First week back at Uni

It's Friday today, the end of my first week of year 2 at uni. Thank god it's over!

I have today off, but from now on i'm in practically everyday apart from Fridays. I suppose i'd rather have this schedule than have more time off in the week and work fridays :/

So this week i've got my timetable and that for the rest of the year, now realising that all the modules for the year have to be completed by the beginning of March. Oh dear.

At the moment, i've got a brief on Social Posters where I have to choose a social issue and create a static, moving and interactive poster. God knows how i'm going to cope with flash! It was such a nightmare coping with HTML coding last year and I just think that maybe integrated/multimedia design is not for me! Maybe I should make it a 'new academic year resolution'. I should probably make lots of these in hope of actually keeping them. I also have a live brief with a client which involves redesigning their logo which was not the most tastefully designed. Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting into the briefs!

Interesting News..

A couple of weeks ago I found out some rather interesting news.
Stereohype were running their annual badge design competition that I found through the Grafik Magazine Facebook page and one friday night when I wasn't seeing Dan I decided to give it a go. After creating my designs and entering them I got a strange feeling of doubt. I now instantly hated what I designed and wrote in my more personal blog that I was getting depressed about competitions and not feeling good enough to enter.

Until, I got an email a couple of weeks ago to inform me that I was one of the winners! I actually couldn't believe it. I mean I had been following the news feeds about the competition just to see who actually won but I never expected to win anything!

It's really boosted my confidence, especially just before going back to uni. I've had so many exciting opportunities

Above is some artwork I created for an A5 leaflet, the first draft of this didn't include the title at the top which made it seem like it didn't have a focus and was all word!

Your invitation

For this project, I was asked to create an A5 leaflet, landscape for a holiday company to send out to people inviting them to an event.


Originally, I had a photograph of a boy with the mountains in the background as one image, but when I placed this on the page Warren said that there was no focus to the leaflet and suggested I cut the boy out and make him bigger on the leaflet. Here I got to use my new skill that I had learned and I could really see a difference when I added it in.


I was given an image and their website layout as a guide and a source of inspiration for the leaflet. This is the first design I came up with:

I then received some feedback that the corners of the photograph was too harsh so I made them round using another skill I learned :).

Here is the final result:

Reminder to post here

I've sort of neglected my blog which makes me sad :(

I need to update it with all the new stuff i've done :)
Soon.

Logo Designs

This is the first time I have done some logo designs, I quite enjoyed it although the client did have specific requirements. I sort of ignored them sometimes just to see what I could come up with on my own along with the designs that met the requirements.

I was asked to create this shape for the 'a' and transform it into rolling hills, although they aren't the best rolling hills I think this one looks the most professional out of them all.

This was one that I wanted to design from a different angle, I joined the r and the a together with a circle which I made to represent a seed and then have the tree and roots coming out of it. Bit messy and complicated for a logo but I thought i'd fully investigate my idea just incase there was any aspect of it that could be used.

The client asked for a swoosh in the logo, this simple line isn't exactly a swoosh but I thought it was a nice trial. Maybe a bit too simple and the type is horrible.

I quite like this one, incorporating the leaves into the actual lettering. Adds another layer to the style which is nice.

Another attempt at the swoosh.

Another one of my trials.

Using the seed idea again but just with the roots.

These two ideas came about using the ball of leaves as an icon or as part of the lettering. It was hard trying to make the leaves as realistic as possible.

Found a badge design competition

Which I entered and now a couple of hours later, i'm not particularly happy with what I entered...

I wanted to play on the idea of the moustaches and bring something new into it. I might see what I mean by the design straight away but someone could come along and think what the hell is that?

Well we'll see won't we, at least i've actually entered something.

Improving skills in Illustrator

For the last few weeks I have been helping my mum out with some poster designs and I designed some basic characters in Illustrator:

I started to design the above image and showed my mum (sounds really kid like but still, almost like a client) and she said she didn't actually wear a nurse hat and wanted short and spiky hair like her own. So I came up with the illustration below:

I placed the information in a box with the same flat colouring that the illustration has. She loves it and will be posting it up in her school for people to see.

Good result.

A bigggggg catch up!

I miss my blog :(


And I feel like i'm neglecting it, i'm putting off writing down my experiences in it because i'm not happy.
But now i've decided that i've just got to go for everything and be grateful.


