OUGD504 Module Evaluation

I have found this module to be very interesting, but at the same time challenging.

Studio Brief 1 was especially difficult for me, as we had to let go of our content and work on the design of someone else's. This would not usually be the issue, if the content I had received was equally as engaging and interesting to me. Unfortunately, the content of the publication I had to design was very unappealing and uninspiring to me. This affected my enthusiasm and commitment to design, and as a consequently made my final outcome not as successful and effective as it could have been. I realise that as a designer in the real world, you almost always have to design with other people's content, however even knowing this I struggled to dedicate myself to the work. On the other hand, I was quite happy with the way I interpreted the brief to work alongside my dislike of the content. I was able to create a concept of humorous and satirical design that I quite enjoyed executing. The final outcome for Studio Brief 1, although not some of my best work, still turned out to be have better quality, execution and concept than I expected.

Studio Brief 2 I found a lot more interesting and engaging. Design for screen is something I am more comfortable with as I had explored it in my first year. The content for the design was something that we got to choose, which I felt a lot happier and more excited about. My chosen media to design for was a car console interface. I choose this because it was something that from experience I knew would benefit from a re-design, and it would also be a challenge for me as the media is quite alien and unexpected. The concept and aims I created for the design I believe were really strong and appropriate. The final outcome, therefore, I was very happy with as I believe the design decisions I made helped to communicate my aims clearly. Of course, the final designs were not perfect, as there were some elements such as colour and button sizes that could have been considered more. However, overall I am very proud of what I achieved for Studio Brief 2, and am confident in exploring design for screen further.

Overall, it is noticeable that the design for screen brief I enjoyed and succeeded in far more than in the design for print brief. This may be due to the fact that I am more used to designing for screen, and less comfortable at designing for print. However, I still enjoyed both briefs and their production, and although I am not completely happy with my final outcomes, I am happy with the work I produced and confident in my abilities and potential to do better.