Abracadabra!

And, as if my magic, all the work was done……. if that were only the case! As I now find myself finally in the position to reflect over the first year of the HND Interactive Media course I realise what a massive undertaking it has been. The year has presented more challenges then I could ever have anticipated and the shear volume of work has been immense. Not only that but the, expected, professional standard of presentation has meant revising and refining all of my working practices. So, it is not with relaxation and ease that I reflect over the past seven projects but more with a definite critical eye, ever keen to develop and refine these skills further. Particularly now as I look back and realise how far I have come but also how much further there is to go. In order to make sense of what has now passed and it’s implications for future development I will now reflect on each individual project, finally summarising with targets for next year.

A1 Sketchblog
The ongoing sketchblog has held a unique position of both generating a great deal of pleasure but also a quantifiable amount of pain over the year. Initially it was somewhat of a novelty to be working in a sketch book again and my enthusiasm to push the opportunity to its full potential was high. Equally the initial journal entries were an unusual but enjoyable addition to my weekly tasks. This enjoyment of A1 extended for many weeks as I explored the potential for creativity in both areas. However, as the saying goes ‘all good things come to an end’ and my desire to strive for perfection, particularly in journal entries, put considerable pressure on my time management.

After a discussion with Steve I decided to try to be more ruthless in my journal entries, purely recording the factual information of the week. Initially this was a struggle as I found it difficult to adapt my working methods. However, as I persevered I gradually became re-conditioned and my entries were more instantaneous, if not a little uninspired. This proved to be a valuable lesson in determining a hierarchical structure of importance for the tasks in hand.

In fact, upon reflection, a very similar scenario can be applied to my relationship with my sketch books. However, I am yet to achieve a suitable balance in this aspect of my studies. Predominately my sketchbooks begin strongly but deteriorate as the pressure of the assignment build and ideas and information begins to be filed rather than analysed. This causes obvious problems nearing the end of the assignment when I find myself re-visiting several pages trying to fill in the gaps. Once again this brings about a realisation that I must become more disciplined even in creative tasks ensuring assessable details such as notation, references and dates are included at the time of creation. Although this will initially disrupt my natural work flow it is a discipline that I must adopt in order to achieve maximum efficiency in the second year, bearing in mind that ultimately the work load will increase.

Developments in terms of using the Sketchblog next year are firstly to be more systematic in my documentation of tasks and secondly to fully utilise it’s potential in terms of receiving and providing feedback on designs. Although overall I feel both my collection, response and generation of feedback has been strong throughout the year at times it has been inconsistent.

A2 That’s the Plan
My recollection of A2 is somewhat hazed due to the seemingly vast expanse of time which has passed since its completion. My resounding memories are that it created a land mark for both the quality and quantity of work that would be expected on the course. In particular the competitive analysis and delivery requirement sections of the project posed the greatest challenges, mainly in the fact that I was more intent on creating the actual design of the website and did not anticipate this more academic approach. In hindsight both the delivery requirements and competitive analysis played a vital role in producing coherent and justified screen designs. However my approach to those tasks was somewhat less structured and could have severely encroached upon the quality of my screen designs. Thankfully my previous design experience counter balanced these difficulties and enabled me to complete all elements successfully within the time scale.

A3 Back to Basics
Completing the previous web-plan in A2 greatly assisted my progress in A3, as I was able to replicate the prescribed structure with more efficiency and attention to detail. Therefore this already signified a definite development in my working methods and time management. This proved to be essential as writing the content for the site proved to be very time consuming as I was unfamiliar wit most of the computing terms we had to define. Equally this more disciplined approach allowed me more time to explore the creative section of the project and familiarise myself further with using Adobe InDesign. The through target audience research I undertook in this project once again significantly informed my design ideas and I was extremely satisfied with the design concept I created for the website.

A4 Image Rights image compression
Completing A4 along side A3 created a well needed balance between academic and creative focus. A4 presented the opportunity to explore what I would consider my strengths of image manipulation and idea generation. I feel the assignment definitely developed my appreciation for the creation and application of imagery in design, both in a technical and aesthetic sense. Overall I feel I produced a strong body of work which demonstrated my flexibility in idea generation something which was later pushed to its limits in A6.

A5 Builder
Out of all of the assignments I approached A5 with the most trepidation. I knew the project would take me out of my comfort zone and it would be the first test to see if I could adapt to being a digital designer. My apprehensions did not go unfounded and although my high levels of motivation ensured a steady start frustrations often ensued whist using Adobe Dreamweaver for the first time. On reflection I feel the website, the first one I had ever built, demonstrated a competent level of skill and was accurate to my proposed screen designs. However, I feel the interactivity between the interface and the user could have been greatly improved with the use of Javascript, to create better transitions between elements. Once again completing the assignment alongside A6, which was more creative based, also raised time management issues.

