Module Evaluation

This brief was't actually too bad nor was it as difficult as some of the others. The only thing that was a struggle was the workload as this module is heavily pack with 4 different briefs. I found it especially difficult when the group work came in as it was difficult to get together as it was during Easter and because we had another brief going on. This module was more open than the others; you are able to choose what you want to design as long as you produce what it asks. We got to choose any of the 7 songs (or multiple) from secret 7, we could choose whichever currency we wanted to redesign and also we designed something that showed our personal first year experience.

Since the workload was quite intense, I felt like I couldn't spend as much time on each brief as I wanted. However, the outcomes have turned out better than I hoped. This module had been better than the others since I became more independent and create something that is towards more my style rather than having limitations. I especially enjoyed creating the designs for Secret 7 as I could really show off my skill in this brief as I experimented with various outputs. Overall, for the whole module, it has really pushed me into creating something that doesn't have to be digitally printed. For this module, I have done hand paper cut outs, screen print, monoprint and a digital print. It has helped me gain confidence in creating work outside technology and I have given myself a wide range of options.

For briefs 1,2 and 4, I have noticed a recurring pattern and that is that my work is quite simple. I think that simplicity is something that I like in designs as it just looks cleaner and uncomplicated.

Money is? - Invitation Design Development

Having heard the feedback from our group presentation, we have noted the idea to use real life images to relate to the words on the design, rather than having the exhibition heavily relying on Hollywood movies. 

The invites and the posters will still be consistent therefore it will use the same images and words. There are 6 different designs altogether since the choice to have 3 of each coloured different designs would make it more differentiating. The images chosen for the design development are ones from different cities, an image of Bank House and an image of someone screen printing their banknote. The idea to have the images greyscale was to make the coloured words stand out more on the design (expect the 'Colour' design since that would be contradicting). The back of the invitations would correspond to the colour at the front of the design so there's not a mix of colours since it would look odd.

We also decided to change the exhibition name to 'Money Is?' as it can be interpreted as different things by different people. It would also make sense with the video montage and the poster/invite designs as they give scenarios what money may be.

Speaking from Experience - Final Design

The final design turned out relatively well. The only thing that I am disappointed about is that the alignments were slightly off and it could've done with some re-adjustments. However having said that, the test piece for the A5 design turned out better aligned than the final design. The stock that was chosen was standard smooth, uncoated, white 160gsm stock. The choice to have it white was because the design would look clean and classy. Since this design will be distributed at universities for students to pick it up if they like, the stock wouldn't be any fancy/high quality paper as it needs to be affordable to be printed in large amounts. The stock thickness is 160gsm since the pocketbook wouldn't be as easy to accidentally tear or crease when people are carrying it around. The stock is an uncoated finish since it would be easier to write/draw onto the paper as it would allow you to use any pen/pencil.

Speaking From Experience - Design Development

The final design was kept as minimum as possible for the ease of the audience so that it would be easier to read and non-distracting. Having anxiety is stressful enough; The simplistic design came from the idea that when anxiety strikes, you wouldn't want to refer to something that is overpowering or too much as it can make you more anxious. The designs were made by using Illustrator that were based on the sketches. The designs are segregated into two different sections of different situations. Having the design organised for 'Public Spaces' and 'Home' means that when someone is feeling anxious, they can automatically relate to the situation they're currently in. This is much more useful as it is easier to find ways to cope which will reduce the anxiety quicker rather than having them all together in one. There were 5 suggestions for each situation. Again, the design is intended to make the situation less stressful for the user so limiting it to 5 suggestions would be easier to absorb. There is also a box on either side that allows the user to input other methods that would help them with their anxiety. The language used is intended to be quite humorous and uplifting as it was intended to make the user feel more at ease so the user knows that the situation doesn't have to dull. The back of the pocketbook will have the 'Doodle pad' section. When you get distracted from your thoughts, it can really calm down your anxiety as you are no longer thinking about the issue. This is why the 'Doodle pad' will be suitable as they can divert their mind to something else.

