Brief 1 - Yearbook Evaluation

Brief 1 – Yearbook Evaluation

This Brief entailed designing the Yearbook for Printed Textiles and surface pattern. The aim of this brief, for me, was to work with a live client and produce a publication that would end up going to print. By the end of this brief I had managed to achieve this, whilst learning a lot about working with clients and the problems that can arise from this. Due to the fact that I was nominated as the project leader, this left me in charge of contacting the course leaders and arranging the meetings with both leaders and the design team. Initially this started out quite well but as the brief progressed through the module it was becoming very difficult to get the work from the course leaders, which was extremely frustrating. Originally I wanted to work alongside the students but was reassured that it would work best working with the tutors, in hindsight I wish I had stuck to my guns as when I started working with the students later it worked a lot smoothly. I had set quite big ambitions for this brief, creating mock-ups etc for the course, but due to the lack of co-operation on their behalf this brief had to be put to on hold while I focused on my other briefs. As I mentioned, this was a huge learning curve because once we did manage to get the information we needed, with the help from the students as opposed to the tutors, we had to turn the brief around extremely quickly. Which meant this initial stages I wanted to go through couldn’t be met, due to time frames.

However, with regards to the design team I feel we did work very well together. Bringing together our ideas and delegating roles so that we could produce the best yearbook we could, reflecting the concept we wanted and the style of book the course wanted. Working collaboratively is always a challenge and I think that 5 people was too many, but I think we managed to get a balance between what people wanted to achieve and what we could achieve. Playing to each others strengths, and working together to generate the design. I think with regards to my own skills, I learnt a lot about time management, patience and co-operation. As well as learning technical skills, such as; setting up documents to print, going through the stages of producing something on a mass scale and I have defiantly improved my skills in Photoshop and In-design which is something I was hoping to do.

All of these skills, working and communicating with clients and technical skills will defiantly help me with my future career.

Out of all my briefs this has been the most frustrating and challenging, I am also a little disappointed at the progression of it because it was so difficult getting the information and images and I was hoping to get more out of it. However, due to this I have learnt a lot and it makes me feel more confident about working with difficult clients in the future. 

Ougd303 Brief 1

Yearbook Development `Boards

I have collated a flipbook of stages mapping the yearbook from the initial concept created by my original team, to a selection of correspondents with the tutors. Then moving onto the development and design of the overall yearbook. Decisions made along the way and final production.

Yearbook Proof

We got the yearbook proof back and noticed two things were wrong, the bleed on one page and the pagination was all wrong. will and I spent time working it out and realised that when i sent the .pdf when i removed the cover pages in the document it took our page number down by two settling the pages wrong. We managed to fix it and send it, so its all resolved.

generally im happy with the appearance of the book it follows the concept and that was, in my mind, the main thing.

Proof

Proof, and things we need to alter. 

Yb - Dropox problems

There have been a few problems with drop box, it turns out if one person has been invited then they have to invite everyone else (news to me!) anyway, the third year textiles were struggling to log in and join the group so Becca emailed me, and since then she has formed a group on FB where everyone can send me their emails and i can invite them separately.

Yb - Email after meeting

After the metting i put an email together with all the information within it, as well as invites to the drop box and the layout of the book categorised properly so that we all had a copy of how the book would function.

// BOOK LAYOUT

YB - Dropbox

Duncan, as promised, emailed the third years with regards to the drop box and what he wanted them to do, which was good. I have also signed up to the account so hopefully we will start getting images through.

YB - Meeting with Duncan

I went over today to speak with Duncan about possible images that he may already have that we could use within the book. He gave me a lot of files that contained second and third year work, and i outlined that this was for 3rd year but he said that they wanted to use this work as well. So we now have an array of different images that we can use. Whether we use them all and mix in the images that we have taken im not sure, but once we have a meeting we can work it out.

My priority is to take the images and work out the different disciplines and the best shots to work with them.
We also discussed the idea of him sending out a drop box invite to all 3rd year so that they can put work in that they want in the year book. He said he would organise it and send me a link, so we shall see if that works.

YEARBOOK - BRIEFING

We had a briefing today with Lorenzo, where it was a chance to discuss problems and prices. This was a good opportunity to tell Lorenzo all the problems and worries i have had with this brief, and he was reassuring as ever and told me that he would discuss the problems with Paul himself, and see if he could help.
Lorenzo spoke to Paul, and outlined the fact that he was asking for mock ups etc, but we couldn't produce them without the information and we really need it.
So i feel better because hopefully we will start getting information together and we can make the concept and design work.

Evaluation of Each Brief

I thought it best to do a small evaluation of each brief, in order tog et my head straight on what needs to be done next and where to go from now.

LULU - I now have the range that i want and the brand and identity. Its now a case of starting to produce the work to try and see what is working and whats not. It will now be a process of experimenting and pushing the design to see where i can further the range, possibly considering on-screen design.

CLEO TAVERN - Brand and Identity, done. Need to start producing to make sure formats work. A lot of processes are to be involved with this brief. I need to work these out so i can start the next stage which will be indoor signage and spacial design.

ISTD - Design and identity is done. I need to get the wood, which is proving tricky - may need to veneer the wood. Get the 12 produced, and then work out the format for the publication and how that will be housed. Once done re-evaluate and push the range.

DYLAN THOMAS - All ideas and designs are done, as well as the initial mapped out processes. Need to start experimenting to see if the techniques will work and whether the processes are actually appropriate.

YEARBOOK - This is by far the most unfulfilling brief i have done this year. The clients wont comply and i dont feel i am learning anything from it and it was supposed to be substantial brief. So i am going to take on a new brief, possibly from one already done in my smaller briefs. I am at the stage with my other briefs are in a position for me to push and develop. I feel i can take on a new brief to replace the substantiality of this brief. I have a variety of briefs I have shown interest in that i am going to pitch for, whether i get them or not i will want to take one and develop one.

Yearbook - development

// I have developed the ideas and sketches, into something thats more consistent. I think that it's important to try and create some initial structure. I have taken on the initial designs for the circles, and coding system so that it can work throughout the book, whilst at the same time illustrating what part of the book is being shown.

Yearbook - initial sketch layouts

For Monday we all agreed to have some design ideas for the layout. They didn't have to be anything ground breaking, but enough so that when we got together we could pull everyones ideas together and then finalise the layout for the book.

The idea behind my layouts is the coding system to clearly layout the narrative of the book so that it works and is identifiable to the person reading it.
They wanted an abstract style of book, so i have kept that in mind. Whilst using a simple system and simple vector ideas to portray the narrative.

I have done some initial sketches.

I think my 2 favorite are the first and the last. Using the block system to transfer through the book so that it will illustrate the narrative. Using a colour coding system to illustrate the transition between each chapter and each style.

Yearbook Email

I emailed Paul Sunter today, who is the head of Printed textiles, this was in order to set up our initial meeting in order to discuss where to go, what we need to do and how etc.

Yearbook Proposal Boards