Evaluation of OUGD504 Feedback

 As I did not analyse my feedback given from last year at the time I have this year therefore decided to analyse relevant feedback and aid this to promote my design practice and design skill set.

The grade given for OUGD504 was 68% a high 2:1, in which is my overall aim for the course. When analysing the feedback gained it is evident that certain criteria lacked, such as research. When analysing the given information it became evident that a broader range of research should have been outlined, an example of this being books. As the mark given for this criteria was only 66% this is definitely an area in which I will improve within following submissions. 

Other feedback suggested that I should consider contemporary design trends, as well as pushing the design limits of my own design. As I want my overall practice to improve I will attempt to implement these factors in following modules. 

Street art

After watching exhibit through the gift shop I became consciously more aware of my surroundings and the ways in which street art effects the environment in which we live. I often take images of street art in which I find insightful, as I believe it may be able to help me in future refrence. Some of these images are outlined below, and have been taken within Leeds, Manchester, London and Shropshire.

Some of these images have been used upon my instagram in order to gain more interest in my account. Other than that the pictures are stored upon my phone, and are frequently used for inspiration. When developing the typeface for the book, inspiration was drawn from the letterforms within the photo's taken from the northern quarter, in turn allowing for a contextual response.

Carnival

In a local town whereby I live, they annually hold a carnival whereby companies in the community can effectively advertise their business in a fun, innovative way. Local pubs and shops are that in which creative innovative floats, in turn promoting their local businesses. The money raised also goes to charity, in turn making the event ethical.

Events such as these draw people into the community, a factor in which I belive to be highly important. Although I enjoy living in Leeds I do not feel that their is a community feel within Hyde Park, and thus this is one element in which I miss from home.

Events like these in which support small businesses should be more widely recognised as I personally believe that they gain large support for smaller companies. They also bring people together, and often the local businesses are very busy that day.

Upcycling

As one of my key passions is that of the conservation of the environment, I find it incredibly important to not waste matter but rather to explore new purposes for the object or even to develop its aesthetic appeal to something more current. During the past year I have found myself gathering a large amount of pins on pinterest surrounding the matter of upcycling, and how the reusage of a product is far better for the environment than recycling.

As my parents were thinking of buying a brand new kitchen, I suggested to them that a far more environmental solution would be to sand down the current kitchen cupboards, add some rusticated chalk paint and add new handles. From this moment an extreme case of upcycling occurred.

In order to gather the correct colour and coverage for the cabinets tests were conducted. From this it was decided that the old white would be used, as it had the strongest coverage and thus less paint needed to be used. The colour was also much more suiting that that of the creams, as they appeared somewhat yellow. 

After around 15 hours the kitchen was complete with two coats being used, as well as a wax in which protects the paint, allowing it to be cleaned (a highly important factor as kitchens contain grease etc). One factor I discovered when painting was that cheap brushes are not effective as they often leave hairs, and thus it is worth investing in an more expensive brush. The first coat was conducted with a roller in order to save time, whereas the second was completed with a brush, ensuring all the fine details of the cupboard were covered, as well as adding rustic brush marks into the paint. 

From completing this, I decided to re-ventate other areas of the house including my bedroom furniture, and the fireplace. 

Wardrobe

The above images show the process of painting the wardrobe. Again a roller was used due to the mass flat surfaces, thus allowing for a quicker process. Around 3 coats were given to allow for a finished matte look. The handles were taken off to ensure maximum coverage, and where then replaced. My Dad showed me how to take off and replace a handle, and thus this is now a skill in which I have.

Finished wardrobe

Chest of drawers

Again all handles were removed, and the drawers were opened at different angles in order to ensure that all areas were covered. The roller was primarily used, with fine brushes being used to fill in details. When using a roller it is important to ensure too much paint isn't placed upon the roller or else movement is locked. It was also discovered during this process that you must not leave a roller with paint on unwashed as it hardens and you have to buy a new roller. 

The side of the drawers were not painted in order to give a cottage feel towards the design. The sides are also not seen when the draws are closed. 

The final product.

Mirror

A mirror was also painted in order to fit into its new surroundings. Masking tape was used to ensure mass paint was not collected upon the glass, although this can be cleaned off. Compared to the other projects this one was the most difficult as the mirror contained lots of small angles whereby small paint brushes had to be used.

Fireplace

The original colour of the fireplace 

 The fireplace was also painted, with my dad's help. As the fireplace was originally made from wood multiple cracks were present and thus around 5 coats had to be applied, a time consuming job in which left me never wanting to paint another object again.

Postcard

As I was unsure on how to contact design studios, it was decided to send them letters/postcards depending upon the kind of company they were. As I wanted to engage the creatives straight away I looked into current post card designs, and found this highly interesting design at paperchase. 

In order to make the design more relevant to the design studios in which I want to contact it was decided to develop my own postcards, focusing upon the city in which the studio is based. 

Using an old postcard of Manchester piccadilly station, the above deisgn was developed. Red and blue were used in order to highlight the city's football teams. Geometric shapes were used in order to express a new, edgy approach upon the old design, whilst still maintaining contextuality.

Making a terrarium

Over instagram there are multiple trends in which occur, but one particular is that of cacti. From scrolling down my timeline and seeing multiple designs, I became highly interested in getting some plants myself in order to make my uni home feel more than just a room in a house. Rather than just purchase a generic cactus, I decided to look at terrariums as I feel that they appear more of a focal point. Before buying the glass terrarium research was undergone into price and styles available. Also the health of the plants was considered.

It was decided that a geometric terrarium would be most effective for the purpose in which I want it to fulfil. It was also discovered that not having a large gap at the top of the terrarium means that a greenhouse effect is developed, ensuring the cacti survive.

 Cactus and succulents were selected in which I found suiting, and complement one another. The chosen glass terrarium cost around £20, which isn't very expensive compared that is reusable, and may last for many years. Specific cactus soil was also used as they are used to highly dry environments. One issue with the design of the terrarium is that when holding cactus they are obviously prickly and thus the small gap often leaves you get spiked. As a result of this if I were to buy a similar product I would much more likely get one with an open top.