OUGD502 Final Evaluation.

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

I think I have definitely improved my professional knowledge and understanding throughout this module. This has definitely been assisted by the selection of lectures addressing this subject, informing me on things like swot analysis and the 4 p's, concepts that were totally alien to me before this year. After learning this information I found it helpful that we then had to put this knowledge into practice and create our own design studio during 'life's a pitch'. Putting the information into context like this was really beneficial as it made it a lot easier to understand. Another skill I have developed is branding, that I have applied to our company juice and myself. This is something I found really enjoyable and I was quite surprised about this as it has never really appealed to me a great deal before. I found that it was a lot more creative and a lot less corporate than I was expecting.


What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

I think the talks that have taken place from different speakers has been really beneficial for my design development. It was interesting listening to them all as they all had something very different to say and had had a lot of varied experience. I felt it was helpful listening to these people as it gave a great insight into the industry and topics were brought up that I hadn't really considered before. 


What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

I think a strength I have had through this module has to be my documentation of the lectures and similar seminars. I have found these really useful to refer back to and they have informed a lot of the more recent things that I have done. Because of the complexity of what was said and my unfamiliarity with it I would have never remembered what was said, but due to the documentation this wasn't a problem. I also feel that my branding work has been a success and this comes as quite a surprise to me as it something I haven't really dealt with before. I am really happy with what I have created relating to this as I think they communicate the brand very well and have a professional look.


What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

I think a weakness has definitely been time management in relation to this module. It has definitely been something that has been but on the back burner due to it having the latest deadline. Because of this I had been focussing mainly on other projects because they were in the forefront. In hindsight I definitely should have dedicated more time to this and set myself more goals in relation to it. I think this would have improved the standard of work and would have also increased my knowledge as I would have been dealing with it more.


Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to change from doing these?

1. I would definitely organise my time better this would allow me to make more out of the year and module.
2. I would look into a lot more studios, this would improve my knowledge and spur on networking opportunities.
3. I would email studios further in advance as by now I could have already organised a placement.
4. I would expand further on the tasks as this would expand my knowledge.
5. I would produce my branding to a higher quality to get a better finish.

How would you grade yourself in the following areas (5 - excellent to 1 - poor):

• Attendance: 5
• Punctuality: 5
• Motivation: 3
• Commitment: 4
• Quantity of work: 3
• Quality of work: 4
• Commitment to the group: 4

Study Task Eight - What is a CV?

Identify a minimum of 10 designer's, studios or practitioners that you intend to contact with a view to organising a range of studio visits. In doing this you will need a full set of contact details for direct mailing. You will also need to familiarise yourself with their work their clients and the set up of their studio/practice.

1. Design Bridge
• careers_london@designbridge.com
• +44 (0)20 7814 9922
• 18 Clerkenwell CloseLondonEC1R 0QN
2. Analogue
• studio@madebyanalogue.co.uk
• 44 (0) 113 341 0330
3. The Pink Group
• lynethia@thepinkgroup.co.uk
• +44 (0)20 8870 6968
• 2 Apsley House
  176 Upper Richmond Road
  London SW15 2SH
4. Pearlfisher
•  chryssa@pearlfisher.com
• +44 (0)20 7603 8666
• 50 Brook Green
  London
  W6 7BJ
5. Turner Duckworth
• moira@turnerduckworth.co.uk
• +44 (0)20 8994 7190
• Voysey House
  Barley Mow Passage
  London W4 4PH
6. This is Colt
• intern@thisiscolt.com
• 020 3008 4375
• 24 Greville Street, London EC1N 8SS
7. Here Design
• caz@heredesign.co.uk
• +44 (0)20 8986 1850
• The Ink Works
  32 Fortescue Avenue
  London E8 3QB
8. 3 fish in a tree
• talktous@3fishinatree.com
• +44 20 7922 1200
• 1.18 Oxo Tower Wharf
  Southbank
  London SE1 9PH
9. Studio Baum
• hello@studiobaum.com
• (+44) 0117 910 5216 
• The Wool Hall
  12 St Thomas Street
  Bristol BS1 6JJ
10. Workbrands
• hello@workbrands.co.uk
• 0117 966 9189
• Ferodo House
  Willway Street
  Bristol
  BS3 4BG

A Design Presence Email Responses.

After a short space of time since emailing I have already received some feedback. Some not so helpful but others with the plan to organise meetings to talk through my work etc. I am really happy with this progress and am surprised that it has been slightly easier than I thought it would be. I think the thought of it was more daunting than it actually is. This has spurred me on to contact more places in the future.

