OUGD505 - Module evaluation

To conclude on the final module of second year which has definitely been the most challenging so far as I was made to consider factors I have never thought of within my work before. These considerations were mainly for studio brief 02, as I feel this is the brief that all the learning outcomes revolve around. Although I enjoyed studio brief 01 as I found it refreshing and enjoyable to undertake but couldn't relate the outcomes to the brief. For example analysing and critically evaluating the impact of social, cultural, technological and/or ethical concerns on the development of solutions to problems relevant to individual graphic design concerns.

To talk more specifically about the briefs. The first brief was a really enjoyable one to undertake all round, from research to final piece and I feel as though everything is justified and does a good job of celebrating Hyde Park Picture House. The brief opened my eyes to a number of pivotal events in the history of Leeds, it allowed me to explore a number of events that helped shape the city but in the end I was able to celebrate and communicate something that I feel is personal to me in Leeds.

My research was extensive and broad but it was highly beneficial when it came to ideas and development as I was able to have an informative reasoning behind each design decision. I enjoyed idea generation as I thought of numerous ways to celebrate this event but I felt the final poster design I did represents a number of things at the cinema. Ranging from the celebratory message, the cinema peg board influence, the identifiable yellow colour scheme of the cinema, the bespoke typeface with diamond angles which are inspired by the diamonds throughout the cinemas architecture and interior.

In terms of producing the print I chose to screen-print it and as always complications happened, nevertheless the final piece was close enough to how I digitally designed it. And it'll be good to see it alongside all the other great traditional prints in the level 4/5 exhibition.

To move onto the second brief which made me work within a small time constraint which ultimately prepares me for third year but also industry. When brainstorming potential issues to investigate I struggled at first as we were encouraged to relate this problem to ourself. A number social, political and ethical issues bother me but not necessarily affect me on a day to day basis at this moment in time. Therefore I found it hard to investigate issues to research further until I came across the issue of ageing.

Looking back on the brief maybe I'd change a number of things like my time management but I don't regret the issue I chose, it opened my eyes to both ageing and ageism which are two unexpected huge parts of our life. Through research it shaped my ideas to instil images of vibrant, engaged, funny, feisty, perceptive, talented, passionate, compassionate older people. Older people who not only have experience but still seek it. And through my outcomes I feel as though I achieved this. This brief also made me think about my work in real life and whether or not it could exist outside my blog. With some fine tuning I feel as though it could mature into a bigger brief and more rounded. And this fine tuning could have happened if I had more time but this is down to time management and acceptance with my work. Although time management may have caused confusion, time away from the brief allowed my thoughts to evolve which presented new paths in research but also new ways of thinking when under pressure.

Overall this module has helped me realise my process but also allowed my own style to evolve. Ive noticed a theme of bold type and bold colour feature throughout this brief so maybe this is something to build on in third year.

OUGD505 - Studio brief 02 - Evaluation

To conclude on the second brief of this module which tested me in a number of ways, but ultimately made me work within a small timescale and tested my work ethic. The brief itself was rather fragmented which led to moments of confusion while undertaking this brief, for example I started research in late March then had to pick it up again come late April / early May. Although this fragmentation may have caused confusion, time away from the brief allowed my thoughts to evolve which presented new paths in research. And as always I found the research beneficial to my overall working process but at times I felt the issue of ageing and ageism was far too broad. Within the time I had I knew I had to be extremely concise with research, however as I continued looking into the issues more and more options opened up. Therefore if I had more time on this brief I feel as though the final outcome may have differed due to more research. In terms of my outcome though I am pleased with the pieces I produced, but again I feel its a good starting point for the issue and with correct amount of research and development they could be strengthened.

