I have really enjoyed
Studio Brief 2 and think it’s been such a good opportunity for me to find out
more about myself as a practitioner and develop in the areas that I feel most
fascinated by. The first few days after getting the briefing I felt quite
overwhelmed by the openness of this brief, with the opportunity to do whatever
I wanted I was really unsure what route to take. It was a relief when I ended
up having a conversation with a Graphic Designer who was seeking an Illustrator
to collaborate with in creating a children’s book. Although, a children’s book
would not have been a direction that I would’ve chosen to venture down myself.
But in the end, I am really chuffed that I did, as I found the whole process to
be really fun and much more engaging than I’d previously imagined.
Collaborating for
this brief taught me a range of things. From production methods such as perfect
binding, gaining confidence in the digital print room (which I was previously
scared to enter), application of type and layout as well as managing to work
alongside another. I thoroughly enjoyed working with a partner, it made such a
difference on the kind of work I produced as I was no longer that only filter
of ideas. Together we had to ensure that we were both content with what was
being produced, which fortunately was not too hard as our interests seemed to
align well for this project. Something that I could have improved upon that I
will definitely take into consideration in future is my consistency with my
ideas. I made quite a sudden shift in the style of my designs at a reasonably
late stage in the project. Although this did not significantly impact the
project, I believe that had this been realised earlier on the end result would
have been more refined and improved.
For this brief and
Studio Brief 1, I used Illustrator almost exclusively in my development. Apart
from a brief encounter with the print room for some texturing. I am happy that
I did this as I do feel it was most acceptable for the work I wanted to
produce. However, I think it is important that I explore some more traditional
means of production in projects to come. Such as using ceramics, for example,
creating some three-dimensional characters from the book would have been a
great way to get other processes involved. In an industry style situation this
would be a great way of marketing the main product as it would aim to reach a
much wider demographic.
Having an awareness
of production methods, post-production methods and collaborative skills will
benefit me greatly in future projects. I feel more rounded as a designer now
and look forward to being able to apply these skills towards next modules.
