PPP blog: PPP2 : TASK 1

Using the online resources that you have been introduced to in the module briefing and based on questions raised in the studio workshop and experiences of the first 2 weeks of the course:

identify and explain 5 reasons why you chose to study on this programme.

I chose to study on this course firstly because of the reputation it holds. There is a really high success rate for graduating students and the level of work that they produce is outstanding compared to other courses I witnessed, which I noticed when comparing end of year shows.

Another reason I chose to study on this course is due to the fact that this is a pro active, studio based, intense course which I believe are all key things you need in a course to be successful. When you leave this course you don't just leave with a piece of paper saying you have a degree, you leave with the knowledge and attitude to be a designer.

The college resources are another reason why I chose to study here as they cater to your every need, such as extensive macs, print room, two library's, two screen printing rooms and copious amount of studio space. As well as that there is also knowledgeable technician support, people who know everything about their area and will help you, which is very important.

When on this course you are treated professionally not like students and are therefore expected to act professionally back. This is a very important factor to the success rate of the students as they have been treated as professionals and taught how to act professionally back once they graduate they know how to engage and act within the professional area and will therefore be more Likely to gain a job or placement as they don't need time to adjust from student to professional, they are already there.

The tutors are another reason why I chose to come on this course. When on my interview I could tell how passionate and proud of the course they are, they have confidence in the course and there students which gave me confidence that this was a the right course for me. They want to teach and want there students to do well and be successful so make sure we are taught every little detail we need to know to ensure that we do succeed. This is something that is needed as there drive and passion rubs of on us students and makes us wok hard.

Identify and explain 5 things that you want to learn during your time on the programme.

I want to learn more about print production as this is something that I feel is vital for when we graduate as print is such a major part to graphic design and with out the knowledge it would jeopardise jobs and waste time after graduating trying to learn about print. On this course we have an opportunity to learn in detail about print process which is something other courses don't offer so I want to take advantage.

Another thing I want to learn on the course is how to communicate in a professional way. This is something that seems quite small but it is a skill that will aid in finding jobs and also in the production of jobs, knowing what language to use when talking to printers for example, or when talking technically to other designers. It is a skill that will stop you from looking a fool and not being taken seriously, which in return will open doors of opportunity.

Web design is something that has become more important as the digital world is so large and expanding. It is a skill that may set you aside from other designers as not all graphic designers other the skill in their practise. It is something that I have had brief workshops on before and enjoyed, but can't remember. So I would like to begin to solidly learn web design so that it stays with me.

Being able to self promote is a vital skill, if you don't know how to go about getting your name/business known then you wont get very far. I want to learn the skills of promoting myself such as networking, presentation skills and portfolio preparation. To be able to learn how to confidently self promote would be a skill that once again will mean gaining opportunity's.

I want to improve and advance on all the skills I learnt last year such as type and grid, colour use etc. We were taught the fundamentals of graphic design and I want to continue to improve on the skills we were given as well as advance and take full advantage of the new skill we will be taught this year.

Identify and explain 5 skills that you think are your strengths.

Something I feel I do well is research. I enjoy researching things, delving deeper and deeper into the subject or going off on different relevant paths. I find it exciting learning about things that we might not necessarily of learnt about before, such as the ' A history of..' brief, which is something that happens in the professional world, as Elmwood described it, when your a graphic designer you have to be able to become a professional in any job or subject matter, they explained about having to design a Thomas the tank engine stamp and how they had to become an expert in Thomas the tank engine. You have to fully emerge yourself in research and also learn to enjoy it which is something I do.

Due to the fact I enjoy researching I feel it ables me to be innovative with my ideas for projects. I always try to think outside of he box with solutions. I try and be as creative as possible with my approach to products and this way it means that my outcomes and ideas stay fresh.

When using colour I feel I have a good understanding of it. I know what colours to use to enhance the message of work, and what colours to use that compliment each other. I feel confident applying colour and using it in my work. From last years workshops I am now more aware when I use colours of how colours react differently when placed next to other colours.

Another skill I feel I have is relating to audience. I feel like it is important to be able to relate to different audiences which can be achieved through research. If you can relate to your target audience successfully your work will be more relevant and effective and is one of the most important factors to consider.

A skill I feel comfortable with is image making, through a variety of ways such as illustration and photography. I enjoy drawing and find it a useful way to convoy my ideas and a useful skill I can call upon when the brief suits.

Identify and explain 5 things that you want to improve.

I want to improve my blogging skills. Blogging is a really good way of evaluating, developing and documenting my work. I want to improve how effective my blogging is and make sure that everything I blog is relevant.

To make sure my blog is up to scratch I will also have to improve my time management and organisation skills. I need to allow time to blog and organise my work for the blog such as taking photos etc. I also need to work on my time management and organisation skills in all aspects. If I can manage my time better I feel my practise will approve.

I also feel I need to improve my writing skills. By doing this I will be able to blog more efficiently, feel more confident when contacting professionals and be more successful in my context of practise essay. I will do this by taking advantage of the help that is available in the learning support.

Another thing I want to improve is my knowledge of graphic design. Design is such a huge disciplinary with so many aspects, it is ever changing and evolving and I want to be able to expand my knowledge and keep up with it, so that my design work is relevant and key.

Another area of graphic design where you can never know enough is software. I want to improve and further my skills across all software. When you get into the professional world you are expected to know how to use software so I want to ensure my skills are at a good standard.

Identify and explain 5 ways that you will evaluate your progress.

There are a number of ways to evaluate progress of work such as through crits. Crits are a great opportunity to get direct feedback on your work and ideas on things like whether the concept works if the message is clear if the audience and tone are correct etc, and after crit it gives you a chance to evaluate all the things that were flagged up and allows you to alter your work and improve things.

Another successful way of evaluating progress is through peer feedback. The beauty of being on a studio based course it that we are constantly surrounded by designers, who are also our fellow students, and by asking simple questions about work we can easily gain legit and helpful feedback,

It is very important to constantly ask ourselves questions about our work, such as, who is my audience? what is my concept? what is my context? by doing this it ables us to stay on track and evaluate where things are going. We are able to do this through our blogs. The blogs allow us to jot down all the self evaluations we make of our work and all in the same place so they are easy to access for further evaluation.

Tutorials are a good source of progress evaluation as the tutors know in terms of the course how we are progressing and as the professionals can evaluate us. Tutorials are important to let us know how we are getting on and more importantly how we can improve.

The body of work we produce in short amounts of time is quite outstanding and hard to re evaluate and digest this is where the blog comes in as it acts as an archive to hold all our work from level 4 to level 6 so whenever we feel like looking back we can and can therefore self evaluate the progress we have made.

Identify 5 questions that you want to find the answer to.

What area of graphic design do I lie?
How do I get a work placement?
How do I promote myself?
What is the best way to manage time?
Where do I want to end up working, independent studio, freelance, corporate company?

Identify and explain 5 things that inspire you.

peers
studio
dogs
future

Identify 10 examples of design that illustrate your fields of creative interest.

- Branding / identity

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