A6 Revert to Type
The fast paced, high pressure timed task element to A6 probably provided the most realistic scenario in terms of working in industry. Thankfully this was an element I greatly enjoyed and I felt it enabled me to push my creative idea generation work to its limits. It also stressed the importance of attention to detail when working for a client. The presentational aspect of the assignment was something I was confident in my ability to deliver. However, the sheer volume of work at the time meant I significantly neglected the preparation for this task and I was greatly disappointed with my performance. Equally, in hindsight, the design of the presentational slides themselves were somewhat overcomplicated, something which had overlooked. Gaining global feedback across all areas of this assignment could have eliminated this problem instantly.

A7 Wailing Whales
Probably the most design based project of the year A7 proved to be more demanding then I had initially anticipated. In particular the seemingly simple task of designing a logo created numerous problems and several revisions of designs had to be made based on feedback. In fact across the board the ‘straight’ forward design tasks proved to be more complicated and time consuming than I had anticipated. This was mainly due to trying to keep consistency between interrelated elements. In terms of using the appropriate software applications effectively and creatively I feel I successfully fulfilled the criteria.

Conclusion
In conclusion I feel I have made significant developments in several areas over the year. Primarily, I feel my design ability both in my creative idea generation and understanding of the design principles has increased considerably. These are definitely areas I did not expect to develop so extensively, as I felt these were already my strengths as a designer. Less surprisingly my ‘creative’, or at times ‘chaotic’, working methods have also undergone distinct refinement. However, these still require considerable adaptation to ensure a smooth transition into the second year. In terms of my knowledge of web design this has obviously improved vastly but also needs considerable development to cope with the demands of year two. Finally it is important not to loose sight of the ultimate goal, making myself as employable as possible for this time next year.

Goals for next Year

• Gain more extensive feedback on all design work
• Designate structured, rigid time slots in self-study
• Create a comprehensive and professional On-line portfolio
• Devote time to self initiated learning of coding languages and scripts.

Word count

1,533

Thoughts of a Juggling Monkey

Today I’m feeling a great bond with my computer as we are united in our inability to cope the masses of data pouring into our comparatively feeble brains. So as my well loved, yet undesirable, p.c struggles to complete it’s disk clean up I will, in harmony, struggle to write this weeks journal. Yes today, bizarrely, instead of feeling on top of things and skipping around in the summer sun I’m struggling to crack a smile. With the humble cup of tea as my only salvation. This pitiful mood is not so much a product of the up and coming deadline but more the inevitable frustration of being a juggling, tightrope, monkey surviving on peanuts. When really all I want to do is swing through the trees with the other monkeys, enjoying their creative leaps from branch to branch. Of course I am a product of my own creation but this doesn’t stop me feeling sorry for myself every now and then! Have I lost the plot? Perhaps, but at least this entry is serving the purpose of some form of therapy all be it short lived and perhaps highly in appropriate!

So, to re-focus, yes the end is in sight. Overall I’m on track, I’m currently working on the advert for the album’s release, which I hope to be posting shortly, if my computer allows it’s completion. I have also evaluated all the sections of my work which are complete to date. Therefore, much of what is required this week is transferring all of the sections into a comprehensive InDesign document, then referencing and working back into sketch books. I hope to do this successful without slipping off my rope.

There are, however, so many other things I want to be creating such as both a print based and web based portfolio. Yet there has to be many more peanuts made over the summer. So strangely I'm not welcoming the up and coming break.

On a single note of positivity it is fulfilling to see all of the work fitting together and I’m sure I will be in much higher spirits next week.

Targets

Complete Display ad for the wire magazine
Transfer all sections of A7 into one document
Index sketch books
Provide referencing [merit & distinction evidence]
Work into sketchbooks

Fine Tuning

Strangely, I’m in a very different position and mood from what I anticipated to be in on this Tuesday afternoon. As despite falling behind last week I feel I’m almost back on track! This is due to sacrificing a beautiful day of sunshine on Saturday to get on with my CD artwork, now if that’s not dedication I don’t know what is. Having the creative freedom in this part of the project has really lifted my motivation and drive, which had started to lag with all the corporate identity elements. So finally everything is coming together and the focus is now on making sure everything is finished to a professional standard. A demand which I now realise was somewhat lacking from my previous courses, especially in terms of technical considerations for commercial printing.

