Wednesday 15 May 2013

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE//FINAL EVALUATION//OUGD501

END OF MODULE EVALUATION:

What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them? 
I feel I have learnt a lot throughout this module, particularly my knowledge within certain academic topics.  I feel the set of lectures has given me a broad understanding and interest in certain areas of academic study that can be related to graphic design.  The lectures have helped me to develop an understanding of theory and current issues.  I feel my research skills within essay writing has improved, having to research thoroughly and use books as sources to quote and support the content of the essay.  I also understood the concept of theory into practice a lot more this time around, having to design something in a way that displays, successfully, your findings or is theory based is an important skill to be able to apply.  This year, I feel the outcome of my publication was a lot more relevant to the type of outcome required.  Taking a concept, exploring it through different research methods and then applying these skills to individual case studies to prove the idea of the concept, all in a way that is relevant to its format and design style.  Another skill I feel has massively improved is the development of concepts.  At first I struggled to think of ways I could put my theory into practice but after relevant research and tutorials I felt my idea progressed massively from my essay which I used as a starting point.


What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these? 
I feel one of the biggest strengths I can identify in my work from this module is my research skills, for the essay and for the publication.  I used quite a few academic sources for my essay, taking advantage of the resources the library had to offer.  I feel this improved the content of  my essay.  I also feel a lot of research went into the development of my publication.  I feel the concept developed and changed throughout due to informative research, taking a small starting point from my essay and using this as an area to explore and expand.  I feel I am now quite informed about certain areas within the subject I chose to look into.  Tutorials and discussions helped to push my idea further and improve the quality of my final outcome.  Another strength I capitalised on was the understanding of theory into practice, I felt this time my research was thorough and that I took a certain area of this and applied it to prove the concept, shaping it into a design fitting for the content.

What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
I think I can learn quite a lot from this module that can be improved for next time.  The first thing being my essay.  I feel like I have a good understanding of the topic and that some of it was written to a good standard, however, I feel some writing skills need to be improved.  In order to do this I need to organise my time more effectively to complete and improve it without rushing.  I feel like I should of dedicated more time to improving the essay even though I tried to amend it according to the feedback given.  This is something I have taken on board and am keen to apply to in third year.  Another weakness that ties in with time management is print production.  I feel I should of left myself enough time to be able to print without rushing, this would give me more options when considering how I could print it, stock etc.

Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these? 
  • Time management - This is something I feel I need to address at the end of every module.  I think my work could be massively improved if I give myself enough time for the design and production of my work.  I feel I always take too long coming up with concepts and researching, trying to ensure that my idea will work, however sometimes I think you just need to start designing and see where it goes from there.  I always underestimate the time certain projects will take and so this effects the final outcome and quality of my work.
  • Writing skills - This is something that I felt let my down on this module and needs to be improved, again this is mainly down to time management, not giving myself enough time to improve it.
  • Primary research - I feel informed and varied primary and secondary research is something that could inform and improve my practice and is something I will explore further, especially within this module.
  • Range of products/outcome - I feel next time I want to explore the possibilities or making more than one publication and look at a range of products that could be made.  Another area I want to improve is exploring different processes and print methods which could improve the final outcome instead of limiting myself to stocks and digital print.
  • Concept/idea generation - This is something that I need to get quicker at in order to give myself enough time to make the product/publication to a high standard.  I feel like in the early stages of idea development I should test out different ideas and do quick mock ups and designs to see whether they would work and how I could develop them further, instead of waiting until I think an idea is strong enough to take forward.
Attendance = 4
Punctuality = 4
Motivation = 4
Commitment = 3
Quantity of work produced = 3
Quality of work produced = 3
Contribution to the group = 3

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE//PUBLICATION FINAL CRIT//OUGD501

FINAL CRIT:
Today we had the final crit for the cop publications.  In groups of five we gave feedback to each persons final outcome based on their blog and the final printed publication.  This was my feedback I received:

BLOG FEEDBACK:

  • good vast amount of research but needs a more detailed analysis to sow ow design of publication has been informed 
  • clear development from design sheets and research to publication design
  • good range of research sources, visual to written
  • good primary research into the concept of voyeurism 
  • vast amount of research and a good range of research/processes 
  • good visual exploration including photography experiments and relevant visual research 

FINAL PUBLICATION FEEDBACK:
  • good background contextual analysis of digital voyeurism.  Context has informed design direction.  Good evidencing of how Facebook/social media is voyeuristic.
  • watch for spacing between body copy and headers, some cluttered pages.  Also use justify left instead of justify as it avoids unreadable text
  • good research at start of publication into digital voyeurism.  Good secondary research throughout, well collated to illustrate concept of digital voyeurism.
  • format in keeping with Facebook, typeface used also fits well with content 
  • communicates idea of digital voyeurism through background information and case studies looking into existing Facebook profiles.



