OUGD504 - Brief 03 - Evaluation

Brief 03 Evaluation

Brief three has been my favourite of this module. I felt confident about the project before starting because I knew that my content gathered over the summer break and overall concept was strong, and I had a lot of faith in my abilities in editorial design. This is an area of graphic design that I am very much interested in entering into once I have graduated from the course, so I expected a lot from myself throughout this brief. I set myself high standards which I felt was necessary in order to produce work that really pushed my practice. I really enjoyed the extended nature of brief three; it meant I had enough time to refine the aesthetic of the publication and take time to consider a number of design treatments, as well as putting good amounts of thought into the production considerations. 

The extended nature allowed me to plan my time effectively. I spent an appropriate amount of time doing primary and secondary research, visiting Village bookstore several times to gather contemporary inspiration. I knew I wanted my book to sit within a similar context of art and design books that you typically find in independent stores like Village. I dedicated a decent amount of time to designing the layouts and spreads, making sure that I had a more or less finalised printed and bound product for the final critique session.

It was important for me to pay particular attention towards commercial and industrial considerations, as well as evaluating the restrictions and limitations of production methods within the college. Considerations included the size of the publication, stock, binding method, layout, grid systems and print finishes. I explored each of these considerations throughout this brief. I explored a number of layout options for the photographic content, playing around with scale and positioning, which I enjoyed. I experimented with spot varnishing on the cover, using silk screens to achieve the desired effect. I also experimented with a number of premium stocks from GF Smith, offering the cover varying levels of tactility and texture. The stock used for inner pages of the book in hindsight, was far too heavy for the binding method employed. I chose to saddle stitch the book, because I wanted it to feel bespoke and delicate. The stock I went for was very thick, making the saddle stitching process challenging, but I managed to bind it successfully after a second attempt. I have learnt from this to make more informed stock decisions. In future projects, I aim to push my binding skills further by branching out and attempting techniques such as Japanese stitch binding, perfect and case binding. I have definitely learnt from the mistakes made, I now feel I have a better understanding of the various production considerations that must be taken into account when undertaking a brief of this nature. 

Overall, brief three was a successful and enjoyable one. I wanted to create a publication with a strong aesthetic; I achieved this through conducting plenty of research into type and editorial design. I challenged my usual design formula, producing something that is unlike a lot of my past work. I have created a piece of design that I am content with which is a personal achievement.