As you can see I’ve already found myself starting to reflect on the year and the progression I’ve made. A class discussion about the second year of the course, and my personal development session with Steve all helped to solidify this thinking. I certainly feel I’ve learnt a great deal over the course of this year, particularly surrounding design principles. This is something which has been most refreshing to me, as things which I have been doing intuitively for years have now been explained and fine tuned. This fine tuning will hopefully allow me to reach my full potential in the design units next year. In terms of the structure of the second year I have to say I really can’t wait to begin. I feel it presents a superbly balanced programme, both in terms of creative and technical challenge. However, before I become too involved in thoughts of next year I better focus on finishing this one though!

So, for the remainder of this week I need to concentrate on finishing my Digipak to a professional level. I’ve decided to develop design #1 [see previous entry] although please still feel free to continue to add to the feedback. Ive been looking at the design of the cd inner and cd body today[see above]. Also I need to check all of my work against my corporate style guide, to ensure all the corresponding elements are consistent. I’m hoping to have all the work completed next week, which will be the first time ever I’m in this position! I’m sure something will go horrible wrong in the meantime but I’m hopeful!

Targets

1. Refine cd outer
2. Develop cd inner and cd body
3. Check all work for consistency against style guide
4. Complete Pre-flight document
5. Design poster for 'The Wire' magazine
   

CD Artwork

#1 - I've been working on the concept of mans impact on our environment for my this cd artwork. The music had an uncomfortable mix of natural and synthesized sounds, woven together in a multitude of layers. So, this is what I've tried to reflect on the cover.

#2 -This image is based on the concept of internal unrest. The music evoked feelings of anxiety, confusion, vulnerability and deep distress. The repetition of the image reflects the magnitude of the emotion as it becomes overwhelming.
#3 - This image is designed to reflect sudden movement, a shift in focus, confusion and a delusional state of mind. I felt the image is intricate and strong enough to speak for itself. However, I believe this artwork may not fulfill the specified criteria because the manipulation was created at the point of capture.
#4 - This is a multi-layered image of photographs I've taken, it is based on the same concept as the above image.

As always some feedback would be great, thank-you!

Business card feedback please

I just created a few business card designs and some feedback would really help, thanks!

Newgo

This will be a rather short entry as illness has rather impeded and is still impeding progress. However, I've got the revised logo design nearly complete just need some feedback on its final layout and colour scheme.

So variations with the border;

Equally colour scheme 'a' or 'b'? [see below]

These are obviously high-tech versions the standard design is shown below;

I'd greatly appreciate any feedback so I can get the logo finalised and applied to the promotional material. I will also, hopefully, be posting some artwork ideas nearer the end of the week.
Targets

1. Complete Style Guide
2. Push development of Artwork for feedback

Nogo

As the title suggests the productive flow of creativity and development I had almost became accustomed to came to an abrupt holt this week. As my logo became a nogo the inevitable frustration crept in and what seemed to be a strong concept fell apart at the seems. Okay, possibly this is a slight exaggeration but to act on the constructive criticism I was receiving about my logo meant to alter the fundamental concept of the design. Equally the originality of the logo was severely lacking as the idea of emitting waves had been utilised in most of the groups designs. However, I did attempt to incorporate the suggestions into a refined version but the original spirit of the design was lost, as was I.

So, as the new week commenced I already felt behind schedule as I was lacking a rather important element. However, I knew it was important not to waste time so I decided to crack on with the CD cover artwork. After spending the morning creating some ink sketches, to overlay with my photography, I regained my focus and felt more positive about the task in hand. Once again it was important to step back and regain perspective. Even though the design of the logo was an important element of the current project, it was not the crux of my universe, so I had to look at its creation objectively and simply fulfil the project criteria. After looking back over my initial ideas and a discussion with Steve I decided to move forward with one of my former ideas.

The new logo idea had evolved from looking at emissions at their basic level, around the concept of molecular reactions. The logo is designed to replicate a molecular structure, it is suggestive that the brand will create a reaction, that is experimental and it consists of only fundamental elements. The placement of it’s elements is based on the formation of dots for the Braille representation of the letter ‘E’. It also has the addition of a lowercase ‘e’ within one of the circles to emulate the copyright symbol. I have chosen to develop this design as I feel it has an original concept, good presence and will be easily recognisable.

To be continued..

Feedback Again Please!!!

Here is a development of my final logo idea. I've spent a lot of time creating each letter from scratch and this is around version #10, so I'd be really grateful for some feedback before I go completely insane!

I'm pretty happy with the outcome and it works well at a variety of different scales and equally as purely black text with no background fill.

Learning Spiral

Dare I say it but I’m still really enjoying myself! Pushing forward my logo ideas in A7 is proving to be really interesting and luckily I’m not stuck for ideas…yet. Hopefully I’m now coming close to being able to select my most successful designs for refinement and then selection of the strongest.