'Bodoni 72 Book' was used as the typeface for the design as it reminds me of the typeface used on many self-help books which made it look more suitable for an anxiety booklet. A serif typeface was something that I had thought of first as serif typefaces look more informative and formal which makes it appear more of a genuine help guide. This also tied in with the clean, modernist design of the pocketbook. 

This is an idea of the possible size of the pocketbook. The original idea was to have the design at A6 size when unfolded, which meant that it would be A7 either side. Although the size is very handy and more travel-friendly, the type size are looks extremely small and is barely readable which would be pointless. The next size up was to have it at A5 when unfolded so A6 when folded. This would be the most suitable size as you can read the information clearly and the user would be able to write/drawn onto the pocketbook. The size is still quite small and would fit as a pocketbook.

Speaking From Experience - Design Ideas

From reading the feedback that I received, the idea that stood out to me the most is to create a pocketbook. This would be very handy for people in real life situations when they're on the go so they can carry it around just incase they have an unexpected rush of anxiety. The layout of the pocketbook when unfolded would be split into two sections. This is so that it gives helpful advise in two different situations that people may be facing and it would be easier to divert to the particular situation you're in. The sections are 'Anxiety in Public Spaces' and 'Anxiety at Home'. The front cover will be basic and simple as I read on the feedback, anxiety is something that people wouldn't want others to know.

The pocketbook will have to be quite small; A6 size is something that was originally chosen for when the pocketbook is folded out as it is small enough to fit in pockets.

After writing up the strategies, I then began drawing illustrations of the designs to match up with the text. The obvious route was to have the designs as straightforward as possible as you don't want to see an ambitious design along a line of text when you're already agitated.

Blank Brief Template - Feedback

Feedback:

Is there anything other than a poster I could produce for the final outcome?

• Leaflet? Postcards? Online posters? Booklet?
• Don't think like that, because you won't be able to think of anything else!
• A mini book? Anything
• Leaflet/booklet
• Pocket sized book book/publication to carry round with tools to cope. Anxiety can strike anywhere, we forget the tools when it does a reminder on the go would be helpful.
• Pocket size publication is good for students
• Something cheap and less time consuming if it is going to multiple universities
• Most definitely not a poster in my opinion. I would make a discreet pocket guide or tip book/leaflet. I feel this as people with anxiety don't necessarily want people to know 

Is there anything that you yourself have struggled with?

• Lack of motivative ideas
• Anxious and not being productive 
• Laziness/motivation
• Mentally tired lol. Anything that can be a solution you've found to a problem
• Stress, time management, adjustment to new way of life all in one go
• Work load, time management 
• Fitting in life with study
• Time, the use of blogger and adobe software
• Time management - subjective writing
• Idea generation
• Lack of motivation? Performance anxiety? Street? Homesickness?

Speaking From Experience - Initial Idea

Since this brief is about my own personal experience of the first year of university, the thing that has stuck with me and something that I have struggled with throughout is my anxiety. On the first few days of university, I was fairly confident. I felt like I had to be since I was in a new city and  had no connections at all so I had to force myself to make friends. As time went on, my anxiety started to get really bad, I cried in front of people in crits, my head would uncontrollably shake and I didn’t know that this would ever happened to me. This was the first time I’ve ever experienced these symptoms from all the years I’ve had anxiety.

As we progressed onto the course, I became increasingly more shy and even to this day. I cannot make conversation with people I’m not fond with but I’m really confident with people I’m close with. Whenever I’ve been put in a situation where I have to be with someone that I don’t really know that well, I feel extremely vulnerable and my anxiety starts to kick in. When this happens, my voice begins to shake, I begin to shake, my heart starts to race, my mind goes blank and it’s a really difficult situation to be in because you don’t want the other person to see what you’re going through so you’ve got to act normal. I still get anxiety attacks now but I have found some ways that have worked for me; I don’t ever want anyone to feel like I did so I wanted to create a help book on how to deal with situations when anxiety hits.