So, here we go.
I started my work experience at Work Creative last week and on the first day I was given a job. I was like wow they're actually trusting me with a job, then it hit me - doubt. Am I good enough to do this? What are they going to say if they don't like it? This is good practice for my new 'embracing criticism' rule which I did not do at the time. So I spent ages doing this quite simple design, probably about 6 hours which was way too long but I was so scared of getting it wrong, I wanted to make it perfect. Then when he suggested ways of changing it I didn't embrace it. This was a big mistake. I wish I hadn't been put off by this but I'm only 19, people changing your ideas is still going to hurt after one year of uni. I still came away from the day with a positive experience, I still loved it. I got to see how everything worked, how they handled clients, how they avoided people on the phone! I even got some tips on Photoshop about things I had no idea how to do but really should have. It made me realise how I taught myself Photoshop and probably don't do things the same way as everyone else.


I said at the end of the day even if I had been sat there all day doing nothing I still would have learned something and that is what the experience is all about. I guess i'd sort of lost that and felt like giving up. I wish i'd written this reflection post sooner.


I went in the second day, I felt happier with what I had to do, well more confident as I was asked to do a Photoshop mock up of a website for a business builder. I thought to myself that I would do something quirky to show what type of things i'm in to. But I left at 1 which meant I didn't have time to finish it. I loved getting a written brief, something so simple in black and white that you could do anything to.


Got to remember it's a work experience, I am grateful for anything I get. I didn't think I would get a job to do and I can't imagine other agencies going to these lengths for me to get a good experience. I really thank them and am returning next week after I get my shifts from ASDA. I think i'm going to get them a card too to thank them... Maybe some chocolates or something for their office because it seems as though they haven't been there very long. Perhaps a plant?


A list of things I have learnt from working at Work Creative:

• How important client meetings are - The client was very involved with the designing and making suggestions about where things should go and how it looks in their mind.
• How to make a gradient in Photoshop which I then used for a leaflet
• How to do actions in Photoshop which change loads of files without having to do everything multiple times.
• Not to try and dress up as everyone was quite casual.
• Everyone has been in the same boat as you, so they understand you.
• Where big companies find these massive clear images from. Istockphoto.
• How well I manage to design quickly in small notebooks.

Talking about the last point, maybe I should consider this for next year - Using smaller notebooks and take less care about the presentation of my work.

Here is a screen shot of the work I did on the first day:

The photoshopped website I created on the second day:

At the end this will be a positive experience that I will learn from, because I am going to make it a positive experience for myself and learn so much from it. I also got a Tumblr account, I love it. It's much like when I got Twitter, it's opened up a new world of accessing people. Plus since I have no followers and don't follow anyone else it's like an online diary of my thoughts. Love it.


Jennie... GET OVER YOURSELF.

Work up in the Exhibition

In the corridor of our building the First Year Graphic Design Students have put up a mini exhibition for the public to look at as part of the degree show.

Here is my entry of 'Interjections':

I had a moment when I saw my work on the wall, made me feel proud of myself, probably for the first time this year.

Over Organisation!

I actually love this, just for the design aspect of it.

It's amazing how many designs I think 'wow that's amazing' when they are actually really simple.

The dresser is hand crafted and packaged with care in Eastern Washington by the crew Mountain View Cabinetry. By designer Peter Bristol. Via Design Don't Panic

Secrets of the Super Brands

Last night, at about midnight I turned on the TV and started watching 'Secrets of the Super Brands' which I was just about to turn over but it started getting interesting. I was soon becoming fascinated with how these brands came about. Especially the most historic ones like Adidas and Puma, two brothers had a company making shoes and after 60 years they fell out making a company each which would rival - Adidas and Puma. I just found it interesting really. 


One thing that did catch my eye was when the presenter talked about Superdry and asked people what country they thought it came from. Everyone said Japan - I would have said America but I don't really shop there. But in fact, Superdry is from England - The most unexpected country. Looking at their designs now, I see there is a Japanese influence and the idea stemmed from a visit to Tokyo and the idea that they are trying to copy America but are a bit behind - hence the American gas style signs you used to see in America.

It showed the offices that Superdry designs in, it was quite small but there was a little corner with a man designing the logos. He had a massive poster full of little designs which made my eyes widen, it was amazing how he had come up with loads of versions of practically the same thing. His office was filled with inspiration, the old American signage, Japanese toys, photographs and general thought provokers for the designer. 

It made me think, I could be in a job like that one day - He looked as though he loved doing it which was nice and made me excited for the future.

