End of module evaluation

BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN
END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION

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

I feel as though my team-work skills have developed a great deal. I found someone I managed to work really well with. It helped me become more confident too. I was so scared about having to approach someone and ask if I could work with them! Adam Townend is a great person to work with. We managed to decide between us, what roles we would play in the project, and managed to create a really well put together piece of work!

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

I've always enjoyed the research part of a project, and I still have done during this module. However, I feel as though I could have done a lot more, especially in the way of secondary research.
I still think I need to get out there more, and find my own, interesting research, rather than depend on books and the internet.

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

I still believe the concepts and ideas behind my work is one of my strengths.

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

My final resolutions still aren't as strong as the concepts and ideas behind them. I really need to work on the outcomes more to ensure they're as good as they possibly can be. I guess it's another matter of time management.

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

1. I need to be more positive about my work.
2. I need to make myself timetables and plans for the week to ensure I use my time more effectively.
3. I need to make sure I research in more depth and ensure I use the research to my full advantage.
4. I need to keep up-to-date with my work, so it doesn't pile up at the end of a module.
5. I need to use the college space more.

6. How would you grade yourself on the following areas?
5 = excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor

Attendance 5
Punctuality 5
Motivation 3
Commitment 4
Quantity of work produced 4
Quality of work produced 2
Contribution to the group 4

Final?

Well, all weekend all I've been doing is making these damn boxes! This, however, is what the final ones will look like!! ...minus the material though. It's the only material I had left after all the maquettes! It kinda looks nice, but once the papers are in, it looks too much. Just doesn't quite work!

A nights worth of boxes

Ok, well firstly, when I say a nights worth, I actually mean until 6am.

Melon love

Paper in a box!

So I've been playing around with nets to make loooadsa boxes n shizz.
I've kinda gone for the simple look, although this isn't exactly how it'll look for the final piece. I just thought I'd whack the papers in the middle too see what they look like. :)
Preeeeeetty!

A design fault! :O

I've come across a design fault! NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Basically, I wanted to make an entire book, including each page which would reflect the various first day feelings from a first day experience. That's all very well said and done until it comes to binding the sodding thing. I wanted the binding to be visible, and for some reason, I wanted it to be perfect bound. Surprisingly, that's not gonna happen! I did try to get around it by having the idea of attaching paper between each piece of hand-made paper so it takes more of a book form. It also thought it'd make it easier for me to bind. Atfer I gave making it a go, it looked pants! Pants I say!!! So I've scrapped that idea.

I came up with the idea of having separate compartments for each piece of paper. I'm really warming to this idea.

At first I thought about using the box idea I had at the beginning which would've held the whole book. Instead, it would hold each piece of paper. It's safe to say, I soon went off that idea because I didn't fancy the paper moving around inside the packaging. I want it to be quite secure.

So I thought up this idea. It would be made flat which would be idea for the paper as it will have one dominant side of design.
I actually drew it different to how it turned out once I'd made a maquette, although, I'm really liking how it turned out! It needs a few tweaks for it to work properly, then it should be just fine! So for now.. that's what I'm gonna work with I think. :)
The only problem I can think of right now, is the different sizes of paper. I want the packaging to all be the same size, so I'll have to try and think of a way of getting around that. Hopefully it shouldn't be a huge problem!

Paper paper paper!

Well here's a few more paper things I made.
I'm really happy with how these have turned out.

This is fairly obvious. I thought I'd try using type again, which says what the feeling is.
I used a lot of tissue in this. I thought it'd be interesting to see how it turns out. I wanted to use it to ''hide'' some of the other materials. It seemed quite appropriate to the feeling.

I'm really pleased with this as well. I decided to give writing on it a go, and it looks quite interesting. It looks more personal, instead of having a perfect typeface from a newspaper or magazine.

Mooooore?

I've been papermaking agaaaain! :) I'm starting to really get into it now!! Yeeeah!

Doing this reminded me of the visual language stuff we did a while back, when we had a word and had to illustrate it with colour and shapes. It's kinda handy, 'cause some of the words I'm using, I'd previously used! Wahay for the easy life!
Anyways, yeah, thought I'd put them up here still.. even though they're on here somewhere!

Here's a few more batches I've made in the space of 3-4 hours! My hands are officially killing me, having to bloody tear paper up weeny like!
I'm really liking this one. It's got a happy vibe to it which is what I wanted it to have.

Again, another ''happy vibe'' going on.
I used the water and some of the left over mix from the one above. I just added a few more different colours and papers.

I find this one to be rather successful. I thought it'd be interesting to see what an image looks like in the paper. Doing this will help give away what feeling is supposed to be taken from this piece. Most people are generally afraid of spiders, therefore the feeling for this piece of paper is 'scared'.


I kinda like this one a fair bit too. Again, I used the water and the left over pieces of paper from above. I just added other coloured material to give it a very gloomy, nervous look to it. I wanted to see what it looked with using typography. I think it looks rather swish! I'll definitely carry on using it to see what else I can get out of it.

I don't even know what to say about these, other than they're gorgeous!
I love playing with ink. You can make so many amazing patterns and marks with it. It's such a great material to play with.

Hand made fonts

http://www.handmadefont.com

A really cool website, which has loooads of different, unique fonts. Definately check it out!


