Professional Project: Evaluation

I have really enjoyed working on my professional project over the last 14 weeks. I started off the project with a subject area of language and meaning. I hoped to research colloquialisms from across the UK. I knew it was going to be important to have a subject area that would be interesting and keep me motivated. I didn’t know very much about the language across the UK at the start of the project but feel my knowledge has definitely developed and grown.

In my proposal I planned to create a guide or tool. I wanted something that would help with understanding unfamiliar words and phrases used in certain areas of the United Kingdom. The idea was to create something that would get people excited and involved in the language of others. It would celebrate the diversity of language across the UK and help break down some barriers. The way I did this was by creating a book. I think the book is a good size for someone to pick up and flick though. It is humorous and easy to follow. I didn’t want it to be educational; I wanted it to be fun. I think I have achieved this.

I had planned to research language by getting in touch with friends and family by email and phone calls. I ended up gathering information by sending out emails to friends and family. I emailed a family friend from Northern Ireland, which was really helpful.

I also used Facebook. A friend of mine from Manchester updated her Facebook status asking ‘fellow Northerners’ to comment words and phrases they use up North. This was amazing because it started a discussion and people were happy to help. The rest of my research was done on the Internet looking at language websites.

I had planned to keep my research as broad as possible and then slowly narrow it down. This worked really well because I ended up with a huge amount of research to choose from. This strategy was very successful.

I had planned to create an info graphic style book, however as the project progressed it ended up going down a photography route. I have not done any photography heavy projects in the past and do not consider photography a particular strong skill of mine. This was a little worrying but I decided to give it a go. Once I got into it I really enjoyed experimenting with photography and feel I have improved. I stuck to my plan of combining visual and typographic elements. I really like the use of colour in my book and my typographic choices like font, weight and size. I feel I have very good knowledge and experience using InDesign. This I got to use a lot of when designing my book.

Through developing my idea, I ended up looking at regional foods. I really like the link between language and food. I thought this was successful because it adds context. You are learning what people say but also what they eat. It gives a small insight into a different culture.

Going to the printers was a very new experience for me. I was very worried that something would go wrong.  I thought that I wouldn’t explain what I wanted very well enough for them to understand or that I wouldn’t set up my documents correctly. I went to The Digital Press in Poole, they were very helpful and talked me through how to produce the document for print.  As I was originally going to produce a perfect bound book I had to set up my document in a way that 1cm was left clear either side of the spine. However they thought the book would not be thick enough so ended up binding it differently. If I had known this I could have experimented further with how the images were presented on the page. I was still really pleased with the result. I allowed them a week to produce it but they made it the same afternoon and I collected it the next day!

The only problem I faced with printing was not increasing the resolution of my image to 300 dpi. They still look okay but the quality could have been improved if I had done this. I also didn’t have a huge selection of paper stock to choose from. The paper the printer chose looks good but I would have liked to have been more involved in this area.

 Throughout this project I feel that I have organised my time well. Due to giving the printer a week prior to the deadline to make my book I ended up with a week spare to touch up my sketchbook with annotations. I kept to schedule and attended all tutorials and critiques, which was extremely useful. I gained a lot of valuable feedback that aided the development of my final idea.

I got a lot of useful feedback in my final critique. The changes I would make to my book if I were to do it again would include making a more exciting front cover. This is because it would be nice if it were more in keeping with the style of the book e.g. brighter and more colourful. It was suggested that I should try using my favourite image from inside on the cover. I think my current cover looks very academic, which leads people to believe the book is something it isn’t. Another change I would make would be the number of pages. I would love to carry this book on further and make it a longer book.

I found out that the image for Guinness is inaccurate because it is actually a product of the Republic of Ireland not Northern Ireland. I would definitely change this if I got it printed again.

The group thought my final piece was very successful, they liked the dictionary style. They said it was fun and enjoyable. I was very pleased because the group hadn’t heard of a lot of the phrases that were featured inside and wanted to read on and learn more. I was very happy with this feedback because that is exactly what it was made for!

These are some example pages from a book called Change the World for a Fiver, that I used as inspiration. I really liked the size and the way that each page is different but consistent. I have used the same dimensions and wanted to use the same binding method. I like its overall style and feel. It is also a fun but educational book which makes it similar to my book.

DEVELOPMENT

My project has been very broad for a long time. Now that the initial research stage is over I am able to begin to narrow down my subject area. This will include picking my the best colloquialism from my research and grouping together the geographic areas of my research.

The areas are:

• Wales
• Scotland
• The North
• The Midlands
• London and The South
• Devon/Cornwall/The West Country

curiositycounts:

“Art is the stored honey of the human soul.”

(via)

These are the two logos I submitted for the Nerve Radio logo design competition (Bournemouth University’s student radio station). The brief was to design a logo for them to use to promote FM week, when it goes live on the air, it will appear on the website, posters and tshirts. My headphone design was chosen to be taken forward, which made me very happy :) I have made a few tweaks since such as adding the Nerve font so it matches their other stuff.

