This is an evaluation and summary of my 2nd year on the course.
This year has been a definite leap for me. At the end of the 1st through to the start of the 2nd year I had very little direction with my work and who I wanted to be as a designer. 1st year was a lot of fun and I think I definitely got the most out of the social side of being a student. This year wasn't quite the same, we hit the ground running with an increase in workload and expectations. Fortunately I still had the same motivation and enthusiasm as I did in the 1st year so I was more than committed to getting work down. However I found that balancing the workload with my social life as well as having a job now wasn't easy.
OUGD201 - Print
Looking back at the print module it was one of my favourites but I felt that I didn't make the most of it. I learnt a lot in this module about how print operates in the industry and all the different types of printing and the finishes that are available which in later projects helped my work and even define a few final pieces and concepts.
OUGD202 - Moving Image
Not a bad module but not the greatest. I chose a subject that I enjoyed which was species of bear and I took the opportunity to do a little bit of illustration. I think that After Effects is a great piece of software and I want to continue experimenting with it for some personal projects in the near future, however, it does take a lot of time and patience. I felt that this module may have been better if it were introduced briefly in the 1st year like the Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign briefs just to get a taste of it at least.
One valuable skill I learnt was the storyboarding. It helped greatly to learn about it and how its not just about drawing a rough sequence and that its more about the information you communicate and how well you do so. I doubt that I will be doing copious amounts of work with moving image and storyboarding in the future but there are some great job opportunities out there like storyboarding for Disney Pixar which is a place I want to work at when I was younger. Not so much anymore but I still think would be a great job.
OUGD203 - Design Practice 2
This was a really good module, very challenging, very relevant. It felt like I was exercising throughout the entire module. It was draining and tiresome but it was a great way of developing and building on the strengths in my design work.
The collaborative brief was quite challenging, but fortunately I had a great partner and we had similar interests in and our design direction. I learnt a lot from working with Sophie and her approach to design. She works very long and hard which isn't something I can always keep up with however it was impressive to see how much one person can get done in such a short space of time which motivated me to do more. Also I learnt that I needed to be quicker with my analysis and idea generation.
The self initiated brief was great fun once I got my teeth into it. Knowing how to pick apart a brief and also writing your own is a greatly skill that I have learnt and is now a crucial part to my design practice. I took this brief as an opportunity to expand on some of the illustrative and type based work I touched on in my optional image module.
Like most briefs I thought I could take it further in the time given but instead I plan to continue with the work to develop some really strong pieces for my portfolio.
IMAGE - Optional Module
I have very mixed opinions about this module. I felt the timing of the work being set and handed in was really inconvenient as it either impacted on the moving image module of it wasn't completed in time each week. The module felt very repetitive which the structure and the module deadline was again at an inconvenient time being the first day back after the Easter break. For a module that the major it of the briefs required printed outcomes it made it difficult to plan ahead.
On a positive note, this module had some great briefs which provide brilliant opportunities to produce really strong creative and professional pieces of work for my portfolio. I found I developed my illustrative skills greatly and I got to work a little with type which I never really did prior to this year.
I was frustrated for most of the module as I didn't really learn anything and I saw the module more as an opportunity to design than to learn. I think I would have disliked doing the Type module even more but I think I would have appreciated it more as I would be learning a valuable skill which I had no knowledge of before hand.
ENTERPRISE
I was dreading this module a little bit as I thought it would be all business and no design although that is essentially what its about I had a lot of fun designing and creating our rebranding studio RE:
I had a great work group for this module Lisa, CLaudia, Marty and I all got on really well, we never fell out or had any major disputes about anything. We always kept out minds open to each others ideas and we discussed our progress and ideas as a group, evaluating our progress weekly at the start and then more frequently towards the end of the project.
The presentation went really well and we even managed to out some of or printed ideas into action on the day with our own company branding orange juice as we were treating the presentation as our first 'Business Breakfast'.
This module is probably the most valuable one of the year for me and If i could do it again I'd do it all the same but just take it further and actually take on some work to make the project live. Also I'd happily work with Lisa, Claudia and Marty again in the near future.
