In this module I picked briefs that would allow me to improve my design skills and communication skills, as well as enhance my exposure in the professional world.
In the first studio brief I worked on two minor briefs - Cocoloco and the Colouring Book brief. These were chosen mainly because the outcomes required were packaging designs and illustrations - two areas that I have not focused on this year in any other modules. I thoroughly enjoyed the packaging brief, mainly because it incorporates aspects of branding and luxury design, which are areas that I feel the most confident pursuing in Level 06. The colouring brief project was my least favourite in this module, purely because I do not enjoy illustration and find it very difficult to do well. Despite this however, I managed to improve my Illustrator skills in the project, and produced an illustration that, I feel, is successful in combating stress. Looking back, everything in these two briefs went to plan, mainly because I was organised and stuck to a time plan. If I could have done anything differently I would have submitted my mandala patterns, as I now think they held more potential for getting featured in the book.
I also worked on a major brief - Megalodon. This was a paid live brief that was taken on purely because of the opportunities it provided in terms of gaining new contacts in the superyacht industry and possible future clients. Out of all the individual briefs completed this was the biggest success because my designs were accepted for use and production by the client. Completing such a professional brief improved my presentation skills and communication skills hugely, and has improved my confidence when completing briefs outside of University. I also learnt how important time management is in this brief, as clients expect deadlines to be fully met in the real world, and how you can challenge the client to put across your design views - not just go by theirs.
Overall, I found the collaborative project far more challenging than any of the individual briefs completed, purely because it was difficult to keep regular communication with other course students and ensure that everyone completed an even amount of work. As I am used to working with Harrison, through the Designbytwo project and PPP collaboration, it was easy to keep updated with him; however, as Grace and Oli had different coursework deadlines and University schedules, it was quite difficult to meet up. Despite this I think that I became aware of my social skills, as myself and Harrison were constantly in charge of setting up meetings and keeping the team organised.
As a whole, I am really proud of the outcome we produced for the Hasbro brief, as I think it has a very high chance of getting through the competition. Despite the challenges, in regards to communication, we did work well as a team, producing all deliverables on time and submitting the work to D&AD. I definitely think that my confidence has improved when approaching other course students. I also have a better understanding of what is expected from Award organisations, and how beneficial they can be. I essentially chose to do the Hasbro party game brief because barely any people were interested in doing it at LCA. This will allow more of a chance to potentially do well in the competition, as less people will be entering for it. All-in-all, creating a party game was very different, but a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the design process and found the concept process very interesting too. It is definitely one area of design that I would like to explore further in the future.
Overall, responsive was one of my favourite modules completed on the course to date. Having the chance to choose my own briefs allowed me to focus on improving certain areas of my practice, and allowed me to complete work that I thought would benefit to my professional practice in terms of exposure and connections. In Level 06 I am definitely going to enter more live competitions, and want to continue working with other course students to further improve my communication skills.
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