End of Module Evalutation

1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

Throughout this module I feel that in the second half of the year I have really developed my confidence in my abilities and determination to get started in the design industry. I feel that my communication skills have really improved by the way I write emails and the responses I get back. I think that my presentation skills have also improved and the presentation of my work has and this has helped me in putting my portfolio together. I think that the fact that I have been offered a job at a place I want to be in a sector I am really interested in definitely shows that I have successfully applied the things I have learnt in this module this year.

2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

Three two approaches that I have changed in my design method and production, are firstly that I have pushed my digital design skills and I feel that in creating my own website for my work is evidence that I am becoming more confident in this field. Secondly learning about industrial printing has made me think about sending work away to be externally printed and this shows in my business cards which Magpie Press printed for me and I learnt that you get a higher standard of finish and it saved me time and hassle, I would never of been able to produce 250 cards on my own, or it would of taken a lot of time and so sending important things like that to an external source is a good idea and by doing this I learnt about selecting stock and foil etc. 

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

As mentioned my business cards have been printed to a high standard and I will use these to promote myself and my knowledge of printing and stock. I also think that my portfolio has become a lot stronger thanks to advice I got on my placement and I will again use this to show my work and my skills to prospective employers. Another thing that has been a huge strength to me is my placement at D.S.Emotion which I did a full month at I think that doing a month meant I learnt a lot more than I would have in a month, I also enjoyed working there and learnt that the profession is for me, I will capitalise on this experience by using them as a reference and it has given me a step up in experience which others may not have had. 

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

I feel that a weakness in this module itself is my ability to keep up with the documentation I feel that I have fulfilled the modules purpose by doing things for myself professionally anyway and this is where my university side has lacked slightly. I am also disappointed that my branding is missing the actual cv's, letterheads and invoice that I hd printed on stock I had ordered and had organised, I think in general a weakness of mine is sometimes losing things or forgetting due to having lots of other things going on, I think in future I will spend more time to think about what I am doing and slow down a little. 

5. Identify things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

Next time I would attempt to blog more effectively and regularly. I would also have liked to possibly engage more in exhibitions and lectures etc I think that this is a weakness of mine and I feel that I could of maybe met more people and seen some different things from doing this. 

Attendance-5

Punctuality-5

Motivation-4

Commitment-4

Quantity of Work Produced-3

Quality of Work Produced-4

Contribution to the Group-4

A Design Presence: Final Business Cards

I had my business cards printed at magpie press, one half uses the powder green stock (270 gsm) that I had bought previously and the other is natural white stock also 270gsm from the printers. The cards where duplexed and each has ben foiled with a black gloss foil. 

I am really pleased with the cards and I think that they are really suitable, I also like how they feel and I think that they feel more bespoke than an average card, as well as this the printing is almost perfect and as it has been foil the details have a slight debs which adds to the bespoke feeling

A Design Presence: CV, Letterhead and Invoice

After looking at a few CV's I decided that mine would be very minimal in its design elements, I didn't want it to go form being too untraditional as it may put potential employers off reading it. 

I incorporated the identity style I had created by using stokes and a header and footer bar in the powder green. I also clearly defined each section by having an under and overlain the subject title in a capitalised font with space between the letters makes them stand out.

As for the design skills I marked myself out of five, I felt ten would be too many dots and they might of just become a blur. 

After designing my CV I moved onto my letterhead, which is an even more simplified format of the one above.

This provided the basis for my invoice, which has extra elements added into the page, this is so that the stationary is coherent and recognisable. 

The final stationary was printed onto a natural cream stock 135gsm, however when it came to photographing I could not find the stationary I had had printed and so I had to reprint onto normal 80gsm paper to have them ready! which was frustrating but the actual ones matched the other deliverables I had created.

A Design Presence: Website

For my website I chose to create it on wix as I heard that it was the easiest to use and that you could get the best deal on having your own domain and website with no adverts, which is the most appropriate as adverts look unprofessional and could be distracting.

I began by applying my own logo to the top of the page and choosing a minimal layout so that I didn't overcomplicate it for myself or the audience. 

I then added in my images and started labelling them.

I bought my domain name prior to my business cards as I needed them to have my web address on. I went for the name amyhilldesign.co.uk as some names had already been taken, and having design included gives the website a context. 

I did not have time to set the website up completely and so for submission purposes I will use screenshots and mockups to show my website, however beyond submission I will work on the website and publish it as soon as possible, and definitely before the end of year show where my business cards will be directing people to my website.

