I have not tried to over embellish my work by using a lot of images on one page, or creating a ‘background’ or layout for it. I want my work to speak for itself, and be shown simply as this helps make the work stand out.
During this year I have become heavily influence by the work of some very high profile design and packaging companies. The work of Pearlfisher has been a real eye opener for me, as they produce the kind of work I aspire to produce. I was particularly impressed with their work for the Jamie Oliver [Image set 1] lifestyle products and the recent work they have done for Cadburys [Image set 2]. I am so inspired by their work because they seem to hit the nail on the head every time; you cannot fault it. They are also very diverse in what they produce: very traditional and classy designs for Fortnum and Mason preserve range, and cute, illustrative design for This Water [Image set 3], they have such a range of skills within their company.
R-Design is another company that continually astonishes me with their fantastic design work. They are heavy on brand identity and impact with their product design, and they really focus on improving the overall brand. I loved their work for Selfridges; a very chic black base with bold colour, which looked great on the shelf, and created a strong impression of the product. [Image set 4].
I realise that my own design work is not currently a contender with these packaging gods!, but it really helps me to understand what will be expected of me in the future. Creating positive, and exciting packaging design is an area that will have to work very hard in, but I am very driven to achieve this.
My strengths lie in areas of design that require organisation, simple graphics and a sense of usability: by this I mean to say that my work is very clear cut and understandable. I am very good at identifying the problems with existing design, whether it be packaging or product based, or simply the effectiveness of a logo design. I am a very organised individual, which most people have come to recognize as a positive trait, and trust me with tasks that require care and consideration. I think that I am well suited to working with a team as I enjoy being able to bounce ideas off other people, but I also like being able to produce personal work, or more individual stuff.
From one of my most recent briefs I have found an area that I had not really considered exploring before; hand drawn and experimental typography. Abstract illustration (doodling) has always been a habit of mine, and experimental type seems like the perfect outlet for my skills in this area. This is an area that I really feel I can improve my skills in, and probably produce some exciting and slightly unusual work.
My weaknesses probably include my lack of confidence and conviction to pick and idea and go with it. I am always very uncertain of how well an idea might pan out, and therefore wary about choosing briefs that are slightly more challenging. I am also afraid of one-day briefs – at least I was. I have become more comfortable with one-dayers this year, but I still need to improve my abilities to work quickly and produce strong design work from the word go. I know that these skills will be essential when working in a commercial studio; not only for the sake of producing work, but also when pitching and discussing new briefs with clients.
I am aiming to gain specialist skills within the areas of packaging and promotional design, type and layout, and more experimental, illustrative typography. These areas are all relatively different, but I see them linking together in quite a constructive way. All of significant interest to me, but the packaging side is probably the most important.
I know that I will need to improve my software skills for the sake of the packaging and layout work, but I will equally need to start experimenting more with illustrative type work, and more conventional illustration.
My professional concerns are that of design practices. I realise that research and development are integral to the process of design development, but I am uncertain of how the process works in a commercial studio. I am really looking forward to experiencing commercial practices in my placements over the summer break. I think that they will help me to understand how real briefs run, and will improve my development skills. It will also give me an experience of working with/for clients who have their own opinions about their brand image. I want to be able to draw heavily on my placement experiences when I return to the course for my final year.
For my dissertation I have chosen to explore the relationship between the design industry and sustainable design. My title is: ‘To what extent are sustainable materials considered and used within the graphic design industry?’ I have chosen this topic because my main interest in graphics is packaging design; an area of increasing controversy when it comes to using sustainable materials. Recycling and sustainability has quickly become an issue on a global scale, with governments pushing recycling and lower uses of materials. I am interested in creating design that is suitable for purpose but also takes the environment into account. I also think that having a thorough knowledge of this area will come in helpful for future design work.
Image Set 1
Image Set 2
Image Set 3
Image Set 4
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