Robyn Russell OUGD203
BA Graphic Design
Evaluation
YCN & Product, Range and Distribution
This entire module has probably been the most challenging module yet. There has been a lot that has happened to me as a Graphic Designer. I think working through YCN really made me make some big steps towards establishing my own practice.
This module has really helped me work out that I am going to be a Graphic Designer that is focused through type and layout. A lot of aspects in the YCN brief really made me realize this, and I think working in a two was the reason. By breaking up our own separate roles and responsibilities, looking back at it, I can see that I wanted to do the layout and type side of things. By taking on these roles I was spending a lot of time trying to get these elements right and I really enjoyed myself, thus the realisation that this brief, combined with the type module running through, I had finally settled as a designer around type. I really enjoyed working in a duo with Nick. I think its such a great opportunity to have the opportunity to bounce ideas of someone and get some honest feedback. I also think it really helped me focus my ideas a lot more, instead of going off on a tangent because there was someone else relying on me to be focused.
Working in a duo is always going to be hard to get your ideas across and not restrict the other person, and I think at times both Nick and I felt like that but generally I think we both compromised and realized at the end of the day we both wanted to produce work to a high level. I think combining my structured approach and Nicks level of perfectionism we produced some really good work and I am very happy with it. We both tried to incorporate each others styles and quirks, and I think that’s what made us happy with our designs. As for the whole YCN module, it defiantly teaches you to respect others people judgment and really listen to what people are saying. I do my best to do this anyway, but working collaboratively you have no choice but to listen to the other person and then combine ideas that initially you would probably have never though of. The YCN module has really wetted my appetite for working collaboratively, but I think I would enjoy it more working with someone from another discipline so that you wouldn’t be ‘butting heads’ over the way you may design something.
With regards to the research and development areas of the YCN module, we both agreed from the beginning to delegate certain things so that we could spend our time wisely and not end up finding out the same things. I feel this really benefitted our project because it meant we were both informed in different areas, making our team work more effectively. I feel with this module it was more about focusing on the skills we already had, opposed to developing new ones. This is because this module was more about working together and balancing each others interests to create something innovative and attractive. This is one of the main reasons I feel I have really developed my skills as a type and layout designer as that was my role.
As for my product range and distribution module, this module I thoroughly enjoyed. The main reason for this is the fact that I had finally worked out what sort of graphic design practice I wanted to push myself in. Due to the work I had done in YCN. Another big element to this module was the fact that through my type module and creating my type journal I had really come to realize that I love design around food and all things ‘foody’. So when it came to looking for an appropriate brief I really wanted to find something food related to inspire me. For me, I don’t think the timing of this module could have come better I really wanted to use this module to push my work in using type to create branding and possible layout design. Which I have been able to do throughout this brief, I also love working with packaging and design, so managing to combine type and packaging was defiantly one of my main aims.
I have really enjoyed this module I think because I could create the brief around the content I wanted to, which meant that every aspect of it I could enjoy.
One element of this project that I really enjoyed was breaking the briefs down at the beginning and separating them into categories. This really helped me focus my intentions with the brief and get the most out of them. This is something I defiantly intend to take on into my next projects, I just helped me keep focus through the project and look at how I can incorporate the skills I wanted to into it.
When I originally came up with my idea for the brief, I wanted to do quite a lot using a range of different printing techniques. I structured my brief so it was restricted in some senses, but when it came to making them products I had quite a lot of free reign. However, when I had my tutorial with Fred he quite rightly pointed out that it would be better to focus my ideas down and maybe focus on one element of the project I am interested in and then propose the rest so that I could maybe do them when the brief is finished. This actually really helped me because I was defiantly trying to do too much, and this way I got to focus on the brand and packaging, which are two elements I really wanted to produce well. I was focused in this brief to create something professional and of a standard I would expect, and by restricting myself in this way and not discounting the rest of the project helped me deliver some work that I am really happy with. Especially producing work that was using skills I had, and then pushing them further. I have defiantly benefited from this because it has meant I haven’t spread myself too thin and I have been able to spend time on the elements needed to make them perfect. I have proposed some ideas for this brief, but there’s so much more I can do with it and I fully intend to take it on after I had in the module. I really wanted to create some bespoke posters that would go inside the bakery, and I really wanted to screen print them but by focusing on the packaging it means afterwards I can spend some time on the posters instead of rushing them to get them right.
When it came to the packaging it was important that I got this right. There was going to be two separate elements, the cup packaging and then the packaging to hold it. I really wanted to create something innovative and by looking through my research I realized that the most successful way of doing this was to take something already out there and make it my own. Finding the appropriate design net I then went on to create and perfect my packaging design for the handling. It was important that both the elements of the packaging had a realistic function and really worked. The crits I had really helped me push and develop my packaging because people helped outline things that I would never have thought of and see the potential in it that I couldn’t. This helped with one of my break-throughs which was to turn the cup back into a functioning cup, and therefore turn the whole package into a lunch time snack. This added a completely different element to the functionality, but improved it ten fold.
I went through a lot of trial and error to get the packaging just right, this is because I wanted it to have a professional feel to it. This meant a lot of printing trials and testing the structure. One element I was also focusing on was trying to get the colours just right, I spent a lot of time picking out the appropriate colours using the pantones available and then printing them on appropriate stocks. This has really helped me because I think it’s a method that I am going to take on, this way you get a hands on result so you can instantly see what’s wrong and what you need to change.
One of the main problems I had with this project was the logo design, not the actually logo itself but printing it. I had a few problems when printing it that the vector and colour for some reason wouldn’t line up. I went to James to explain this and we tested it printing it from the same file on different stocks, and it just seemed to be the stock. This happened with the menu, again I showed it to James and we tested it but couldn’t fix it, which was a real shame because I really like the stock, as its appropriate to the product.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this module, I think for the main facts I have been able to focus my design practice and push myself in areas I hadn’t tried before constantly developing the skills I already have. This is exactly what I wanted to get out of this module, and I cannot wait to take this latest brief and develop more work for it.
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