End of Module Self-Evaluation

Message & Delivery: Distribution//Research presentation

Today we presented our posters together with our mailshots in groups, and assessed each other's work to discuss which had worked most effectively within the brief.

It was really good to thoroughly look at other people's responses to the briefs, with their mailshots and posters together. We found that the most effective work was that which had a consistency between the two briefs, a clear and generally straightforward message, and initial impact and an aesthetically considered design.

My work was chosen as being the most effective within my group which was really pleasing. The feedback from the other group said that they liked my unusual concertina format, consistent & strong visual imagery and the bright colour scheme which related to the feminist content and had an initial impact. I think the posters & mailshot are clearly related to each other; working in conjunction and individually. Once again it was good to hear that my concept was clear and my design supported & enhanced the message. I feel pleased with the end result of this brief and think I have met the criteria.

Message & Delivery: Distribution Crit & Evaluation

Conceptual Development

I am really glad that my message is now clear to understand even for people who did not previously know what Pussy Riot was - this was a key problem that I had in the poster brief. I specifically wanted to inform and address it with the mailshot so I am glad this has been successfully achieved. 

Practical Development

Good feedback which confirms my design choices of font, colourscheme and image.

Production

Both crit sheets say that the brief has been met and the mailing list is appropriate, but the envelope is 0.5cm off the target size. I did measure it and I guess this only happened through the final making stage and folding - I think 0.5cm probably doesn't need me to remake it though!

Purpose

My intended purpose of informing students is obviously clear, and I think because my concept is also obvious the mailshot meets this.

Additional Comments//Actions Required

Both pairs suggested a shortening of the mailshot. I am aware and was slightly concerned about the length, although it has allowed me to be completely thorough with my information and not squash it all together. The main reason behind the length was to represent the 12 members of Pussy Riot & 2 members who have been imprisoned. I think the concept is strong enough for me to want to leave the mailout the same length. It could perhaps do with a cleaner cut, so I will revisit the mailshot to neaten up the lines and ensure both sides are matched up.

In general I feel that the feedback has been really positive. I think the most important things are that the design & concept are clear and effective, which from the feedback I think they are. Personally I am really pleased with how it turned out - I think it has been an original take on the format which has an initial impact and a Punk feel to it whilst giving out a clear message, and by providing a link to the PussyRiot website a lasting purpose. The envelope & mailing list tie in well with the mailshot and I think they also all relate to both my original news article//body of research & the posters. I don't think I will remake the mailshot to reduce the size because for me the concept behind it is important and relevant, and I don't think the size is a vital issue which hinders the design enough for it to warrant me remaking it.

What is Graphic Design For?

Pinterest Account

Issuu Account

Visual Languange

• Information & wayfinding
• Publishing & editorial
• Branding & identity
• Product & packaging
• Retail & promotion

Categorising: Genres//Contents//Audience//Sectors//Functions//Formats

Information & Wayfinding

• Helps people understand & clarify data visually
• Infographics
• Visually engaging - dull information transformed creatively
• Complex message portrayed through simplified and effective connotations
• E.g. maps, graphs, plans & signs

Branding & Identity

• Brand-percieved emotional corporate image
• Identity - visual aspects that form part of overall brand
• Logo - identifying business work as part of brand - small visual representations in association with brand

Editorial & Publishing

• Magazine design - fashion//music//lifestyle//the arts//technology etc.
• Publishing - fiction//non-fiction//travel//biographies//manuals//childrens' books etc.
• General publication - annual reports//catalogues//brochures//instructional etc.

Retail & Promotion

Product & Packaging

Message & Delivery: Research Crit & Evaluation

Anonymous Crit Feedback Sheets

I was really surprised by the feedback as I assumed that the majority of people would have heard about the case of Pussy Riot - it was all over the news, social media, as well as the Amnesty International campaign. I did try and consider how an outsider would interpret the posters, and I don't think the assumption that more people would know about Pussy Riot was necessarily a stupid one. It is true that if you didn't know about the case my posters would be difficult to understand - but unless I completely moved away from Pussy Riot and literally stripped it down to the most basic level of talking about freedom of speech I don't see how this could have been avoided. It was my intention to keep the message really simple in order to retain the initial impact and the guerilla-style of the design. Similarly this affected my decision to not have any copy//chunks of text - but I may consider having a short explanation on the text poster to elaborate and explain the case.

I completely agree with the feedback about the colours - I stupidly did not realise that black was included as a colour. It is a shame because although I understand the necessity of limiting your colour palette to retain impact, I feel taking away either the green or pink will actually lessen the impact. The black is necessary I think because of the balaclava design, so will consider using half tones or opacities. I liked the comment about the pink representing the feminist nature of the case so will take away the green from the design.

I quite enjoyed the style of the crit - I liked really being able to focus on someone elses work and give such thorough feedback although when it came to receiving my own feedback it was sometimes frustrating to not be able to verbally communicate with the person, explain my idea and in some cases ask them to clarify some of their points. Although I was pleased with my outcomes I can see where the criticism has come from and it has been really useful to have outsiders' points of view. I will definitely revisit my posters to firstly adjust the colour scheme and secondly the content so it is more clear what Pussy Riot is about.

Message & Delivery: Research Crit

I presented my visual research and discussed the potential routes I could go down. Although the article is about the two members of Pussy Riot who are being sent to labour camps I think I want to focus more on the punk protest side of the story, with particular emphasis on the fact that it is feminist based.  I have also been looking into other Russian creatives//artists who have been persecuted by the state in some way for their art. There are a lot of cases of this in Russia and it is interesting that it is Pussy Riot that has been picked up by the world and its media so intensely. We discussed how social media has played such a big part in publicising the story - especially because Pussy Riot are an anonymous band a lot of their self-publication is done via Twitter. Another route to go down might be protest via social media. I think I need to further organise & categorise my research - there are so many potential strands to go down I need to decide which appeals the most to me and which I can gain the most interesting information from.

Blog Questions//5

Does my blog communicate my progress as a designer?