OUGD504 - Brief 04 - Evaulation

Brief 04 Evaluation

Brief four was very different to the rest of the briefs in this module, and for that reason, it was the most challenging for me. I hadn’t designed for web before undertaking this brief, so it was an exciting challenge. This brief has opened my mind to the applications of screen based graphic design, and has definitely broadened my horizons in terms of areas of interest within this field of visual communication.

Something I found engaging and exciting was the briefing by the visiting professionals from Only Studio. They briefed us in a way that I hadn’t experienced before. I was initially quite intimidated by the extremely open nature of this brief, but I soon came to realise that this was a positive thing. Open briefs allow for more experimentation and exploration of ideas, media and processes. Brief four gave me a lot of creative freedom in that respect, which I enjoyed.

Initially, I found it hard to settle on an artist to base my campaign around. I also found it difficult to find inspiration on the internet. I finally settled on Grace Jones, because I have been listening to and appreciating her music a lot recently.  One of her most successful albums was re-released as a deluxe edition last year, so I thought it would be a nice idea to create a campaign website for the re-release. I followed my usual design process throughout this brief; beginning with primary visual research, then secondary research, mind mapping and gaining feedback at multiple points throughout the development.

Learning about the importance of wire-framing and prototyping was interesting, as I hadn’t explored this before. In addition, the second visiting professional opened my mind to the importance of considering user experience. The workshop about lean personas was very useful in helping me to identify and define my target audience.

I generated quite a detailed prototype design quickly, but got caught up in the idea of producing a website which was far too information/text heavy. I know looking back that I initially misinterpreted the brief, and it wasn’t until the interim crit with the professionals from Only that I realised where I had missed the mark.  My original ideas were unprofessional and didn’t fully answer the requirements of the brief. The crit session was very beneficial in helping me refine my concept; the feedback steered me in a more realised direction.

Overall I feel I worked efficiently throughout brief four. I made the artist the focus of the campaign, remaining respectful to her aesthetic and her original fan base, whilst branching out and attempting to appeal to a contemporary audience. I feel I came to a successful design conclusion through listening to critique and feedback whilst accommodating my own creative voice. I certainly learned a number of new skills in new software, whilst building on existing ones I have in the Adobe suite. I have benefited greatly from engaging with industry figures and contemporary design; I look forward to undertaking briefs of a similar nature in the future.