OUGD502 - End of Module Evaluation

OUGD502

End of Module Evaluation

Personal and Professional practice has helped me gain contacts and learn how to network with creatives in the industry it has also given me experience at public speaking and pitching. Through three studio briefs we explored different areas essential to being a practicing professional.

 I felt Studio Brief 1, the creative report, was by far the most helpful and substantial brief. It forced me out of my comfort zone and approach designers I would not have spoken to if left to my own devices. I think it is important that students do this as networking is essential. It has helped me talk to and gain knowledge from creative professionals that I have looked up to for years and has given me experience at conducting interviews. I am happy with my outcome and the publication I have produced as a result of this brief. However, would have liked more advice on how to continue the relations we have made with industry professionals.

Studio Brief 2 was the brief I found the most difficult. Mainly because I found it to be uninspiring. Wayfinding is something I tried in first year and didn’t really enjoy. I don’t find value in it and I don’t think it’s an area of design I will enter into as a professional. However, I understand that I will not get to pick and choose briefs, especially if I am working at a large firm. I found the experience of working in a team beneficial. I built on my listening and communication skills and pushed myself by presenting in front of an audience.

Studio Brief 3 touched on the more personal side of Personal and Professional Practice. It was interesting to look back on last year’s presentation and see how I have progressed. I find it helpful to look ahead and try to set long term and short term goals. This brief also gave experience of public speaking, something that I still find difficult but I can see improvements.

Overall I have found this module helpful as It has increased my confidence in public speaking and creating engaging presentations. I appreciated being made to contact working professionals and gain knowledge through their personal experience. I didn’t see the benefit of creating a wayfinding system, I assumed it would be for the pitching section although only select members of each group were involved in this process. I did, however, find working as part of a team a valuable experience. I have found networking using LinkedIn particularly helpful and I have realised the importance of an online presence. However, I think spending time collating a successful CV and self-branding much more useful and practical than two briefs that were resolved using presentations.

OUGD502 - SB02 - Evaluation

OUGD502

SB02

Evaluation

This brief involved working as a team to create a wayfinding system for the new Leeds Arts University building. I completed a wayfinding brief in first year, so I felt confident when approaching this project. I already knew what wayfinding was and the key aspects that were essential to a successful wayfinding system.

The brief had very few restriction. I always find it more difficult to produce innovative ideas when the brief is so open. I find when there are rules that the design must follow it is much easier to push boundaries and generate new ideas and ways of thinking.

Working with a team has its pros and cons. It is a great way to produce loads of ideas and the majority of our outcome consisted of bringing individual ideas together to create a streamlined end product. Every team member had a different skill set or was more confident in one area of design than another. This worked to our benefit as it meant the more confident speakers were able to present the presentation, the more capable designers brought together the imagery and the better writers provided the copy. Working as a team does not come without its complications. At some points it was difficult to organise a place and time to meet and occasionally I felt some people were working harder than others. However, I think the benefits of working as a team out weight the negative aspects.

I presented the pitch. I find it nerve racking but it’s something I need to improve on so I volunteered for the role. I understand that the only way I will improve and gain more confidence is by participating in public speaking more often. 

The main thing I appreciated about this brief was that it forced me to practise presenting in front of an audience. I thought there was room for more constructive criticism from other groups before we pitched our outcomes as I find it difficult to spot flaws in my own work. I also found the design aspects quite frustrating as we didn't have floor plans to the spaces we were designing. If I were to complete this brief again I would focus more on primary research and spread the design work among more team members to create a more substantial body of work. 

OUGD502 - SB02 - Individual Input

OUGD502 

SB02 

Individual Input

Individual input

As a team, we divided the tasks

We had to develop initial ideas

Research into production methods

Find recycled materials / textures for each course

Create a presentation.

Together we were responsible for developing initial ideas. Together we mind mapped ideas and created mood boards. From there we focused on key aspects of our design and delegated tasks. I was responsible for the creation of potential sketches, mock ups and research into lighting, both for decorative and functional use. We developed our developed our ideas through a series of sketches. Once the team was happy with the direction we were taking, I began mocking up the designs. I did this using Photoshop and Illustrator to give the presentation a professional feel. When we were happy with our outcome we compiled all our information, from research to final graphics. We created a presentation. Myself and Sophie were responsible for presenting the presentation. Together we wrote a script. We then condensed the script into bullet points to use as prompts during the presentation as we wanted to avoid reading straight from the page. This made us interact with the audience more.