C.O.P
Overall, I believe that I have fully engaged with COP. Multiple attempts have been made in order to better my essay, with Simon supporting this, and influencing the ways in which the essay should be formatted. I have attempted to make strong links between my essay and practical work, as this is the criteria in which my COP lacked in level 4.
The essay itself highlights the lack of women within design and the reasonings behind this. The practical work has taken key statistics surrounding young female designers, and attempted to develop a platform in which female creatives work may be exhibited, in turn promoting female design to creative directors.
A collective was developed, through young female designers at LCA, with the idea that future designs may be used to promote this.
The publication was developed in order to express this directly to creative directors, as research found they are far more inclined to explore physical work than digital. The logo for the collective in which was expressed on the front cover was said to have been somewhat offensive to male designers. As a result of this, the logo will be changed before a 'real' publication is developed by the collective.
When trying to promote the collective's work within the design, it was discovered that many members didn't want to submit as they had not finalised pieces etc, and as a result other female creatives were used. Although their permission was asked, no response was gained and thus this could not be developed commercially.
In order to gain feedback from the design, I sent the publication to rabbit hole, a male based deisgn studio in leeds. So far no response has been made.
When thinking about the key challenges of the project, I personally found it difficult to explore with colour. As it was discovered that some think pink is a feminist colour and others do not. I decided myself that it was not offense, as feedback was gained from peers, as well as online.
Mock ups were developed in order to promote the best design possible, with this aiding with the overall design process.
YCN Evaluation-UK greetings
When thinking about the overall project it is evident that there are both strong and weak areas. One of the initial struggles with this brief was that it was very open, and I personally found it difficult to develop a range in which was contextual. As a result of this I explored with my own personal ethics, of design being accessible by all.
When developing the culturally appropriate range, it was evident that vast amounts of research had to be conducted into non offense deisgn. This research was then embedded within the design in order to format a relevant, suitable design. This research could have been explored further with focus groups being developed whereby an array of people from different cultures joined together and assessed my work.
The cards were initially formatted as these are the most accessible part of the collection in terms of pricing. As there had to be four cards developed this also meant that different designs should be placed. The card designs themselves were bright, colourful and impactful. The illustrative style also directly targets women. Some design iconography was said to not be appropriate for all cultures (for example alcohol) as a result of this, these designs were removed.
Following the same illustrative style the rest of the set was developed. A colour pallete was developed throughout in order to ensure that of the designs appeared cohesive.
The notebook designs were developed in conjunction to this, although I felt that the busy pattern in which they express does not comply to this. Large white backgrounds are also expressed through the illustrations, a factor in which has not been mimicked within the rest of the set.
The notecard collection is fun and innovative, although I am unsure whether the outer packaging and the product link. As the cards themselves maintain a 'university', educational feel, I believe that the streamer effect upon the envelope is not representative as this suggests some form of a celebration. I also believe that the design could have been pushed further with envelopes being developed in order to contain each notecard.
The gift bag design is sturdy and practical, although handles could be added in order to promote a more user friendly design.
When overviewing the products as a whole I would suggest that the collection is powerful, and maintains a strong concept. I would also suggest that the physical building of the products will allow my designs to stand out to the YCN judges.
504
From completing this module key learning outcomes have been achieved. My knowledge upon the production with design has previously been very limited and thus multiple aspects of this module have given me a greater insight into how the industry works.
Generally speaking, the book developed expressed stronger imagery, text and production than that of the book developed last year in which was simply bound by a ring binder. My knowledge upon binding methods, materials and stock has also increased. A greater knowledge has also been gained upon mass book production, as I was previously unaware of how to develop a cost effective book. Many struggles were contained throughout the project, mostly being that of the production, and thus areas of development have been highlighted within this briefs evaluation.
When completing brief 2 new challenges occurred, as I had not previously done design for screen. Vast research had to be conducted to allow a greater knowledge upon design 'rules' this in turn allowing myself to increase my design knowledge. Although I did not enjoy this brief as much as the previous, I felt it highly relevant as being a designer within the 21st century means that ever increasing technologies will need an interface.
From this module, it is evident that design for screen and print widely differs although the same design ethos is made, some of the key features are listed below:
How design engages the user's senses. Obviously with print multiple senses may be tackled such as sight, touch, and smell. To embed these feelings into screen design vibrations are often made, allowing the consumer to engage further with the product.