It’s certainly true what Steve said about our method of learning. It definitely isn’t linear and I have to keep making a conscious effort to analyse my designs against everything I’ve learnt since beginning the course. This is particularly tricky to remember when you're introduced to a fancy bit of software that allows you make a myriad of marvellous creations at the touch of a button! These effects may not impress Steve but they did rather impress me, it’s just shame they don’t equate to any level of skill that’s all. Of course I am referring to our introduction to the drawing applications of Freehand /Illustrator. Overall I’m finding the transformation of my sketchy designs into crisp vectors rather satisfying, yet often tinged with the occasional outburst of frustration. But as with everything else I’m sure practice will make perfect. Once again though I feel I’m improving my chances of employment as my skill base widens and refines.

On the subject of employment another former student, Mark Feather, paid us a visit on Monday. It was really good to see how someone with a similar, creative, background to myself had successfully evolved their talents for a commercial output. Once again a real boost for motivation and focus, with a particular emphasis on self initiated learning to prepare myself fully for the requirements of industry. Equally, it made me appreciate the creative freedom I currently have in exploring my ideas while I’m at college, something that simply won’t be possible in industry.

Therefore, over the next week I intend to fully exploit this freedom and have some fun experimenting with some new techniques which may have possibilities for application in my CD artwork. Mark’s work and experiences have really inspired me to create some new ‘artistic’ work for my own portfolio. This is mainly in the interests of self indulgence but it might also help me get a job? Who knows!

Targets

1. Select final logo design and refine
2. Generate a concept for the Corporate Identity using the logo
3. Continue to develop Illustrator design skills
4. Experiment with some new drawing techniques

Emit Feedback

These are my strongest ideas created in Illustrator, I'd really appreciate some feedback so I can go on to develop a couple with variations in element positioning and the addition of colour.

Thanks for your time!

Logos so far...

7th Heaven

Sad as it may seem I am in A7 heaven and the last two days have been an absolute pleasure. Thinking…..sketching….thinking some more is just bliss for me, so to indulge in this for the next few weeks is a truly wonderful thing. Even better than this I get to wander around taking crazy photographs and then have some fun playing around with them. Now if I truly could get paid for doing something like this the course will have really been worth every penny! So, all in all I’m an ecstatic bunny, bouncing off the walls.....well up until now when I must calm myself to write this blog.

Developments over this week have included a visit by Jonny Haynes from www.technophobia.com. He gave us a very honest and insightful look into the design industry. Similarly to ‘The Design Mechanics’ visit he presented us with the reality awaiting us when we finish the course and once again boosted my motivation to succeed.

Also rudely disrupting my thinketch sessions have been a series of ‘logo’ lectures. Despite my obvious frustrations they have actually been rather interesting and informative (luckily for Steve!). So when you think logo, think SPWC [shape, presence, weight, contrast] not a very catchy slogan but useful none the same. Our understanding of these lectures was nicely tested by our old friend the timed task which, initially, was greeted with a distinct lack of enthusiasm by myself but actually turned out to be rather enjoyable. The task was to re-design the logo for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in an hour. It was a really nice introduction to ‘part’ of my new ‘Alpha’ seminar group and I was pleased with our final solution. Our solution (see start of entry) centered around the original ‘semaphore’ inspiration used for the logo. It quite simply repositioned the two symbols of 'N' and 'D' and gave them a more fluid appearance. The new positioning also reflected the shape of a bird (a dove, symbolic of peace) and was presented across a circle which was representative of unity and the earth.

Apart from that A7 progress has been good I have currently designed around 40 initial logo ideas and I will be posting the strongest ones for feedback shortly. I have also started to create some images for the artwork and this will also be displayed in a separate post for feedback.

Targets for A7

• Effective time management and documentation
• A disciplined approach to all tasks
• Constant reflection in light of feedback every week
  

'Natural Language' Mood Board #1

Here is my first interpretation of 'Natural Language' in purely pictorial form, a typographic impression will follow shortly.

Raw Creation

I feel that this week I’ve been plunged into an uncomfortable journey of self discovery rather then beginning a new unit on a HND! The crux of this has of course been the bizarre CD which Steve imparted to me last week. A CD which I have to say is not for the faint hearted or us sensitive folk of Norfolk. Now I may speak the truth, and have no intention of marketing the CD to you, I will disclose that it is really rather disturbing. In fact, so much so, I found myself wincing as it echoed out of the speakers, almost tainting the haven which once was my bedroom! Upon reflection I concluded that for mere sound to provoke such a reaction it must be pretty powerful stuff and therefore would fuel immense creation. This creation, if anything, would provide an attempt to de-construct the complex relationship between sound and vision and emotion.

I can already sense the challenge of this unit will be to combine raw creativity into functional design without losing the soul of the idea, or inspiration. This has become apparent to me as in a parallel universe I flooded my visions with corporate, cold, clinical logos so highly worked and finished they appeared to be mechanically produced, void of all human input.

