Module 301 Design Practice - Evaluation

During this module I aimed to develop my skill in print design, focusing on stock selection, how to print technically accurate pieces. I feel I succeeded in this to some extent however I could have pushed my self further. I could have researched into a large quantity of different stocks to show how my pieces would be printed to an industry standard. I also developed skill in typography. I spent a lot longer choosing fonts for specific pieces of work like the Leeds City Council brief, where it was important to get the personality through the type. This is similar to how i chose the typeface for the British Library brief. I think spending more time improving my type skills through researching how other designers have used type within publication design has helped me considerably in my own design practice. Working on my type skills fed through to developing my layout skills and using image and type together, arranging these elements to communicate the concept successfully. I have definitely developed my skills in the conceptual approach to my design practice. Working on strong concepts allowed me to create stronger visual pieces that fulfilled the briefs creatively and effectively. I wanted to improve my skills within branding. I hadn't produced much logo design before and it is an area of design I want to get more into. I spent a large amount of time creating the logo for the British Library brief, having tutorials with Joe Gilmore help me see that the skill in developing a strong visual identity for a company is more than just making a fancy looking logo, you need to have a strong message behind it, it needs to be conceptually sound.

Researching has been a large part of building my concepts, as well as conducting general research for projects i have took the time to research existing contextual pieces more, this has helped my own design practice. Working to a specific audience also directed my research more, which resulted in more successful resolutions. Researching the client i found is also important. Knowing what a client wants from the outset is key, without this it can waste a lot of the designers time and end up heading in the wrong direction. I found this as in the Leeds City Council brief i didn't clarify the title of the document so ended up designing something which was not what they wanted.

I think I have strengths in my concepts and research within my projects, this is the driving force of my design practice, I think in the future i need to really get down into considering the audience and use this as a key driving force of my design. I need to develop my weakness of staying in my comfort zone and really push my ideas further. My interest in print and paper is important to me and i could really boost my designs with more consideration to these areas when linking them to audience interaction. I aim to research more into audience interaction over christmas ready for when tackling my FMP.

Improvements to my design practice can come from using my blog more. I feel like i went through phases of neglecting to update it so had a back log of things to post at the end of the module which would have been more useful to me earlier.
I feel i have improved my time management skills, developing a timetable to stick to and keeping my action plans etc in one folder really helped my design practice, rather than an improvement i just need to remember how useful this was and keep it up from now on. I don't know how i lived without a diary before!
I need to experiment more with print media and stocks where it is appropriate to enhancing the message within my design resolutions.
I need to make faster decisions with research and concept ideas so i can get onto experimenting more and testing different areas like formats and layouts.

Headline - hor to be wild finished boards

blood donor dreams finished boards

Printing costs for each brief...

For printing the Phobia booklets (Litho)

the costs are as follows.

A5 booklet -

28pp = £423 for 100

A6 booklet -

12pp = £112 - 100

130gsm Matt Brochures
Our 130gsm Matt Brochures are printed full colour throughout onto 130gsm matt art paper and stapled in two positions on the spine. Printed on 100% Forest Sustainable Paper.
Phobia posters - Digital laser - 100gsm 1 colour black
quantity 100 x 3 versions size A3 delivered = £240

Total job cost = £775

Quick Roll Banners
Our hugely popular Quick Roll Banners are constructed from durable anodised brushed aluminium with a self winding action, they are both quick and easy to put up and take down. Making them perfect for Exhibitions and point of sales.

NOTE: Prices below include: Light weight self winding banner display stand with a 200cm x 80cm printed banner with FREE padded carry bag and handle for storage and transport.

To have 4 banners placed around the british library and delivered full colour:

Costs - £312


Sci-fi posters -
Full colour

Our Lithographic Posters are printed one side onto 130gsm Gloss paper. Note: posters are printed in CMYK. If you require a Pantone colour please add £25 per colour. Add an extra 3 days to delivery times for A1 & A0 posters.

1.) A2 - 250 = 275
2.) A2 - 250 = 275
3.) A2 - 250 = 275

= £825 for all three poster costs.

Leaflet/brochure sci-fi  -
Full colour

2000 leaflets - £333

Total job cost - £1470

blood donor poster costs

Total Order Cost


Net price:
£ 106.37
+ VAT:
£ 15.96
= Gross price:
£ 122.33
  All-Inclusive-Guarantee: incl. printing, further processing, delivery and 15 % VAT.

Digital printing - A2 1 sided poster, 170 gsm silk finish Full colour.

Anxiety uk - boards

scifi exhibition finished boards

Leeds City Council, public arts boards

Aci-fi banner Final.

The final design  for the banner focuses on bring the elements from each poster together to sum up the set as a whole. i think the banner is successful in creating an eye catching visual and delivering the information for the exhibition clearly.

Headline poster finished design

It was a lot of fun creating the artwork for the Urban Outfitters screen print brief, although my initial design didn't get chosen for the exhibition i re-worked my design to include type that had more personality and reflected the headline more. I am pleased with the final version. Although i didn't get chance to screen print the work with commitments on other briefs, i still enjoyed the challenge of this brief working on such a short timescale of two days.

Headline certificate of Authentication

Certificate packaged with the A2 print. These will be limited edition and signed.

here are some developments...

Finding images for sci-fi exhibition leaflet