Self evaluation - What if...

The problem we identified from the original Collection 100  research was 'How do we make the people of Leeds aware of how much they are being watched?

The initial research was mainly from Ben and Charlotte as they had collected CCTV research for their collection 100.  We had a collection of about 40 primary source photographs of CCTV camera in and around Leeds City Centre.  As I had not touched on CCTV in my research I went back to the drawing board so to speak and also carried out some research. The evidence I collected included data about the number of cameras in Leeds, the cost of running CCTV to the public, newspaper articles supportive of CCTV.  I also found Leeds Transport website also carries live images from transport CCTV in Leeds. Other primary evidence included the fact that camera were not at eye level and mostly placed at great height.  Also a lot of cameras around Leeds are not identified and often disguised as lights.

Methods used to collect the research included -

Primary research-       Qualitative     - Photographs of live CCTV cameras
                                                       Survey of people's opinions of CCTV cameras

                                                     Walking around Leeds observing where cameras were located, how visible they were and what they looked like

                                  Quantitative  - Counting the number of cameras on a Briggate.


Secondary research -  Qualitative   - Internet - Leeds Council website, council reports, Yorkshire Post which lead to links to Big Brother Watch.  You Tube has a host of CCTV/Big Brother videos.

                                  Quantitative - Internet - Council website - number of cameras, CCTV annual cost, 

One of the most useful methods of research was just walking around Leeds observing the CCTV.  This influenced my 'eye looking' up poster as unless you look up you do not notice the cameras at all. This also helped us negate the Pavement advertising idea as what is the point of trying to encourage people to look down when we really wanted them to look up!.  
One You Tube video we watched also proved how strongly people feel about CCTV and in a way they were trying to raise awareness. The women in the video was 'holding' the poster and the whole thing immediately felt more personal and engaging.  Ben and I both hooked into this idea which lead to the outcome.

Unfortunately with time constraints in the second week we were not able to carry out a primary quantitative survey of the public.  The biggest learning point of the whole brief for me, rather than going out armed with a clipboard and pen to ask the public questions just take a camera and hold some engaging posters up.  A large number of people stopped to look and some asked us what we were doing.  Unfortunately there was only really time to record us in the street with the posters.  With more time I would have liked to have formulated a simple question about CCTV to establish of one hundred people how many were aware of the cameras we identified.

Five things I have learnt about the design process over the last two weeks

1. The importance of a team when evidencing work - You can't take photos and hold posters up.  
2. The importance of a team when there are several tasks to be carried out in a short space of time 
3. Having a wide range of different types of research informs both the identification of the problem and in turn the solution.
4. 
   

Five things I would do different next time


1.  Formulate a questionnaire for primary research early on so this can inform the outcome.
2.  Be bolder with solutions, why not video instead of photographs?
3.  We all produced posters to use on the hitting Briggate exercise.  On reflection we would have made more impact if we had chosen one strong design from these to use for all the posters
4.  As far as the starting point for Collection 100 Photos, after seeing he interesting images other people had produced I would try to think outside the obvious next time.
5.  

What if....group work self assessment form

OUGD101 Design Principles Module self-evaluation

BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN		LEVEL	04
Module Code	OUGD101
Module Title	DESIGN PRINCIPLES