Sunday 12 May 2013

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE//FINAL PRINTED PUBLICATION//OUGD501

FINAL PRINTED PUBLICATION

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE//FINAL PUBLICATION//ISSUU//OUGD501

FINAL PUBLICATION:


CONTEXT OF PRACTICE//MOCK UP AND TEST PRINTS//OUGD501

MOCK UP AND TEST PRINTS:
I first made a small mock up to see how my publication would shape out (not to actual size) and the format type I could explore:

This is an idea for the contents page, to have the headings as facebook terminology, something that the audience can recognise as being obvious facebook lingo.  I thought the three stages suited the three parts of the book.  The beginning being sign up or log in which would be an introduction to the publication, talking about the concept of digital voyeurism.  The second part of the book would be 'accept friend request' this is because this is the section of the book that gives an insight into the individual case studies.  The last part of the book, 'log out' concludes the publication.
In terms of page layout have the opening pages for the second part of the book (investigation into individuals facebook pages) have an image of them with a black line across their eyes to hide their identity, just have their name and on the opposite page have a 'what's on your mind?' section with a list of all the old statuses written by them.
When you turn the page you will then see the persons photograph and profile details laid out revealing their information.
I thought about having a fold out section that opens out into a visual timeline showing statuses, quotes, photos, places they have visited and people they have spoken to.  This is something I will consider as I feel this could display a timeline quite well, however, would it be appropriate for the type of format?
Extension of timeline, fold out to reveal more about the individual
TEST PRINTS:

Saturday 11 May 2013

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE//PUBLICATION//DEVELOPMENT//OUGD501

PUBLICATION DEVELOPMENT:
I wanted to call the publication 'whats on your mind?' as I feel it has been a theme throughout the book and is fitting as its what is said when you go to update your status.  For the front cover I wanted to keep it simple and consistent and so I thought using an image with a black line across the eyes to disguise their identity was the best way to do this.
I have also included a log in header at the top of the page as well as a 'sign out' at the back of the book.
CHANGE OF LAYOUT:
After looking at my first layout I decided I wanted to make it look a bit more like an editorial piece and use the photos in a more successful way.  This is the rearranged layout, I have decided to lay the type out on top of the photo, depending on the photo quality.
I think this fits the style of an editorial layout better.
Looking at overlaying the images and text, I have made it white and bolder to become more legible, this is a section about the individuals work and education, family and location.
An arrangement of timeline events selected at random: 
Each person has a different layout for their timeline which is arranged with pictures to allow the audience to see what you can access from a profile and to make the magazine look more visually appealing.
FINAL PAGE:
The final page ends with a 'log out' section and references where I got the research from:
Change in layout:
I decided to edit my layout of the spreads, I felt the first attempt wasn't as good as it should of been and have tried to play around with positioning image and combining the two a little more successfully.

I think this works better for the type of editorial design I wanted to incorporate.

The book highlights the power social networking has and what digital voyeurism actually is.  The start of the book talks about the concept and displays some facts and statistics about social networking and facebook in specific.  The second part of the book goes into individual case studies to prove the concept and give an insight into the amount of information you can gather on someone just from their facebook page.

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE//PUBLICATION//DEVELOPMENT//OUGD501

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT:
I wanted the publication to be contemporary and similar in layout to publications such as crack magazine and loud and quiet, I attempted to incorporate this style whilst designing mine.  The idea is to have the magazine/publication as an insight into digital voyeurism and how accessible information is to people on Facebook, targeted at 18 -34 years old, especially people in their twenties as this age group, as proved by figures, are the age group that use Facebook the most.

sections of book:

first part: introduction to digital voyeurism and an intro into the impact of social networking

second part: individual case studies highlighting the amount of information available to people through Facebook 

For  the opening page of each individuals profile I wanted to have a 'newsfeed section as this is the opening page when you log onto facebook, with the heading 'whats on your mind?' as this is the heading that appears when you write a status.  Then as the newsfeed I would have a selection of statuses presented over the years from the individual with the date.

