WHAT PROBLEM DID YOU IDENTIFY?
I focussed on the problem that new first years on the course can find it slightly overwhelming. I attempted a light hearted approach to giving the new first years helpful tips and terms in relation to the course, in the for of an a-z. I also touched on the issues surrounding sexual health in Leeds, delivering my idea on the packaging of free condoms.
WHAT EVIDENCE DID YOU FIND TO SUPPORT YOUR DECISIONS?
I chose condoms as my product because these were voted one of the most useful freebie given out during freshers week. I also found that condoms are used a lot in promotion and can be very successful ways of getting a message across. I found out what pieces of advice/tips people in year one had been give/wish they had been given, or would give now in retrospect.
WHAT METHODS DID YOU USE TO GATHER YOUR EVIDENCE AND
WHAT FORMS DID IT TAKE?
For primary research I conducted a survey asking for tips and advice, which I asked to all first year graphics students. I also conducted a simple tally chart style survey to discover what freshers freebies they felt were the most useful. My secondary research included condom packaging and promotion, and a variety of different ways of presenting the information. I looked at other
designers work for this.
WHAT METHODS OF RESEARCH DID YOU FIND USEFUL AND WHY?
I found that keeping my surveys short and straight to the pint meant that people were less hostile about doing them and also allowed me to gather my research more quickly and therefore make decisions quicker.
HOW DID THESE INFORM YOUR RESPONSE TO YO
UR PROBLEM?
This gave me a lot of information to work with in a short
amount of time, allowing me to begin working on the content, and coming up with finalized ideas for my a-z of advice.
WHAT RESEARCH COULD YOU HAVE CARRIED OUT OUT THAT WOULD HAVE PROVED MORE USEFUL?
I could have done more research into to other freebies that could be available that would fit in the same sized packaging, to add a bit of variety. I also could have researched display and distribution more than I did. For example how I would distribute the product and wher
e would be the best place to do this, bearing in mind that it is aimed mainly at graphic design students.
I could also have looked into some more websites to help me with my web design.
5 THINGS THAT YOU HAVE LEARNT ABOUT THE DESIGN PROCESS OVER THE LAST FIVE WEEKS....
>My abilities with illustrator have come on more in the last five weeks than in the entire year. I think that sitting there for almost 5 weeks just really getting to grips with the software (because I've had the time) has really helped me. By most standards I'm still not that skilled, I am now fully competent!
>Because of the longer length of time for this project, I have had more opportunities to change and develop my designs. In this project I have really developed my idea making decisions and changes almost every day.
I have learnt a lot about colour palettes in the last 5 weeks, mainly through experimentation, just trying to see what works.
I have learnt more about the practical and functional side of design in this project. Working with nets and working out whether it will work on a physical and visual level, as well as working out correct layouts for print.
>I designed a website for the first time, so design wise that was something I have learnt about, in terms of layout and function.
5 THINGS THAT YOU WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME....
>Next time I would try to focus on one idea from the start, rather than touching on a few which I felt got me off to a bad start and wasted time. However I am glad that I went with my instinct and changed my idea, as I think it worked well in the end, and I made up for it work wise.
>I would experiment with prototypes a little earlier because due to issues with printing, I had to improvise and change my stock, which didn't work at first and could have caused problems if I'd left it any later.
>Next time I would spend more time considering distribution before I start designing the product. Since I've finalized my product I've had more ideas for distribution, but they don't really work with the product that I have now. I think there are a lot of really interesting and innovative ways of distribution and I could have come up with a more interesting one.
>I think that missing the third crit set me back more than I realized. With a project this long I have found the justification and opinions from other people at regular intervals stopped me from going mad and thinking that my idea is doomed to fail. Whenever I've had a crit or a tutorial with john I've come out feeling confident and with lots of new ideas. Aside form feeling bad for getting in trouble for not going
>I think that I have made progress in terms of trying to give my illustrations more purpose in a graphic design context, rather than being image based for the sake of it, but I think next time I can take that even further.
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