Tuesday, 16 May 2017

OUGD404: Module Evaluation

Design Principles allowed for the opportunity to learn about the fundamental basics of Graphic Design, improving my understanding on the importance of grids and also how the choice of colour can have a big influence to a design.  
Colour seemed to be the biggest focus in this module, highlighting the difference between the different systems that can influence the approach taken as a designer. CMYK and RGB are systems that need to be considered when setting up documents to work on. CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) is used for print based work as it is subtractive, meaning that the colours are layered to create areas of darkness and build up the various colours. This system is used for print as it is what the printers respond to, so all documents need to be set up to CMYK if the printed colours are going to replicate those on screen, an obstacle I overcame during this module. RGB is for digital displays as it is negative, meaning that by adding more light to the screen, eventually the colour white is created.
I learnt that the Pantone Matching System (PMS) standardises all colours so that manufactures from everywhere are able to reference a Pantone colour by its unique number, something that may be useful if I ever send work across seas to be printed and want to ensure that the exact colour is produced.
The consideration of format has driven me to learn how to use Adobe InDesign as it is the best way to ensure that documents are set up accurately for print and that pagination can be easily taken into consideration. Thinking about format has also highlighted the importance of material consideration, something that enhanced the outcome of my A1 poster. The choice to print onto Tyvek rather than just standard card stock subtly mimicked the fabric used to make underwear; the main focus of the exhibition.  
Being able to re-do my pantone booklet was worthwhile as it allowed me to re-visit the principles that I had learnt and then apply it to the new design. The biggest improvement was the use of Adobe Indesign, this made the printing process much easier and it allowed the design work to a modular grid. By using a modular grid, an identity and sense of consistency was established. One of the biggest changes other than the grid was the presentation of the work. I changed the pages so that they were squared, representing the way in which Pantone present the colour swatches. I enjoyed the book binding workshop as it allowed me to be able to hand produce some more interesting ways to hold together a book rather than just stapling the pages together, so I decided to apply this to the final Pantone booklet design. This method of book binding was most appropriate because all of the pages were printed individually.
I did struggle with applying grids to the designs as this was an area of the course that was self-directed. The Penguin book designs that used the marber grid showed me how consistency and identity can be established within design work, something useful if a series is being created. If I were to improve, I would have dedicated more time to research into examples and then also tried more experiments so that I could then apply these skills to the other areas of the course. Research into this area of Principles may also have given me the confidence to have tried to break the grid in order to highlight certain aspects of my design.

Overall, I am happy with the outcomes of this module and the knowledge that I have gained will help me to improve the way in which I approach design next year. I do feel that the organisation of the module has impacted the quality of my work as there was no opportunity to get any feedback on any of the designs in this module. If there was feedback on each of the designs, I think that I would have been able to avoid the decision to not use a grid sooner and I could have had more time to figure out how to apply the modular grid effectively.

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