I have addressed the 'whats on your mind?' with the individuals name and have laid out the different statuses in a random order:
I then selected an individual photo of each person and put a black line across their face to hide their identity, this is the opening page to each persons profile, this hides their identity and then as you turn the page to reveal information about the individual their identity will be revealed.
I decided to change the way the newsfeed page was laid out, this way works more as a system, as though you are posting the status to facebook rather than a random order which looked quite messy.
This is the final layout of the opening page for my first person, this is the double page spread where you are introduced, reading a list of past statuses and a disguised photograph with the persons name and where they are located.
I have arranged this header and footer to go on each page, making reference to facebook and adding context to the publication.
The next page is where the information about the individual is revealed, so the 'about' section which reads basic information such as location, education, work, like and dislikes and places that the person as visited in the last couple of years, who they were with and where they went.  This is laid out in a profile page display to imitate a facebook layout.
Adding a photo where you can see what the individual looks like, as you turn the page from the opening front page of each person more and more is revealed about them.
 I think it works better when the photos are overlaid with text, this is more an editiorial style layout and allows more information to be displayed.

INTRODUCTION:
I wanted to keep the text side of the publication simple, using a basic grid layout, with white space and limited information so the reader can get a quick understanding of what the publication is actually about.

An explanation of what digital voyeurism is, followed by a quote on the opposite page to support the theory.
This is the page that moves on from the introduction to support the content of the publication with stats, facts and figures.  I initially thought infographics would be the best way to display this information but I didn't think it would look consistent throughout the book so I decided to display it in a newsfeed style.  I have also taken the colour from facebook and used it with a lowered opacity to title headings.
I have focused on four different people, each person have 3 double page spreads about them, including images and information about them from their timeline.  This is the final page of each individuals profile, a laid out timeline including random events and images, an insight into the persons life.

Friday 10 May 2013

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE//PUBLICATION RESEARCH//OUGD501

PUBLICATION RESEARCH:
I looked at some editorial work that I wanted my publication to look similar to, this is Loud and Quiet.  I really like the typefaces used and the layout, I think it looks contemporary and well designed, this is the kind of style I would like my publication to be:

CONTEXT OF PRACTICE//PUBLICATION//DESIGN SHEETS//OUGD501

COP PUBLICATION DESIGN SHEETS
These are the design sheets for my planned publication, the idea was to take something digital and very much online and bring it to a printed format, as one of the topics I was dealing with were people becoming to obsessed with living a virtual life and letting social networking become a part of everyday life to a way that has massively effected society.  The idea is to make it look like a magazine similar to crack magazine and other contemporary designed magazines that deal with arts/culture/entertainment and current events, this way it will appeal to my target audience.

Separating my book into three different sections to, the first one being a brief introduction and looking at the stats facts and figures, the second being the individual case studies on each person, this will be the evidence provided to support my theory.  The third summarising my findings referencing peoples thoughts on the concept.
The type of editorial style I want my publication to be, something contemporary that deals with current topics, arts and cultures in a creative way.
 In terms of layout and content I was thinking of using Facebook terminology to run as a theme throughout the magazine, subtly.  Having the contents page work as a newsfeed and each section of the book is named after the process of logging into Facebook.  For example section one: Log in, section two: whats on your mind?//Accept friend request, section three: log out.
Pages to be clean and simple, showing facts and stats.  Unsure whether to display the stats facts and figures as infographics, will this suit the style of the magazine?

I need to think of other ways in which I could present it, something type based.  The imagery needs to be consistent throughout as I will be using photographs from individuals Facebook accounts.
I want the photographs to play a part in the visual design of the publication, depending on the size of the magazine will decide on the size of the images (due to quality that is out of my control) I have been looking at various ways image and type have been laid out in contemporary magazines that can influence my design.
Editing and playing around with the photographs, could disguise the identity to add to the visual effect of the magazine.  I will be using comments and wall posts from the persons timeline as quotes and information. 
In terms of format I was thinking of having a fold out section for each individual as though it folded out like a timeline, this will be the section that has the information about the persons timeline and events that he/she has attended etc.