FINAL MAJOR PROJECT REVIEW AND EVALUATION

Final display board featuring the WIP Records logo, record labels,
posters and album sleeves

The final outcome of my project consists of a variety of physical objects and prints. The physical outcomes I made consist of three CD sleeves, one 7 inch record sleeve and a printed logo t-shirt. The printed outcomes are two A3 illustrated posters, four record labels, the printed logo and two album covers. Most of these outcomes were planned at the start however there were some changes that I made during the course of the project. I intended to make a YouTube page or a webpage however this never materialised simply because I ran out of time and it would have taken me a while to complete due to the fact that I am not very knowledgeable in this discipline. I also intended to take high quality photographs of my final outcomes however, I didn’t take any photos as I could display my physical outcomes on a table in close proximity to my printed outcomes. I also had technical difficulties which further slowed the process and eventually dissuaded me from taking the photos. So overall, I have most of the final outcomes I intended to create before I started the project.

I would say that a combination of sketchbook work and reflective writing on my blog has greatly helped me to develop my work and importantly, reflect upon, analyse and change my work as before I worked blindly progressing from one stage to the next without fully investigating and exploring the possibilities. In general, that is something I have learned to do more as my previous design process was too quick and hurried which as result hindered the potential of the final outcome itself. With regards to my FMP plan, I feel that it didn’t really help me organise my time and plan ahead as I was often too busy to refer to it and I often worked from one day to the next. In this respect, I never really planned to far ahead as I believe I benefited more from day-to-day working.

Some of my first targets were to physically get out and research into the subject matter, visiting museums, galleries and record shops which I definitely did. I managed to visit several different graphic design and illustration exhibitions of which enriched my research and gave me inspiration. I visited three different record shops to give me the creative spark and I greatly enjoyed the experience as it motivated me to succeed. Other targets that I think I met included being free with my own idea generation and using trial and error to see what works and what doesn’t. The majority of the time my ideas were spontaneous and I managed to experiment a lot before I even decided upon a final logo and brand. The target that was perhaps neglected or not met was making good use of my time and overall time management. I think I did well allocating time for different stages of the project however in the final week or two, I found myself fast running out of time and therefore maybe rushing a few things when I could have been a touch more organised.

  

Progressing through the different rotations and the graphics pathway I think helped me to evaluate my own work and get the opinion of my peers and tutors. This has ultimately improved my work and I can visibly see the difference between my work when I started and my work in the FMP. The skills learnt throughout the earlier stages have no doubt influenced some of the decisions I have made during the FMP project. This can be seen in some of my final outcomes.

The feedback I have received during the FMP has on the whole been thoroughly appreciated and valuable. My peers were always quick to point out what they liked and what they didn’t and people were honest which I believe in this case was a good thing. I gave back the same feedback I received to my peers and enjoyed offering my view on their work. Tutors often suggested new ideas gave me their perspective on my project which was helpful the majority of times although I did find this a bit distracting and confusing because we were on a time limit. I found some of the suggestions were a little ambitious. In my opinion, the group tutorials throughout the FMP were very good as we could all monitor everyone’s progress and development whilst receiving feedback or constructive criticism from the group as a whole. I also enjoyed the blog reviews because we could see more of the reflective nature and the thought process behind different people. Scoring other people’s blogs was quite a good exercise too.

There are many things I can take away from this project however, I have learnt a lot about myself and my approach to design which will help me to improve in the future. I would say the main thing I seem to always underestimate is time management, I don’t think it’s a massive weakness of mine but towards the end of any major project, I often find I could have benefited from a few more days or regret not doing a bit extra in the early stages. In some ways this is inevitable but I am confident that I will improve with time and more experience. Secondly, I would like to be a bit more expressive, adventurous and experimental with my design. It’s something I don’t tend to push for some reason and I tried hard this year to develop this aspect of my work because I often play it ‘safe’ to a certain extent. Judging by some of my peers’ work, it’s clear that there is a lot more room for development. The positives I can take from this experience are numerous. I have a greater understanding of the ‘sub-groups’ of graphic design: illustration, typography, information design and wayfinding. My sketchbook work has become a lot better and gradually lengthened my design process when previously it was a lot shorter. The reflective writing on the blog was at times a bit tedious but generally speaking I enjoyed it and writing on it I think ultimately helped me. Talking to my peers and tutors, receiving and giving feedback have all been integral this project. This has given me more confidence when speaking in groups and gave me a taste of what to expect on a degree course. In the future I will continue to base my work around my sketchbook and use it to express myself and develop my ideas; in addition, I would like to maintain a blog of some kind if possible. I will also benefit from tutorials more as I realise they are quite valuable and are a good way to progressively evaluate your own and other people’s work. Next year, I’m going to do a degree course in Graphic Design which I am looking forward to. I feel thoroughly prepared and ready to take on and solve problems in design. This is a result of all the skills I have learnt throughout the year and during the FMP of which I am very grateful for. My thoughts are now set firmly on the future and developing my own unique style through a degree course, then hopefully onto an enriching, stimulating and rewarding career in design.

