Module Evaluation

strategies & ideas used in typography i will use in future: creating grids from research, modular type, chopping and distorting existing typefaces.
considerations when designing type:
legibility, tone of voice, cultural context

have i taken enough risks? no probably not, although I certainly feel like I have pushed my boundaries in this module, I'm aware this is only the start of my degree and I'm looking forward to pushing even more boundaries.
The stage of the design process i find most difficult is articulating my ideas to other people & giving myself constructive feedback. I'm good at criticising my work but often it ends there, which just has a negative impact. I need to work more on having a positive mindset towards perceived failures.

I wouldn't say I have achieved my full potential yet, but I would say am on the first step of the ladder. Re-entering education is a strange experience and I am adjusting my ways of working to fit in with whats expected of me. I feel that coming to university as a 'mature' student was certainly the right choice for me as I have had a few years to experience the 'real' world and mull over what I want from the future, and I am very determined to be a successful designer. 

However, I am aware that I put myself under immense pressure to succeed and so on reflection, it would be ridiculous to expect myself to have reached my full potential in only the first module. If that was achievable, then degrees wouldn't be 3 years long.

I know I have a lot more to learn, both about design and about myself.
In future modules I want to step even more out of my comfort zone, know that it's ok to fail and make mistakes and that sometimes mistakes can be positive things.

I have made good use of the university facilities during this module. I love libraries and we have a particularly great one here and, whilst a lot of reading was not necessary for this module, it is a brilliant space to work and look for inspiration.

Learning bookbinding was very interesting and has come in use as I thought it would be most appropriate to have my type specimen hand bound, to fit in with its humble appearance.

I didn't use any of the digital print facilities as I was able to do everything I needed on the laser printer in our studio, however I am looking forward to using that facility in the future.

Working amongst other young creative people has been not only beneficial to my work but also highly enjoyable. I have asked countless peers for their advice/opinions and also have been able to offer help to others. Our year group seems to have become a community already which I think enriches the course even further. It's refreshing to see others as passionate about design as I am.

Partaking in crits with peers is very useful as it allows my work to be seen through fresh eyes. Everyone has different backgrounds and interests and so sees things in different cultural contexts. For example, I had a test print of one of my posters laying on my desk and another student said it looked like Deadpool's face (a marvel character). I hadn't noticed this before as Deadpool isn't often on my mind, but when I looked I agreed that he was totally correct. As a result I changed the colours of that particular graphic to ensure no confusion in the future. 

The workload was manageable as long as I planned ahead and was strict with myself. Ben's advice about scheduling time to relax was particularly important. Having studied graphic design previously in an apprenticeship, I only had about 4 contact hours a week and was used to been given a brief and then working on it completely in my own time, and then just showing an end product. This university course is very different to that, and at first I did struggle a bit with having my hand held so much at each step, but obviously the reason this is done is because we are here to learn.

In the future I am going to make much better use of my blog. Due to the trauma of secondary school English, I have doubted my writing skills for many years now so the prospect of writing a blog which other people would read was very daunting to me. I now understand that I'm not  being judged on my writing but instead this is a place to share the creative process which normally just goes on in my head.

Overall, I have enjoyed this module. I was slightly naive and thought it would be easy for me as I come from a graphic design background but actually I have found it challenging in the best way imaginable. I am really excited to start the next module and to keep pushing myself to be the best I can be.