A Design Presence: Stock 2 and Printing

After initially ordering the stock from Shepards London, I realised I had ordered the green in two different shades, pistachio and powder, and in two different weights. 

And so I tried to email the company to see if they could help me and change the order, I had no response and the stock came the next day, and so I rang up and asked about the email and returning the stock, but it worked out that sending it back would cost more than the paper itself! 

And so I ordered more of the powder green in 270gsm as I had the 135gsm. I also ordered more natural white in 270gsm, some ebony black, and smoke grey, as the delivery cost is £9.50 so I ordered more this time. 

I am awaiting the delivery of the stock for print. 

I then had to find a method of printing I decided to ring Hobbs (Leeds) to see whether they could print on my stock, they said they can do this but if the printer jams they aren't liable, but they will always do a tester. And it should take around a day or two for everything to be ready for collection, and so I will be doing this as I know the ink/ printer quality will be high. 

I will wait for the stock to come and then take it to Hobbs with the jobs I need printing. 

I also found the colour value of the powder green online so that I could change green that will be printed to the same colour as the stock.

A Design Presence: Logo Development

Logo Development

I began by looking at what my name looked like in different font styles and capitals or lowercase letters, 

Whilst doing this I looked at more abstract ways I could show my name as  had done previously. 

All the examples above where made in my spare time on my placement and I had feedback from some of the designers at D.S who said they liked the more abstract designs and they would work as a logo more. 

I left designing my logo for a while as I did not really like anything I had come up with. Taking on board what D.S had said and the fact I had learned a bit more about type etc I felt I could apply this advice and knowledge to my logo. 

I then tried making the letter of my first name into a pattern using Gahndi Sans which I had selected as the font I would be using.

I liked these visuals a lot more then the previous.

I decided that I like the A put on its side a reflected as my logo I felt it was simple and modern, I also felt that it reminded me of a two point perspective drawing which links to some of my interests and that it looks like there two different sides which could be print and digital. 

I then worked on the size and placement of the logo after I had worked on the type.

I felt that 'Amy' was a little informal and so I added my second name which balanced out the logo more and I felt that this worked, and it was appropriate to and for me.

A Design Presence: Stock 1

For the stock I wanted to order some stock that was more bespoke than the stock in the library. 

I was told about Shepards London by people in the studio, they sell colour plan stock the same as GF Smith but cheaper. 

When I went on the website, the colour plan was available in 135gsm, and 270gsm, so there isn't as much choice as GF Smith, not even considering special embosses or textures. 

However I didn't need this for my stock and I felt that 135gsm is suitable for letterheads, cv's, envelopes etc, and that 270gsm duplexed would be thick enough for a business card. 

It helped that I had a colour plan book from GF Smith with me whilst I was looking at the colours, for obvious reasons you can't really see the exact colour on screen. As well as this I had other stock sample books which let me feel the weights of the paper. 

I selected Powder Green and Natural White, and ordered sheets in 135 and 270gsm.

Design CV Research

http://www.howdesign.com/editors-picks/10-eye-catching-graphic-designer-resumes/

Graphic Design Resume Paper

People often get caught up in the design and content of their resume and forget one of the most important parts! The paper you use for your graphic design resume can tell your potential employer a lot about you. Choosing paper for a design project is an important job for most designers and if you overlook this you will have one strike against you right away. If you do choose a good paper for your resume it will get you bonus points. It will show your employer you have thought about every detail, and that you have done your research on papers.

You don’t want to use standard computer printing paper from an office supply store, so I would recommend looking at paper mills such as Neenah Paper, who offer some really great resume papers. I ended up buying two different versions of their Classic Crest line of papers for my resume.

Your Resume Layout

You are a graphic designer, so this is the chance to show what you can do in a tasteful manner. You probably don’t want to go overboard with a resume, because the information on the resume in the end is the most important part. With that being said you can still showcase your design skills, by adding visual elements, using a grid, playing with typography, color choices and so on. So don’t design your resume in Microsoft Word!

Graphic Design Resume Typography

This is another important aspect of your resume, so you need to be very careful with the fonts you choose! I would stay away from display fonts and free fonts and instead go with some classical fonts.

Probably the most important font to avoid in a design resume would be Times New Roman! Even Helvetica can be frowned upon sometimes, because it’s been branded so much as the “designers font” that some people consider it overused (at least in resumes).