These, I find really interesting and inspirational. It reminds me that type can literally be made out of anything.
I specifically like the last one, 'Line'. This is definately something that appeals to me. I'm always using the rough look just because it's so aesthetically pleasing. It's very eye catching and genuine. Something which may look like a mess to some people, really stands out and looks gorgeous to me! Perhaps I'm just weird?

This is just brilliant! :D It's both clever, and looks sooooo tasty!! *nom nom*

Magnetism..

I just found this, and it's very visually appealing to me. I'm a sucker for most things in black and white, and this gives a really nice contrast between the two.
It includes the entire alphabet, plus all the numbers. A very cool, modern take on the alphabet magnets.

Covers?

I've been thinking about what the exterior will look like. I've been doodling and looking at some interesting packing I have lying around to help me think up something good.
I've just made a few maquettes to see how they turn out, and overall, even though I've only made two, I'm quite pleased with them. :)

I do like this, although it's not what I'm aiming to make. I quite fancy making the book, and having it loose, without a cover. However I bind the pages together, I want it to be visible. It'll represent all the feelings merged together. I also think it'd be more appropriate considering the pages are all hand-made and rough looking. I don't want to have a neat cover.

I think so far, this has to be a favourite of mine...so far anyways. It's such a cute little maquette too!!
I really like the idea of putting the book into a box of some sort. I thought this is an interesting approach. It's pretty self explainatory really. It's quite a simple design. I like the idea of the lip on the base, just to secure the book in place, rather than attatching it. Perhaps that could be an idea though?

YES!

LINDSEY HAS A BLENDER! :D ..hopefully life'll be a little easier from now on. :)

Here's what I've managed to do today!..

So there's papermaking number two complete!!
Again, they're just experiements, so I probably won't use them in the final thing.
Even though it's a faster way to make paper, I'm kinda liking the first lot I done. Even though they're a bitch to dry, they look so much more appealing, and they seem to express more feelings than these.
This technique is for making paper properly, and that's not really the approach I wanted to take. We'll see though. I'll be making more, so there could be a few that I particularly like, and may even use in the final thing!!

Making paper..

IS HARDER THAN I THOUGHT! ..

However, I'm sticking to it, and it WILL work!
Thought I'd get a few pics up on here, just to show what I'm batteling against! I've never met such stubborn paper!

This is just a load of paper torn up and whacked into a bowl of water a few inches deep. A blender's ideal when making paper 'cause it needs to turn into a pulp (really mushy!) BUT Lindsey doesn't have one, so I'm having to do EVERYTHING by hand including stirring the damn thing for hours on end! I've actually just mixed a load, so I'm gonna leave it soaking for a while and see if that makes a difference! Hopefully soo!!

These are what I've done so far.
Beacuse I'm aiming to have each page quite different (to suit each particular feeling), I've had to re-do each batch of mix I make. Make sense? So it's taking longer than ever. Hence there only being only two so far!! But yeah, I quite like them.
I think I'm gonna keep banging them out and see what I've got at the end. These may be used in the final piece, but I'm still in the experimental phase at the mo!

Look what I found!!

Just saw it in town.. thought it was kinda cute. It looks like something from that book I used during visual language.. 'Ps. I love you' :)

Now..

Where am I at?!

Well, only a few days ago did I decide upon a final resolution! I've been really slow deciding/working out what I''m gonna be doing for some reason. I am enjoying this project, just I think I've been confusing myself. I'm a very confusing person anyways!!!
BUT.. as I say, Lindsey has a final resolution in mind! :D ...
As my problem's about meeting people for the first time and not having the courage to approach others, I've been focuing on feelings.
I produced a survey asking;

1. List 5 words that best describe how you felt on your first day at uni.
2. What thoughts went through your mind on your first day?
3. Did you approach anyone of your first day?
4. Did anyone approach you?
5. Could anything have been done for you to have felt more at ease on your first day?

The answers I got back were really helpful. It proved that I was on the right track by thinking everyone was nervous. Sounds obvious, but still, it needed to be confirmed!
Anyways, I've been focusing on feelings. I got so many different responses from the first question, although there were four specific dominant feelings. They were.. excited, scared, nervous and anxious.
Basically, I'm gonna be making a book of feelings. I'll be making the entire book, including the pages completely from scratch! :O WORRRRK! I don't care though. :) I'm really excited by this project!!
I'll be making the paper according to each feeling. So, for example, if the feeling was excited, it would have bright colours and possibly some objects embedded in the page.


So yeah, thas where I am right now! EEP! :D

Clare Murray Adams

I found these when I was researching into books.
They're extremely appropriate and similar to how I want mine to end up looking.
They've been made by Clare Murray Adams.

'My work is often related in theme to aspects of memory, family history, spirituality, gender, time and space. While the specific occasions of memory are often of a personal nature, the themes and imagery have a universal appeal. My goal in making art is to explore process while allowing intuition to have its say.'

Her work is gorgeous, and comes across really deep and meaningful. I enjoy work like this.
The aesthetics are really pleasing to me, as I have a keen interest in the ''messy'' approach to work.

'I like having all of my materials and processes intermingled in my studio. I like to see what interests me and then find a way to use those materials and processes to make art whether it be a quilt, a collage, an encaustic painting or a found object construction. I am not interested in keeping the paint, the paper, the collage images, the fabric, the wax, or the hardware all separate in my studio. It is exciting to me to incorporate paint and collage paper in a fabric work, while incorporating fabric into a sculpture or an encaustic work.'

Her work's generally fascinating to look at! Definately check it out!