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