OUIL406 End of Module Evaluation

1. What have you learned about visual communication during this module and how effectively do you think you have applied these ideas?

• I have learned that simplifying and reducing an image down to the bare minimum of what can be understood by an audience is a very effective way of communicating an idea. I started to do this more towards the end of the module, particularly with my postcard and stamp designs, which I think worked well for the mood I wanted to portray. This also links to semiotics, the use of universal symbols to communicate to a wider audience. Understanding this from lectures and workshops has made me think more about the effectiveness of my work in general.

2. What approaches to/methods of image making have you developed and how have they informed your concept development process?

• I feel like I have learned a lot about new ways of working in this module including print methods, Adobe Illustrator, paper crafting and moving image, due to the nature of the briefs all being so different in required processes. Learning how to use vectors was interesting for me, I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with them. However, they did come in handy for my final Person's of Note poster as I couldn't get a smooth shape in Photoshop. I also really enjoyed learning how to make gifs and want to explore this more, maybe in my own time.

• The technique I am really enjoying and will continue to develop and integrate into my practice is paper crafting. I felt like I could really let loose in the Persons of Note brief and experiment with both shape and drawing. I find that this process works well for me because I find it fairly difficult to create shape in my drawings, using paper gave me the opportunity to move things around, experiment with composition and just have a play!

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

• This module I feel like I have been more open to new ways of working and exploring lots of materials which I have also enjoyed, it has kept me really interested in what I am doing. Working more freely has helped me to create a sense of possibility for the final ideas and outcomes.

• Provoking a feeling or demonstrating an atmosphere within my work is something I think I am getting better at as the course goes on. I am excited by this as it was one of the main reasons I wanted to do the course in the first place, to learn how to use my work to effectively communicate an idea to an audience.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

• Especially within my vectors project I found the challenge of using colour difficult. I am making a conscious effort to not just fall into the trap of using black and white as a safe option. I stepped away from this in the last brief and I think starting off using colour helped with this.

• I do think that sometimes I get carried away with an idea and find it hard to change direction, in the I see faces brief I definitely didn't leave enough time for the last gif. I am also sometimes too cautious about the way I approach a brief and choose the safe option, I have to remind myself to take risks. Next time I have to make multiples for a brief, I will organise my time a bit better and be more experimental even with processes I don't necessarily enjoy (Vector brief).

• Using representational imagery is something I am trying to step away from but again I sometimes find myself concentrating too much on what something actually looks like rather than my own interpretation. Although I think I have improved on this since the start of the year.

5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1. Give every process a chance, for example I feel that I may have dismissed vectors too early on and when I actually started using them properly I quite enjoyed it. From doing this I aim to learn new processes which will expand my options when working on a brief.
2. Considering composition straight away is something I felt like I did more during the Greetings from brief, which aligned with Visual Language. Although I did consider it during the last brief it was much more of an after thought. Next time I will make sure I am thinking about this in my initial roughs to make myself more aware of the final outcome becoming more balanced.
3. Set out with an intent for the work from the initial research, I think sometimes I forget what it is I want an audience to take away from my work. I will keep this in mind when tackling future projects, especially those with more ambiguous meaning.
4. Go straight in with using colour and not be afraid of it. I found that not letting myself use black and white has helped me to get over this a little bit. I am proud of myself for sticking to this in the last brief and as a result I think the final designs were more successful.
5. Step out of my comfort zone and explore things I have not tried before, this really benefited me in the last project and kept me engaged in the work. As I move forward I want to explore every opportunity when it comes to media testing, I could find more ways of working that I really engage with.