I want it to be simple so I will create10 different designs of ways to cope with anxiety. I will create obvious designs as I want the user to automatically recognise what it stands for as having an anxiety attack is a stressful situation in itself. 

Licence to Print Money - Screenprint Process

The first time that I tired to screen print, I made the mistake of turning the image the wrong way and so it it revered the image. Therefore, I had to strip the screen again and start all over.

Experiments: 
(Images below are in order from the main image)

I tried out different stock for my design as I knew I wanted it to be a cream colour and for it also to be textured. The cream colour idea is because I thought it would be a suitable neutral colour that would work well with the gold as the red and gold may appear to vibrant on a white. I chose not to use a dark colour as Chinese people don't particularly like dark colours as they associate it with negativity and evil. The cream colour gives an effect if an old-style stained paper which would tie into my idea of a traditional themed banknote.

Having found different paper stock in cream, I used all G.F. Smith stock for the banknote. I then experimented with different textures and see how the design looked. The ones I particularly like were 'Takeo Yomoshi', 'Colorplan - Natural - Silkweave' and 'Takeo Tassel' as these felt the most luxurious and fit best for the design. I wanted the 'Colorplan - Natural - Silkweave' to turn out well but it didn't as I hadn't aligned it properly so it doesn't fit. This particular stock looks like cotton which is very interesting as looks like the design is printed onto fabric instead of paper stock.

All the designs that had been screen printed hadn't printed particularly well as I'm unsure as to why it wasn't printing fully on one of the octagon shapes. I had to hand paint the white areas which were meant to be red but this didn't turn out right as it wasn't smooth so I decided not to consider them as final designs for the exhibition.

Final design

The one that I had chosen for the exhibition is used with the 'Takeo Yomoshi' stock. I printed two of these designs out as I had 2 sheets and I made sure that one turned out perfectly. This is the stock that initially wanted for the exhibition from the start. This stock feels the most textured and the most high quality. The paper feels recycled or compressed to make the texture feel grainy which is why it would work best for the design as it gives a old-style feel. The stock also makes the rat design and the words look like it has been hand-written on by ink which gives a really nice and realistic effect. 

Overall, I am extremely satisfied with how the final design turned out as it looks individually made, yet it also feels satisfying to touch. The design appears dainty and intricate which makes it seem more pure.

Licence to Print Exhibition - Invitation Development

The group presentation feedback we received from the tutors were that they liked the video montage and the idea of Wall Street and the movies. They said that we should incorporate the theme into the invites and poster design as the previous design of Bank House didn't have any aspects of the other ideas we were presenting to them

Having been told the feedback, the invites were revised; we used images from the video montage instead for the front cover of the design. We also thought about putting the Bank House illustration at the back of the postcard invite as we still wanted this aspect to still be there; people may find it difficult to find Bank House.

Module evaluation

Before starting the module, I didn’t know much about any of the topics listed other than some of the colour theory topics. I’ve also never made a book/leaflet or any type of editorial design before and never used InDesign in my life. I thought it was going to be difficult for me to do at first as this was all very new to me and I felt like I had no idea what I was doing with any of the briefs that we were given.

For the first brief, I had chosen to do a colour theory book as I thought that it should be simple enough for younger people to learn yet the only things I learnt in previous education was primary, secondary and tertiary colours. I found the designing of the colour theory editorial fairly easy to do as I could duplicate the images and edit them to be suitable for its section. The relevant information that is provided on the editorial is from what I already know and from the lessons we’ve had about colour theory.

The layout turned out really well as it doesn’t look over-crowded or too much, it works well when you unfold it out so you can read it as a whole or stick it on the wall for revision which is the part I am really pleased with. I am really pleased with the design as I think it would fit my target audience perfectly as it does only include the basics of colour theory.

