Module Evaluation - OUGD603

Module Evaluation OUGD603

Over the three years at university my skills have grown within my practice. I have managed to become more proficient in areas of design and learn techniques I had never even attempted before. Digital design was my go to before university. I mainly worked on my computer using the Adobe Suite and taking inspiration from online sources. Since my time at university I have managed to expand on all of this; taking my skills within traditional methods to create final pieces, researching through books and online articles and finally printing and photographing my work so it is professional in look and can be displayed on my portfolio. All of this has helped to to produce this module. 

You can see the progression over the years and how this year I have continued to improve throughout. I incorporated my traditional methods with my digital work to create stronger outcomes and made sure all my briefs were backed up with research, ideas generations and links to my target audience. I feel this years work has been my strongest proving I can now produce constantly strong projects while still continuing to learn and grow within the design world.

My projects this year have a much more professional finish to them as many of them have been printed and photographed or simply completed to a higher standard. I have used mockups to see concepts for my work but have always tried to create the physical pieces where possible to make sure it works in the context it is supposed to rather than an idea. 

Although I have improved on combining both traditional and digital methods I have also improved my skills within the digital software I use. I use the Adobe Suite mostly to create my work but also have experimented using software outside of this. This includes, photo editing/image generation, 3D design, vector designs, video editing, sound editing and animating. Alongside this I have improved my photography skills to make sure all the outcomes I produce are just as strong as one another. 

This year I have worked with more clients and on more life briefs than ever before. In doing so I have been able to learn; new networking and interaction skills as, how to create invoices, how to weigh up costs and how best to produce an outcome. 

My time management this year has improved dramatically. With the help of time plans and posting events or information on my phones calendar I have been able to get deadlines done on time and produce really strong outcomes. Without this I feel my work would not have improved as much as it has. 

At the start of the year everything I have discussed above is what I wanted to achieve. I feel proud of this year and I am pleased with all the outcomes. I now do feel ready to share my work and apply for jobs within the industry. Before this year I did not feel ready for any of that, I feel this was down to lacking in, time management, confidence within my work and the standard of my work. This year has been tremendous success for me and I hope to carry on improving throughout my future career in the creative industry.

Digital Business Card, Evaluation - OUGD603

Though this brief did take slightly longer than other briefs it was still relatively easy to produce and keep ideas flowing. The time plan was adjusted slightly to make way for added details and other projects. We still managed to stay on task and complete the brief in time for our deadline. This was due to the amount of research and feedback we had accumulated throughout it. Working on this project as a collaboration definitely helped to push the whole process further and make sure we didn't stray off track from the original brief. Our design styles differ but we do agree on most aesthetic choices which may have made this easier. It could be argued that differing opinions could be helpful to gain multiple decisions. We managed to gain a lot of feedback through surveys and online posts that helped push the designs enough. It was helpful to have a like-minded designer on this project to make sure we could stay on the same page. We managed to stick to the initial brief throughout the design and use the information we collected to create a final piece that fit to our criteria. The workload was shared from the research to the designing, we would always work on the project together and the only time we spend apart was whilst Harrison was on placement. We did still keep in contact through skype and through Facebook to give each other constant updates on the brief.
The design is user friendly, easy to navigate and looks visually pleasing. It works as a digital alternative to printed business cards an saves on paper costs and environmental damages. Which, can be backed up through our research.
I was able to use a whole range of digital skills throughout this project that I have not used in conjunction with each other for a few years. The software used is as follows; Adobe Illustrator, Adobe XD, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe After Effects and Apple's Logic Pro X. I do not have much experience working with Adobe XD but it works similarly as other programs in the Adobe Suite. Using software like this to step a bit outside my comfort zone helps to further my skill as a designer and creative.
Although I do usually prefer to work with print I still believe that this is something that needs to be tackled. Not all print is necessary and with simple solutions such as this app we are able to save the environment. A business card is something so small we wouldn't consider it to effect the environment too drastically but the amount that are discarded per week is phenomenal. I myself have printed my own business cards through a company (Moo) because I cannot find a service such as this app. As we have stated throughout the production of this piece I still believe business cards are necessary but there is no way or easy and user friendly way to make them digitally. My business cards are printed on 100% recycled stock made from cotton tee-shirts this would be a way to get around environmental issues but is still held back by many other issues.
This project has shown me how necessary research is to create something so commercial and something that could have a huge impact on the way we network. If I were to take this project further I would like to approach app developers to help create it as a fully functioning design and not something that would just be seen as a design project. It should be stated that other apps of this nature do exist but none feature the connectivity our design offers and ease of use. We are looking to implement this straight into the phones wallet or contacts and use the inbuilt NFC technology to transfer the data quickly and with ease. Overall this project has opened me up to a whole new range of ideas and has helped me hone in on some digital skills within UI I have not tapped into before. Working collaboratively was helpful and made sure the project was a success.