END OF MODULE SELF-EVALUATION

NAME

Lisa Whitaker

BLOG. ADDRESS

http://l-whitaker1013.blogspot.com/

1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
·       More aware of colour and the science underlying colour.  Colour in terms of RGB for screen and CMYK for print. The Pantone library, colour swatches in Photoshop and Illustrator. ·       Font terminology, X-height, stroke, serif and san serif.  Starting to think about which fonts communicate the message most effectively and why ·       Setting up and updating a Blog.  I am managing to blog regularly however need to make more visual as still do a lot of writing to explain myself. ·       Illustrator skills – the pen tool, pathfinder and tracing.  Applied this to creating my typeface Lewis and also the Illustrator brief reasonably well. ·       The crit groups are providing skills and confidence to look at work beyond just liking or disliking it.  I can see the importance of this skill for the whole group to grow as designers.
2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
Time constraints have led to a lot of the research being sourced online however the library, if difficult to navigate, has been useful.  The library research tends to be more relevant and stronger in the design development process e.g. the Yann Legendre posters from the Graphic Posters annual 08/09 in the No News brief.  Websites like D&AD and Behance are useful for inspiration and also often provided paths to other research, which otherwise may not have found.    The No News research conducted from the Guardian article about underage drinking statistics also proved to be like the start of a huge web of information.  This lead me to the viral advertising on underage drinking performed by comedian Bill Bailey.  The hard-hitting messages certainly were a reality check in terms of the audience and subject.  Up to that point I felt to be taking the moral high ground.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
The main strength in my work has been pinning down an idea/concept quite early on.  For example I was pleased with the pint glass/straw imagery in the No news – interpretation.  On the No news- delivery brief, the ‘wrap your kids in bubble wrap’ metaphor was also strong and relatively easy to translate visually.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?
The execution of the ideas into reality is sometimes frustrating in terms of my current software skills. Also due to time constraints I have tended to use Photoshop, which I am stronger in when Illustrator would have been a better tool.  Whenever I come across a problem I usually search for a tutorial or ask one of the Mac suite instructors.  For example I did not know how to get a dotted line around the teenager silhouette but Mike explained how to do this in Illustrator.  I now have a better understanding of Vector images and rastorised images. The only problem with this approach is my skills are limited to grow in line with the demand of each brief.  There is a huge black hole of software I am not utilising.  I plan to try to get more to grips with Illustrator between now and January by speaking with Michael or Simon for the best approach.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
1.    Keep a more visual sketch book and /or design sheets – Design development more structured and more interesting to reflect on 2.    Try to consider a broader range of solutions before selecting.  Due to the tight deadlines I tend to go with the first idea.  The outcome can only be stronger by considering more solutions early on. 3.    Think beyond Photoshop.  More varied solutions 4.    Have the confidence to think beyond software and go back to drawing/painting to get a more hand crafted solution. 5.    Keep up with the background reading including Graphic design journals such as Creative Review.  Keep my work current and informed.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: (please indicate using an ‘x’)  5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
	1	2	3	4	5
Attendance					X
Punctuality					X
Motivation					X
Commitment				X
Quantity of work produced			X
Quality of work produced			X
Contribution to the group				X
The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represent s a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.

No news - Message & deliver self- evaluation

What is being communicated , how and to which audience?

The mail shot is aimed at parents of boys aged 10 to 15.  The message communicated is three fold it raises awareness of the shocking statistic that under 18's consume 11.4 pints per second and then goes on to address what can be done about this.  The fact that parents need to talk to their children and then directs them to a website for help.

How well do you think you have answered the brief.

I am pleased that I kept the message clear and focused.  The main reason I think the brief is well answered is because I have clearly identified the target audience and also considered a practical and achievable method of addressing this worrying statistic.  Practically I kept within the constraints of the brief which were the size, two colours plus stockand also delivered a solution which was sucessfully mailed and received.


The strengths of the resolution

Engaging  - the bubble wrap and metaphor' wrapping you kids in bubble wrap'

Two mails shot can be printed on one sheet of A2 double sided paper (economical)

Clear directed solution to the problem.

How could it be improved?

Could be changed to be directed to parents of girls by changing silhouette to a girl.

The message/facts could be simplified further. 

Experiment with different stock to find best weight/finish

Conclusion

This subject was really engaging and interesting ( having two sons) so I did extensive research both about the article and then around the whole subject.  The colour yellow came from an initial idea linked to liver disease which I actually dropped. Generally this effects people later in life so is a difficult concept for parents/children to relate to.  The yellow stuck as I decided this is a good warning color.  The black came from the silhouette.  I was able to find lots of interesting facts and advise however decided the strongest fact was that the best educators for children is their parents.

No news - message & delivery - Final Crit

No news - message & delivery - Final outcome

Alphabet soup -Ilustrator final outcome

Alphabet soup - Illustrator self-evaluation

How well does this answer the brief?

I have produced an A1 landscape poster with 26 letter form variations.

How well as the idea been visually explored?

Due to my developing skills in Illustrator and the time constraints caused by other brief deadlines I have not visually explored each letterform as much as I would have liked.

What are the strengths of the resolution?

The knitted three layer orator font I used as the basis for the development lent itself to a great variety of experimentation.  The nature of this experimentation meant I fully explored the pen tool, experimented with opacity of colour and also created pattern swatches. I was also able to use the pathfinder tool to unite, intersect and cut out various shapes. The poster is visually interesting and I want to put it on my wall at home!   

How could it be improved?

I could have tried to make the letters almost illegible to see how far the manipulation could be taken.  I also had problems creating the pattern swatches which meant my Illustrator file kept crashing.  If this had not have happened I would have had more hard evidence of the experimentation.

