Outcome
I wanted to take this module as an opportunity to create work that I wanted to include in my portfolio, that showcased the type of designer and person that I am. I wanted my work to reflect the views I have, the sector I enjoy working for, my interests & hobbies and the type of design that I produce well.
I made sure to have a strong focus on digital design including websites, app design and animation as this is my strongest area. I also included illustration in a few briefs so that people can see that I am interested in mid century design, not just clean UI, and have a broad range when it comes to working in different styles. I think this is really important for potential employers to see that you can work on a variety of projects, as I worked on a range of clients and styles when I was at my placement over Summer and wanted to show that adaptability is one of my strengths.
I really enjoyed this module as I included a range of projects - from live and collaborative, to conceptual and purely aesthetic, from a clean style to illustrative and from digital to editorial design. I think it was really good for me to explore new processes such as animation, because it is the direction that I want to go in after uni (digital + multi disciplinary), and print based processes are not something that I want to pursue afterwards. It gave me the chance to learn the basics and practice before getting into the deep end in a job. It allowed me to become more comfortable with them, show that I can do them and have a better understanding.
This has been my favourite year overall as I have found it the least stressful yet the most productive, ambitious and professional.
What skills have I developed throughout this module?
I wanted to take this module as an opportunity to create work that I wanted to include in my portfolio, that showcased the type of designer and person that I am. I wanted my work to reflect the views I have, the sector I enjoy working for, my interests & hobbies and the type of design that I produce well.
I made sure to have a strong focus on digital design including websites, app design and animation as this is my strongest area. I also included illustration in a few briefs so that people can see that I am interested in mid century design, not just clean UI, and have a broad range when it comes to working in different styles. I think this is really important for potential employers to see that you can work on a variety of projects, as I worked on a range of clients and styles when I was at my placement over Summer and wanted to show that adaptability is one of my strengths.
I really enjoyed this module as I included a range of projects - from live and collaborative, to conceptual and purely aesthetic, from a clean style to illustrative and from digital to editorial design. I think it was really good for me to explore new processes such as animation, because it is the direction that I want to go in after uni (digital + multi disciplinary), and print based processes are not something that I want to pursue afterwards. It gave me the chance to learn the basics and practice before getting into the deep end in a job. It allowed me to become more comfortable with them, show that I can do them and have a better understanding.
This has been my favourite year overall as I have found it the least stressful yet the most productive, ambitious and professional.
What skills have I developed throughout this module?
Work/Life Balance
Although not a crafting or design skill, developing my work and life balance has had a huge impact on this module and my degree and lifestyle as a whole. In the first two years of my degree I spent too much time working and not enough time doing things I enjoy, but not being as productive as I should have been. This year I have managed my time better, became less stressed and enjoyed both aspects of my life more. I have done this by not feeling guilty when spending time with friends, done things with them more often, cooked fresh meals everyday and spent a lot of time on my hobbies. This has had a positive impact on my work, since I have produced more work than ever, tried new and challenging processes, networked more (going to events in York, Manchester and Leeds), as well as been offered a job and placements.
Web Design
This is something that I have been interested in for a while now and have created projects for websites in 2nd year. However, I was never proud of anything that I produced and didn't feel they showed off my interest and skills. This module provided me with the opportunity to create web designs that I was proud of, and could implement everything that I have learned the previous year, at placements and through networking. The two websites that I created for The Primate Project and YCN were something that I am proud to put into my portfolio and I feel they reflect both my interests and the ability I have within this area.
App Design
Since I do a lot of web design I wanted to branch out into app design as I realised that in a digital agency this is something that I will most likely be doing at times. I really enjoyed the projects that I did for this and really got stuck in. It felt like something I am quite good at, and has turned into one of my strongest areas of design. At first I was apprehensive that I might not create something realistic and I would have trouble with sizes and navigation, but I found it really interesting and loved the process of wireframing for them. I also decided to focus on apps for my dissertation to learn more about it, and so that really informed the work that I created for Extended Practice. I feel a lot more confident with app design now and I am glad that I had the opportunity to do a few briefs with app design.
Animation
Along with app design, animation is something new that I have tried this year and really got into. I really wanted to bring my web design and app design to live a bit more, as you don't get the same response when you show someone an image of a website than when you do a book as it is not meant for print. So, I decided to explore animation so that I could show that I have thought about the navigation, transitions and the way they work. This is something that I put a lot of time in, figuring out how everything works in the wireframing process but nobody knows that I do it or can see it from an image, so this was the perfect solution to that. My first animation project was for The Primate Project, and I have improved so much since then. I definitely would not show that animation in a portfolio now, which just shows how much I have learned over a few months. I am happy with my progress so far, and cannot wait to start some new projects next week to keep practicing.
My most recent animation was for the design publication and that was a new way of animating for me. I decided to watch several in depth tutorials going through each section of After Effects to gain a better understanding of it and learn about all the different tools available and what I could do with them. As before this I was just teaching myself, so I knew that I probably wasn't doing things the right or most efficient way. This week however, I have learned so much and feel so much more confident with the programme. It was also my first time animating pure illustrations, as previously I had only used it to show the way my websites and app designs work.
This has been my favourite skill to start learning this module, and I feel it is the one I have improved on the most.
What could have been improved?
The one thing that I would improve if I did this again is produce more work. There are still a lot of things that I want to experiment with (particularly practicing with illustration and animation) and it would have been good to have more things like this to show in my portfolio. I have a few ideas in mind of projects that I want to do, and I will start these next week but it would have been good to have more work to hand in. However, given everything that I have done this year I don't think it would have been possible to do it all since learning animation has been a learning curve and takes time to practice and understand the process.
I also would have liked to have been involved in an exhibition. I had the opportunity to as ex student Suzy Cichy was involved in one earlier this month, but at the time of needing to submit work I had too much projects on and didn't have the time (YCN deadline/client work). That would have been a fun opportunity, but I still get to partake in the end of year show so I will still be part of an exhibition this year.
The one thing that I would improve if I did this again is produce more work. There are still a lot of things that I want to experiment with (particularly practicing with illustration and animation) and it would have been good to have more things like this to show in my portfolio. I have a few ideas in mind of projects that I want to do, and I will start these next week but it would have been good to have more work to hand in. However, given everything that I have done this year I don't think it would have been possible to do it all since learning animation has been a learning curve and takes time to practice and understand the process.
I also would have liked to have been involved in an exhibition. I had the opportunity to as ex student Suzy Cichy was involved in one earlier this month, but at the time of needing to submit work I had too much projects on and didn't have the time (YCN deadline/client work). That would have been a fun opportunity, but I still get to partake in the end of year show so I will still be part of an exhibition this year.
Overall
I am happy with my progress so far, and I am glad I learned new processes before leaving otherwise I don't feel I would have enough time or freedom to practice my skill set. I feel completely ready to begin the next stage now in getting a job in an agency and I feel confident with doing that and being able to produce good work. There have been times when I didn't think my work was good enough or I felt burnt out and wasn't producing what I wanted, but I became motivated again and looking back of my work I am proud of what I have produced.
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