Readability is very important so don’t make your type too small ( No smaller then 10-11 points ). Remember the readers need to be able to quickly and easily scan your resume. I would also suggest using serifed fonts for body text since it’s easier to read and doesn’t use very light colors.

What to Include in Your Graphic Design Resume

Below is a list of everything I would include in a graphic design resume in order of importance.
 
Name and Contact Info
 
You want to display your name in a very noticeable location along with all your contact information. It may be a good idea to put graphic designer somewhere in the resume as well in case someone needs to quickly figure out what type of resume yours is.
 
Personal Statement (also known as your objective or mission statement)
 
This is where you would write a brief statement about your goals, desired position and how you can benefit your potential employer. I’ve seen a lot of variations here; Some resumes have a generic objective, some have more of personal statement and some resumes don’t even have this section and instead go right to the experience section.
 
Your Experience
 
List your job experience here and make sure to include the job title, employment dates and a brief description of what you did and/or accomplished. You can also add the location of the job if you want, but I don’t think it’s as important as the other information.
 
Education
 
Below is a list of information that should be included in the education section:

• Your Degree and Major (e.g., BFA in Graphic Design)
• Date of Graduation (Month and Year)
• College You Attended
• Location of Your College (City and State)

 
Capabilities
 
This is an area where you can write things such as: extensive experience dealing with clients, experience managing multiple projects at once and so on.
 
Software Skills
 
List your software, coding and other design related skills and organize them into categories if you have a lot of different technical skills.
 
Awards
 
If you have won any awards, contests, been featured anywhere or have had any shows make sure to mention them here.
 
Organizations
Employers love to see that you are involved in the design community so if you belong to any design organizations then list them!
 
Interests
 
This isn’t really necessary, but if you are applying for a job and want them to know you have interests related to the job this would be a good place to mention them. I would keep this section at the very end of the resume.
 
References
 
I would not list references directly on the resume but rather state: References available upon request. Just make sure that you have the references if they do ask for them!

http://www.youthedesigner.com/graphic-design-tips/the-graphic-design-resume-guide/

http://www.creativebloq.com/career/design-resume-tips-11121145

Design Publication Crit

Today we had a small discussion about our ideas for our design publication.

I brought my initial ideas that I had had and the formats etc. 
Everyone seemed to like the idea and it was suggested that I should swap the books content around and that in my outside interests book there should be really no text at all as it doesn't need explaining.

And so I will be going ahead with the format and content of my design publication, I am excited to try out the format and binding technique I also asked about where I can buy the metal for the binding and I was given the things I needed and so this is sorted I also found out the name for them properly for any future use, Acco Fastners.

DS.Emotion Placement

23/04 - 17/05

Placement at DS.Emotion

Over the Easter holidays and a week before then I have been on placement at DS.Emotion, I went there after meeting Dan and James (the senior directors) in January and securing a placement a few weeks after. 

I am now writing a reflection on my placement there, I am not allowed to mention any of the projects specifically as its down to client and company confidentiality. Although I have two good/ strong projects for my portfolio now which I am very pleased with. 

My placement overall was a good experience and I enjoyed my time there. DS.Emotion is a big company with some very big clients, it also has a high volume of work going through and the people are all nice and hardworking. 

I enjoyed the studio environment and I enjoyed working in a modern office, it was nice to go to work in a modern office that had inspiration around the room. 

In comparison DS is quite a big company, and the office is very big which shows that they are successful, and I feel lucky to have been granted a placement at a company like DS.

I would say that I completed around 2 large projects, 2 medium and 2 small projects in a month and I felt like I had done so much in a month and now reflecting back I have learnt a lot more already which I knew I was going to do. 

Whilst I was there I asked the designers questions about printing etc and they where happy to tell me and advise me. I think that I worked hard and that I created some good work that I am proud of. I also learnt a little more about the cost of work and what studios charge for certain things which was also interesting and helpful to see.

I think that this has given me a huge confidence boost in speaking to other studios and showing my work and confidence in my own ability. 

I think that the type of work DS creates is varied and I do like this, I felt that I had been given some really interesting things to do and I am not sure as to whether this would always be the case but I am motivated to do any type of work as after all it is design. 

I think that moving on from DS I have learned a lot not just about design but about where I want to be and who I want to work with and what type of studio I want to work in. I know now that I would rather work with 2/3+ designers in a studio and I need/ want a strong boss who is confident someone to inspires and motivates so that you create better design. 

