OUGD406 - Speaking from Experience : Final Crit

For the final crit we presented our work to a small group of 5 people. We laid out all of our work in front of us on the table and had to briefly summarise what we were producing whilst also stating some questions we wanted answering and resolving.

I wanted to know whether my stock choice was appropriate, and if the effect it had on the colour was good or bad. I also wanted some guidance on font choice. The font I had chosen was quite circular and rounded which made it look quite childish and basic, this was not necessarily a bad thing but I did worry that it would put people off looking at the product if they felt it did not relate to them.

We conducted our crit in a different way as we felt that verbal feedback was perhaps more useful than written. When presenting my work people seemed to receive it quite well and felt that it was a strong concept.

The feedback I received was very helpful and gave me a lot to think about and experiment with. I feel that some of the points which were made would make my work more professional and relatable to students.

• Change the font? Caviar Dreams?
• The font reminds me of primary school
• The colour blue could maybe be made darker to increase the maturity
• The Orator Std font works more but is maybe too harsh
• Add another colour? magenta?
• Experiment with coloured stock and sticking the white on top of it?
• Keep the book size small as the design could be lost within a larger design
• With the shortcuts maybe include some for pc as well as mac
• Different programs have different shortcuts
• Change the overall base to a cutting mat?
• Include the folder concept within the cutting mat idea
• Use mount board to make it more sturdy

This feedback I found very helpful and it has enabled me to progress with the overall production of my project. I hope to experiment with different design techniques and processes. 

OUGD406 - Speaking from Experience : Crit

Today we had a crit where we presented our progress so far. I have decided on my final concept and wanted some input on what format it should be in. I presented my design sheets along with a rough mock up of what it might look like.

The idea I had was to produce a print based survival kit for the first years which describes the modules, blogs, expectations, essentials and other important information. I wanted to produce each aspect onto one big sheet of either mount board or paper and make the individual printed material removable.

The feedback from the crit was very positive, people thought my concept was very strong and thought it would be very useful for the first years to have. When I asked about the format of my piece there was a mixed review with some people saying each aspect should be individual and maybe kept inside a folder and others thinking the mount board would be more of a keepsake. Some of the limitations of the mount board concept would be that people might not like to remove things and it could also be a nuisance to carry around. One of the resolutions to this problem was to make a digital version which people could access alongside the printed version. I like this idea and think it could work out really well and be very strong. I also feel that it would mean more effort and work will be put into such a important aspect of the module.