1. What skills have you developed through this project and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
Web Design
Something I always want to improve on are my web design skills, and I feel I had the opportunity to do that with this project as it was the main aspect of it. I think I applied my skills as much as I could, as I created comprehensive pages for the site, and really thought about what to include, the content and how to push the design.
Presentation Skills
I have developed these skills throughout the project, by thinking how the person looking at the project will perceive it. I have tried to make it easy to understand through presentation, by sticking to the branding guidelines throughout the project, creating mockups and placing things in situ, as well as creating a video to visually show how the site works.
Branding and Story
I feel I have improved on my branding skills and thinking of the story behind the brand. I was able to think of why the charity exists and what they want to do, and creating the content of the project to revolve around this. I also felt like I was better at logo design this time round, as that is something I usually struggle with - coming up with a name etc. Because I created a story for the project, I felt that it was easier for me to design for. I also created a style guide for the brand - something I have always felt was a daunting task before this, but I felt it was a lot easier this time - and a lot more fun.
Video
It was the first time I had created a video, and it was definitely a skill I have started to learn. I really enjoyed the process, and I think I applied it as effectively as I could at this stage. There is more I wanted to add, but based on my skills right now it was the best I could do.
2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
Photoshop
I have become more competent with Photoshop by creating the website and social media assets on it. I have only started to use it this Summer, and feel like I am always learning when I use it and am becoming a lot more competent. By using it a lot, it made my design development process a lot smoother and quicker than it would have been in 2nd year.
After Effects
I decided to try this programme for the first time, and I was apprehensive at first as to how difficult it would be. Although it was fiddly, and I didn't produce exactly what I wanted, it wasn't as bad as what I thought it would be. I was pleasantly surprised, and I really enjoyed using it. It felt rewarding when I saw what I had achieved in a small amount of time. I can't wait to use it for the next project.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
Web Design
The main part of this project was the website. I wanted to do something where I could practice my web design skills, and felt this was a good project to start with. I definitely feel more competent this year when it comes to web design, and I felt like I actually designed it quite quickly. Whereas last year, this would have taken me quite a while. I feel I have improved when thinking of the user experience and how the user would interact with the website, and have taken these things into consideration when I was designing the site. During the crit we had a couple of weeks ago, everyone gave me really positive feedback about the website, so that also gives me the confidence to say it is a big strength in my work.
Social Media
During my placement throughout Summer at Twentysix, I worked on a lot of social media assets. I feel like I have started to incorporate it into all my briefs this year as I have realised how relevant and important to a brand it can be. I enjoyed doing the social media assets for this project - they are a quick, fun part of the project to do. I feel like in previous years if I had thought of doing them, they would have no substance to them, whereas this time I have thought about the content of the assets and what people would want to see/what the charity would want users to see.
Presentation
Something I have always overlooked in the past, I tried to allocate more time for the presentation of the project. This included placing the social media assets in situ, so people can see what they would look like and how they would work. Creating mock ups like this have become very easy to me now as I did a few of them while I was on placement. I also took the time to make a comprehensive style guide - something I wouldn't have done before. I tried to include as much information as possible and presenting it in a professional way. I think the main thing though, is the video I created for the website. Before, I would just present images of the web design, but now I feel I have bought my designs to life a bit more through this. It definitely gives people a better idea of how my website would work, and I have received positive feedback from my peers regarding it. This is definitely something I want to improve on, and continue with in forthcoming projects.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
Video
As a complete novice when it comes to After Effects, I feel like this is a weakness in the project as there is a lot more I wanted to show via the video, but didn't have the capabilities to do it. Having said that, I am proud of what I achieved in a small amount of time as I thought it would be a lot harder than I found it.
Time Management
Usually I am quite good at this, but I feel like I could have condensed the amount of work that I have done in a shorter time scale. I feel I have been procrastinating more, when I should have just been getting on with it. Now I feel more motivated having finished this project as I am happy with the (video) outcome, and would like to do it more.
Wireframing
Something that I really need to practice is creating wireframes for my web designs. At the moment I just draw a few sketches, but they have no real accuracy to them and aren't very professional. This is something I need to work on to become more professional and improve on my web design skills.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
- Keep practicing and improving on After Effects. This was my first time using it, so I didn't expect the video to be very good but now I have started to learn the basics I should keep improving with each one I do.
- Work more efficiently - when I did work, I did it quickly, but looking back I could have condensed it all in a shorter timescale. This will allow me to fit more work in and be more productive.
- Be more confident - I could have been finished with the website a lot sooner, but I kept umming an ahhing about whether it looked good or not, and wanted feedback on a lot of things when really I should have just trusted my own decisions to save time.
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