I also know that I want to work in a place where the staff are friends and get along, I don't need to have conversations all day long but I like the idea of having friends at work, and I know from others experiences that this isn't the case, at DS the staff are all friendly and do go out occasionally which is nice. I was invited out in my last week but I could not go because I had other commitments, viewing a house.

I won't be returning to DS at this moment in time as they have not mentioned anything, and I am not sure if an internship is the most appropriate thing for me after university, but we are keeping in contact and I will be going down to them again soon to reprint some work and ask for some advice on a project. 

Anderson Advertising Meeting

This morning I met up with Emma Scattergood the director at Anderson Advertising, we had emailed last week about meeting up and discussing my work. 

I had been introduced to Emma through Danielle who currently works at Anderson's, she knew that I have a keen interest in property/ architecture and interior design. She had suggested that the two of us should meet as Anderson's only produce work for this sector.

And so this morning I took my portfolio over to Anderson's at Wira House in Horsforth, and had an informal meeting with Emma. 

Horsforth in itself is ideal for me as it is near to where my parents live and it is in Leeds, which is where I am looking to stay right now and after I finish. As well as this it is a good location for commuting and there is parking, even though it is not in the centre of Leeds it is less than ten minutes away and so I can see that this is also good for business.

She introduced the company and gave me some background into them and what they do, I found out more from this and I knew that I was interested in the company. 

We then looked through my work, I felt that this went really well and I had some briefs that had relevance to the company and Emma liked this too. 

After looking through my portfolio she seemed really interested and was complimentary about the work I had produced and my concept development etc. 

Then we swapped over and she showed me some of their work and I really enjoyed seeing that there was a lot of focus on print which is my strength and I liked that they looked into the use of different stocks and print finishes.

She then told me she was interested in having me at the studio and we discussed some other details about when I finish university. 

She has said to me she will be getting back to me soon and I am very excited to hear back from her. I will have to wait and see. 

This Is Where I Leave You... Presentation

This is my final presentation of the course. 

In this presentation I reviewed the following:

• Who I am as  a learner 
• and a designer
• How the things I have experienced over the past nine months have affected me
• My current aims and ambitions
• My creative concerns, personal aims and professional ambitions
• What has made me, the person I am now and why?

To begin with I looked at a question we had been asked at the very start of the course, this was what 5 things did I want to learn throughout the entire programme?

1. I wanted to learn digital print processes- this meant that I wanted to learn about the digital print room downstairs, reprographics etc, I wanted to learn how to print my work to a more professional standard and I wanted to learn about print in industry. 

I would say that I definetly learned how to print my work more professionally I learnt a lot about the print process and CMYK, I also used the digital print room a lot, and I would say that my knowledge has increased a little more about industry printing techniques but I wouldn't say I knew it completely.

2. I also wanted to learn screen printing processes- I wanted to learn more about screen printing and use the resource more, I also wanted to learn how to foil and emboss.

I used the screen printing room enough and I  am confident in my abilities, I also practiced foil blocking and it mostly came out successful, I learnt how to emboss and tried it a few times but I think that for an emboss you have to have this done commercially. And I have learnt a bit more about industry printing and foiling on my placement at DS.Emotion recently.

3. I wanted to improve my Adobe Software skills to a high level- I originally meant photoshop, illustrator and indesign. 

However I now know that there are more software programmes, and I have tried them a little bit but not really found them necessary or suitable to me, especially dreamweaver- coding and html/ css. I have also not really used adobe after effects but in the next few weeks I plan to try little experiments, I do not feel that it is a necessity but it would be nice to learn a bit about and use even if its very simply. But I do feel very competent in the three main software programmes and my biggest strengths are indesign and illustrator. 

4. How to manage myself as a professional- I think that I meant networking etc. 

I feel that I learnt a lot about business and set up in my second year of PPP, I feel that self promotion and branding is clear to me as it is a design brief and I feel that this final year in PPP has taught me about portfolios (2nd and 3rd year has taught me how to present verbally and on boards) and getting in contact with people and having some confidence to do so, I think that this for me is an ongoing process but I feel that in doing my placement I have already gained more confidence within myself and speaking to people. 

5. Idea Generation and Brief Communication- I think that this meant being able to come up with more ideas and being successful at a brief.

I think through extended practice etc every brief/ task set on the programme I have done this well and to the best of my ability, I think to add to this how to pick briefs and what I like doing, what my strengths are and what isn't.

Then in the presentation I explored First Year,

I began by describing my personal interests and how they influenced me as a designer. 

