Individual practice as a whole has been beneficial to me as a creative as I feel I no-longer want to limit myself to the definition of graphic designer. It allowed me to explore multiple creative avenues I hadn't previously had much experiance with; both traditional and digital.
Screen printing, hand rendered type, illustration, digital illustration,
video making, video editing, stop motion animation, papercutting,
photography, pattern design, packaging design, etc.
Learning such a broad range of skills will make me more individual and stand out to potential employers and clients when working in industry. It's made me much more ambitious in terms of future responses to briefs as I am much more comfortable with variations of styles and outcomes.
My favourite outcome within this brief was the wallpaper design for Feathr. I felt the concept was really strong as it directly answered the brief despite it being so broad and free. It allowed me to think conceptually about art as a whole and bridge the gap between old and new (traditional and digital) and place myself within the timeline of contemporary design. It taught me valuable skills in digital illustration and the correct method and format to create seamless repeat patterns; something I can use for creating prints and merchandise of my work in the future.
Another huge positive of this brief was the successful submission to secret 7 (Chvrches - clearest blue). It's an amazing feeling to break out of just exhibiting within the local area and have work in London (Sonos studios). To have my name and design displayed among some of my inspiration/idols within the creative industry. It's created a mutual ground between me and them and could lead to possible conversation starters with them ("My work was displayed in secret 7 2016 alongside yours...").
Time management was a key part for this brief as each submission had set in stone dates for completion. It made my planning and organisation better than it has been previously and I ensured all research and initial ideas were produced early on so I could concentrate on allowing myself time for experimentation in terms of the final execution. This added pressure also enhanced my skills in being able to work on multiple briefs at a time and completing designs quickly. In industry I expect time limitations to be a huge challenge for me so this brief has given me the insight and experiance I needed to be able to do this.
I have struggled over the past year with mental health issues making my attendance to a lot of sessions quite low. This has been a huge negative during this as it was difficult to get face to face feedback. Despite this I have learnt alternative ways of getting feedback (online) and improved on my self evaluation and constructive criticism. I've had positive feedback from tutors saying my skills in finding alternate ways of working around this and becoming a more introverted designer; yet not letting this effect my final outcomes. This made the success of these outcomes (particularly secret 7) a huge confidence booster and a tool in helping me as a person and my overall design practice.
Overall I feel this brief has been hugely eye opening and successfull. I have learnt a huge range of new skills and begun to understand who I am as a designer and what sets me apart from other students and creatives in industry.
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