Digital Business Card, In Context - OUGD603

This video helps to explain the idea behind the app and how the app will navigate. Once again it can be seen that the app is kept simple and produces an answer to the problem stated in the brief. This would help to produce a simple digital solution for business cards and bring them into the digital age. Making cards easier to organise and sort through, it will save time on sharing information with professionals and personal contacts. Business cards still play an important role in society but print is starting to fade out and is slowly having a huge impact on the environment. This app will keep business cards relevant for years to come and help produce a solution to unnecessary print costs and wasted paper.

The editing of the video and audio was done using Adobe After Effects, Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Logic Pro. A script was written out for me to read out so there was audio to go along with the video. Then the video was edited using the Adobe software stated above. After Effects was used to produce the bulk of the video and add in effects. Illustrator was used to create the vector imagery to add visuals alongside the type and audio, this was to keep viewers entertained. XD was used to show the navigation throughout the App itself and then added into an Iphone Mockup created in Photoshop. Logic was used to record the audio and edit it before placing it into the finished video. Creating the audio helped create the keyframes in After Effects so I knew when the visuals would appear in time.



Expand App from Joshua Storey on Vimeo.

Digital Business Card, Script - OUGD603

The next task is to create a video explaining why the app was created and how it works. We will need a script to make sure the audience can understand the process. The information has been written to sound professional yet friendly to keep the target audiences attention.

The Script:

Expand -

Every week up to 88% of business cards are thrown out. This can result in the destruction and devastation of 100 of acres of trees and wildlife. Expand is an app that hopes to do it’s part and help save the earth. 

The application helps move business cards into the digital era. Print is not dead but it is not always necessary. It is stated that by 2050 all forms of printed money will be taken out of production. Slowly we are seeing print being phased out of everyday situations. It’s time to keep up with the world and give back to it in the process. 

The application is simple and user friendly. Meaning anyone is able to use the app while their content and personal information is still protected. 

At the tap of a button you can add a new business card straight to your device by either entering the users ID number, scanning their QR code or using NFC technology to effortlessly tap and connect. 

You are able to add as many business cards as you would like. Say you are out at a social event and meet someone new. There’s no need for awkward silences just tap and within seconds your details have been shared. 

Another scenario could be you are meeting an important client. You need to share your details but don’t want to waste their time by tediously typing out all your info for them to copy and type out. Once again the information you choose to share will be sent across to them.

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and much more, even websites or portfolios can be shared through the app. Simply tap to add a new link and switch on which ones you wish to share. 

We hope to inspire new generations to use this application and do their part to create a better future. 

Expand - Networking Made Easy

Digital Business Card, Mock-Ups - OUGD603

This is how the design will look on a mobile screen. The images can be used as advertisements both online and on digital billboards to keep saving on paper waste. As stated the design looks aesthetically pleasing, and easy to use. All information is easy to read and navigate, nothing unnecessary was added to the design to make sure it stays simple and uncluttered.

Secret 7", Evaluation - OUGD603

This brief has shown that I can produce a piece of work to a high standard using both traditional and digital methods of design. I have managed to produce the project in the allotted time frame as well as in time for the brief deadline. The brief was only meant to last 24 hours to produce the final design which it did and has shown that I can create work in this time frame without lowering quality for the final outcomes. If I were to extend this brief and design for each on of the tracks it may have taken a bit longer to produce a final outcome but they would still be up to the same standard. If I were to redo this brief I feel that more digital work could be added or even a background to the image even though the point of the white background was to make the image stand out from the negative space behind. I used watercolour to create the main body of the final piece and then edited within Adobe PhotoShop, I also used PhotoShop to edit the photographs taken in the photography studio. Once again photographing my work has shown useful to display my work in a more professional manor than as a generic mockup. Overall I enjoyed this project and would like to carry on designing in a similar fashion using both traditional and digital methods for my future projects.