My final physical outcomes including a t-shirt, 3 CD sleeves and
one 7 inch album sleeve

Images - Author's Own 23/05/14

FMP - WEEK 7: 7 INCH ALBUM SLEEVES AND TYPOGRAPHIC POSTER

After finishing the record label designs and the launch poster, I have quickly moved onto creating some more final outcomes for my FMP. To go with the labels I created, I decided to create a range of 7 inch album sleeves using the same design that is on the CD sleeves but in a different colour. This process was fairly straight forward, I scaled up the CD front covers and added the record label to vinyl to show it coming out of the sleeve. For the final display, I will probably show two of these as I want to fully utilise the colour scheme I have chosen.

I thought back to a previous project I did in the graphics pathway which was the manifesto brief, I enjoyed this task quite a lot and I wanted to do something similar for my FMP. This time however it would be hand drawn, much lie the record label launch poster, giving that illustrative feel. I have chosen to do this because I want to show a range of skills in my final major project, so far I have a good amount of graphic outcomes, but I want to demonstrate illustration skills and an understanding of typography. This I feel will come in the poster. I began by drawing out the letters in the Auralight typeface, which is the same across the brand. I didn't want a formal outcome, just something that looks a bit more natural and hand-made, I kept it simple in black and white and added the WIP Records logo in the bottom-right hand corner to brand the poster. This is something else that will probably go on display 

At this stage of the FMP, I am now just finalising everything, printing off my outcomes and preparing for the exhibition. On the whole, I think I have made the most of the time but with the display fast approaching I still have things to tweak and edit in time for the deadline. For the final display, I have two A3 posters, the logo, record labels, album/CD covers and a t-shirt to show for the project. I will finalise the arrangement of these outcomes in the next few days but for now, the focus is on getting everything done in time.

Images - Author's Own 19/05/14

FMP - WEEK 7: RECORD LABEL AND POSTER DESIGN

Over this last week of the FMP I have been drafting designs for an actual record label that would appear on a vinyl record and a record label launch poster/event. I have been altering some previous designs and ideas that I have used on the CD sleeves and translating them onto a record label. There are some design constraints however as with a label the space for the artwork itself is circle just under 4" in diameter with a small hole in the middle. This means that the text and imagery need to be altered in some way to work in unison with the circular shape. This wasn't too difficult to adjust and soon I had around 5 or 6 designs to pick from and refine.

For the poster I wanted to include more of a natural illustrated feel to the whole brand identity so therefore I created a black biro drawing. I like working in black biro because of the textures and tones you can create, it also has a rustic appearance which looks expressive. As I did with a previous project, I scanned the drawing and began editing the contrast levels, balancing the brightness and experimenting with different filters. After some trial and error, I came out with a handcrafted poster which stays true to the original computer generated identity but has the illustrative feel I was going for. 

Record Label Launch Poster, A3.

Images - Author's Own 14/05/14

FMP - WEEK 6: CD SLEEVES

After completing the sleeve nets on Illustrator I went to print them out onto A4 matt paper which initially I had technical issues with which was frustrating as it halted my progress however I was recently able to print out the nets and these are the final finished outcomes of which I am pleased with. The idea of having something physical to hold and feel gives the brand life and puts the record label into context in addition the matt print finish I feel looks better and is more practical than a semi-gloss finish. To construct the sleeves I used a craft knife and steel rule to achieve straight and clean edges. For the adhesive I used double sided tape in place of a traditional glue stick as this can often be messy, look unprofessional and lack strength. The tape was perfect for this task and gave the sleeves a nice feel. I am pleased with the design application and the use of colour although these colour schemes can easily be edited however I wanted to use the original colour palette I choose earlier on. I used blank CDs to fill the sleeves to give a realistic feel and appearance. These will probably be photographed for the final exhibition or perhaps displayed alongside the main board. Overall, this process worked out better than expected as I thought that the paper maybe too thin and flimsy however in reality it worked out fine and backed my initial decision against using thicker paper or even card as this probably wouldn't have worked. Another outcome to display alongside my t-shirt and logo design.

