Final Evaluation

At the start of this module i created a small list of objectives that i wanted to achieve in terms of my design/skills development, in terms of what briefs i had chosen, and i believe i met the majority of my aims. This was true mostly through my design development and practice during the ICA Christmas card brief i undertook. I chose this particular brief as i wanted to develop my understanding, knowledge and use of packaging design and construction, as it it something i have become interested in over the last 2 years but havn't really challenged myself, in terms of creating a fully functioning product series that could be sold in the public environment. From the start i chose type as my set route to resolve the brief but quickly turned to using image and geometry as my focus, which is something i have rarely used but now fell comfortable using as a concept during my design process, which i feel is progression for my design practice as i have a tendency to use solely type immediately to try and resolve the majority of briefs, which is limiting my outcomes and sometimes isn't relevant to the brief at hand. Also the main skill i believe i have gained from this brief again is the ability to layout designs for, and construct packaging for the public domain. i believe i have applied this effectively with a professional finish and detailing with my final ICA product resolutions. By taking the time to understanding what makes effective packaging the research and development process helped me create a professional and effective understanding of how to apply my design and how to create designs suitably. Also the crits and tutorial time helped with understanding and pushing me from my comfort zone alot, which was really beneficial. i will use this knowledge to further my practice for my FMP as packaging design is something i am considering perusing for a focus during the next module.

As i undertook one type and layout brief (LCC Public Arts) at the start of the module, I thought this was my set route for design, but in reflection of my final proposals, and design process i feel it was very weak with poor decisions made, in terms of layout, relevance to the brief and finishing, which i now feel was a learning curve in terms of my focus for design. 


This module on a whole has pushed me from my comfort zone and now focused me on a set practice to peruse in terms of designing for a packaged series with the use of type and image, instead of being purely type based. i feel by having a hands on approach i am more comfortable in making design decisions and creating a finished resolution with a professional quality. i also have developed an understanding for nets and how to construct my design for a range of packaging ideas and also for print, in terms of folds, crops marks, bleeds, paper stocks and detailing.


On a whole i started this module with a set time management target to keep me on track with the briefs i had chosen, but after a while this kind of became irrelevant and i failed to keep it updated in terms of where i was at each stage of the module. By extending the ICA brief and spending more time on it with poor time management, I felt the other briefs became weak and a little rushed, with some poor design decisions being made, especially with my work on the P&O brief, as i felt this had real design potential but in the end my design had an element of being rushed and opting for the easy way out in a sense, which is something i am quite annoyed about and a little ashamed and embarrassed with the finished product. Time management is always something i need to improve on, and be strict with myself about, and is something i need to address over christmas and create a system to work by for my FMP to keep me on track in terms of time, and to ensure that my designs are not rushed or that my time become biased between briefs.


Focusing on my FMP in relation to evaluating this module i feel focusing my attention on what i enjoy designing and what i want to peruse into the future, instead of dipping my hands into different design routes, where my time is taken up with understanding how to approach the brief in terms of that design process and also producing work that is weak and not fully focused. I will also will be strict with time management in order to get the most out of my designs and time available. Along this, i will utilise the studio space and time to its full potential, this is something i started to do towards the end of this module and felt it was 100% beneficial but really should of being doing it since day one. All of this will hopefully go towards a major gain with my work produced during my FMP and standard and quality it is produced to.