Secret 7", Submission - OUGD603

The final design has now been submitted after gaining some feedback from peers and printing to check for any mistakes.

After showing the digital piece and explaining the concept and the brief to gain feedback people agreed with would be overdoing it to add anything more to the design. The background is simple and makes the image pop and the colours all work to create an interesting piece. One person mentioned that it may be confusing to use Atlas as the subject as his punishment was to hold the heavens not earth but I explained my reasoning. I also had to explain that using Atlas' story was not the idea but instead his image to show someone holding the weight of the world on their shoulders to 'save' it.

Printing gave me the opportunity to see how the piece could look if my entry is successful. It also gave me a chance to make sure there would not be any discrepancies in the print after looking at and editing the digital version.

Secret 7", Digital - OUGD603

After scanning in the coloured image there weren't many tweaks needed to finish it off. Firstly the head was dropped slightly at the back to make the hair fit around the neck and shape it a bit better. Some areas were burnt to add to the depth of the shadows and a shadow was added under the character to bring the whole piece together and make it look fully 3D. The shadow was created using a textured brush and smudging it, I layered up the shadow the same way I did the watercolour to make sure the piece all looked consistent. Finally the image was cropped and the background all made to match the colour and texture of the watercolour paper. 

The final step in the digital production was to see how the design could look on a vinyl cover. This would make sure the design is not too overpowering or lacking in any way before submitting it. The design will also be printed before submission to make sure it will come out as intended. 

Secret 7", Watercolour - OUGD603

The next step was to bring the drawing to life and give it some depth. I had to make sure the white skin colour I created didn't turn out orange or too pink so tested a few times whilst blending. The other colours were pretty basic to the set and to blend but I still had to build them up and create shadows to add onto the base layer of colour. The Earth's green and blue I was worried about being too saturated but came out fine and using a blending technique I managed to not over power them. The blending technique also allowed me to add shadows and highlights to areas that did not have them originally. The cape was hard to decide on colour wise. I looked at greek capes used for mythology or in the real world. God's were often depicted with white robes but did often wear similar to the real world of blues and reds. I thought the blue and red would take away from the globe a bit and be too saturated. The white I thought might not stand out as well and wouldn't look as worn so instead I blended a brown, yellow and white together to create a more worn down looking cape. This added to the overall look that the character was beaten and worn out. Finally the design was outlined to make it pop and separate the colours from one another. 

Secret 7", Sketches - OUGD603

Firstly an initial sketch was needed to create some rough working of the design. Atlas is usually shown carrying the world on his shoulders similar to the well known expression. He often stands tall and doesn't look in much stress or discomfort. After listening to the song once more and thinking about the idea of saving the world it became clear this wouldn't be an easy task. You would look beaten and tired. The sketch then took inspiration from Jesus bearing the cross and falling. The hair covering his face both meant I did not have to draw a face and that he was exhausted. The cloak covers only part of his body and the rest can be seen with muscles still shown strong and powerful but weakened. It had to look a difficult task and not like the initial idea of a superhero pose, standing all high and mighty. 

After the initial sketch I used a light box to redraw and refine the design before doing the same onto some watercolour paper ready for the colour to be added.

Secret 7", Ideas - OUGD603

Initially the idea was to create some sort of hero esque person stood either on top or in front of the world. They would be stood in a classic superhero pose to look strong and powerful. The initial idea was inspired by a friend's work from the Illustration course at LAU (seen below). Kyle created a brilliant piece using a digital art style. I wanted to created something similar and just as striking but using a more traditional method of watercolour. This would take me back down my route of traditional and hand rendered techniques.

Kyle Prior Illustration

The idea changed when I recalled the story of Atlas. In Greek mythology Atlas was punished by Zeus to hold up the Heavens. Now although the Heavens don't directly fit into the song I Saved The World Today, Atlas is often depicted holding up the Earth as the story has moved on or changed. This would then be a fitting picture of strength and power for the song and would fit the title.