The Pink Group

Numiko

Studio Baum

Hato Press

A Design Presence Web Animation.

I have created this animation to show how my personal website would work, it takes you step by step through the pages. I feel I have been very thorough regarding this as it shows every single page that would be available to the audience, rather than a select few.

A Design Presence Promotional Pack.

Here is my promotional pack that contains a business card, cv and cd. I have kept the design simple and the aspects slot cleanly inside the slits to hold them in place. I think it works successfully and demonstrates how the branding works well together as a set of consistent items.

A Design Presence Foiling Experiments.

As I decided I wanted my business card to be foiled I tried some experiments to see how it would look in real life. Unfortunately this didn't go quite to plan as the laser printer technique didn't produce the desired results. Because the coloured paper was slightly textured the foil didn't take to it as well as I hoped it would and the end result was definitely not what I was after. The sample on the white card was a lot more successful because of the smoother surface, but it wasn't the background colour I initially had in mind.

I then tried another method using my foiling glue, this was very time consuming and I had to be very precise with the application. After applying the foil the quality was a lot better but still didn't have the perfect look I had envisioned, even though it did get the idea across.

A Design Presence Branded Collection.

Here are a collection of products that I have applied my personal branding too. I am really happy with the look as I feel all the products work successfully together with a consistent theme. I think the slight variation in colour is good as I think it helps to break up the collection and gives a pop of contrast that makes the designs less heavy. I think the foiling on the business cards is also a highlight and gives a good quality finish.

A Design Presence Cover Letter.

I have been experimenting with options for the layout of my cover letter, I wanted to include my logo and necessary information whilst still giving a clean and un-cluttered appearance. I altered scale, placement and colour to get the best results. I am happy with the final design as it includes all the content needed without being to overpowering.

A Design Presence Creating a CV.

My creative cv went through some slight changes through development, I wanted to keep it simple to reflect the theme of the rest of the branding. The logo stands out as a focal aspect, I thought this would be a good idea as hopefully when people are reading through the logo will be something that links easily with what they remember and creates an identity.

A Design Presence Creative CV Research.

A Design Presence Creating a LinkedIn.

I have now made a LinkedIn to start making connections within the graphic design community.

Study Task Six - What do 'They' do?

Based on the principles that have been introduced inthe PPP2 sessions sofar and your responses to the previous tasks, evaluate the Strengths and Weaknesses of three practitioners or design agencies as objectively as you can. You should aim to identify a large, medium and small company from a sector or service that reflects your interests within the creative industries.

What opportunities for your own practice have revealed themselves to you as a result of this research, analysis and evaluation?

Do not use subjective language or make unfounded comments about other people’s businesses.It is essential that you make references to SWOT and PEST analysis and evaluate their usefulness as an analysis or evaluation tool. In responding to this task you will need to consider the following questions:

• Who am I competing against?
• What do they offer?
• What makes me better?
• What makes me different?

Anagrama

http://www.anagrama.com/

What are their strengths?

I think a strength Anagrama have is the consistency of design across each of their projects but each individual project has an individual look which makes their portfolio interesting to look through. I think having a constant look through one brief is important as it ties the brand they are working with together and creates an appearance that the retail consumer will become familiar with.

What are their weaknesses?

I think a weakness this company has it their personal branding. All the work they have done for other people is really creative and engaging, whereas the logo and website they have created for themselves isn't very unique and looks a lot similar to a lot of other agencies. I think they could give their own company more of a twist.


Higher

http://www.higher.sk/

What are their strengths?

The strength of this studio definitely lies in web design. The look of their work in this area is very strong and the web elements they are creating are very aesthetically attractive and look easy to navigate. They also cover a selection of web platforms, like iPads and iPhones, so the level they go into this is quite in depth. I also think that they understand the audience they are selling to a great deal and each of the projects they have undertaken are very much tailored to a specific type of person and this is obvious through their work.

What are their weaknesses?

Even though this studio are obviously very specialised in this area I think they could definitely expand on what they are providing. What we having been developing very much this year is product, range and distribution and I think that they could do more of the same.

Foreign Policy

http://foreignpolicydesign.com/

What are their strengths?

I think that this studio is very good at continuing a design across a whole product range and it is very clear to tell and easy for the audience to recognise. I like how not only has the packaging been considered but also all of the other supporting items. The styles they are producing is also varied which demonstrates their versatility.

What are their weaknesses?

A weakness that I think is this studio has come up against is that they are only targeting the food and drink sector. I think with the level of work they are producing they could be successful across a wider range of product themes. Their website is also hard to navigate and it is hard to get a glimpse at the great work they are producing.