In keeping with this idea I have been careful not to impose any preconceived ideas for a finished product in relation to the CD I have been given. I intend to be as loose and open to outside and inside sources as much as possible to avoid suffocating originality. I’m also going to attempt to keep a distant perspective of other people’s ideas in order to avoid fixation with their own creations or early perceptions of mine. This of course may present difficulties in terms of feedback but initially I feel it is important to remain objective to ensure maximum creative output and experimentation is undertaken.

In conclusion I am delighted with the concepts we are exploring in this new unit and I feel extremely excited at the prospect of what it will produce. During the week visuals will be posted to reflect my progression of thought.

CD Review- Natural Language

Natural Language leads you on a unique, complex journey into the depths of your very conscious. It’s powerful , intense rhythms overwhelm your mind probing and challenging your inner most being. The abrasive rawness of each track resonates through your soul unearthing a myriad of suppressed emotions. It’s deep movements are so thick and encompassing yet paradoxically ethereal in their provoked reflections.

Untouchable and often uncomfortable Natural Language presents a rare and unprecedented plunge into the unknown, the only question is will you like what you find?

A6 Evaluation

I have to say A6 Revert to Type has turned out very differently to what I anticipated. Naively, at the start of the project, I imaged to breeze through the unit and was astounded at, seemingly, how little we had to do. How wrong could I be! A6 has been an extremely enjoyable but challenging unit, pushing my design skills and stamina to their limits. I will now reflect on my performance across each task and evaluate how successfully I met each brief.

Hokai
Leading up to ‘Hokai’ we had fortunately had a test run at timed task [The Font Book]. This helped immensely with two important factors; attention to detail and time management. This was particularly crucial as I was completing the task remotely. My initially impressions of the task were that it was significantly more complicated than before, so the margin for error would be higher. To overcome this issue I thoroughly read and re-read the brief before starting. Once a time plan was in place I wasted no time sketching a multitude of designs, my focus was to create an easily recognisable label that had a relevant identity to the brand. Unfortunately, due to the small size of the design and the amount of information we needed to include this was a challenge. The final design which I decided to develop incorporated a circular filled area in the center of the label, this both acted as an indicator for the colour of the paint and provided a link to it’s oriental identity [mimicking the design of the Japanese flag]. When transferring the design into InDesign my first priority was to ensure the information was inputted correctly. The second priority was to select a suitable typeface for the brand name of the paint. Time restrictions made this difficult to accomplish to the standard I sort to achieve, therefore I am not completely happy with the featured typeface. However, I believe the design decisions I made within the tight time limit was satisfactory. Overall I am pleased with the outcome of the final design, it fulfils the criteria of the brief and incorporates an oriental theme, which I set out to achieve.

Vodafone
The Vodafone task was focused more around being creative with the layout of the design. This was due the design decisions which had to be made in relation to the basic size within which the design would fit, with every size equating to a different cost. Thankfully the detailed explanation of the task by Steve enabled me to approach the task with confidence. As always it was important to throughly understand the constraints of the task, otherwise all design work would be flawed. My personal focus for this task was to create design features that would give the ad immediate impact. I also wanted the ad to have direct appeal to the individual by putting emphasis on the 'You' and 'Your' in the body text, unfortunately this idea disrupted the rhythm of the design so it was abandoned. However, I feel I did successfully achieved impact in the design but using the Vodafone trademark symbol repeated as speech marks to enclose the body text.

Morris Fuller Benton Presentation - Slide Designs
The slide designs I created for my typographer presentation are overall my most successful work within A6. I feel that I have managed to achieve a consistent, flowing and original presentation, which is both informative and visually interesting. This was achieved through extensive research which fueled experimentation and great enthusiasm for the subject matter.
Morris Fuller Benton Presentation - Delivery
The section of A6 I am most displeased with was the delivery of my presentation. Restrictions on the amount of time I could dedicate to work had the greatest impact on this section. This meant that I had not adequately practiced my delivery and I also did not also myself sufficient time, before the presentation, to collect my thoughts and composition. this was reflected in my lack of focus during the delivery of each slide and a observable lack of commitment to what I was saying. The presentation was not strong or convincing and overall I was extremely frustrated and disappointed with my performance.

