A Journal for a Graphic Design Student

  Week 3 Mon 12  In the Stage 2 Meeting together, we were told about the reflective report which we were required to write about our experience of second-year Graphic Design - a way to reflect on all of your successes and challenges of the second year.  When then had our 'Now Here' meeting where we were joined by Mark Jesset, a creative paper consultant. Hearing him talk about paper and all their different qualities was very interesting and insightful especially since I'm planning on printing my publication at the end, so experimenting and having paper options later is quite important. Tues 13 We had an all-day workshop with ICBQ today, where we were put into groups and had to bring to life our discarded photos in an exciting way for your audience. I had produce lots of extra, interesting photos over the past few weeks so it took a while to choose the ones I wanted to submit. We spent the rest of today going over all our images to see if we could find any natural links for

Easter Break Over the course of the two-week break, I mostly focused on taking photos for my main project and working on the mini zine task. Also, it was a time to relax and have a break since the previous weeks had been full of workshops and discussions. I had chosen four places that I wanted to photograph 'from the ground up': Reading, Twyford, Liverpool and Falmouth. They were places that I would be at/visiting over Easter so I took the opportunity (and all the nice weather) to build up a variety of photos for my publication.   Mon 29 March Today I headed up to Liverpool to pick up my brother from the Easter holidays. Because Liverpool is somewhere very different to Reading and Falmouth, I took the opportunity to photograph some of the residential streets there. It was interesting to see the small similarities and differences Liverpool had in comparison Falmouth and Reading and I tried to explore this is my photos. Thurs 1 April The weather was very warm and bright today so

Week 2 Mon 22  The Stage 2 meeting was quick and brief because we are being split into different groups for this module, each focusing on different projects. I have chosen to do 'Now Here' which is a photography and editorial based project. Afterwards, we have a quick meeting with our project tutors to learn about our work this week.  I had a covid test later on today, so I planned to start shooting some photos during my travel there. There were lots of interesting scenes to capture so it helped me start exploring photography and think about what I wanted to do for my other tasks.  Tues 23 Today I focused on researching some photographers that I was interested in as well as planned a little trip to the Helford passage where I want to explore for my 'Expose Yourself' task. We spent the afternoon exploring it together and I mostly photographed things that I found interesting within the inlet of water we walked by, anything from boats to the simple building that dotted the

Week 1 Mon 15  The Stage 2 meeting was quick and brief because we are being split into different groups for this module, each focusing on different projects. I have chosen to do 'Now Here' which is a photography and editorial based project. Afterwards, we have a quick meeting with our project tutors to learn about our work this week.  I had a covid test later on today, so I planned to start shooting some photos during my travel there. There were lots of interesting scenes to capture so it helped me start exploring photography and think about what I wanted to do for my other tasks.  Tues 16 Today I focused on researching some photographers that I was interested in as well as planned a little trip to the Helford passage where I want to explore for my 'Expose Yourself' task. We spent the afternoon exploring it together and I mostly photographed things that I found interesting within the inlet of water we walked by, anything from boats to the simple building that dotted the

Week 7 Mon 8  This week is the last week of Design Directions, which has gone incredibly quickly. The aim is to present a final outcome and associated elements to your learning teams. I have my app pretty much planned out as well as having a few other touchpoints prepped - just need help with which ones to continue on with.  Tues 9 Had my learning team presentation today, where I showed everyone where I have got to with my self-initiated brief. Overall, I had a positive response, everyone understood the premise of the app, how it functions and all the additional options available on the homepage. However, there were a few debates over which recycling typography I should use: I think generally the one with the larger arrows looked a bit too complex when paired with the light green background so I should experiment more with the lighter arrows on the type.  Thurs 11 The lecture this week was all about the literature review we were required to write. I have never written one of these befo

Week 6 Mon 1  The Meeting this week spoke about how we should have consolidated our brand identity and should be moving to refining our visual language and choosing touchpoints. I knew that my brand would be presented in the form of an app but what additional elements did I want to add to support it? Tues 2 This week in my learning team, I presented some of my starting brand identity ideas to see if my visuals and written ideas linked up properly. Some agreed that I had built a good foundation but that I should start on some touchpoints to get the visual design rolling - it's something I always struggle to start even if it's something that I'm confident with.   Thurs 4 The lecture today discussed 'Feminism and the Visual Art'. This topic was particularly interesting for me because I'm thinking of researching feminism and design for my dissertation. The representation of women was very heavily discussed during this discussion and I really made me wonder why we on