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.