Sunday, 15 November 2015

OUGD403 - Studio Brief 02 - Typeface Design Evaluation

I approached this task differently to my last and decided not to dive straight into the design process but take more time on planning and researching into my project. I spent more time looking in detail and conducting secondary research. Overall I enjoyed designing my own typeface and found creating a typeface very personal. I enjoyed how structured this project was and it felt like I was conducting editorial design when keeping my design consistent. I found it very interesting looking into and learning about the history behind the typefaces that I researched. I enjoy looking into the history of design and being able to represent that in my own work.
However I found that this project was difficult to keep engaged with as it took a long time to complete. I was given three weeks to complete this task and often found that I didn’t engage with it as much as I could have done. I also found the feedback sessions didn’t go as well as I hoped. My critique groups struggled to give me a variety of feedback, which could be because I did not prepare for the session enough or I didn’t construct thoughtful questions that could be used to critique my work.
Overall in this project I found that creating my final design went well. I felt that I had produced a solid idea and I found I was very comfortable in producing the final piece. I also felt that constructing my own specimen went well. I conducted primary research into other specimens and looked into the visual style and tone of voice they were communicating. After conducting my research I tried to apply this knowledge when creating my own specimen.
Once again in my project I think that, like my first studio brief, I didn’t draft enough ideas and didn’t experiment widely enough with my typography. Even though I did experiment more with my manual processes I would of liked to have experimented more with them. I found that when I was applying my skills to the digital outcome I was struggling with producing work that I was comfortable with and that I liked.
I think that my final typeface was the most successful part of my project. I found that the design was the most applicable to context and worked well as a small block of text, which is what I wanted my typeface to do. I feel it looks professional as well, which is what I wanted my final outcome to be. I experimented with decorative type but for me it did not communicate professionalism enough.
In this project I have learned it is important to plan for my critical sessions more than I have done. In the last project I learnt that experimenting more manually works better than jumping straight onto the computer and experimenting on Illustrator, which I feel I have brought into this project, however in this brief my critique sessions were not beneficial enough for me and I feel that is down to not being prepared enough for them.
In my next project I would like to push my research strategies and my manual experimentation even further as I think it is what builds towards a much stronger outcome. I was happy with how I performed in these areas of the project however I think there is always room for improvement. An area that I want to focus more on in the next project is preparing more for my critical feedback sessions. As the feedback sessions in this project didn’t go that well I think it was down to my preparation. Next time I will make sure I prepare thoroughly and think more about the questions I will ask the feedback group.
In this project I think I have learnt more about research and experimentation, which I can transfer over to my next project. I also feel I have learnt more about using the pen tool and have improved my tracing skills on Illustrator. I have also applied the knowledge I learnt about grid systems and figure and ground in my design skills lectures. I have learnt a lot about how to communicate specific tones of voice during the three weeks of this project which I have managed to apply in my own practice and that I really want to use in my next projects.

This project has been the most beneficial to me as I have brought forward skills I have learnt in my previous projects, which has allowed me to focus on other skills that I need to improve. I have noticed a change in knowledge of the skills I am using and as I learn more professional practice skills in my lectures. I have noticed since the very start of my first studio brief that I have learnt a great deal more about design skills and I have managed to use these skills in my work. I want to develop this knowledge even further and bring it into my next projects.

No comments:

Post a Comment