Finding things to design

As part of my mum's job she has to under go a diploma in child protection (or something like that I don't really listen) For this she is creating a resource for children and parents about the dangers of children being online. She has asked me to come up with a cartoon strip that parents and children can look at to highlight what is dangerous and what is safe on the computer.


She is acting as a client in a way, I volunteered to help her but she's still bossing me around and changing her mind every 2 minutes! Just like a normal client would do!


I've been coming up with some thoughts on characters and we decided that children relate well to characters like the Simpsons. It would be blatant copyright for me to just copy Lisa Simpson so i've been onto one of these Simpson Generators and made up my own which doesn't really look like one. I've also done a tracing of it on Illustrator which takes away the copyright even more. Here is the practice on I have done:

I think I will be experimenting with drawing to as it is a lot easier to put these characters into a situation rather than making one up on Illustrator.


Hopefully it's going to turn out alright :) Almost like having a proper job!

Reply to my Work Experience E-mails!

I have a reply to one of about 10 emails I sent out to design agencies in Doncaster!
They are willing to take me on for a couple of weeks in the summer at Work Creative... They mainly focus on Brand Identity which is an area we haven't really covered in the first year so it's going to be a good introduction being able to see how things work!


The only problem is my job at ASDA, I'm starting work there from the 7th June which could include day shifts, I think that the work experience is going to have to be the priority really as the company is so kind to offer me some. At the same time I want to keep my job as it's the only thing that's paying for the summer! I'm sure I will be able to work it out with them.


Just waiting on the man to ring me back with more details about the experience, so right now i'm doing some research about the company. Found out they designed a magazine for the Doncaster Chambers, so i'm going to see if I can find one to look at and get a feel for the company. I want to go really prepared as I'm not sure what I will be doing or whether I will be good enough to be there! It's exciting though and makes me feel really grown up to be entering the world that I am aspiring to be in so early!

Should I start a new blog?

I said that I was going to start using this blog to post things that I was interested in and some of my work that I am going to be doing over the summer. The only thing is I feel like because I have started it for a module, it's a bit impersonal to me.


Perhaps I should try wordpress or Tumblr?
Maybe i'll try Tumblr and this blog to compare both.


Anyway, for the moment I found this illustrator, David Meldrum who has illustrated all the food he has eaten in a year!
It made me think I wonder if I could do this for a week... Or even a day!


I think the idea of it is to show the different patterns that people have when it comes to food because nowadays it has become an important part of people's lives. It may show things that you never thought you ate that much of, and might be a good exercise for those with eating problems.


Here are some of his images.
I like the way they overlap, sort of reminds me of the food in the stomach as that is what it would look like. I think that he has used a mixture of photography and drawing, although he could just be a very photorealistic illustrator!

Getting Experience

In the next few weeks I am going to be sending some e-mails out to some local companies in Doncaster asking for any unpaid work experience. I'm asking for unpaid because I think that they are more likely to take me on rather than me giving the option! And I don't really need the money as I have my ASDA job that I can do in the evenings and weekends. I need something to fill my time up in the summer days so I think this will be a good opportunity (if I find anywhere). It is going to prepare me for my placement later on in year 2 along with my Add+Vantage module which I am also really excited about!

I need to keep up with the business as much as I can now that I am away from University not learning, maybe it's a good opportunity to look at design at the moment and buy some more Creative Review magazines. Make an effort to buy them rather than when I see it or when I can afford to.

I might invest in some new books too, after receiving 'The Art of Looking Sideways' for Christmas I am suddenly very interested in similar books to this. Maybe I should spend my wages on things like this rather than clothes and alcohol!

Trends for logos 2011

I heard a rumour that our first module of the second year is about logo design.
So now i've handed in all my work for year one I might as well start preparing for year two!


I found a website with the new trends for logos in 2011. It says that in 2010 brightly coloured logos were fashionable and now simple designs with more toned down, neutral colours are in fashion. The boundaries of logos have become less strict too, meaning less 2D rigid designs. Other fashions include:

1. Items relating to win - bottles, corks, glasses, corkscrews.
2. Sticking with a light theme, lots of sunrises and sunsets.
3. Single, double and triple line ribbons
4. Trees.

For future reference:

http://www.logolounge.com/article.asp?aid=lnPf

Presentation Day, submitting tomorrow

Today we had the presentations for the integrated design module. I think it went well and I was pleased with our team's performance during the presentation and throughout the module. I can remember first looking at the brief thinking how on earth are we going to do this? Coding a website, seems impossible! But now, even though it took a lot of effort to do, it's finished.


