OUGD402 Study Task 02 - Why am I here? - What do I want to learn?

Why did I choose to study on this course?

1. The creative feel and atmosphere within the college is really good and I thought it would be a really comfortable place to work in.
2. The strong links within industry that have professionals visiting setting briefs and giving lectures. This is good because I have first hand advice and guidance from people that are doing it right in the industry. I also thought it would be good to help me get some work experience.
3. The college being number one for art and design in the guardians university guide. This enticed me as it must be good if it has good reviews etc.
4. The strong range of facilities. This will be beneficial so that I can produce a broad range of work gaining lot's of new skills from the processes.
5. Being around other creative people and collaborating with different art and design areas. Ideas bounce off people really well to come up with the best possible innovative idea.

What do I want to learn during the course?

1. Different processes of production such as screen printing, this will aid me in working with different medias and producing varied and interesting outcomes.
2. How to comprehensively use the adobe design programs, so that I can produce work without struggling and spending a large amount of time trying to figure things out.
3. How to 'sell yourself' and talk about your work confidently to professionals and clients. Im not a very confident person so if I learn how to work on this I think it will have a knock on effect and improve my overall work.
4. How to build a strong portfolio and showcase my best work. This will help me when I am trying to get a job or work placement as I know how important first impressions are.
5. Learn about different designers, methods of working, so that I have lot's of inspiration to pull ideas from.

My strengths:

1. Working in a team, I try my absolute best as I hate letting people down.
2. Bouncing ideas off people, I really enjoy group discussions and critiques as I feel that I can engage more.
3. Being able to critically evaluate my own work, I seem to be quite good at finding all the things that I could improve on so that I can push my designs further.
4. Currently better at working hand rendered rather than digitally, I did fine art at A Levels and have always liked the personal feel of it.
5. Pulling it together at the end, I usually somehow manage through all the stress to do well in the end.

My weaknesses:

1. Indecisiveness, sometimes I am unsure what to do in certain situations.
2. Procrastination, I tend to take a while to start something but when I do I usually get into the flow of it.
3. Showing my design process, Im not very good at developing ideas, if I like one idea I just stick to that, I really need to work on experimenting more.
4. Having a wide range of different ideas rather than the final one straight away.
5. Not being confident in my own work.

Things that I would like to improve:

1. My abilities on the design programs, I have only used photoshop before at a very basic level.
2. Time management, in the past I have shown bad time management so this is something i'd like to work on.
3. Pushing the boundaries being more bold with my design decisions, I have always been told that I can push my designs further so this is something that I need to do, be more daring and stop playing it safe.
4. Having more confidence in my own work, hopefully within the course I will slowly gain more confidence.
5. Have a broader knowledge on contexts and the history of design, I have never been good at history but I hope this is something I can work on as it is a foundation for learning things like design principles.

Things that inspire me:

The Dieline:

The Dieline is a catalogue defining and promoting the world's best packaging design and provides a place where the package design community can review, critique and stay informed of the latest trends and projects being created in the field. I personally love packaging design, it is and area of design I am really interested in and it is my go to site when looking for inspiration. I love the way in which something is packaged actually compels the consumer to buy the product.

TED Talks: 

TED talks are short, powerful talks on a range of topics. I find these really inspiring and thought provoking, they are good at giving you a deeper understanding and insight that allows you to come to your own opinions.

Earth Pics, Instagram:

Earth pics is an Instagram account that I follow which has stunning pictures of places, people, animals and nature. I really like this account because it reminds me just how beautiful the world is and makes me want to go out, travel and explore.

VICE:

VICE is a print magazine and website focused on arts, culture, and news topics. I like looking at their broad range of articles and finding out about new things.

Pinterest:

A social network that allows people to visually share and discover new interests. I use Pinterest for a range of things from fashion to recipes, it is a really useful tool to find attractive images. Whenever I am doing a new project I type in a word that relates to it, and I then have a visual mood board to stimulate ideas.

Designs that demonstrate my creative interests:

Just enough of a (very) good thing packaging, design by Pearlfisher:

I love this design, the illustrated logotype and packaging design emphasises the handcrafted premium taste of the desserts. The little illustrations all bring there own character adding a strong bespoke personality. Contrasted with the bright pops of colour on the photo images adds an emphasis on flavour and taste. I feel like Pearlfisher really nailed the design making it fun, light and decadent. Within my own work I also like to use hand rendered sketches/illustrations as I think they make a piece of design stand out and have a playful feel.

Geometric Collages Created From Layers of Vintage File Folders and Index Cards by Augustine Kofie:

 Augustine Kofie creates collages that utilise file folders, index cards, and steno notepads from the ’50s through ’80s that were found while scouring the contents of Los Angeles estate sales. Kofie chooses to compile vintage materials from before the dawn of the digital age. I really like the context behind the image and It feels like a really personal piece of work. After building collages from the papers in various colours and weights, he utilises ballpoint pen, silkscreen, and acrylic ink to draw shapes and lines over top. I find the way he references form and line within his work compelling and intriguing producing a really structural design.

Illustration by Howard Tangye:

I love this use of mixed media to create a more dynamic design that draws the eye to the different flashes of colour. The use of line makes the figures look fragile which contrasts with the expressive use of media.

Surface pattern design and textures - Marble

I love patterns and textures, I especially love the texture and colour of marble, the contrast of colours and the way they swirl together is just really satisfying.

Photorealism - Tjalf Sparnaay

I have such a big appreciation for photorealism as I think it takes a great deal of precision and skill. When doing my fine art a level this was my preferred style however I was very very slow. I think the reason I like this type of art is because it is so perfect and precise and this is the style I usually work in.