This module has been very challenging and stimulating, as I've cared about each brief more than any previous ones I have worked on. I put a lot of effort into each project, no matter how small (and even when 'small', they didn't feel it), and I got to experience new contexts and design formats that I hadn't worked with previously.
Each brief was live and I was working towards a deadline, so for the first time in my life I had to manage my time effectively without the constraints of college hand-ins. This taught me a lot in terms of working at a manageable pace, and trying to plan a workload for each day while balancing the other modules. I found it difficult at times, for example when I was working on my Feathr designs, I started them 4 weeks before the deadline as I knew I had to fit in other work. This made me work slower than I could have, because I knew the deadline was far away. However since that incident I have improved vastly at managing my time and getting responsive briefs done at a good pace and in advance for deadlines, which makes things a lot calmer.
Responsive gave me the opportunity to get a very clear idea of who I was designing for, as each brief essentially had a client, which has never been apart of past modules (except for Secret 7" last year). In other modules it often feels as if you're designing for yourself as nobody is actually going to buy it or make use of it, unlike competition/live briefs. This challenged me to look outside of what I like, especially when working with huge brands like Gap. I found creating the student campaign for Gap the hardest as I never really knew much about the brand before this module. It was difficult to get the tone of voice right, while also creating content that fit in with their already existing identity. This also applied when I had to send colour variations of my Feathr wallpaper, which was new to me, as I've never communicated back and forth about my designs. I had to put myself in the position of someone wanting to buy an exciting wallpaper pattern, and think of how the interior of their homes may look.
I learnt about designing for different formats, such as wallpaper and book covers. When creating my designs for Feathr I had to teach myself to create a seamless pattern in photoshop, which was a huge struggle and very time consuming. I also have never designed patterns before... so at first I felt a little lost, because it was very open to anything. However I found my way and enjoyed the change from having to include certain information and deliverables like most graphic design.
Another format I have never designed for is stickers - the small project of creating one for the blog Booooooom was interesting and different. When I printed them out and used them, I felt a satisfaction and confidence, that made me really keen to try stickers in future modules and projects.
A particular skill I have seen grow throughout this module is illustration - I am beginning to use it more and more in my work as it feels natural to me. However, I would not yet refer to myself as an illustrator, as I think of it more as using hand rendered imagery in my design work. Whether it was a graphics tablet or acrylic paint, I have definitely used a loose and expressive style in a lot of my responsive projects. This is important to me as I find it more personal to me and my peers say I am developing an individuality to my work. I'm happy with this as I'm still finding my path in graphic design, and still struggle to identify myself as a designer.
I found designing a movie poster for Her was my most enjoyable project - I gave myself a couple of days to do it, meaning I had to make it simple. However this worked really well for me as sometimes I give myself too much time to work on something so I start to dislike what I've done. Her has such an individual style that I had to create visuals that mirrored just that, which was an enjoyable challenge.
I still need to improve on time management for module deadlines, as I let myself down by not having design boards for every project, and some I didn't print out (Penguin design competition) as I had trouble finding the files at last minute before hand-in, which isn't good organisation and is a waste of my own time.
This module has been my favourite so far as it has gotten me very excited about my practice. It made me feel like a designer rather than a student, as each brief was part of the real world and not just hypothetical. The fact that each had a possible prize or some sort of recognition was amazing motivation. It gave me a lot of confidence in my work, especially when I won a place for my wallpaper design to be sold on the Feathr website... a few months ago I would have never expected my work to be good enough for anything like that.
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