At the start, I had no idea what I wanted to base my editorial on for the second brief. As it could be about anything, I chose to do an astrology book since I was influenced by a previous student’s work and also as I am interested in the whole myth. I decided from the beginning that I wanted it to look like an astrology book; with a galaxy/mysterious themed background, dark and eerie. I also wanted the book to be for beginners like me as I don’t know much about astrology either but I am intrigued by the subject and I could learn it whilst creating the book.

Halfway through the production of the book, I decided it would be better to make it into an eBook and publish it online rather than a physical book as astrology is a niche interest and not many people are that interested in it. People usually do online research when wanting to learn about things and since it’s free, people may be more interested in accessing the astrology book online rather than having to pay for it. For the physical book, I was originally going to use a shimmery paper stock but since I would no longer be printing a physical copy, I created a background design on Photoshop by following instructions from a YouTube Tutorial.

I published two of the same books since I liked them both. One of them is basic black and white, simplistic design and the other has the space/galaxy theme to it which I prefer more. The content is not difficult to read against the active background; it actually makes the content stand out more. Both design turned out really well and I feel proud having produced this editorial as I do think it looks professional and I have had positive feedback on the designs.

Having never done any sort of publication before, this will help me in the future as it opens up the range of skills that I have acquired. I have enjoyed making a book from start to finish as it shows that I have managed to create something completely from scratch.

'A Beginners Guide To Astrology' evaluation

I am really glad about how the final design turned out. It was difficult trying to accumulate the information and the facts but I still ended up with a completed book which I am proud of. I'm surprised that I created the whole book myself; from designing the signs and the background to all the relevant information in the book. It was difficult at first trying to put the signs with their names as I hardly knew them myself. Now, I know all the names of the signs and which signs go with them. The second book with the background is the one I like the most because it looks more relevant to the topic as it looks mysterious.

The feedback I have received are positive and everyone said how they especially liked the background that I created as it suited the book content. They also liked the layout as it looked clean and minimal.

'A Beginners Guide To Astrology' feedback

Does it look appealing?

• Yes I really like how you've made the background
• The background is very suitable for astrology
• Definitely!
• If I was into astrology I would give this a read
• It is very visually appealing; I like the white against the background design
• Lovely!

What do you think about the layout?

• Minimal and easy to read
• It very simple but it works well with the background
• I agree that it looks simple but it looks good simple
• Very clean and organised layout which makes it easy to read/see
• Minimal and tidy
• It looks very well made actually

Which book design do you prefer?

• 2nd - looks more Astrology-like
• 2nd - I like the design
• The design on the second one looks more interesting
• The seconds one is more relevant 
• Both very nice - 2nd one more though
• 2nd 

' A Beginners Guide to Astrology' Final Book

I have published my books on 'issuu' which the links are:

https://issuu.com/shelleyhuang97/docs/astrology_editorial

https://issuu.com/shelleyhuang97/docs/astrology_editorial1

I decided to upload both books as I really liked the simple design of the first one as I originally used it as a draft for the actual one with the background. I though they both look appealing enough to be published so that the reader can see 2 versions of the same book in different layouts in which they can choose which one to read depending on which they think is more legible.

Licence to Print Money - Posters and Invites

We decided to keep the design layout for the posters and invites consistent as it makes it look more coherent and organised and that people would recognise it better.

Posters:

We decided to keep the design minimal and only include an image of Bank House as this is where the exhibition. Bank House is said to be difficult to find so we wanted to put it onto the design to make it easier for people to find. We also kept the type quite small too as we wanted Bank House to be the main piece we wanted people to see. We included key information on the posters for people to find it and the details of when and where it

Invites:

We decided to create the invites as postcards as they are easier to produce and when the postcards are being sent to studios and designers, others may see the exhibition on the postcard and also be interested. We experimented with different layouts for the the invites; we kept it minimal and placed the image of Bank House for the front of the invite but at the back, it would have the exhibition details and the area where we personally write to studios and designers to visit the exhibition.