Images - Author's Own 13/05/14

FMP - WEEK 6: T-SHIRT PRINTING

At the end of this week, I started to print some t-shirt designs using transfer paper. This process was a difficult one as I was not immediately successful and I had to do a couple prints before I achieved the desired result. Below are some images of the process which involves printing onto the paper, ironing it directly onto the t-shirt and then fixing it using the greaseproof/silicon paper. In the end, I was pleased with the final outcome although its not entirely durable, I feel it represents the brand well and will look good as part of my display of brand applications. So far, I now have the logo on a t-shirt and CD sleeves, In the few remaining days I plan to apply it to an actual record label and a 7" vinyl sleeve. I will probably photograph some of these outcomes for display in the exhibition.

Images - Author's Own 10/05/14

FMP - WEEK 6: BRAND APPLICATION

Over the course of this penultimate week I have been focusing on applying my brand logo to the various different platforms. I have started off by creating some designs for t-shirt prints that feature the record label logo and possibly some text. I will create a few different versions and experiment with techniques to get the best effect.  Whilst this has been taking place, I have begun to draft some designs for a simple CD sleeve net. I first used a template net and measured the diameter of a regular CD to make sure the dimensions I got were correct and I also made sure to allow some extra space. I created one design and applied it to three different sleeves but in varying colours, the first being black on white, the second white on black and the third orange and purple. I believe this method is effective but simple which allows me to get on with other things as I am running out of time. Towards the end of this week I will hopefully have two well printed t-shirts to display or photograph for the exhibition, three CD sleeves and started to create the 7" sleeves.

Images - Author's Own 09/05/14

THE BRITISH LIBRARY - COMICS UNMASKED

Following our visit to Somerset House, in the same day, we went to The British Library to see the 'Comics Unmasked' exhibition which showcased evolution and history of comics. This was a good visit in my opinion and I enjoyed looking at the various different comic book illustrations and also learning a lot about the creation of famous comic book characters such as 'Judge Dredd', 'Spiderman' and many more. An aspect I also enjoyed was the way the comics were analysed in terms of their political and propaganda content. I learnt quite a bit even though comic books are not necessarily my favourite thing or what my FMP is about. 

A great touch was the addition of the masked mannequins wearing the Guy Fawkes/V for Vendetta masks which filled the exhibition space with an eerie presence as initially I wondered if they were real people posing and often I had to look back to be sure as they were quite imposing. This wasn't random though as the masks they were wearing could be traced back to comic books and the whole idea of uprising and superheroes is common in comics past and present. 

Overall, I enjoyed this exhibition but I thought some of the work was a bit repetitive and the styles were often the same which gradually made the exhibition a bit tiresome in my opinion. Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of comic books however I could appreciate the work on display. Of the two I definitely preferred the 'Pick Me Up' exhibition at Somerset House just because there was more variety although I was definitely pleased I visited this one.

SOMERSET HOUSE - PICK ME UP EXHIBITION

To supplement our research for our own projects we visited the 'Pick Me Up' exhibition at Somerset House which on reflection was probably one of the best exhibitions I have been to over the whole foundation year for a few reasons. Firstly, the work on display was graphic design and illustration which is specific to us and our own projects so this made the work really relevant to us. Secondly, I enjoyed the displays and stools that followed the gallery. There were many young and emerging designers showcasing their work, the layout of their displays was very good which enabled me to learn how to display work and gave me ideas for my own exhibit. 

There was a great range of work to look at with something for everyone. This included detailed and realistic illustrations alongside some more playful, colourful and abstract design work. I thoroughly enjoyed the gallery space as the vast majority of what was on display I liked a lot which rarely is the case when I visit galleries, its normally only a handful of works that grab my attention but this wasn't the case at 'Pick Me Up'. I particularly enjoyed the works of Billy and Lynnie Zulu because of the vibrant colouring and bold shapes used

















As mentioned earlier, something that really made the exhibition stand out from the rest for me was the displays, shops and stands upstairs were various designers and illustrators were selling their work. This appealed to me because it is potentially something that I would love to do in the future and expose my work to the public. There was a large amount of screen printing, a technique I like a lot but have never tried, which was good to see. These displays complemented the gallery downstairs and made the visit without a doubt worthwhile.