OUGD505 - Studio brief 02 - Final feedback

'You hammer home the fact that old people aren't just old and senile like many people think so these days. You accomplish this by using the face of famous British people who are in their twilight, who many people look up to and respect. These images paired with the slogans made you think twice about your actions and words towards old people, therefore I feel you answer your self initiated brief'

'A variety of styles feature throughout the work but I feel the identity of the campaign remains cohesive due to the bold colour palette, which instantly catches the viewers attention. And style works well for everyone which helps your wide target audience. It was a good decision to add age uk, as it gives it more context and the target audience will recognise it better.The tone of voice used helps to give a very positive message about the older generations in this country, the vibrance of the posters also give the same message'

'Through the use of the consistent colour scheme and bold typography throughout, all collateral effectively draws to the strength of the message and captivates the audience. Paired with clever iconography and a disproving and assertive tone of voice the campaign hits home to the audience and would bode well in an actual protest rally. By featuring famous older celebrities and movie stars within the posters it allows the campaign to feel even more relatable and understandable to our naive society, all helping to disprove the stereotypes associated with our older generations'

OUGD505 - Studio brief 02 - Final outcomes

OUGD505 - Studio brief 02 - Distribution

As the challenge is to change the perception of our ageing population through awareness/protest supported by Age UK, the distribution of firstly the posters is key as society is failing to value and harness older people’s skills, knowledge and experience. Therefore the positioning of the posters needs to be well considered for the campaign to succeed.

During a feedback session I discussed the opportunities the campaign has for the posters and my peers encouraged me to look where ageism is the worst in the UK. From research I discovered that more than one in four are 'treated differently to younger colleagues' in the workplace. Research proves millions of older workers claim they are ignored, passed over for promotion or seen as "part of the wallpaper", and Nationwide Building Society found 27 per cent of working sixty-somethings feel they are dealt with differently in comparison to other workers. Also old people complain of being given the "worst jobs" to sort out, feeling their opinions are not respected, feeling bullied, feeling ignored as they near retirement and being expected to be more reliable.

As I stated in the brief that the target audience is broad as everyone needs to tackle ageism but if anything is to change it has to happen at the root of the problem. Therefore a vast majority of the posters would be distributed to be in and around the workplace to encourage employees to think differently about old people in the working environment. I've mocked up a number of posters in environments you'd expect to see the campaign with examples such as the tube as this is a common commute for thousands of workers on a daily basis.

Above is another way of distribution thatll be utilized as the Age uk campaign will be advertised on the charities website, which will allow people to get involved with the campaign. Furthermore this is an opportunity for Age uk to spread the awareness of agesim but online.

OUGD505 - Studio brief 02 - Production

For the production of my outcomes I took advantage of the college facilities by printing before schedule by using the drop in print session, therefore I was on course for my pre planned timeplan. For the production of the posters I printed them A3 matte as this would be best size to take images of the posters in the photography studio. In professional production the posters would be blown up to various sizes depending on where they'd be distributed. One factor to take into consideration is the weight of the stock in professional production as the poster will be put outside. Therefore a durable paper that will not fade in the sun is required and papers with greater weight will hold better against wind and rain, and therefore it will stay as you put it up for a longer time than a thin paper.

For the production of the placards I made the decision to make them small scale for the mockups. As I was originally planning on making them life size, but from researching placard projects on Behance I noticed you don't actually have to make them life size. It's all down to making them look life size in a photography studio by playing with scale.

I purchased toffee apple sticks as these are almost miniature versions of the wooden planks used for placards, then simply applied a 14x10cm print over mountboard. From here I cut out the print using a scalpel to create a miniature protest placard.The production process during this brief went smoothly in a small time constraint which was down to being organised and taking advantage of the college facilities.

OUGD505 - Studio brief 02 - Idea development

For initial ideas for the placards I started off in Illustrator as I knew the designs would be simple enough to begin mocking them up. Protest placards have to be straight forward and to the point so only type and the symbol was required. The voice of old people is portrayed through the placards in simple type setting as GT Pressura is bold enough to stand alone, while the colour palette helps contrast the type making them more impactful.

From feedback I selected four suitable placards to take forward as these were ones my peers believed were the clearest in their message. My peers also noted that they were the ones that 'demanded a response from the viewer' which should be sole aim of a protest placard. As I discovered in research the point in protest placards is to create a visual messages that, together, will show the core issues and values of the movement, and will continue to communicate them throughout the years of work ahead. I feel the placards designed address the issues but also answer the briefs requirements of considering experiences, skills and knowledge of old people.