I think I have definitely improved my editorial design skills throughout this module and it is something that I have found I really enjoy. I can tell that this has got better because if I reflect back on the previous years design context publication there is very obvious improvements. The layout of this magazine is a lot more creative and the design is a lot cleaner and easier for the audience to read, which I think has been helped by the great deal more of development that took place. I think my skills within writing has also increased and I feel a lot more comfortable writing analytically and referencing back to quotes. The level of this years essay is a lot higher, I think what was helpful was picking a topic that I was more personally interested in and a lot more initial research relating to. I think the skills that I developed during my essay transferred directly onto when I was writing the content for my publication which made the process a lot faster and easier than I thought it would be. My concept development skills are also better and I feel that I now have a greater understanding of how to link theoretical and practical work successfully through the use and placement of image and type.
What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
I think my seminar notes were a big help in the production of my designs and content development as I felt very informed on my subject because I did them. It gave me a lot more confidence in my knowledge which helped my commit and have faith in my design ideas. Within the production of my design I am also happy that I pushed the mirror and acetate ideas as I think they bring a lot to the publication and give it a unique touch to help stand out and be memorable with the audience.
What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I think some skills that I have demonstrated through this module has been the documentation and clarity of my lecture notes. This is clear to me because of how useful I found the relevant blog posts to my essay and publication. I found them clear and easy to understand which meant I could get a lot of useful information out of them. Another strength that I feel I had was organisation, especially in relation to writing my essay. I had the first draft ready a lot earlier than necessary which meant I could gather a lot more feedback and have longer to make amendments. I think the link with my publication and essay is also strong and being able to use one to inform the other was really helpful. I think a final strength was that I wrote all my own content for my publication, I think it would have been the easy way out to use my essay or whole sections found online. I think this way has definitely pushed me and I am glad that I have done it as I now have an even better understanding of my topic.
What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
I think a weakness within my publication could be within the production, even though the quality of print and images is good I think the use of different stocks could have been better. For example for the inside pages I would have liked a thinner option but unfortunately it wasn't available at the time. The cover could have also looked nice with a glossy finish to give a more luxury and quality look that would appeal to the target audience. Another point is that I could have taken some of the imagery myself by doing some street photography and setting up my own studio shoot to give my work a more personal touch and develop skills within a different area. Although this could have led to lower quality images.
Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to change from doing these?
- Gather more sources to get a wider range of research and quotes for my essay and publication. This could have helped for triangulation purposes to get a wider range of opinions and knowledge.
- Further research after lecture notes to get a more personal understanding
- Do some audience related primary research to get a better understanding for content and design choices.
- Include some of my own photography to gain some primary imagery and develop a different skill.
- I would like to place my publication within the environment to see how the audience reacts to it and what their opinions would be.
How would you grade yourself in the following areas (5 - excellent to 1 - poor):
- Attendance: 5
- Punctuality: 5
- Motivation: 4
- Commitment: 4
- Quantity of work: 3
- Quality of work: 3
- Commitment to the group: 4
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