Assignment 1 Feedback
I was quite apprehensive about submitting my first assignment for tutor feedback, but I feel positive that I have made a fairly good start on the course. I knew that I would be picked up on the lack of contextual research and developmental work, but I am confident I can improve on this. After carefully reading through the feedback, I have identified the key areas I need to address moving forward on the course:
Go much further in terms of research/inspirations – this should be more visual and in greater depth. Explain how the research links to and validates the rationale for the final outcome. Explore historical and contextual aspects of Graphic Design.
I definitely need to delve deeper into the history of graphic design as I am completely new to this subject – part of the reason I had not done this was because I was not sure where to start or what to focus on. I also need to find some examples of current graphic designers that inspire me. As well as relevant books and websites, I intend to visit some galleries and exhibitions, which I feel will help broaden my knowledge – all of which I will document on my learning log.
Show reasoning behind creative decisions. Experiment with a range of ideas rather than using a fixed initial idea as the final solution – explore the pros and cons of each one. Try different approaches and techniques – reflect, analyse and draw conclusion from this.
I do tend to fixate on a particular idea, which often limits the possibilities of what I could achieve. From now on, I will explore at least three different ideas for each project, in depth, before making a final choice and ensuring I provide a reasoned rationale for this decision.
Demonstrate more preparatory work using both a sketch book and learning log (e.g. drawings, plans, sketches and experimentations).
I am very aware that I have not been making use of a sketch book enough so far on this course. Starting from the next exercise I am going to ensure that I make full use of a sketchbook to show my planning and experiments, whilst visually documenting this on my learning log.
Incorporate more hand-drawn work into both development and final pieces.
I am very keen to try this on future projects as I believe that sketching is one of my strengths. I have started looking into how graphic designers combine the digital and non-digital in one composition. I will research this in greater depth and post about it on my learning log with examples.
Begin incorporating type into my designs.
I am quite nervous about typography as knowing how to use it appropriately seems to be a real art. I have started to read Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton and I also have Type & Typography by Phil Baines and Andrew Haslam. I watched the four Skillshare videos by Ellen Lupton, one of which focuses on typography, which have really opened my eyes to possibilties with typography and graphic design as a whole. (https://www.skillshare.com/user/ellenlupton)