Timed Exam - Grid & Story
The last section of work for A6 was the one I held least enthusiasm for. This was mainly due to the circumstances under which I task had to be performed and the fatigue I felt at the time. I was mentally and physically unable to give anything, so I held out little hope for the quality of my work I would produce. However, the designs seemed to flow effortlessly as the task commenced and I was pleasingly surprised at what I had achieved at the end of section one, the completing of the grid system. Thankfully this continued into section two. My aim for the design was to create a contemporary piece which still reflected the 'Jazz' genre. I settled on a bold reverse, masthead, justified right and with a high contrast between the two featured typefaces. I chose the Eras type family for all of the text within the design, this allowed flexibility but also kept consistency. My focus for the main body of text was to keep simplicity and also allow good readability. I chose to repeat the boldness of the headline further down in the text with a pull quote, not only to add interest to the information but also to add harmony to the design. The intention of the piece was to creating a snaking flow down the page between emboldened elements. I also chose to deliberately break the rule of facing the image across the page, this was intended to compliment the originality of the piece and also repeat the weighting of the masthead.

Summary
Overall I am extremely pleased with the body of work i have produced for A6. I feel it reflects a consistent application of skills and knowledge and a growing awareness of aesthetic nuances. Greater organisation and more refined time management may have further assisted achievement in this unit. However, distinct determination and enthusiasm for the subject played an important role in progression of work in this unit.

How to Suck a Lemon

The end is insight yet with it comes the bittersweet experience of relief tainted with overtones of anxiety and stress! Although I feel my website is pretty much complete the more I test the more I want to tweek and the longer my to-do list becomes! Looking back I have to say I feel I’ve come a long way since my first decidedly dodgy page designs. It has been a rather queer experience into the unknown, rather bitter at times but now fairly refreshing. I’m sure I will look back with a wry grin at what will seem a very amateurish website but right now I’m quite proud of how it’s turned out. The rest of this week will be dedicated to collating my useabilty testing to form an evaluation based on the project goals. Equally I’m sure the feedback form will require much tweeking as I have been still unable to upload the now version due to Internet connection problems.

Today has been dedicated to perfecting my presentation and tidying up sketchbooks as I was unable to complete the times task from home because of a medieval Internet connection. This has been rather frustrating as I feel I had performed well in the tasks up until now. Equally I feel it will put at somewhat of an disadvantage next week, still, some things can’t be helped.


Targets

• Ensure consistency between pages
• Do final validation checks
• Collate useabilty testing to form an evaluation based on my project goals
• Rehearse presentation
• Live and breathe sketch books

Flow

Fortunately for me this week has turned out to be somewhat of a revelation as to what I was expecting. Monday morning, as usual, did not bring about the joy of a new day but more a dread of what was to come. The half term was not as productive as I had liked and I felt the control I had initially gained over A5 and A6 was now slipping away. A5 in particular was weighing on my mind as although I’d managed to get most of the site together, I didn’t understand a word of the errors coming up in validation checks and I hadn’t even tried setting up the feedback form. What made things worse was everyone else seemed to be flying along with the greatest of ease!So after reluctantly uploading as much of the website I had completed on Sunday I prepared for the worst…

After horrific driving conditions I finally arrived at college but the testing was already underway. This didn’t help in improving my mood and now gloomy vision of what was to come. However, during a quick talk with Steve most of the group took the trouble to review my site and provide some valuable feedback, thanks to those involved! I started to feel better about the situation and knew the only way to overcome the mountain of work before me was to just get on with it and that’s exactly what I did.

I have to say I think most of the problem was psychological because I felt I simply didn’t have the knowledge to overcome the problems I was facing. The challenge seemed far too high and working from home over the past two weeks had made me feel very isolated.

Csikszentmihalyi [a famous psychologist] shows exactly what was happening to me in the diagram below. At the beginning of the week I was definitely in the blue area, the challenges I was facing seemed far too high for the level of skill I had and this resulted in extreme anxiety. Yet as the day progressed and I gained knowledge and more skill from the support of those around me and I entered the flow channel! So, by the end of the day after a lot of hard work I felt fulfilled, re-focussed but completely exhausted!

Today usually would have been the day I was looking forward to but once again the dread crept in as I knew it was mock presentation day and more timed tasks were to come. Fortunately though I felt more confident in my abilities and knew with a bit of hard work I’d be back in the Flow! The timed task of the day presented sufficient challenge and after a focussed session of designing and acting on feedback the solution was finished [see below]. I was fairly happy with the design and I had been a lot more proactive in responding to feedback which was a definite improvement. In terms of the presentations a run-through over lunch proved to be very valuable and everything went significantly better than I’d anticipated. The rest of the afternoon has been spent collecting inspirational material as a personal treat for working so hard [sad I know]!

So all in all things are pretty damn good and all the hard work had paid off, Sam Ewing says it all;

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."

All I can say is I’m glad I turned up this week.

