PPP: OUGD502 // Study Task 1 // Why am i here, What do i want to learn

Identify and explain 5 reasons why you chose to study on this programme.

- Well recommended course from previous students and tutors

When i was initially looking around uni for a graphic design course, this was one of the top recommended courses by both my tutors and other students i have heard from being on the course. This reputation but it in good stead for me.

- Course Structure suited me

As the course structure is quite intense and full on, i felt as though i would get alot out of the tuition and make the most out of the time i would have to learn new skills and techniques.

- Good tutors which all have/do work within industry

A big thing for me was not just looking at the course but the tutors too and seeing their past experience, i think this was the only course which every tutor had been either in industry working whilst being a tutor or had previous experience. This gives me as a learner alot more opportunities and will see the actual real design world.

- Resources and facilities are good.

Everything the course had to offer resources wise was the best i had seen, the studio space/equipment/workshop areas etc were all the best than other institutes i had visited.

- Good links to industry - visiting professional etc

Another thing i didnt really know about when i was looking for a course was about visiting professionals, which i only heard about when looking into this course. I think its a great opportunity for the students and bodes well for the design companies too.

Identify and explain 5 things that you want to learn during your time on the programme.

- Professional Practise

This year i want to learn more about my own professional practise, in both the business side of things and what i actually want my practise to be. I think over the course of this next year i will have found the area i like the most and enjoy to design within, but what i dont know about is the business side of everything, this i think to me will be an asset, as i do want to start doing my own work and freelancing when i the time to, but without the knowledge i dont feel confident.

- Web design/design for screen

Over the first year i have experimented alot with design for print and havent really touched anything to do with web or screen design, so i feel that this would be something interesting and worth learning about. It may not be the thing i want to do, but knowing it is extra knowledge for myself and could help out in later in my career.

- Better presentation skills

In the first year i was really scared when it came to presentation and didnt feel confident with them at all, towards the end of the year i thought that i had improved a little, but still not the standard where i was completely confident. So i would like to learn more about it ang make myself become a better presenter.

- Branding

branding is something that i have always looked at and enjoyed looking at it and seeing the different styles etc, but it has never been something that i have done design wise, i think mainly because i don't know that much about it and therefore dont feel ver confident with it. but i now think it is a very useful component and would be wise to learn about.

- Practical Techniques

I touched on these in my first year, but i dont think i experimented with them enough or did enough variety within them. There is still skills i want to learn which i havent looked at; foiling, embossing/debossing and the others i want to improve.

Identify and explain 5 skills that you think are your strengths.

- Good at working in groups

I believe that i am good working within groups and collaborating. I always make it habit to get on with everyone in the groups and you have to make a good piece of design work. I do think that i am the sort of person that would put myself forward and be a key member in a group and work well to get the main result done. I dont like to fail.

- Manage time well

I felt last year that my time management was really good. I was never late with any submission and got everything done for studio deadlines etc, so i know that i can keep to constraints and deadlines which is a good thing for the real world.

- Can work across different platforms

I am confident with the adobe suite and i can work across the different software packages well. I can pick up new techniques and tools really well within a new software and if its something that benefits me, i will sit and learn as much as i can about it. The first year i learnt alot about Illustrator and now it is one of my most used softwares.

- Editorial/publishing design

I feel that this is my strongest area of design. I enjoy to do this sort of design and i am learning more and more which i take onboard and use. I still feel as though there is alot for me to still learn and get better at, but i know i enjoy this type of work. Especially working with different materials within the publication and using binding techniques to bind it all together.

Identify and explain 5 things that you want to improve.

- Drawing skills

i know that my drawing skills are very limited and sometimes find it hard to communicate the idea across through my drawings, but i am trying to improve this and hopefully this year there will be more drawing than before that will make me improve.

- Screen printing

As i said before i have tried this technique out before, but felt like i was very limited with the work i produced and it wasnt to my own standard, so this year i want to learn more about it and create some nice design work from using the screen printing.

- Presentation skills

I want to improve these skills, so that i will be a much more confident person especially when it comes to presenting myself and work infront of a large group. I will need this skill for my career after university.

- Idea generation

I need to get this aspect of the design process improved, as i often finding myself going for the first design idea and dont try and improve/think of better ideas before choosing my final design idea. I think this limits my work alot and i often think that if i had it through more at the beginning it would have been a better product.

- Work out of comfort zone.

Last year i found myself working within the areas that i knew alot about and was comfortable with, but i often played it safe and i dont want to do that this year. I think i need to try new and experiment with more different areas of design and try and think outside of the box a little more.

Identify and explain 5 ways that you will evaluate your progress.

-Feedback from fellow students

this feedback comes in various forms; through crits, blogging and general chat between everyone around the studios. But this is often the best feedback as nobody tends to hold back and says what they really think. Its good feedback though

- Crits

using crits is the best way to get feedback, aslong as i listen to the feedback and take it onboard then i know i will get honest answer and some good idea normally generate from the crits

- Blogging

Blogging is my own way of reflective thinking, i like to blog as though i am talking to myself and write out whatever i am thinking about the given subject at that point in time. I think this is a good techniques because who ever is looking at the blog is getting the complete insight of what you think about the work and what the meaning behind everything is.

-Tutorials

We dont have these very often but when we do they are always a good judgement point. we can often tell how our tutors are thinking about our working and our progress throughout the year and where to improve on.

- Personal Evaluation

at the end of every modules we do a personal evaluation, this is how i like to evaluate my work the best, i like to look back over everything and fill out the questions as honest as possible. Looking back over these evaluations later are a good way to see how much i have moved on as a designer.

Identify 5 questions that you want to find the answer to.

- Is the work i am producing relevant to todays design industry?

- Can i have a distinctive style or do i need to be flexible?

- How much should i charge for freelance work?

- What sort of design practice do i want to work within/set up?

- Would having experience working abroad in design benefit me? is it better?

Identify and explain 5 things that inspire you.

- My Dad

My dad has inspired me because he has set up his own company from scratch, starting with a 5 man team to now it being around a 40-50 man team. Its not to do with graphic design, but still the ambition to do that and the knowledge behind it all is what i see in him and hope that one day i can do the same.

- Editorial work

All editorial design work inspires me, if its bad editorial design then it inspires me to do better than that and see where i could improve it myself, if its good design work then looking it at it inspires me for my own work and gives me new ideas i could work with

- The internet

Everything i look at on the internet in some way or form inspires me. I use the internet alot for my research and when im not doing design work i browse the internet generally but still i find inspiration in different forms to that i would look at for design inspiration.

- Having my own job and income

This inspires because i know that now i can manage having the responsibility and budgeting my own money. But mainly not having to rely on my parents is a great feeling, especially when i do have bills to pay but still have the money for my own luxuries. It inspires me that once i get into the design industry i can be earning more and doing more of the things i like best.

- Music

Music is a big inspiration to me. I like to design whilst listening to music, it brightens the mood up and fills that empty space with some noise. I find it hard to design in a quite mundane space.

Identify 10 examples of design that illustrate your fields of creative interest.

Binding techniques