GENERAL COMMENTS

I also used these techniques to develop the Alphabet soup font in Illustrator.  Going forward I need to resolve why the programme kept crashing when I created a pattern swatch

No news- progress crit

The progress crit group lead by Amber included Luke, Sarah, Sophie, Kirsty and Charlotte.


Issues


  The feedback was really useful as I had not appreciated the brief was not being fulfilled if I used more than one stock ie the bubble wrap.  Amber said it was a good idea and I could use it but maybe I could try re-creating the 'bubble wrap' in Illustrator.  Also I expressed some concern over cutting out the paper dolls as this wa time consuming and also they were quite fragile.  Luke also pointed out the white paper showed through so maybe using black paper would work.  The problem is there is no facility to print with white ink at college.  Sara and Sophie suggested maybe handcrfting them instead.  Amber's idea was my favourite, adding 'cut out' lines which allude to them being cut out.


Actions

Try bubble wrap


Cut out lines


Look at options for net layout.

The crit groups are becoming more relaxed and as a result people seem more confident at providing each other with feedback. 

No news - Message & deliver brief

No news - message & interpretation self -evaluation

Do you think statement/fact was communicated?

I clearly communicated a simple shocking statistic.


Is the message communicated in a clear and focused way?


Yes

What could be developed further

The image could be refined

Have the posters been kept simple and to the point?

Yes

Has the restriction of two colours plus been met?

Yes

Why are the two colours plus stock approriate/inapproriate?

I think the colours are appropriate as the red, white and blue represents the UK.  Also the colours are bright and eye catching.  The red font draws your eye to the under 18's fact which is the underlying shock statistic linked to the 11.4 pints a second. 

Do the posters work well as a set? Yes as a series.

I wanted to draw the viewer in initially with the bright coloured pop art image which hopfully then raises a question about the straw in the pint glass.  This then leads the viewer to an easily understood volume of 11.4 pints but then raises the question again, of 11.4 pints a second?  I think the seriousness of the message was communicated by using the Arial font as opposed to using a softer, pop art font

It is clearly evident which is image, type and image and type.

Conclusion

The initial fact I picked from the article was under 18's are drinking the equivalent of 6.9 million pints a week.  The fact which I finally used (which is directly proportional) of 11.4 pints a second is much easier to visualise and relate to.  And no less shocking! From this perspective the communication of the statistic is succesful as it is both visually engaging and easy to understand.

No news - Message & interpretation outcome

No news - Crit feedback

No new - Research self evaluation

The Guardian newspaper article I chose was covering the main details linked to a report released by the charity Alcohol Concern.  The article was full of information which provided a leads into both underage drinking and also alcohol misuse in general. 

The general tone of the article was to create a sense of shock  and offered some expert opinions and or blame into the reasons for the alarming statistics.  This lead me to research Alcohol advertising legislation, Drinkaware and find advertising images and viral advertising.

The fact which made the most impact on me was in the UK the equivalent of 6.9 million pints are drank by underage drinkers every week.

The opinion which directed quite a lot of my research was' As long as alcohol remains as heavily promoted as it currently is, young drinkers will continue to consume far more than they might otherwise leading to inevitable health harms and wasting ambulance and police time.' Don Shenker CEO of Alcohol Concern.

My opinion "The large rise in the number of underage drinkers in A&E is a consequence of our cultural relationship with alcohol"

Conclusion
The article I chose, being both informative and topical, proved an interesting subject to research and subsequently worked well with both the No News message and interpretation and message and delivery briefs.

No news message & interpretation brief

No news Research brief

Alphabet Soup 2 - Outline font final outcome



Handcrafted



There are two outcomes for this brief , one hand crafted and one which I produced on Illustrator.

Design Principles, Alphabet Soup 2 evaluation

My name: Lisa Whitaker Partner's name: Lewis Francis

Referring to the typeface you have designed answer the following:

Which personality traits did you chose to respond to and apply to the typeface?

The main traits reflected in the typeface were strong, ambitious and confident. 

What are the reasons for the design decisions you have made for the typeface?

From the initial interview  Lewis expressed a preferance for upper case.  On the whole I do feel uppercase is more angular and masculine so I did not consider lower case at all from this point.
The font I designed for Lewis had to have a contemporary edge as Lewis is very 'gadget' orientated and lives in the city.  As the font evolved and became more 'blocky' my attempts to make the letters 'bolder' by filling with black lead to an art deco/vaudaville style font.  This was completely wrong for Lewis so initially I made the decision to leave just an outline however with some guidance from Fred I then filled just certain elements such as the stem or the bowl.  This kept a more contemporary feel.