Sick Note

This week due to illness I had to work from home. This certainly was a hard decision to make as I knew how important it would be to get feedback before the testing session after half term. However ,some things are just unavoidable and so I decided I would try to be as productive as I could. The annoying thing is I knew I was finally making good progress with A5 and things were looking more how they should. I was even, dare I admit it, starting to enjoy it! There is just one niggling thing that I can’t work out, my page is composed of two separate tables and for some reason Firefox adds space between these tables, even though all padding etc is set to zero. Does anyone know why this is? Does it mean I have to re-design the whole page into just one table? Hopefully not!














Along with the worry of not being able to pick anyones brain about my Dreamweaver issues my other concern was falling behind with the timed tasks in A6. Fortunately Steve agreed to allow me to try completing this weeks timed task via email. I have to admit I was quite anxious about this, particularly because of the higher risk of not meeting the deadline due to technical issues. However, I thought it would really put my time management to the test which in the long run could only be of benefit to me. So, when the brief arrived I was determined to succeed and knew the key to this would be to submit my work well before the deadline of 11am. A quick scan of the brief soon revealed the task was a lot more complicated then we had previously encountered, mainly due to the large amount of constraints to comply to. In a sense this made designing the layout easier but it also meant attention to detail was vital to avoid making silly mistakes! After a rough time plan was written I hurriedly sketched out as many ideas as I could, in the 15 minutes I’d allocated. Simplicity really was the key due to the label’s small size and high text content! I settled on a coloured circle as the dominant feature of the label to reflect the oriental theme (Japanese Flag). Then I made sure each element was positioned with proximity and hierarchy of importance in mind. Finding a Oriental style font proved to be tricky as everything I liked had a small capital lowercase family, which I thought would be altering the information given on the brief. Finally, I begrudgingly settled on Tempus Sans ITC as I knew I didn’t have time to search for and download any new fonts. I decided to use Times New Roman along with this feature font as I felt this would increase legibility for important information. Next I made sure I aligned everything with each other as much as possible and tried to repeat layout elements as much as I could. I reviewed the design printed it and then made a few final tweeks (see above). Even though it was a long way from the deadline I knew I had to stop as I still had to photograph my roughs and get everything ready to email. Thankfully everything went smoothly and everything was sent off with still 15 minutes to spare, a minor miracle! Overall I’m pretty pleased with the design and my performance and it started the day off really well.
















For the remainder of my day I’ve been working on finalizing elements of my presentation. My handout is completed (see above) and any feedback would be really appreciated. My slides are pretty much there now its just a case of practicing and perfecting. Hopefully this will give me a more time to devote to A5 to ensure it is up to testing when we get back. So as half term approaches I sense a beautiful relationship forming between me and my 995 page Dreamweaver Bible, can life get any better?!

Targets

• Refine and practice presentation to audience
• Focus on joining all webpages together and rectifying any validation issues
• Develop my feedback form and get it working!
  

Step Back

Already it feels as if it’s Friday except I don’t have that Friday feeling. Yesterday was a long day even though we finished slightly earlier than usual and today was exhausting even though physically I’ve achieved little. So it’s with little fulfillment that I write this weeks journal entry. This gloomy slide possibly began early, very early, Monday morning as I contemplated the joys of wrestling with Dreamweaver for the day. I regret to admit I did not approach Monday with PMA [positive mental attitude] that my website would all fall into place, but more PMF [pigs might fly]. However, by the end of the day I felt I had made good progress which filled me with optimism about what I could now achieve in self-study .

Today has been mainly focussed on the ‘real world’ with our visit to the Design Mechanics. It was something I had been looking forward to for a while but has left a certain numbness in my mind. This is by no means a reflection of the Design Mechanics itself. Nor is it a disappointment about the quality or professionalism of the work they produce. It is more a personal reaction to the hard-nosed, highly competitive design industry then we are all striving to have a, seemingly insignificant, place in. I am a realist and I do not expect to fall into my dream job immediately but it really bought to light the harsh reality facing us at the end of the course. In particular the realisation that however much we strive to learn over the next few months there will always be a substantial short-fall in our knowledge and level of skill. This has particular resonance as increasingly I’m equating time to money and the interest is already building on the time I’ve borrowed. On a more positive note the visit did install in me a confidence that I am by no means wasting my time, but I should think carefully about exactly how I invest it over the next 18 months.

With regard to A6 I feel I am progressing well and I’m still greatly enthused with the creative potential of the unit. I see the hand out to accompany the presentation as another opportunity to explore and create. But referring to my earlier comments on time wasting I must ensure I don’t over indulge and neglect the development of my technical knowledge.

On a more random note I met the mayor of Wakefield today and was given an opportunity to present a piece of work. This was quite a bizarre moment with little apparent academic relevance. However, it was fundamental in adjusting my, self-absorbed, perspective and acknowledging the wider world again. It was refreshing to once again be reminded of the unpredictable, transient and beautiful world in which we live. Sometimes it is all to easy to loose sight of that, sometimes stepping back is the best thing you can do.