CONTEXTUAL & THEORETICAL STUDIES
I really learnt a lot from the lecture program this year and I had 100% attendance to this module. I felt some of the lectures were hard to follow and a few were delivered in a very different way to what I was used to however all were relevant and interesting.
My essay I felt was good but lacking in word count. I got some great positive feedback on it which has given me confidence to move forward and dive in to my dissertation research over summer.
I did however let myself go a little with the blogging this year. Although its frustrating I knew I was doing it because I lost my motivation about halfway through the year. I put this down to hitting a wall and being tired of the demands of the course.
PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2
PPD this year has been a massive improvement. 1st year just seemed like PPD was an after thought and was just to make assessments easier but this year has made much greater sense and I found myself looking to discover more about getting myself out there.
I didn't have any personal branding or online presence before starting this module but now as it draws to a close I have both of these things and great prospects for summer and 3rd year.
OUTSIDE OF THE COURSE
Not only have a I learnt a lot on the course I have learnt a lot off it as well. Here's a few things that I discovered this year.
- landlords are not to be trusted
- utility bills - my house had a £4500.00 gas bill in the first quarter and it was all because the house wasn't registered properly. I of course got my parents to help with this but I learnt a lot about how to deal with bills and how to go about disputing certain things and resolving difficult problems like this.
- other people are messy
- having a part time job is rubbish but I need it
- I miss halls it was much simpler times
- I drink too much in one session (not saying its a bad thing, just saying)
SUMMER
I don;t have a set plan for summer but I know that there are a few things that I NEED to do. I have to earn enough money to pay the rent of my next house for July, August and September so I'll need to be either working in Leeds or back home in Cheshire either way it won't leave me much time for studio visits.
I definitely need to go home for a week or two and spend some time with my family as I haven't properly spent time with them for a while and they have started complaining.
I need to work and research for my dissertation, I'm aiming to have it finished before the Christmas break in 3rd year so I can enjoy Christmas CTS free and also focus more on my design work after the break.
I need to sort of my dyslexia support and ensure it all gets processed before September in order to get the most out of the support available.
I want to work on my own design projects and regularly update my various online accounts with my work. I also really want to take part in pop up shops and events where I can showcase my work. Starting with Inpress at this years end of year show.
As well as all this I am currently arranging to go and work with my Dad at his research company in Wales and experiment with printing a few of my designs as holograms. I don't know great deal about the holograms or how well it will work, or even if it is doable but it is something that I think will be interesting to investigate as a short project. This will tie in with when I go home to visit my family.
3RD YEAR
I've spoken to a few of the current graduating 3rd years and I have a vague idea of the amount of work that is coming my way. I have to be honest I'm not looking forward to having to knuckle own so much but I am definitely looking forward to doing more of what I want with my work.
I have been making little footnotes throughout my sketch books this year of possible briefs that I could write for next year. They are all very primitive at the moment and they may be rendered irrelevant when come September but I have been thinking about self initiated briefs already.
The dissertation. This has been a nightmare of mine from even before starting my foundation year at Manchester Met but know its here it doesn't feel as daunting. I will have to push myself for this part of my 3rd year though as I've never felt that academic writing was my strong point. Since starting the course I have found that writing has been more enjoyable and I'll put that down to the topics being of some sort of interest or relevance to my interests in design and society. I'm aiming to have my dissertation completed before Christmas in 3rd as I aforementioned. So I'm really going to have to put in the leg work over summer.
I already have a part time job as a Chef at Pizza Express which is really well paid and also saves me money on shopping bills however I'm quite interested in applying to work in the digital print facility maybe one or two evenings a week. This may mean having to leave my current job but I think It would be another string to my bow if I knew more about printing. I doubt I could keep up both jobs if my application was to be successful as it would impact too greatly on my FMP.
From the contacts that I make over summer I'm hoping to keep in touch with the ones I'm most interested in and possibly arrange a few work placements of reading weeks and the Easter break.
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