In what ways are the results effective?

The A1 poster and the badge were both readable and the font worked together as a series.  I was happy with the concept as the font does have a 'confidence' and masculine quality reflective of Lewis.  It was pleasing that the font could be created both by hand and also using Illustrator.

Alphabet soup 2 - Crit group

Our crit group was Sadie & Charlie, Luke & Kirsty, Beth & Joe, Sarah & Charlotte, Kirsty (& Luis), Lisa & Lewis


General issues and actions raised for the group -


- Check readability of letter by trying out with words
- Try a few different letters of a different case to test if works for those
- Ensure read brief outcomes i.e. structure of poster 4 letter by 8 rows,. so do not end up with widows.
- Interesting that the male female partnerships were quite apparent by the fonts designed


Issues for me


-W& S only letters joined so not consistent with rest of font. Think of how to join
- I & J no blocked out areas maybe block an area out.


Actions


-Try some words
-Try a few letter of lower case
-Try just outline and also fresh poster

ALPHABET SOUP - RATIONAL

BRIEF
Design a typeface of 26 letterforms and 6 glyphs that represents my font partner, lewis Francis character.


Who needs to know?
Lewis Francis and general audience as the name badge needs to be readable.


What do they ned to know?
The decisions I have made and why it is relevant to them.  The outcomes are an A1 poster displaying the typeface and a name badge (90mmx45mm)


Why do they need to know?
This will communicate the typeface to them.


What will they respond to?
A clear, legible, readable visual typeface.


What research is required?


Primary
Questionaire
Adjectives to describe Lewis's character
Typefaces they like
mood board


Secondary
Typefaces,  font websites,

Alphabet soup 2 - progress crit

The progress crit was with Jo, Max, Dom, Kirsty, Lewis and Ben.

Issues raised:

Going in the right direction with devlopment
The font currently working on is not masculine/strong enough
Useful to see the design deveopment and varied approach being taken by others in the group
Of the five adjectives, if one is not working try a different one

Actions to be take

Expeiment with awkward letters
Work on the blocky font
Test ten letters and name before taking forward to A1 poster

Alphabet soup - Illustrator brief

Alphabet soup part two - Brief

Alphabet soup -Evaluation

Alphabet soup - Final outcome

Alphabet Soup - Final crit

There was only three in the group with the word 'knit', myself, Claudia and Sarah.  Our crit was with Jo.  I explained that I had gone off at a tangent with thinking about the traditional understanding of the word knit.   Also due to a misundersatnding when we were briefed a lot of students thought they could only explore one letter.


My favourite K was the Orator three colour k on the white background which the group agreed with.  The reason I prefer this one is it is so simple yet effective.  Jo commented she thought it could be beneficial to perhaps explore this concept with other letters and maybe try the acetate version.   She concluded that she felt I had achieved the brief as I had explored the relationship between meanning and typography.


Claudia had chosen to modify different fonts by changing four elements of each.  Jo felt whilst she had answered the brief she could have tried to explain the concept to the reader by including some dashed lines at the joins.  Sarah suggested she could try using colour.  I felt Claudia had attempted to come up with different fonts in a way a lot of the course group had not.


Sarah had chosen to use 'sewing' as her method as she said 'knit' made her think of handmade.  Her outcome was beautiful however Jo felt she had not fully answered the brief in terms of exploring typography.  We discussed methods that she could have used to rectifty this such as using an actuals typeface.


Following the group crit I decided to explore the idea further which I discuss in the Design Practise  blog' final outcome'

My Top Ten Learning outcomes for this year

1. To be able to use a MAC as comfortably as I can use a PC (Lots of learned behaviour to overcome!)


2. Learn how to use Adobe Illustrator and other associated software.


3. Expand my knowledge of Adobe Photoshop


4. Understand colour theory


5. Understand colour's relationship with digital print so my outcomes are by design not accident.


6. Learn the rules of Typography and develop my own Font


7. Identify five contemporary Graphic Designers that I admire and follow their work.


8. Produce an interesting and regular blog
9. Improve my critical evaluation and feedback technique beyond just liking or disliking.


10. Have started to develop a sense of personal style and direction in Graphic Design practice

Alphabet soup part one brief

Module Brief - Visual Thinking

How to...Self evaluation

How to..START THE DAY Final outcome