Level 6 / OUGD603 / Module Evaluation

Extended Practice has been very challenging on the whole. This module has pushed myself to produce some of my best work to date. This has been a result of the self-initiated projects that I have completed, which helped myself explore areas of design that I've wanted to develop. Artwork for music, event poster designs, a zine and a video were produced in these self initiated briefs, which have ultimately increased my abilities as a graphic designer.

Integrating my interests in music production in Level 6 was what I set out to do at the beginning of the third year and I managed to achieve this throughout three different projects. Being able to enhance my music production skills was really beneficial because it's something I will actively practice after university. However I'm underwhelmed with the amount of production that I contributed to this module, especially since I was planning on releasing multiple beat tapes. These tapes never got round to being finalised and produced due to the first half of the year being taken up by COP. Therefore all design work and music production came to a halt. The latest music I've created has been for my audiovisual project and I'm currently happy with the musical input that was involved. More beats will be involved in the audiovisual project because I will be extending it for the end of year show.

During my time on the course there was been a period where I lost an interest in what was happening in the graphic design world because I had was lacking inspiration. However the Triptych brief that Kieran Walsh introduced and my own Event brief has given me a new direction in graphic design. Poster design, something that I used to consider as mundane has now become a new favourite format to work with because I love how the restrictions of one piece of paper can result in really experimental graphic design as well as strong typographic messages. I've realised where my main interests lie due to the visual experimentations carried out in the poster and zine projects. The Comment Section Zine I created has been my favourite project that I completed as a part of Level 6. Even though the premise of the project is very weird, I believe that the work included in the zine has been my most interesting due to the different design styles I incorporated. My work has started to utilise different design processes and aesthetics by combining them into compositions, which helps generate some really interesting contrasts. The 3D elements I have started to include in my projects are becoming more frequent. This is something I will develop further because I feel that in combination with these others processes that it could make my work become more distinct and recognisable.

I was involved in Several collaborations for my Extended practice and I believe that these projects have been really beneficial in regards to the developmental process. Having an outside perspective at my side definitely improved my decision making skills because working with other people increases your knowledge on the considerations that are needed to be thought about. These collabs have made me ask myself more questions and have enabled me to take more care with design decisions.

As a whole I'm pleased with that I have achieved and how I've developed as a visual artist during extended practice. My independent work ethic has improved over the three years and I'm capable or working on several projects at once. These busy modules have also enabled me to reach final design outcomes much faster as well, which is incredibly valuable for when working with clients as there will always be deadlines that are needed to be met. There are still areas in which I need to improve upon and there are avenues that I have neglected during extended practice, however these will be explored as I start to work within the graphic design industry and on my freelance design practice.