OUGD202 Evaluation

Finally, a piece of work i'm proud of! This project was a huge confident boost for me definately what i needed after the disaster that was the print module. When I was first given the brief for Design for Screen I didn't know what to expect and certainly didn't think i'd enjoy it or be any good at, how wrong was I! I've found this project so inspiring and has shown me a totally different way to work. I have learnt so much about myself, the way in which i work has greatly improved but i think this has a lot to do with the structure of this project and the process of designing for screen was very step by step that really pushed me through my work. My time management has improved 100% and i have been so much more motivated then previous projects. 


My title sequence has had many views, comments, such as comments below from Leigh Brown (Graphic Designer based in London) and David Lindsay (Photographer based in Leeds) ...and my friend Michael who has set up a film company wants me to do a title sequence for his new film, yey abit of work coming my way!

I have developed new skills within After Effects, not only have a learnt a whole new software within a very short time but learning a whole new way of working that comes with designing for screen. Taking all the taught sessions into consideration to help with my sequences, i became very fluent with working with After Effects and surprisingly didn't encountered any problems at all with the software, managing my files by clearly labelling  and working from the same folder obviously payed off. I have furthered developed software skills on Photoshop and Illustrator whilst preparing my assets and the speed and ease of designing these increased throughout the project. When using After Effects I tried to stay away from using effects and presets and stuck with simple movements, cameras where needed and just let the concept and  speak for itself.

I have researched idents and title sequences thoroughly to understand the structure which i can then create my own around so it will have a proffesional feel to it. I have exhausted my subject matter looking at books and acts and vintage circus', posters, objects and videos and these have all created a foundation for my ideas and visual appearence. Although i researched tv channels and target audience i was still quite confused where my programme may be viewed which i asked in each crit but didn't get back a clear answer, i feel i have chosen the most appropriate though. I have also done a little research into After Effects, looking at tutorials and back at our taught sessions for guidance which has furthered the technical side of the AE work.

I think my strengths lie in the visual communication, i thought about all aspects of its appearence when designing from choice of font, colour (desaturated tones), type of illustration used, the style of motion and the music. The music was so strong and made the piece what it is, working with the music and animation together helped me to strengthen the sequence and build up the fast, busy, overwhelming feeling of a circus. I wanted to create an older style as i thought it would make the target audience older which is who i wanted to target the work at, this concept for children would have created a cheesy look. The concepts for my sequences and idents were strong, i played around with a lot of ideas and the storyboards really helped me to visualise in 3d. I think they are clear to understand and show exactly how it will move. Recording ideas was also a strength, i kept my journal with me at all times to record rough ideas, thoughts, questions and notes which i can look back on, in recent projects i come up with an idea and forget about it so this has worked really well. My time management was really good aswell (finally), this is usually the weakest point of my project and i end up rushing to finish which results in poor final pieces but working for screen suits my style of working, every week i would write i checklist for the following week and then i tick list for each day helped me further my ideas, designs and final pieces and is so rewarding getting everything done on time! I also tried to think outside the box with my packaging and tried to create something that wasn't only fitting with the top 10 but that could be fun and interactive, because of my time management I was able to print my packaging to a professional standard.

My weaknesses would probably be not enough storyboarding ideas, also my and assets i used found images with some of my own illustrations i would have liked to have used all my own illustrations but it looked too much like a cartoon and  lowered the audience age. The found images used were from books and the internet and i worked on them within photoshop adding colour and creating moving layers. My storyboards strengthened my ideas for the pieces without these i think my ideas would have become jumbled and plain. Although i feel as though i could have created my storyboards to further my ideas, showing smaller sections of the frames or working with flip books. Other weaknesses could be my technical skills of AE, I tried not to overcomplicate the motion and worked more with adding and subtracting layers to build up the scene.

Attendance: 5 Punctuality: 5 Motivation: 5 Commitment: 5

My motivation towards this module really shows through in my work, i've recieved great feedback from people that my work shows how engaged i was with it. Working on a piece for screen means you HAVE to be motivated and well organised, preparing assets and storyboards ready for making. I've been very committed, coming into uni at weekends and staying back until uni closes. Which i've enjoyed and has helped me seperate my work and social life and actually get a good nights sleep!

Quantity of Work Produced: 4      Quality of Work Produced: 5

The quantity of work is of a very high level although i feel i could have documented the work more on my blog. I feel that the work i have produced for final pieces is of a high standard not just visually but conceptually and technically.

Contribution to the Group: 5
I think i shine when it comes to crits and helping others with ideas, i always try to input ideas or design work i have seen that applies to their project.