Friday 27 May 2011

End of Module Evaluation - OUGD203

Throughout this module I feel I have learnt alot abotu my own design practice. I enjoyed collaborating for the YCN brief and found that between us, our workload increased dramatically to what would have been if we were alone. However, compromise was a big part of this, and when it came to Product Raneg Distribution brief, I then felt I hasd the freedom to explore my own creative interests. I enjoyed the Design for Web brief, as I have never doen this before, and it know gives me another area of graphic design to look into developing my skills further.

Through the duration of the briefs I have realised I spend far too much time at the beghinning doing all the research, and then not having as much time to design. I have spotted this as sopmething to consider, as starting the design work earlier will allow me more time to develop and push my work to its full potential. However, it is still important to research to allow myself to make informed decisions.

I have really enjoyed designing logos, and brand identitys in this module, and would like to expand on this within third year. Managing my time is also something I need to think about further in third year, so I can make the most of my time designing, and not squander it away.

One thing I have noticed as a weakness in my design work is that I tend to prioritise which idea I think has the most potential, and don't explore the other ideas as deep. I realise that I should make sure I exhaust every direction to see which styles and outcomes I could end up with, becuase I could surprise myself and end up with totally different, more effective outcomes.

Thinking of what I woudl do differently, I will definately start designign earlier in the next brief, to allow myself more time for development. I need to stop stayign safe with my ideas, and coem up with some really clever, intriguing concepts that I am proud of. I have kept on top of my blog in this module, and will carry on doing so. And also I will make sure that when it comes to crits, that I bring enough work and make sure it is clear with the ideas/concept I am trying to get across, and ask what I need to know about my design work and how it could be improved, so I come away more benefited with help toward my design development.

Attendane - 4
Punctuality - 3
Motivation - 5
Commitment - 5
Quantity of work produced - 4
Quality of work produced - 4
Contribution to the group - 4

Thursday 26 May 2011

Portfolio PDF

My selection of work that I wish to send to design agencies to gain some feedback and to create a dialect with them...


Thursday 5 May 2011

Meme Media

Here is a studio I found and liked from Bolton:

''We're a team of strong-minded, likeable individuals, passionate about providing outstanding design across whichever medium the project requires. Good ideas and strategic thinking are always at the forefront of any work we deliver. We try to work with a smile on our faces, because to us, happy designers make happy clients.
Since our birth in 2003 we have grown steadily to meet the needs of our long term clients (and plenty of new ones too). We immerse ourselves in our work; to us it's a labour of love, which we feel is why our clients keep coming back for more.'' 
http://www.mememedia.co.uk/mememedia-digitalMedia.html


Contact details:
3 Tonge Bridge Way
Bolton
Greater Manchester
BL2 6BD
t: 01204 381283
f: 01204 848019
e: info@mememedia.co.uk

Here is some of their work:












Tuesday 3 May 2011

OUCE255 - End of Module Evaluation

Throughout the course of this module, I feel I have learnt a great deal, and found out about alot of important areas to consider when I move from university into the industry.

I have found the module to be challenging, especially with the tasks consisting of analysing other design companys out there, as I felt I was in no position to judge their well established businesses. I tended to leave the harder tasks til the end, but then felt once they were completed, I had learnt alot from them. With the Enterprise mdoule working alongside PPD it has helped in my quest to realise who I am as a designer, and has created some clarity as to what I would like to do more of and learn more about.

I enjoyed the lectures, and could understand and keep up with what Bridget was talking about due to her enthusiasm, clarity and optimism. She was very inspiring. I also completed a few of the quizzes that helped reinforce the information that had been given to us, and make it memorable.

I am pleased with how well the presentation went and feel we covered the main issues of setting up a business in the allocated time of 8-10minutes. I found it difficult to manage time and get us all meeting up together due to timetable clashes and other commitments. This meant meeting outside of college time and keep in touch through email and our blogs. I tried to work as the project leader as we split up our responsibilities and I created the flow of our presentation. I also covered the costings (a real eye-opener) and found a location for our studio to be based. With the commitment of our team we managed to come together in the end and it worked, and we recieved positive feedback.

Overall I feel I definately have a better insight into the industry and the basics of setting up a small business. Although it is not something I would like to do straight away after university, it is always a possibility for the future, once I've had experience working in the industry and made contacts.

Presentation Slides

Here are the presentation slides and what I will say in the presentation:



Slide 1: Logo

Charlotte - Introduction - read out mission statement

Slide 2: Photo of us
Charlotte - What we do - skills/specialisms, services we offer

Slide 3: Location
Kirsty - Studio base
''We will be based in Leeds, renting a studio at Umbrella Creative. The location is convenient as it is easily accessible to get to from the motorway and city centre. The train station is about a mile away, but there are bus routes that can bring you to the studio.
Umbrella is a collective of various disciplines, which means it is not just a place to network, but also a place to keep an eye on the competition. It will cost £3144 a year in rent, inclusive of business rates, insurance and utilities. We will then need to invest £12,000 for equipment such as iMacs, software and furniture. With parking and cafe's nearby, Umbrella also offer meeting rooms that can be used when meeting with clients, or alternatively we could meet them in the city centre if that is more convenient for them.''
Slide 4: SWOT
Becky - Swot analysis of our studio, unique selling points, competitors/other practitioners, marketing plan/methods

Slide 5: Viral mail out
Ellie - Getting ourselves out there, who are our potential clients and how do we reach them (love hearts)

Slide 6: Brand Identity
Charlotte - Business cards etc (costings/trademarking)

Kirsty - Costings
''For a total of 208 chargeable days, we estimated a daily charge rate at £735, which covers £615 in labour and £120 in overhead rates. This works out at at £22 hourly rate each, and our yearly salary will be £30,000 each.
The start-up costs will be around £24-25,000. To cover this we propose to contribute £3000 each, and the bank will match this at £12,000.
In following years, the indirect costs will be around £12-13,000 and equipment costs will not need to be included again in the overhead costs, meaning around £12,000 will go towards profits.''
Ellie - Accountant
 
Charlotte - Wrapping it up

Monday 2 May 2011

Presentation Flow

I worked out what needs to be included and considered for the presentation and tried to come up with some sort of flow. 

 We also have to decide who says what, we decided that we should each just talk about the areas we researched into, so we know exactly what we are talking about and are confident. Together we have covered these main areas.