Throughout the module I feel our team has worked together really well and we have ended up with a really good end result. We have many stages of design that we've developed into the final thing. I think that we needed to develop these ideas to make them more refined and attending discussion/review days has given us good feedback that we have been able to apply to our design. 


After the presentation we had some feedback from Phil and Cassie which was positive and made me feel a lot more confident in our website. There aren't any drastic changes that need to be made before tomorrow which makes me feel really prepared finishing the day before.

Last Post?

This is my last entry before submitting the blog to be marked.
In a way i'm really sad, but this doesn't mean the end for my blogging. I can't believe how useful I have found it and how much I have enjoyed documenting different aspects of my life. It's even spurred me on to try Tumblr and make a more personal blog which I think will help me grow as a person.


So, in the last year I believe I have achieved many things.
First of all, i've nearly finished the first year of university, this time last year I was worrying about A-Level exams and a prom dress! Now i'm finishing the final module and am a third of the way to gaining my degree in Graphic Design. These next 2 years are going to fly by, be gone before I know it. But I am always going to have my blog to look back on and remind me how much i've grown in 3 years, how i've gone from a shy girl with little confidence about her work to what I finally end up being. 


The question is, what do I want to be when i'm out of uni?
My mum went to see a clairvoyant a couple of weeks ago who said I was going to do a Masters Degree. I thought about this when she told me and thought that this is another year or two paying university fees where I could be out in the industry gaining experience, doesn't matter whether or not it's paid - This is what I need to do in order to build myself and my portfolio more. I'm glad my mum said this to me though, because it did make me stop and think for a second about what I want to do when I leave university, I definitely think that my job searching in previous posts is certainly going to make the process easier!


At the beginning of January when I bought my mac, I set myself a challenge to be more confident and efficient in the design programmes I bought with the mac. The computer sessions with Pete were probably the most important lessons I learned this year. Without them I would not have been able to complete work up to a good standard. I also I think that completing my modules using all the different programmes has definitely helped me to improve my skills as well as what I have done in my own time. Some evenings I just sat there drawing shapes in illustrator to get used to the pen tool. Now, nearing the end of the year I can say that I can use these programmes, something I might not have been able to say if I hadn't of bought my mac. It has changed the way I design.


I also believe that I am more able to time manage now, especially after learning how I deal with deadlines the best - with to-do lists with a crossing off system. I have also started dating the crossing outs so that I can see the progress i've made.


This year has definitely changed my life, and now there is actually no going back to it, designing is here to stay!

S.W.O.T Analysis - End of year Review

One of my first posts was a S.W.O.T Analysis which I said I was going to re-do at the end of the year to see how I had developed and changed as a designer.


Strengths

1. Adobe Photoshop - Intermediate
2. Adobe Illustrator - Beginner/Intermediate
3. Adobe InDesign - Beginner/Intermediate
4. Development
5. Producing Ideas
6. Collaging
7. Researching

Weaknesses

1. Drawings
2. Accepting criticism

Opportunities

1. Local life drawing classes
2. Second year placement
3. Briefs found in a book I bought

Threats

1. Other Students
2. Marks

From this analysis, I can see that I now have a lot more strengths than I do weaknesses. I have also changed some of the weaknesses that I had at the beginning of the year into strengths which is what I should be doing. 

I still have one weakness that I need to work on over the summer which is drawing, I just need to practice and learn to love it again. I've also found a new weakness which is accepting criticism. I think that I will learn this in time but every designer has some sort of attachment to their design so it is a little bit heart breaking when they get criticised.

Opportunities that I am going to take in the next year are my placement and some classes that I am going to take in the summer. I will also work on some briefs from a book I bought a couple of months ago.

I am still threatened by other students, but maybe this is a good thing as it will keep me on my toes.

Bargain at the Car Boot Sale!

Today I have been doing a car boot sale with my dad, as I was wondering round I came across some old cameras at a stall. The extended section of the camera immediately caught my eye, there was just something about it that was visually appealing to me. To my surprise it was only £1, so I bought it and the man gave me some film to go in it.

Now that i'm back home, I've been researching it online trying to find some sort of user manual to show me how to set up the film. I'm really excited about it and it could definitely be the start of a new collection. I'm hoping to take some nice photographs as the film packet says it is black, grain filtered film which will give the photographs a nice effect. I'm thinking of taking some photographs of the Cathedral or the historic places around it.


It'll be nice to have a collection that I could possibly use with my work, collecting things that could really enhance my work in an authentic way is definitely exciting!