I then looked at pivotal moments, modules where I felt that I had learnt a lot or I was proud of what I had done. 

I felt that design principles taught me a lot about design and basics, especially type, grid, colour and semiotics. In creating a publication about this I applied these rules and put them into practice I felt that it was really suitable and helped me a lot.

Design Context was probably my favourite module of this year I I was proud of my publication I created, I enjoyed looking at contexts and applying this. 

And in Design Practice my favourite brief was one where I created a series of leaflets selling Chanel makeup through there connection to Marilyn Monroe, again my personal interests helped me within this project and I did through research where I went to the Chanel counter and got samples etc. 

Second Year

In second year I felt that design for print and web was my worst module of the whole programme! In this module I felt that I had worked myself too hard and I ended up very stressed and I tried to take shortcuts and this just made for bad practice and design, I also had a hard time learning how to design for web. 

However responsive pushed me to do a lot of briefs some of which upon reflection I wondered why I had picked them but from this I learnt my strengths and weaknesses, I also learnt about collaboration, and picking a suitable partner, in the end I liked our design and work however I had felt that I had created the majority and had to be quite pushy, however this showed me that I have a good level of commitment and showed me how much work I can produce. 

I also felt that in this year this is when I started looking into other studios I did this mainly through the PPP module, I really liked Socio Design, Construct and Made (Publishers) I loved their work, simple sophisticated and modern, also seemingly quite high end. 

Third Year

I feel like through summer and this year I have learnt a lot about myself, I have also changed my work commitments and could now focus on the course which has benefitted me greatly, not just on the course but for myself. I also feel that my personal interests have slightly shifted and I am happy to show what interests me and what my main influences are. 

I am greatly interested in lifestyle, especially home life, architecture and interior design, home decor etc. 

I also want to travel, this is motivated by my interests in animals, and history, but I also want to see new things. 

I love films and tv series, these also heavily influence my work. 

As mentioned Nature plays a big part in my interests and life, not just animals but environment. 

I think most things work in harmony and each inform one another and learning to understand this has benefited me a lot. 

This year Design Context has been my biggest success to date. I felt that I worked extremely hard in this module I began early and did a lot of research I spent quite a lot of time defining my topic but I had a lot of relevant research. 

As well as this my practical which I felt was a little bit of a second thought at some points also turned out really well, again my interests in architecture and lifestyle shone through. And I felt that my design was appropriate to the brief and it was more refined and modern. I also used recycled stock for the most part and it was nice to see that this can be an alternative to normal stock.

I think that for my Design Practice module I have got parts of work that seem like they where made a long time ago, however after being told that an extensive brief is better than lots of briefs I feel happier with what I have done and I also want to revisit some of my brief s and extend them so that I have some more portfolio work I feel that this is the most important thing now over how much I have produced etc.

I also feel that in the last month or two I have had a shift in attitude towards web design and I am now trying to practice this in all of my briefs.

My Creative Concerns Now:

Is a longer list than first year due to gaining more knowledge and learning about more in general!

Brand and Identity

Publishing and Editorial

Promotion

Design for Print

Print Finishes- Foiling

Stock

Type Based

Grid and Layout

Lifestyle Sectors

Building Sector

Studio based Designer (as opposed to freelance)

Design for Web (basic layout etc)

I also listed studios that inspire me the most, and who's work I admire and what sectors they work for/ with. On the presentation I also mentioned where they are as I feel that it is relevant to show this at it shows that I am willing to move it depends on the studio and salary in my eyes! 

Future aims: I am currently on placement at D.S Emotion and I feel that I have already learnt a lot and I feel that it is and has been hugely beneficial, I am happy that I agreed to do a month as I have had a variety of projects including a really strong/ extensive brief that will be going into my portfolio. I have also learnt more about working in a studio and how a studio operates and getting to work and life around working in general. 

I do aim to get a job/ career in design, I feel that it suits me I enjoy what I am doing and I feel confident that I am capable. 

I then concluded with a final summary to round of my reflection of my three years at Leeds College of Art

• I have learnt a lot about myself and design.
• My interests have remained similar througout.
• I feel ready to go out and work, and learn more.
• I am a primarily a print designer, but ready to learn and push web design skills.
• My personal interests have a strong influnce on my design work and where I want to be.
• Through PPP I have gained more confidence in presenting myself and my work and also finding my place within Graphic Design.
• Design Practice; Producing high quality, thought out work, extension, presenting work professionally, production methods, software development...