OUGD505 Module Evaluation

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

I think in this module I have tried to push myself to create a more consistent and higher quality of work, although in terms of additional skills that I have gained, they are limited as I did not attempt to try that many new print processes. One thing I have been saying to myself the last few modules is that I will try and finish off my products to a better standard, so that is one skill that I have developed, although I still have a lot more to do to get to the point I want to be at. I have used new finishing techniques such as triplexing stock, which was actually more difficult than I expected as precision is very important and that is something I still lack. I do think that I have developed the ability to think more broadly in terms of design possibilities and product range which I needed to improve after the last module, as well as researching my topic of cheese more broadly. On this brief I also pushed myself to develop my hand rendering skills which I applied to my recipe card and other little pieces of packaging, and although it was time consuming I was pleased with the outcomes of my efforts and feel more confident in exploring illustration through my design in the future.
 
2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

Because of time constraints, I do not feel like I have developed many new design production methods, in all honesty I knew that time was tight and so anything that required a method of print production that I could not do manually I sent off, such as the stamps that can be seen across all of my branding. I am pleased that I used them however as they have added an extra quality to my designs and also communicate the sense of a traditional British identity. Had I had more time I would have ideally screen printed most of my products to gain a better print finish and ensure that the colours I were using on screen were transferred to my actual prints, which unfortunately is not the case as I had to print a lot digitally. 

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

I think this has been one of the briefs I am most happy with, although I can still see a lot of flaws in the designs where my skills still need to develop. 
My strengths in this brief have been creating a broader range of relevant products, and putting more thought in to the details of the finished products, such as the use of triplexing to ensure that the main crimson colour of my branding ran through the entire collateral, use of stock, use of pattern throughout the branding and also the finishing element of parcel twine that I applied to my wine tags and to my cheese catalogue. I think that I have also managed to communicate the British element of the brand in a way that is not, for want of a better word, cheesy, and avoids the use of most visual cliches about Britain, aside from the Union Jack colours, but I think I have used them in a more subtle way which stops it being too in your face. I am also pleased with the stamps I created as it has made my products seem more authentic and traditional, and of a higher quality. 
My weaknesses on my brief, as usual have been my time management. I did not leave enough time to print products and develop my work comfortably, and so although I am happy with the work, I have noticed parts which look rushed, such as my catalogue of cheeses which is the disaster zone of this brief. Inside, you can see where my skills with precision and detail still need to improve, and had I planned my time better I could have sent it off to be printed instead of trying to do it home and then finding out you can't align the print properly. My lack of precision can also be seen in my cream business cards, where I used the wrong guillotine and ended up needing to chop the business card down too far so that now it does not achieve the consistency within the branding that I was hoping for. I also think that the copy I have used could be more exciting and interesting to read, as I feel that this has been something I have not really paid attention to this time.  Perhaps this is because I have tried to avoid using too much humour in this branding, and so attempting to write without making some kind of joke or pun about cheese has been unusual for me, especially considering that my Japanese branding ended up being called 'Get Bento'. 

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

Leave more time to print and finish products as opposed to spending too much time developing designs and then having a print product that is visually lacking in real life due to poor print quality. 

Attempt to utilise more of the facilities at the college so that I can explore more design production processes.

Take more care and precision when finishing products even if it takes a little bit longer. 

Pay more attention to the copy writing to ensure that it communicates the right tone of voice and is interesting to read. 

Try to relax and enjoy the design process more instead of thinking of it as simply a task to complete for a deadline. 

Attendance- 4
Punctuality- 5
Motivation- 3
Commitment- 4
Quantity of work produced- 4
Quality of work produced- 3

What is Good: Design Boards/Cheese Boards

What is Good: Photographed Product Range

Eve helped me massively in the photography studio by taking photos of my work for me, and I think the images are very effective and professional looking. I will be using some of these images on my design boards as I think they are the best way of displaying my brief properly.

 

What is Good: Proposed Products

Because of the time constraints, there are some products that I have unfortunately not been able to print/complete properly and so I have proposed them as additional products that given more time I would have made myself. 

Web Pages

The website is pretty simple really, and there are only two pages because I don't think that any additional information is necessary. The idea is that the tabs would display the categories of cheese, instead of simply having one long list that people might find boring to read through. 

The about page is also quite simple, with some details such as a map and information about the store. Because it is not a large shop, it didn't really make sense to me to include an ordering service or pages similar to this.  

Pages Mocked Up on Mac screen

Shop Signage

Ideally, I would have found a proper photograph to mock up onto, but again, because of the lack of time I have and the particular style of shop front I wanted it to be, it was easier to create a simple design in Illustrator. 

Embroidered Apron Logo

Again, given more time I would have liked to have either found someone who could embroider the logo for me, or embroidered it myself, but I have tried my best to mock up how it would look on a navy apron.

What is Good: Website Development

I have now completed the design of the web element for this brief, and I am fairly happy with it. The design of the site is not exactly original, but I think it works for the branding of this store, and it's a lot more visually interesting than the Neal Yard's site which is more basic. Their list of cheeses is longer and more simple, and I wanted to categorise the cheese list in a way that was more considered.

What is Good: Printed Catalogue of Cheeses

This is the printed product I am least pleased with, as pretty much everything that could have gone wrong with this thing did. I have tried to salvage it as best I could, but I am really disappointed with this, as I had hopes that this would be one of the more professionally finished products.

Everything that has gone wrong with this is due mainly to the printer I used, which is my fault as I should have sent it off to be printed and bound professionally. When the printer has printed double sided, the alignment was always slightly off, which then meant that both sides were not lining up correctly to begin with. When I cut the pages down, both sides appeared wonky. This also affected the tabs that I had added to the design, as when I cut into one, the tabs behind it was not in the same position, which made it messy. In the end I got rid of them altogether because they were beginning to confuse and stress me out, but had I been printing professionally I think they would have added to the quality of the product.
When I tried to bind the document I also faced difficulties, as I had wanted to use blue thread to saddle stitch the publication, but I did not use a sewing machine and when I tried to hand sew it the look of the stitching was incredibly messy. I have ended up binding using staples, and then covering this with parcel twine, which I have also used on the wine tags.

What is Good: Printed Cheese Tags

Here are my printed cheese tags which would be displayed in the cheese counter of the store. I am really pleased with the print of the tags, although I do wish that the printer would have produced the same red that appeared on screen, as the colour that printed is a little too orange. I think that the illustrations on the tags have worked really well, as well as the text and the layout. I have added the addition of the blue circular stamp to add to the quality of the tag and also to ensure that the branding is carried through. I think it also adds a little visual contrast which makes it more aesthetically pleasing.