OVERALL MODULE EVALUATION

Design Production has overall been a challenging yet exciting module for me. The two different briefs were stimulating and pushed my design practice. Brief one was a great introductory project for my second year, allowing me to settle in to the work environment. One unexpected challenge we received was also in brief one. The exchange of research completed over summer was an interesting development and many people were unhappy with this idea. Looking back on the project I now understand the reasoning behind it.

 The idea that it would allow students to face solely on the design of the publication instead of the content was correct in my case as I did focus on just the design aspects, however I was very excited to use all the interesting and fun research that I had collected over summer which I would have loved to do a project on. I feel I would have done my best in this editorial design brief if I was interested in the topic at hand. However this brief has tought me that you won’t always love the content when you are working yet you have to still meet the deadlines with a finished project that meets the aims.

Brief two allowed me to work outside my comfort zone and develop a higher level of technical understanding for applications like Adobe XD, which I had never used before, designing an app. I enjoyed this brief a lot more than I expected, I believe it was the combination of working collaboratively which I really enjoy as you get to bounce ideas off one another constantly and doing something that I have never tried before. I think brief two was the most stimulating for me because I was entering an area of design which I lack experience in. It was a big learning curve, especially in the communication aspect and I am very pleased with the end result. 

I did find aspects of this module enjoyable and I feel that I completed each of the briefs to a standard that I am content with. However, upon reflection, I know that there are areas that I would definitely like to improve on, develop and push further in my personal design process and approach to tackling the briefs that are ahead this year. 

Now that the module is over I believe the best thing to do is to reflect on it, look back and see what I could have done a bit differently which I thin helps me for my future modules. An example of this, if I were to retake brief one again I would look further into stock decisions and take more time on the binding as it was very awkward with all the different sizes of paper. I would allow myself more time to make these mistakes next time.

Design production as a designer I think has really helped me. I have learnt a range of new skills and improved on existing ones. I feel my time management and engagement with feedback has progressed significantly since level four, however I still believe it needs to be improved on.