Visual Thinking PPRD

I have found this unit very challenging. The brief, to create a bus stop adshel and a second dimension, has been very specific as to who it is aimed at, its purpose and the budget. It has been interesting to make use of everything that I have so far learned about semiotics, looking at what colours are used and the connotations of the imagery, in order to encourage people to donate money

I have felt very supported throughout this project by tutors and other students because of the frequent tutorials and interim critique, however I was set back towards the end because my designs would not have been within budget.

Whilst working on this project I asked for advice much more frequently, seeking peers’ and tutors’ opinions in terms of colour, design and levels of information. I found this way of working very useful, and it helped generate ideas I would not have arrived at on my own. I will draw from this new way of working and make sure I use this in the future.

This project concentrated a lot on idea generation and research through looking at other advertising campaigns. I found this very useful and became quite overwhelmed with the variety of designs and unique ideas. I was concerned as it seemed to me that everything had been done before, although I discovered that I could benefit from this as I could see what had worked and what had not, adapting ideas to fit my designs and making them more effective.

There were two group projects within this unit, the first being ‘Democracy’. The group I worked within for this project worked very well together, we began by researching the subject and them broke off into groups to look into specific areas. As a group we made decisions as to how our image would look and then worked out the best way to create this. The group worked well together and we benefited from concentrating on our own skills before putting everything together.

The second group project, 'Black Box' meant creating an image to promote Aquafresh Toothpaste. Again the group I was in worked well together, generating ideas through brainstroming together. We were pleased with the image, however we had not thought about our presenting techniques which meant we let ourselves down in the critique. I have, however, learnt from this experience and will give much more time to thinking about this next time.

I found creating the second dimension the most difficult aspect of this project. Every time I decided on an idea, after researching further, I realised it was either too expensive, too ambitious or unethical. Although my final idea for a second dimension is not particularly unique I feel that it does answer the brief well. The brief asked for something to educate a younger generation and raise awareness to human rights, rather than concentrating specifically on raising money. Aiming my second dimension at schools means I do hit this demographic and educate about the current issues War on Want is dealing with, whilst also giving the opportunity to donate through leaving donation boxes within the schools.

In contrast to the previous project I worked on a lot of different ideas and designs before making a final decision, valuing the opinions and comments of others. I also worked hard on my final poster design, changing colours and layout until I was completely happy. I think this is a good practice as it meant every detail had been thought about, but I also feel that it is possible to work too much on a piece of work, where simplicity was possibly more effective.

Were I to approach this project again I would look more at technology and the possibilities this could give. As the campaign was designed to be aimed at a younger generation I think virals and other techniques that exploit the immediacy and unavoidability of the Internet would have been the best direction, however lack of time and experience deterred me from attempting this. In my work practice I would have liked to have decided on a main design sooner so that I could have spent more time developing it.

In my next unit I plan to continue concentrating on my sketchbook work, experimenting and planning each step as I go along. I will make sure I research thoroughly and use this research to further my own ideas. I will attempt to be more organised in planning my time to make sure I arrive at my final ideas sooner, allowing me more time to work on those ideas, realising them and developing them.