Design Practice Blog: December 2009

At the start of this module my rationale stated that I wanted to focus on brand identity; branding with packaging; page layout and packaging. Therefore I selected briefs that I thought would help me develop the correct skills for these areas. Looking back, I believe most of the briefs I selected were right for me and have helped me grow as a designer, however, there were 2 briefs, the wagamama and festive briefs, that did not aid my development. I did not gain anything from doing them and I now think they were a waste of my time - I could of selected another branding and packaging brief that would have helped me more. But, I should say that doing those two briefs has made me clarify the areas I want to be focussing on for FMP. It has also taught me that I need to spend more tyime over Christmas researching briefs and selecting ideas that will allow me to get the most out of them and prepare me for the real world.
This module has allowed me to develop an understanding of what design I am excited by and want to be producing. I believe it has allowed me to clarify that packaging is my main area of interest, with branding being a close second. The page layout brief I produced showed me that grids are important and relevant but that I am not that interested in them. I would still like to have a general understanding of how to produce a booklet as this would be another element I could use in my work, but it is not my passion.
Receiving feedback on my work throughtout this module has been critical to my works development as well as my own. I hope to take advantage of this in my FMP by having crits with the peers around me and asking for opinions. I should definitely be making the most of this element whilst I can.
Technically I have learnt more about print processes, paper stocks, and colour palettes. All these skills are vital to me developing into a better designer and I feel this module has allowed me the chance to try new methods and processes, such as foiling, screenprinting and vinyl cutting.
Organisation has been another key part of this module for me. I always say I am an organised person but I believe I actually put this into practice for this module. I was well prepared for tutorials, crits and the deadline. But more importantly I was able to get more from my time. This is especially true for the run up to the deadline and it is something I want to keep going when I return after Christmas.
Looking forward I want to start looking for briefs straight away as I do not want to waste my time on briefs that I am not gaining anything from (festive brief). I know the area I want to focus on, packaging, but perhaps I should be investigating what elements, such as branding, can work with this as I want to make my portfolio and myself more of a 'package'. I also want to keep my motivation and learning from this module going over Christmas and into my FMP.