Secret 7", Chosen Track - OUGD603

The tracks from this year are as listed:

The Clash - I'm Not Down

London Grammar - Help

Eurythmics - I Saved The World Today

Manic Street Preachers - No Surface Or Feeling

Primal Scream - Damaged

Jeff Buckley - Lover You Should've Come Over

Jimi Hendrix - Castles Made of Sand

My Chosen Track is Eurythmics - I Saved The World Today, out of all the tracks it's the one that jumped out to me the most when listening. I thought the song had potential to utilise quite an obvious idea whilst still being unique.

The song focuses on depression. I don't know whether the idea should be literal to this or abstract and more based on the title of the song.

I did have an idea to make this a really quick brief and create a timeline of all the tracks and add a quote from the artist about the song. This is an idea that has been done before (using a timeline) and didn't offer too much in creative decisions. I wanted more of a challenge and more creative freedom.

Secret 7", Time Plan - OUGD603

As this is only a short brief the design process is a lot shorter than usual but research and feedback continues to last the majority of the project. Sketches and traditional development is to be completed in the first day along with digital editing. Then the second day is to print and photograph the finished design before sending it off for submission.

Secret 7", The Brief - OUGD603

Background:

Secret 7” takes 7 tracks from 7 of the best-known musicians around and presses each one 100 times to 7” vinyl. We then invite creatives from around the world to interpret the tracks in their own style for every 7”. 700 unique sleeves are exhibited before going on sale on a first come, first served basis priced at £50 each. You don’t know who created the sleeve, or even which song it’s for, until you have parted with your cash - the secret lies within.

Since 2012 we have produced 3,500 one-of-a-kind records for 35 different tracks. We’ve sold every single one and raised over £175,000 for great causes.

The Task:

Create a new album cover for the 2018 tracks listed on the website. Do no use the track artist or track name on or in the design.

Target Audience:

• Fans of the artist
• Judges
• Public for exhibition
• Age Range 18-30

Considerations:

You can take inspiration from past tracks, music, album covers or anything you can think of.
Album covers
Ban Artwork
Music
Branding
Packaging design

Blu-Ray Box Design, Evaluation - OUGD603

I am really happy with this project and feel proud to be doing some self initiated work once again. The final physical pieces came out brilliantly due to the planning and testing before hand. The research conducted into the project helped to gain an understanding of the target audience, the style of design and the over all ideas behind projects such as this. The Time plan was mostly stuck to apart from the fact I had to redesign some pieces in order to have a consistent project. I feel I have managed to stick to the brief throughout the project and created the necessary final outcomes to fix the problem stated. My designs are simple but effective. The feature a lot of negative space to draw your eye into the main design that symbolises the film. This would be a great addition for collectors to add onto their shelves or to rehouse their current Blu-Rays. The reason the designs have been created for Blu-Rays is because they are currently the most popular form of physical film within stores. DVDs aren't often bought by film lovers or collectors and 4K is too new to be everywhere at the moment. These designs should last for a while and be future proof. Using my skills within Adobe PhotoShop and Illustrator have once again pushed my practice further. Editing the photos within PhotoShop is different to how I usually work but nice to be working back with photography. Once again using a camera with my work is also great as it is a skill I haven't used in a while. I won't comment on whether or not I would do the project again but rather if I were to carry on the project how would it work. I believe that designing in a similar fashion could work for a number of films. I would like to carry this on and try my hand at designing some of the films I listed earlier in the project. This could be a project I put onto my website to sell or take to shops. This will be something I showcase within my portfolio to show off my hobbies and passions and how they can work with my skills in design to create some interesting pieces of work.

Blu-Ray Box Design, Final Pieces - OUGD603

These are the final box designs, printed made up and photographed in a studio. The final pieces have been printed on a 200gsm stock and laminated to make sure the ink will not crack when folded and give them an extra layer of protection. The boxes all fit together perfectly and can be seen housing the desired three Blu-Ray Cases. The final boxes all feature a similar design on them to stay consistent and feature background colours from the films to give you a feel for the feature. The type is taken from the original designs and all the studios and age ratings are shown to give the box a professional to help see them in context.

Digital Business Card, Refining The Designs - OUGD603

After developing the ideas further and once again posting the designs to gain feedback we were able to refine the final designs. The next stage will be place them in context through mockups and a demonstration of how the application will work.

Harrison did the bulk of the refinement on the app design using Adobe XD. He used my initial layout to tweak the final development. Throughout all stages of the design we were both present and together to make sure the ideas were succinct. The colour scheme was chosen based off our feedback. It was said that the blue colour feels more calming and easy to navigate through while the white helps to soften the whole piece and not making it too harsh when viewing.

