First of all, the project.
What is good?
What problem did you identify?
My project was about encouraging Graphic Designers to become more sustainable in their practice
What evidence did you find to support your decisions?
I did some research over the holidays as part of the summer brief. It started off as 'Sustainable Design' being part of what I think is good. So, I looked into what sustainability is and how it linked in with Graphic Design.
and it is quiet self explanatory why sustainable design is good.
I found statistics about sustainability in general and then focused in on the Design part of it.
So, a lot of my research were secondary quantitative. I also read a cou0ple of books on Sustainable Design, so, a lot of those were opinions but they were well supported opinions by the experts, etc.
what I enjoyed the most were reading essays and interviews from designers who also believe in sustainability and the different specific issues they were more interested in.
For this project, i decided to focus into on the waste part of it and I wanted to encourage designers to think about waste and designing for longevity.
How did these inform your response to your problem?
Obviously, these information that i gather formed the basis of my project. This project was mainly about facts and getting the message through via statements and facts that will have impact on the audience.
What research could you have carried that would have proved more useful?
I read about design studios that are 'green' and case studies of the different 'green' projects but I really could have done with actually talking to someone who works in a sustainable design studio or a Graphic design who practices Sustainable designs and the different obstacles they have to meet and what they do to convince their clients/ peers that it is good.
The five things that you have learnt about design process over the last five weeks
As mentioned right at the beginning, this module / start of the year has been a big learning curve for me.
1. The print module: I feel like this year we have had a lot more taught sessions where its not really about finding out about yourselves ( like it was in the first year ) but more about the technical side of things. Its been a real eye opener. We've learn about the actual print process and the different types of printing you can do.So, rather than learning about the 'design process' its the 'print process' that we have learnt
2. As mentioned above this is a print module where we have been learning about the different types of print you can do. With all this new knowledge its really made me think more about 'how I am making this piece of design and not just 'what I'm making' which makes the whole process a lot harder. In the first year, it used to just be,...' so this looks nice on illustrator, lets jus print it and hand it in' . but now, I'm thinking about how this design would fit into the real world and how it would be made in the real world. you're now considering the appropriate stock to go with the appropriate type of printing and the different print finishes you can do. the end product never just comes out of a printer anymore...there is a million other processes you can go through to perfect your piece of design.
3. Too much research is not good. During this brief, as it was a lot to do with research....I did a lot of researching and I wouldn't say it was too much research but in ratio of the actual designing....it was probably too much. I managed to turn around and sort this problem out in time ( i hope ) but I did fall into the trap of researching before even thinking. during my tutorial, Lorenzo pointed out the me the problem and how it could easily be fixed. just before any research, just think of something. do something. and when you get stuck....you research. There's no point building up a massive body of research if you're not going to know how to use them!
4. Be ridiculously picky. This print module has reinforce this idea of being a perfectionist on me. The print process and working with printers....you have to be a perfectionist and very thorough in your work.
This is kinda of two points in one. When I thorough, I mean within your design...eg. typography and the other one is being thorough when you're preparing you design for the printers. eg. colour, links, images, file type etc.
5. I love type. ( and layout) This year has definitely confirmed my love in type. I was interested in it last year but as I started using more type in my work and using InDesign ( also in the summer holiday ) I am now a firm believer in typography. However, at the moment, I'm looking at some of my work and I like the type in them but in my head I'll always now that they can be better. I know I don't know enough about it yet and I'm still devleopping the 'eye of type' but I feel like I'm getting there and I'm just realy excited about the type module next term. I want to know more!
List five things that you would do differently next time
1. Research it the right way.
perhaps a more organized way of research. I think I definitely need to improve the relationship between my research, and my practice.
2. Just draw/ put anything down that comes to my head ( project related). I've definitely been too careful and cautious at following through with an idea. I just need to follow through with an idea and if I don't like it , I just have to make a decision and change it
SKETCH BOOK.
3. This one is kind of related to the previous point. If I had an idea of DOING something. instead of talking about doing it. I should just do it.
eg. for this project I wanted to make a poster/calendar using scrap materials. I wanted to make my own paper out of old scrap paper and I did manage to do it but quite close to the end of the module so I didnt actually get to try and make different types of paper and see what they would look like if I were to print onto them digitally ( or even if I could!?) or if I screen printed them.
I've basicallt just managed to make the paper and then screen print onto them. and that was all I managed to do.
I wish I could have had test pieces.
4.Talk more to tutors. I've talked to my friends about my project quite a lot this year. more than last year which is an improvement but I still feel like I still don't have enough confidnece to just find a tutor and start talking about my project. ( unless I absolutely needed to )
5. I need Remember that ....when you print things out....they literally look nothing like how they look on screen.....
test print and just have this in mind when I'm deisiging.
