Design for web - tutorial 1

Initial experiments with layout

Laying out my designs in Photoshop was a helpful process in actually visualised possible designs for the site. I found doing it this way was more helpful as i can see the final layout in full colour and image, instead of typing the code in and being blind to what it will look like exactly.

Content flow charts

The first initial introduction tutorial to how to create and design my own website was really helpful, as it laid the foundations for what i needed to consider before i even get going on dreamweaver. i feel that the design process will be easy in the following tutorials when i have settled on layout, content, and audience for my site.

Design Strategies presentation

Targets and goals to achieve

Within my presentation i stated what short term and long term goals i wanted to meet in the 3rd year. By setting these they will set a schedule and deadlines which i will need to meet, keeping me on track and not letting my design head sleep or fall asleep so to speak. By always keeping myself on my feet and refreshing my goals i hope to develop further a designer and create a more professional style, knowledge base within graphic design.

Long term

Short term

I will document my process both on my short term and long terms goals and ensure i meet them.

New work studio was a great find for me as it is work that i really enjoy looking at and appreciate the simple, clean and clinical layout that they use. Their work is something i wish to study as i develop my own work, taking influence and incorporating it into my own style.

Also i hope to contact them and possibly set up a placement or ask them a few questions that will benefit my design process and give me an idea of what i will need to do to achieve in the future the standard of which they are at currently as a design studio.

I will be keeping regular updates of their work and what they are doing on my design contxt blog.

Screen printing

 

Electronic Poet branding brief

I really enjoyed this one day project as it was a quick turn around and that i had to make quick decisions for the design, which i feel helped as i didn't have time to over design and overlook what the brief was asking. i was pleased the client liked the final design and said it was "exactly what I was looking for, even though it was similar to the gay pride logo, it has an individuality of its own". I hope to take on more banding brief in the future and experiment with short briefs throughout the year.

Summer placement at Paper Scissor Stone

What now...?

Now using this as a starting point and reference i can go into to the 3rd year with a clear target of what i want to achieve and work on how i will reach the goals set. By using this presentation to refer to i can 'tick' off what i have noted down as i go along, and from there on set myself new targets so that i keep myself and my work progressing continuously. by doing this i will keep me active and hopefully not allow my to slow down or become lethargic with my work.

Self promotion feedback

After reading of the feedback i can now break down my original design and make the changes where necessary, as i need to re approach my self promotion pack because of my screen printing hiccup, i can use the feedback i have received to create a more effective package.

Self Promotion

My quick idea generation

I feel even though we only had a short amount of time to complete this brief that i could of approached the design side a little bit more thorough in terms of idea generation and decision making. If i had spent more time on coming up with a design and brand for myself to promote, that it may of been more effective as a final resolution. in future i will always take time to go over the design process and break down what the brief is asking of me, who my audience is and what and how do i want to say it. with a structure like this i feel the design will develop naturally and be more effective and appropriate.

Lets get digital

moving straight o digital was a choice i now think was made because of the insufficient design process, in a hast to crack on and get something created i ran to my mac and visualised the designs without using proper though to why i was doing it, which in turn resulted in a visually appealing design but lacking in certain areas.

Paper mock up

Mocking up the design really helped me understand on how the paper was going to fold and what it was going to look like, allowing me to make changes or tweaks that i deemed necessary. Going form screen straight to print for the final resolution is risky as you don't know how it will turn out when it is in a touchable format. i will create mock ups for my work when it needs to be done, which will allow me to evaluate the design process and to make changes before i click the 'print' button.

Screen printing

The negatives

As i had never really done screen printing as a process in my work before, i knew i was heading in quite blind and taking a bit of a gamble. Although the process wasn't entirely successful and will require another attempt at a further date, i feel i have gained a lot form just going through the process and understanding what i have to do in order to screen print,such as setting up my screen and inks, as well as laying out my work when working digitally first. i will continue to research into this process as it is one that i want to use in the future.

Evaluation

Overall i have gained a good amount of experience and knowledge with the print processes used and also how to promote myself successfully. Although this attempt wasn't entirely successful, I now know, from the feedback sheets and self evaluation, what i need to do to design and construct an effective promotion package. i will continue and finish off the promotion pack that i have started here, but with this reflection it will give me a chance to tweak and change the parts of my design that are not working or could be better.