To round off an already great visit, I came a across a room filled with record labels, covert art, t-shirt prints and album art which made my day. This was literally everything I want to do in my FMP on the wall and therefore it made for excellent viewing and was extremely relevant to my own project. They had everything form 7" vinyl sleeves to record label prints on t-shirts which was valuable for me to see first hand. Some of them were more retro and others were more recent but they all had the same template and gave me food for thought. I now have a wealth of ideas to experiment with when it comes to designing my own merchandise. This was certainly a highlight of the day and I definitely enjoyed it.

































In summary, the 'Pick Me Up' exhibition at Somerset House was very good and I thoroughly enjoyed the work on display as well as the chance to see the designers themselves at work in the workshops and stools upstairs. I specifically enjoyed the record label room as this was a great source of research and motivation to complete my own designs.

Images - Author's Own 03/05/14

FMP - WEEK 5: FINAL DESIGN

After receiving feedback and listening to the opinions of my tutors and peers, I have taken their comments on board and altered the design of my logo. The main aspect which people picked up on was the typeface for the 'RECORDS' part of the logo and the fact that the 'I' was a little plain, due to the fact that it was an upper case sans serif 'I'. As a result, I decided to make the 'I' a lower case 'i' with a dot which has a lot more character and can be experimented with more. I wanted to try and incorporate the text into the cube in some way and the dot of the 'i' coincidentally could be used in conjunction with the 'o' of the 'RECORDS' part which in the end worked out very well.

I changed the typeface from my custom made font as the majority of people I asked thought it was maybe too sharp, edgy and futuristic and to some extent I agree with this. I researched a few fonts that were sans serif and simple but with a modern edge. I found Bebas Neue on DaFont which I thought worked very well because of its bold qualities. I increased the spacing between the individual letters as this was something people liked when I asked them and ultimately, its much more clearer as without the spacing, it is too condensed to be legible on a smaller scale. To test this I experimented with the scale of the logo on smaller scales in particular. The text is legible in most however in the smallest one, the text is a little unclear which could be a design fault which I may revisit at a later time, but now with two weeks left, I am going to stick with this design.

Secondly, I picked a colour scheme to use in the branding which I think was necessary, as I would like to have a few colour versions to pick from and have the standard monotone one as a reference. The colours I chose are warm, bold and work well together which is something I wanted to convey in the logo. I went for a three colour theme to highlight the different elements of the logo. 

I also established the typeface that would appear with the logo for all the branding that I am going to carry out. Again, I wanted a simple yet modern-looking font with an upper and lower case alphabet such as the one below, AuraLight, which I feel works quite well as a typeface on its own but for the record label brand I think it had an up-to-date feel and a sense of currency is something the label is about. 

Overall, I feel I have now established a logo design that I will now begin to apply to various things such as t-shirts, CD/Vinyl sleeves and online over the next two weeks. This was personally a very difficult task to complete and probably one of the hardest parts of the whole FMP in my opnion because of the many possible directions I could have gone in and the thought-provoking feedback I received throughout the process. I often changed my mind and was swayed by the opinions of others however at this stage, I feel I am somewhat back on track although the next two weeks will be crucial as I need complete my final outcomes in time and have something worthwhile to exhibit.

Images - Author's Own 02/05/14

FMP - WEEK 4: DRAFTING THE LOGO DESIGN

Towards the end of this week, following the mid-point reviews, I started to design the first draft of the logo in Illustrator using the hand made in drawing I completed in the studio as a template. I found this method was a lot easier than trying to start from scratch in Illustrator in my opinion. I had to increase the contrast of the drawing a little as it was quite faint and doing this made it easier to trace. I started by outlining the basic shapes and playing around with the perspective and adjusting the lettering. Once I had completed the basic cube shape with the letters W, I and P I started to create the custom typeface. I didn't use a default typeface because I wanted to put my own personal spin on the design. I wanted to keep the same type of font that is on the cube to create unity between the cube and the text. This process was difficult because I often changed my mind about the size and positioning, to combat this I trialed various other fonts along side the one I created to contrast and compare. I think this design may change slightly over time and I am open to some other ideas and suggestions from my tutors to see what works the best. 

I like how the cube's perspective works and I believe that the typeface compliments the cube. To be sure, I contrasted it with some other more recognisable fonts such as Futura (light and bold), Arial and Masterplan. I would also like to know what my peer group thinks also but for now I think I will stick with the font I created. Following this I started to experiment with some colour and created some alternate versions with varied colours.The reason for choosing to use a cube was because of the experience I had in the various different record shops I visited. The record 'crate' itself which holds the 12" vinyls and CD's in is a large cube and I wanted to try and represent this sort of 'crate digging' record shop feel with the cube shape. This design may change and alter slightly over the remaining weeks of the project, however I am happy with this draft.