Contrast

This week has been one of completely opposing values and the foundation of this has been formed from our two current units. Already I am feeling despondent due to differences in the amount of creativity needed to be employed in A5 and A6. Unfortunately, Builder [A5] is the less favoured unit because of this and although my motivation to succeed is high, my enjoyment level somewhat differs. However, my progression in A5 is according to plan and I found the form building input straight forward and more simplistic than anticipated. Although I’m sure I will be eating my words when it comes to testing the form. In terms of the basic layout of the template it just needs a few tweeks and all my images need to be optimised. I am feeling more comfortable and confident using Dreamweaver and hopefully as I get more involved I start to enjoy it more. Oh just one thing; can you put a border around a single cell and if so how?

Revert to Type [A6] has been the redeeming feature of the week. I find the lectures interesting and collecting inspirational examples of type is really expanding my thinking for the presentation. I’m fortunate that my given typographer Morris Fuller Benton created a diverse range of typefaces, so it’s given me plenty of scope for experimentation. Today I created a mood board of some of his most interesting typefaces to help inspire the design of my slides [see image above].











Tuesday also encompassed the first of our timed assignments and created yet another diverse experience. Overall I really enjoyed the task I feel I created a good range of ideas and the quality of my final outcome was satisfactory considering the time limitations [see image above]. However, there was just one problem, I missed the deadline. The annoying thing was it wasn’t because of my time management but because InDesign kept shifting my design off of the page every-time I tried to print with crop marks. So, the deadline passed and even though I had all of my work complete I failed. In hindsight I should of just handed in the normal printout with my other sheets instead of persevering with the print setting menu, but what’s done is done. Strangely I wasn’t angry or frustrated about this because I felt satisfied I’d responded well to the task regardless of the mark or lack of mark I would receive.


The seminar group this week was also an eye-opener and bought to light the level of detail and commitment required to pass Sketch Blog [A1]. I’m looking forward to the new seminar groups as I feel the group dynamic will greatly assist my personal development. So I plan to use and abuse the talents of all in my new group, so be warned!

Targets for this week

• Polish template design for feedback next week
• Prepare rough draft of presentation
• Undertake self-generated inspirational work
• Prepare questions for feedback of presentation in seminar group
• Consider a piece of work to present at Design Mechanics

Finally apologies for the late entry.

Evolution

Once again the familiar clicking of keys fills the room as I sit here wishing the words were flowing so easily to my fingers. Already I have fallen into old habits and deleted this second sentence three times, hopefully now I’ve admitted my sins it will remain! So, the start of a new semester and I have to say it hasn’t been as painful as I’d anticipated. I think the three weeks off over Christmas were essential in allowing me to regain my drive after the arduous and challenging last semester.

I have to admit i felt completely drained leading up to the holiday and when it arrived it didn’t feel like Christmas at all. I was no longer a human being but had evolved into a highly tuned machine, spouting out page after page of assessment material. It took a good few days to switch this machine off and return back to planet Earth. Similarly when yesterday arrived I still felt a week behind, but rather than being a finally tuned design machine, I was a letter posting one! Now, a day on, I feel my head’s finally in the right place and I’m feeling really enthusiastic about the new semester for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the new projects seem to offer the right level of challenge combined with the opportunity to be creative. Obviously I favour A6, the Typography unit, as I feel it has more freedom and I enjoy the challenge of producing work under pressure. I’m apprehensive about A5 as I’m sure the building of the website will present equal, if not more, challenges. The problem is that they may be challenges I’m inexperienced to cope with and inevitably this will lead to considerable frustrations. However, I’m trying to approach the task with an open mind and I did enjoy experimenting with Dreamweaver yesterday, so fingers crossed!

Along with the prospect of interesting new projects I’m also in high spirits after receiving the feedback on A3 and A4. I’m ashamed to admit that, briefly, in the holiday I seriously considered my motives for continuing with the course. This was mainly due to the severe financial concerns bought on by the festive season. Self doubt is never a good thing and just for a moment I questioned if I would ever become the designer I hoped to be. Receiving the positive feedback from Steve and John yesterday really meant a lot to me and eliminated any doubts still residing in my mind.

So, to conclude, the going is good. I'm committed to achieving my full potential and now feel certain the investment I've made to achieve this will pay off. The first two days of the new semester have been very productive and I feel I've made a solid, considered, approach to both units. This week I hope to spend more time familiarising myself with Dreamweaver. This will hopefully allow me to analyse how to build my proposed screen designs. In terms of A6 I need to process the research I've gathered and gather some paper based sources. I also intend to complete some InDesign tutorials to enable me to work more effectively on the imminent timed tasks!