OUPD201 End of Year Evaluation

At the start of this year, my goal was to move closer to becoming a confident graphic designer so that on completing my degree I will be prepared to move into the 'real world'. One concern was my inexperience with software so I am pleased to say that I've learnt a lot this year which has contributed to the quality of work produced and also helped in collating a portfolio appropriately. I have a variation of work within my portfolio because I am yet to decide what area I am going to specialize in, although at this point my interest sways more towards print based work and packaging.

I really enjoyed the YCN breifs where the criteria narrowed down specifics, but one was still able to have fun with the projects. I liked that I was working towards resolving a problem with a purpose; specifically for a form of advertising which is why I want to have work experience in this particular field to find out what exactly will be intailed. The work I produced in the Shelter, wagamama, lastminute and O2 briefs were all focused on advertising and promotion which I am really enthusiastic about and which I appreciate the work which is already used for these companies.

My strengths in this would be ideas/concept generation as I get really motivated to bring an idea together and cant wait to 'get the ball rolling'. That said, my weaknesses may be not sticking to a final idea and my unnecessary urge to incorporate everything rather than choosing a simpler, more effective route. Another weakness may be my use of words within work as I need to choose appropriate or clearer tag-lines to communicate the message better.

I aim to continue developing and improving my time management, software and research skills. These combined will speed up my work production and also improve the quality of work produced.

My dissertation will focus on a comparing design cultures between South Africa and the UK. Since graphic design is about communication, I'm interested in the way in which designers have to be aware of cultural understanding in order to communicate effectively. I'm in Cape Town over the summer for work placements so this will offer a perfect opportunity for research and I'm sure I'll learn a lot in the process.