Second Peer Review Day

Today we had a peer review where we put together what we had done so that the rest of the group could give feedback. The main aim of the day was to get feedback of our designs but it was also a chance to see how people used and reacted to our websites - where they clicked and their frustrations with the layout.

Some of the feedback was positive but there was also some negative points.
"Looks like a public toilet"
This was quite nasty, but still gave us an idea of what people thought about our website.
Other comments were more useful as people seemed to be confused about how our pages linked together and the transition of the whole website.


After the session ended, we decided that our original design needed to change as it was too big and clumsy for the webpage. We decided to have a conversation with Phil where we decided that we needed to change the size of the links as they were overpowering and it was suggested that we think about having a gap on both sides of the iframe like Facebook. We also decided to create a banner using the station titles found in tube stations. I think these changes will make our website look more professional rather than something put together using simple HTML. These small changes have definitely boosted our confidence as a team and we've got a steady direction to head in. This is the idea for our new website layout:

After we decided on the new layout, I felt like our group was a lot happier - We had a direction to go in that was definite, not an unsure design. So I have a feeling we're going to be picking up the pace a bit and really getting on with the project for the last two weeks before the deadline. I think this session was really needed to get us straight and i'm very happy with the result of it. 

I've also figured out, eventually, that I don't work well with action plans.
I think I work better with to-do lists where I can cross of individual tasks without getting too stressed about finishing things by a certain day. So for the next 2 weeks i'm going to use a to-do list created from the action plan me and the group created in the session.

Reflection of the Design in Context Module

For the Design in Context Module I received 62. Earlier on in the blog I said that I wanted an equal or better mark for this project, so when I saw that I had 62 I felt a little bit disappointed.


When reading the feedback sheet the positive comments made me smile and realise that I have actually done a good job. Whenever I get a bad mark or negative feedback on this course I take it quite badly - inside, I don't show it - but this really boosted my confidence. The negative feedback was positive for me in a way as I could really see how it was going to help me in the future.


One of the big differences I have felt in this module is that I have communicated more with tutors and the other students. Asking their opinions and attending peer review days, making changes accordingly. It has really helped me to develop my work and create more stages in my design progress. This will definitely be continuing, especially when I get into the work place.

Should we all just state the obvious?

Since completing my essay using the words of Beatrice Warde, I've come to realise that most design decisions are based on that one theory... Is simple design the best?

This merchandise is referred to as "State of the Obvious" and was created by Mash Creative. It suggests on the item exactly what it is in that bold white on black text. It's very effective because it is so obvious, but the way the text has been kerned and positioned makes it an excellent piece of design. Almost reminds me of the simplicity of the I <3 NY design. Although I don't think it will have the same impact on the world as that design did!

I want this notebook.

New Action Plan

New action plan for me I think, I don't think I can work properly or feel inspired about my own work unless I know exactly what I'm doing - worrying and needs to change.


By the end of the week:

• Experimented with code and improvements
• Know exactly what needs to be on each of my individual pages and perhaps design how it would be laid out with images etc.
• Design some layouts for printed artefact, think about what is going to be said in it.

By the end of next week:

• Completed all the designs and writing for each of my individual pages.
• Developed printed artefact ready for feedback.

By the end of the holidays:

• Tried out designs in the HTML using the proper coding.

Hopefully this will get done, if not I will be in serious trouble as the deadline is only 2-3 weeks after we return from Easter. 

Designer Toothbrushes?

These designer toothbrushes just appealed to me, made me think why would people want to buy a designer toothbrush? No-one sees these toothbrushes and it's not something you would take out and wear on your head for people to compliment. Yet someone has taken the time to design them as quirky and new so that people will buy them. Everything from the scenery they have been photographed in to the colour of them. Even the little bristles on the head have a little design on them, when all we would do is put toothpaste on it. They have even come up with concepts to suit people's personalities, extreme and forest - when in actual fact these toothbrushes do not have any functions that suit extreme people and their lifestyle. It goes to show that publicising and marketing these toothbrushes as 'designer' with the artistic approaches and concepts. Maybe anything can be buttered up to look like the next big thing, but when analysing it further there can be many reasons why it seems stupid really..

15 Minutes of Fame!

On Saturday I was lucky enough to be selected for the 'Happy Hundred' in Ant and Dec's Push The Button!


My boyfriend and I decided to make a day of it as the studio was down in London, it was his first time in London and little things like being on the tube really excited him! London seems to do that to people, even myself as I have only been a handful of times - It has a feeling to it of coolness! This is probably how most people feel as it seems to be a completely different lifestyle. Or maybe it's just us because we don't live in a big city!


