End of Module Evaluation

End of Module Evaluation

Throughout this module many of my skills have been improved, researching is a key skill to have when preparing for dissertation and this was really something that I had to concentrate on this module. I found it much easier when categorising research if it was split into simple sections then sub-categorised further, this allowed me to evenly research and compile strong evidence for my written piece before I began writing. This also helped to improve my skills in writing as I was able to draw all the information from my research first before writing any content, rather than researching as I went along. Another skill I have improved is that of synthesising when it comes to making links between practical and written work. The in depth research I did lead to me being able to rely on this to create a strong essay off which I could produce work that was directly influenced by what I had learnt and understood.

                  In terms of methods and approaches to design I have taken more of a methodical way of approaching my work, I have let my dissertation inform my practical and used all the research done beforehand to allow something to develop naturally. I have found it much easier to work chronologically and find I am putting my results into practice more naturally.

                  Strengths in my work lay in how I communicate with the audience, this module I feel I have shown structure within all of my work that flows in a way that is understandable to those approaching my work with little understanding. I have learnt more to put myself in the position of the audience and imagine that I know nothing of the subject; this helped me to clearly understand the information that needed to be present in each of the practical responses. Improvement in confidence has enabled me to start producing work on a much larger scale, to create impact is important to me now and the use of large scale design is a good way I have found to do this. Layout has never been one of my strong points but in my large A1 pieces I find that it has improved to the point that I am able to differentiate between a range of layouts, grids and understand how these are beneficial to use within any further designs.

                  My weaknesses lay in sometimes in carelessness which can lead to pieces not being produced to the highest standard, being fairly clumsy this leads to mistakes that I can’t afford to make when close to deadlines as this puts extra pressure to overcome these problems, potentially pushing other key work that needs to be completed to the side. Although I have worked methodically and my practical synthesises well with my written content, I have a tendency to rush into ideas and start designing before considering any others, this sometimes leads to me changing my mind and veering into another style of design or producing a new piece of work, if these pieces are all finished to a high quality then this is acceptable but sometimes the quality of one can be compensated due to interest in a new design.

Five things I would do differently:

1.     Spend more out of term time focusing on my work.

2.     Clearly set out my practical goals before beginning them.

3.     Read through my dissertation several more times before submitting.

4.     Keep on top of blogging more.

5.     Take care with design work so as not to damage.

Attendance - 5

Punctuality - 5

Motivation - 4

Commitment - 4

Quantity of work - 4

Quality of work - 4

Contribution to the group - 4

Practical Synthesis

Practical Synthesis:

As the audience for my dissertation was professionals from all areas of design, but predominantly graphic designers of all ages, this is also be the target audience for my practical outcome.

Using my research investigation that informed and supported my dissertation I have created a file that presents the findings of my analysis in a clear and concise manor so that the audience can fully see the results from beginning to end rather than just an overview.

In conjunction with this I have created two more pieces, the first being a large A1 scale set of four designs. These four A1’s show four different grid layouts that were either researched thoroughly or spoke about within my dissertation, each of the four grids; modular, column, hierarchical and the de Stijl are shown in conjunction with a different and most appropriate Gestalt principle. The text used is my dissertation because this is the most relevant and appropriate body copy for such a large-scale piece. The reason I have made them so big is because I want them to have an impact, I want the audience to be able to stand back and clearly see the markings and format of the grid and how the principle works within this. The four principles I used were proximity, similarity, simplicity and symmetry as these were the most appropriate for such layouts and grids.

Through primary research questionnaires it became apparent that a low percentage of designers were unaware of the Gestalt principles yet agreed that they were a reliant and useful source for designers. As a direct reflection of this I have created a small handbook explaining each principle, how they work within all areas of design to give an overview and present in a methodical and resourceful way.  It contains only the minimal and basic information, as I wanted this to be a quick and informative guide to cover all areas.

Design Boards

Layout Final

Layout Development

Below are some of the outlines of the grid ideas, the aim is to use the four grids looked at in previous research; modular, column, hierarchical and the De Stijl grid. Within each of these the most appropriate principle will be incorporated to show the combination of the two factors. The type will be taken from my dissertation, the testers found that the entire of the dissertation fits almost exactly into this layout format when at A1 size. The type will be set as 'justify' so that the gird isn't broken by any larger white spaces.

Template grids for a modular grid, a column grid and a hierarchical grid, were initially needed, in doing this it was also necessary to choose a principle that would work within the same constraints. Proximity and the column grid was successful in conjunction with one another due to the structure of the grid allowing the boxes to be close together in a particular pattern.

A place holder body copy text was put in to see if the layout was successful.

The De Stijl grid had to be improvised in terms of how it was set out and how it was going to work on an A1 scale. It was simple enough to replicate on a different object so this made it much easier to work with. 

Booklet Final

Booklet Development

A modular grid will be used for the booklet about the Gestalt Principles, this is the most suitable grid because it gives enough structure to create a well balanced design but offers enough fluidity to create movement where needed. 

The principle explanations will be accompanied by simple geometric shape demonstration for simplicity and ease of understanding. 

The Bauhaus typeface was initially considered but when placed as body copy it was too much of a contrast to the theme of the rest of the booklet, the lettering was too simple and wasn't readable enough for such long amounts of text.

The Bauhaus typeface was initially considered but when placed as body copy it was too much of a contrast to the theme of the rest of the booklet, the lettering was too simple and wasn't readable enough for such long amounts of text.