis of my work, which has had a positive effect on what I'd like to develop more.
This could not of been achieved without the better half of the year helping me out with advice and tips along the way.
By being more open to criticism and being almost confident in my own design decisions is definately developing me more as a person and not just as a deisigner. There has also been a significant change in my work ethic and the eldest of design taboos: Time Managament, despite the lack of paper trail in this area, I felt that I had effectively managed my time to the best of my ever-growing ability as a young designer, and felt not that much stress - or pulled a week of all nighters! - in order to get this module ready for hand in.
I also feel that I have developed my digital design skills, as not being fluent in that area has made me want to exploit this more, which has had a great impact on my work. By learning to "filter" myself, I have attainted social acceptance.

2. What approaches to/methods of problem solving have you developed and how have they informed your design and development process?

My new way of working on design sheets and using a file to order them and document them digitally has had a great impact on the way I work and the selection process within context. It also gives me a spec on how much I have done, what I need to do, and how to go about it. This is also due to the crit notes and sheets being looked after and reflected upon, which along with my body of research, greatly informs and pushes my work to a higher standard.
On a personal note I think that this new way of working greatly benefits what Im doing and prevents me from going off on a tangent or getting disctracted.

3. what strengths can you identify in your work and how will/you capitalize on these?

I can see that I greatly underestimate my illustration abilities, as well as my layout, and colour choices. I think that notasmuch extending my illustration abilities, as it is only needed when relevant or within context in a brief, but certainly not keeping this door closed, as the digital illustration can greatly benefit the analogue.
I think that I would like to strenghten my abilities condiering hand-rendered typography, as it is an area that I would greatly like to capitalize on, as well as formalities considering basic reception of colour based on visual reception/communication.
What I would like to better on/capitalize on, is the use of stock paper, as I had a large collection of stock and I would like to utilize effective textures within my work, as well as patterns, as I used some on illustrator, but they dont have that comfortable aesthetic that the "real" has. But obviously utilizing it to context and keeping it relevant.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?

I think my real problem is not being able to settle on an idea and rolling with the strengths within it which effectively negates my progression to a fully developed resolution, or rather exploration of techniques and applications to fully extentuate my final resolve. But I think that this project has definatley proven to myself that it is possible, that I can actually get from sketchbook to realbook/publication/product of a decent quality. I think in the second year I will fully kick this bad habit of mine.

I would also like to fully exploit the blog more, as I am seeing its potential, as almost EVERY google search includes blogposts of some form or another.

5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1. Being much more objective - This would greatly enforce the underlying message/point (so to speak) making my work more clear and concise, which would make my designs more profficient in reception, to avoid negative responses, or just a passive one.

2. BLOG IT! - I know the blogposts are becoming much more regular, but I dont feel as if I have done this to the best of my potential. I think if I stop getting home so late, I might be able to keep up with regulare posting and commenting, as to get more out of the course and to better engage with my fellow young designers.

3. Digital development - I think that I really need to develop my digital skills more, the type and grid was my most proud moment, as I feel as if I really hit the nail on the head, the design decisions were relevant and not too boring. Bt before I can become anything near a pro, I need to grasp some more of the formal fundamentals in design software, to better myself.

4. From sketchbook to reality - Undrstanding what form the resolve to a brief is, being comfortable in my own decisions and applying it to a resolution to effectively develop it, deliver it, and actually do something on a professional level, as to make me feel proud that I had designed it.

5. Stop Generating and settle down - This kind of relates to the above one, but important nonetheless. I can mass generate, research reasonably - I think anyway - which has a good effect on my design work, but it can distract me from what needs doing and what doesnt. This enivitably leads me down the path of pointlessness, and this is something I need to flush out my system for second year.

PHASE//: 8 Final Flash

The final resolution: Post-Its with a twist.

I think that I had spent far too much time not developing it to a quality that was of expected by the delivery of other members of our student designer community. But to make sure that this makes it clearer or rather easier to explain the inadequacy of my final resolution, is that they were meant to be disposable as are post-its. Hence the use of them, and the space at the back left for a CD of the templates for use.

PHASE//: 7 Bulldogs, Books, Binding, and Blatant Iliteration

To start with, I cannot apologise for the poor quality concerning the images or production, but finding the obvious and easy blame for this is the camera I used, but I have just done that.
Using a home sewing kit, bulldog clips, some biscuits and alot of coffee, this is how I did it.

The main problem I had though was the stock I had used to print on for the cover, as it was card that was rubbing the ink off the page, which made the finish shoddy and lacklustre in appearance. But knowing that I had a spare front cover to put on it, this no longer became a concern, considering the deadline looming.

Another problem I came across was the cutting down and scaling of the final piece, due to the manual feed making my approximate measurements boil down to a mess on a scale of gargantuan proportions, I just trimmed it down to my best ability.
But overall, I think it came out pretty darned good. Indeed.

PHASE//: 6 A Stitch in Time Saves None.

Since I had submitted the Indie publishing book I was using for simple japanese bookbinding, I had no reference to how to do it just in case I screwed the process up. This I found on several websites, and with no printer, and the library being shut didnt help this. (I stayed quite late every night, and left it late so the library was not open!)
However, I figured out a cunning plan to avoid this, so clever almost you could stick a tail on it and call it a fox.
I took photos and used the camera to view them to do it.
here are the really good quality images I used to do it.

PHASE//: 5 Facial Discrimination

So these are a result of my reseach into facial expressions/reactions to the concept/thought of a certain subject within the course. The pictures for the research are in myfile/folder, but will update a link to them for ease of viewing.

From my initial development from the nets, and an uncertainty to what sort of characteristics my character (I just cannot resist a bad pun) for the promagation of the book, resulted in a rapid generation of faces. This then led me to utilize them and facilitate them onto the net I had, in order to properly visualize the end product and potential of the characters themselves.

I chose the best of the bunch on a purely self-opiniated stance, but I feel like I did alot in terms of seeing how they would be received from the audience's point of view, gaining many a good feedback from many in the year group.

Here are the results of the selection process, as you can see, they differ in their reception, not only on a purely aesthetic basis, but also how the messages, - or rather - the expressions are received.




I also have 20 user submitted ones with no relevance to the subject matter, as was to collect visual inspiration, and to let the people have some freedom with the sub-standard net they had. They are also with my work submitted.

30 ways to give to Cambodia

After some browsing on vinyl toys, I realise, YES they are cool, BUT I know what they are capable of and such.... 

Anyway I found this rather good exhibition where 30 artists/designers/illustrators designed 30 munny toys to sell at a charity auction to aid children in Cambodia, unfortunately they are all sold out now, but here is the selection that were available and a full artist list.

CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT.

Toys, toys, toys/CHOKE/ toys.

So my new directive has led me to do some more research into toys of a variety, I got told to look at Tado, and here is some of the pieces that I found quite useful, as to reference towards a visual approach I will be looking at.
From this quite mixed illustration, you can see the simplicity of the design. but the audacity it produces visually.

By using this approach, I hope to achieve something similar in terms of the illustrative technique applied, something quite minimal, but with a high end finish and look to it.