During the day we saw the usual sights of Big Ben, Trafalgar Square etc. I really wanted to see what Tate Modern had on show but we didn't have time. Instead we went to the Imperial War Museum, his choice not mine! It was interesting at first, but as I had done history at school and studied around the subject, i'd already seen quite a lot of things before. Luckily photography was acceptable and I took some interesting photos of the planes on display in the main entrance:

It was really busy in the museum, but looking around at everyone I realised that no-one was looking up and admiring these planes. I thought these imperfect shots showed snippets of what people could see if they took the time to look and realise it. Maybe I could apply this to my own design, think about the less obvious things and make people realise them.

Later on in the day we went to the TV studios and after waiting for a while in the preparation area we were allowed to take our seats. As soon as I walked in I think my jaw actually dropped, I was amazed at all the equipment they used and the amount of people working on the crew! We weren't allowed to use our phones when we sat down and everyone was asked to turn them off so that vibrations could not be heard by the microphones. It was so amazing to see how they filmed live television, what they did in preparation, how they viewed things and got the audience to interact with the show. During the breaks and before the show we had an entertainer who was hilarious and really got the audience going. We were told at every opportunity to smile, especially being in the Happy Hundred we were more likely to be on the TV. You don't think about how much work goes into making these things happen when you're watching it at home, the adverts seem to last for ages. But for the people on the set the adverts seem like seconds to prepare for the whole show.

                                                   

I'm literally a metre away from Ant!

It was an amazing experience to see the workings of a TV show that i'm not going to forget.

Action Plan for Easter

Today, The Spine Team created an action plan for the Easter Holidays so we can get cracking on making our website.


By the end of the holidays we want to have:

1. Finished the writing for each section
2. Completed/Developed ideas for the individual printed artefacts
3. Worked out some HTML for the individual pages and home page
4. Gathered images for individual pages
5. Made the homepage with HTML
6. Gathered footage and images for the homepage video
7. Considered ideas for each other, including a possible video on each page?
8. Developed the idea of having a station for each page
9. Developed idea of taking the visitor on a journey

When we meet again after Easter, we will have liaised through our Facebook group and motivated each other. By the time we meet, I think we will be well under way of completing our website! 

Design helping Japan

After the tragic earthquake in Japan a couple of weeks ago which killed thousands of people, I came across some designers who are raising money for Japan aid by.. well designing!

Cakes for Japan are a website that encourages people to hold cake events consisting of cakes that are related to Japan. I think that this is a unique way of raising money which uses creative skills. I really wish that I had thought about it! I bet it was amazing to organise it!


Other people helping the cause include Font Aid, this is open to the public and allows them to create a new typeface based around Japanese influences and designs. Here is a bit of what the public has come up with, the final typeface is still being developed and produced:

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I feel these designs are taking cliches of Japan such as what they eat in the Sushi, to the Kokeshi style dolls in the cakes and pandas in the typeface. This is what we instantly see as Japanese, along with fans. I was reading in a blog on how to make a book cover look Japanese in the English market and the answers were fans and blossoms, really obvious symbols to us. Makes you think about what is simple and what isn't. Much like the essay I am doing for Simon's module.

Reflection of the latest project

Today I handed in the work for the module, Design in Context. 
I felt that in the end, the module went well, it was all handed in on time and I even got an early night last night because I completed all the work yesterday afternoon! I never finish work early, It was weird because I felt like I should be trying harder but in a way it was rewarding because I knew that I was working whenever I could because I was enjoying it - That is the main thing.


I feel like in this module I have worked harder, when i've got in from a lecture I haven't had the money to go out shopping or to get food so i've stayed in watched tele and worked. Another good thing that I started doing in this module was coming up with lots of ideas for one concept, this gave me plenty of choice and chances to improve my design. I have also spent more time in the studio, which meant I was getting a lot of feedback which again, improved my designs.


As for the essay, at the time I did not appreciate how much it would help me, but the last few days when I was proof reading it I saw how I had formed my opinions and why. It goes to show how much I am emerging as a designer - being able to form opinions related to modern design. I found it hard to keep within the word limit of 1, 650, I had so much more to say and felt a bit restricted, like I had to shorten what I was saying to get to the point. But I believe that you can't get to the point without explanation and evidence.


Overall, the module went well and I am looking forward to the results in the next few weeks, I am hoping for an equal amount as last time, at the least. Otherwise I will not have improved?