The app can be seen below starting with the loading screen for the app featuring it's logo. Next is 'Your Card' then onto more of your cards. The about page is bottom left to explain a little about the app. The links page next to that so you can turn off and on the links you wish to share and finally the contacts page where you can access your contacts cards or add new ones.

Blu-Ray Box Design, Refinement - OUGD603

After refining the ideas the designs were reprinted in preparation for creating the final finished boxes.

First Tester Box

Test Prints (A3)

The Marvel designs were changed by adding a prop/symbol or logo associated with the main character to the back of each box and using the helmet/mask or headpiece that would represent the film best. The Guardians Logo design on the top and back of the design had to be scaled slightly bigger than the rest as it had writing on it. The Thor design had a symbol added to the hammer logo on the back, this is something seen in the first film.

The Harry Potter design used Harry's head as a vector and the Golden snitch as the prop on the back to represent the film without giving away the series. The lightening bolt through the triangle (Deathly Hallows Sign) was kept at the top as a subtle hint to fans of the series.

For Back To The Future it was hard to decide between the two designs but it made sense to go with both the main character's heads similar to that of the Star-Wars design. This kept the designs consistant. The Flux capacitor design from the original idea was kept on the top as an extra nod to the film and again fans of the series.

Blu-Ray Box Design, Feedback - OUGD603

In feedback people recommended the designs all be kept even more consistent as the vector designs do differ slightly within the Harry Potter and Back to the future designs to the rest. For some reason I thought that it would be too difficult to create these particular designs in the same white on a coloured background. After trying it out it did actually work.

People also suggested keeping the theme of using the heads of the main characters or one prop that best sells the film without giving too much of the film away. Similar to that of the Star-Wars and Marvel designs. I also thought it best to change up the Marvel designs a bit so that they weren't the same on the front and back. Now all the designs are consistent and look like a collectable set.

Blu-Ray Box Design, Digital Development - OUGD603

After sketching out a few designs it made sense to whittle down some of the ideas in the digital development. Instead of designing for all the films listed on the ideas post, only work to a manageable amount of 5-7 designs. This would ensure a strong outcome whilst still having room to grow and potentially add more designs in the future.

The designs were all created using vectors based on the props or characters. This made the designs noticeable and obvious to the viewer if you have seen the film which would make sense for the target audience. The title of the film would not be shown on the main panels of the box to make the designs really stand out and not be overpowered by the text. The titles would instead be featured on the sides and the top for reference when they are stacked this way on peoples shelves or in shops. The colours used are taken directly from the film for something that can be recognised and stand out with the design. Colours chosen are the colours often associated with the film, the character or imagery of the film.

To make sure the branding stays the same and that the designs are recognisable to consumers the title designs have been kept the same throughout. Each of the boxes would also feature the age label, the studios that created the films and a small design to fit with the ones on the main sides on the top. Inspiration for this layout came from the design of the Captain America boxset I used to create the net.

Blu-Ray Box Design, Digital Designs- OUGD603

To take the sketched designs further they were taken into Adobe Illustrator and made into vectors. The designs are based off item and characters from the film to tie the designs back in. They have been kept very simple and not strayed away than more than a few colours as to not make them look overly saturated.

The Star-Wars designs takes two of it's main characters (Yoda and Darth Vader) this symbolises both the first three films and the second three prequel films. This box is mainly aimed at the original Star-Wars designs and not the newer Disney driven versions. More vectors of items such as the lightsabers, guns and weapons have been used. I have a previous project based on the weapons used in the films on my Behance that were repurposed for this project.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/30753847/Star-Wars-Weapons-Gallery

The Marvel Boxes once again use items from the films such as helmets, weapons and parts of costumes seen throughout the films. Logos for the characters that aren't necessarily in the films are also used as this is a known visual for the characters.

Like my Star-Wars weapons I also created some Wands for the Harry Potter series in an older personal project and haven't actually put them into context for anything yet. Some of the designs were used once again for this. While other designs are taken from symbols and characters within the films.

Back to the Future has a range of props to choose from and although I do have a previous project from college on this film I did not use any of the parts from it. Some of the props have been recreated for the project but the old designs were not in the right context or perspective for this design.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/30753589/BTTF