Tutorial Feedback

Yesterday I discussed my research and the development of my idea since last week.

People were keen for me to stick to language as my subject area and liked that I had picked up on phrases. It was suggested to me to that the more obvious/common the phrases were the better they would be for my project. 

I had struggled to find any solid research in this area online - so my new method of research will be based on who i know! i will talk to friends, family and people on campus, find out where people are from and hopefully get some popular/common phrases from them based on this.

The friends and family I can get information from include:

• Family friend from Ireland
• Housemates parents from Wales and Scotland
• Two connections with Manchester
• Housemate from Exmouth

Depending on this, I see my final outcome steering more towards some sort of guide or top 10 phrases when visiting… 

If you have any, let me know!

prettyclever:

100 Alphabets

Professional Project

As of yesterday I started my 12 week professional project. It’s still very early days but my ideas are based around information graphics. I would like some sort of book as a final piece.

The topic ideas I have are;

• environment,
• cultures,
• food/health/diet/exercise.

Another idea I had was to look at ‘sayings’  or colloquialisms from different regions of the country.

When discussing these ideas in a group tutorial it was suggested that it might be a good idea to combine the two.

These are the images of my finished book. I am really pleased with the final product.

Final Crit: Feedback

I got a lot of valuable feedback from my final critique. The positive feedback included:

·     diversity is consistent throughout, the design of the book and the subject matter

·     very successful final outcome

·     like the dictionary style translations and definitions

·     fun and enjoyable

·     the group hadn’t heard of some of the phrases/words and didn’t know the origins or meanings of them - they felt they learnt something and wanted to keep reading. I was really pleased with this comment in particular because it meant that my book had achieved what it was made for.

A suggestion for improvement was the cover. It looks very academic and is somewhat misleading about what is inside the book. It was suggested that if I had the opportunity to do it again that I should choose one of my favourite photographs and use that for the cover.

PDF Presentation Critique: feedback

Today I had to present a PDF presentation to my tutor and a small group of my peers.

The presentation included ideas for page size and layout, typographic choices and examples of images with phrases and definitions.

the feedback I got included:

(+) the edited food packaging images work better than the street and road signs

(+) talk to people about local foods

(+) decide on best phrases

(-) stick with packaging move away from urban signage

(-) need to take own photographs - this way I have more control and the photos will be more consistent

(-) have around 2 or 3 options/images for each place (minimum)

I have taken on board all of this advice and will be using it all when developing my project into its final stages.

This is the final version. It was edited after discussion with Nerve media so that it fits in with all their other branding and design. I think the changes have made the logo better and am very excited to see it on the website, posters and tshirts!

TLK: Getting the job

This evening I went to a TLK session about getting the job. The guest speakers were Luke Bonner (Thinking Juice), Damian Proctor (Redweb), Anna Steinberg (freelance illustrator) and Luke Williams (social media). They answered questions about getting ahead, the right opportunities, what you can offer, CV’s and interviews. It was one of the most valuable TLK events I have been to!

The most important things I learnt from tonight were:

• doing live briefs with local companies can get you noticed.
• send out invites to your graduate show and make sure you are there - also make sure you present your work well and get a good spot.
• communication is key - tweet potential employers, socialise, go to events and network.
• always be assertive and on time.
• just because you don’t get offered a job doesnt mean you aren’t any good - the company many not be right for you, so look for agencies that produce work that is similar to yours.
• be more strategic when applying for job - don’t just apply everywhere.
• find out who is recruiting - get names, get LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter.
• don’t go for the standard CV talk (e.g. what you think you’re expected to say!) - make yourself stand out, show what you can do and what you can do that is different.
• when writing your CV - write what you want to say with the least possible amount of words!
• Hobbies are very important to show that you are a well rounded person and it shows your personality.
• Make sure your contact details are VERY clear and triple check your spelling!
• Always be professional and polite.
• In interviews always have questions - show you have looked them up
• expect to be asked/do things you are not prepared for
• If you have made it to the interview stage they will be looking for reasons TO hire you not the other way around!
• Don’t dress as if you are going to a wedding, you need to be comfortable. Formal but relaxed.
• A CV should be 2 pages - no more no less!
• You want your CV to be controlled, clear, concise, thoughtful and memorable.

The guest speakers were extremely helpful and gave us some really useful advise.

English Language

My research led me to common phrases in the English language, for example;

• twenty for seven
• put a sock in it
• not my cup of tea
• sleep on it
• piece of cake
• [know it] like the back of my hand
• sick and tired

I came across these phrases in a YouTube video, which, i think, was teaching English language to people learning to speak English or wanting to visit the country.

I thought I could apply this to my project by describing common phrases we use in the English language that a non-English speaker or visitor to the country would have trouble understanding.

The 9 Regions

I was advised in my group tutorial that my subject area is very big and may need to be focused into something smaller and more manageable.

My research highlighted the 9 regions, which has given my idea some perspective. It is however still very broad and may need to be narrowed down further…

• North East
• North West
• Yorkshire
• East Midlands
• West Midland
• South East
• South West 
• London
• East