Conclusion and Evaluation

Why I did what I did…

I feel that the project was a success and overall I achieved the main goals I originally set out to do. From the beginning this project could have been a completely open brief which would allow me to do whatever I wanted (such as football, sports, technology, video games related). But I wanted to do something out of my comfort zone which would be a strong addition to my portfolio and would really showcase my abilities to a potential employer. Other students in my place could have chosen to do something which was visually impressive but I already have such projects in my portfolio. I have already done technical projects (such as the rave shoe), visual projects (such as CD art work) and multimedia projects (such as videos and websites). Therefore I really wanted to do something which would really branch out my portfolio and intentionally put me out of my comfort zone so that I would push my boundaries and need to adapt to unfamiliar situations. I want my EMP to pool together my skills in a meaningful and professional manner; meaning that I can include attractive graphics, use relevant technical skills and multimedia where appropriate.

Pros & Cons of a Live Brief

I intentionally chose a live brief, which set for me and had real world application (which would show to a potential employer my willingness to work to a set brief and not only briefs of my choosing). And of course with such briefs, commitments and motivation are big issues since baby travel products is not my idea of the most appealing subject. But, again, this is a common occurrence in the industry and I have to find something in the brief to latch on to (which in this case was the conceptual nature of the brief) and something to keep me motivated (which was the drive to meet the challenge in this case).

This project shows more about me and my character and abilities as a designer. It’s made me a stronger designer. I feel like after this project I can cope with any topic and set myself outside my comfort zone for anything that can come my way in the future.

Working alone (freelance) vs. Working together (design team)

Throughout this project I primarily worked alone but did do some teamwork in parts (such as over Easter when me and a fellow designer, who was also working on her final major project, set up a studio-type environment in our house to keep each other motivated, create a more professional work space, and five each other critical and constructive feedback). The feedback sessions and mutually helping each other really proved to me that I am a person who needs the human contact and support you get in a design team environment…rather than a freelancer who really has to draw upon their own strength and judgement 24-7. My way of working was like working as an outsourced designer for Samsonite. Being part of a design agency would be my preference over an in-house design team because of the variety of work you get in that situation. If I was to determine my part of a design team, I think I would be best suited to being the person who churns out ideas and then needs a bit of direction from the rest of the team to channel the ideas in the right direction.

Through this project I also learned new skills and improved existing ones (see more in a later section).

Technical Aspects (what worked and what didn’t)

Through this project I also really developed my technical skills by improving my knowledge f computer software (Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and WordPress, the online blogging software). I also learned a lot about vector graphics (how to make them, edit them, and their pros and cons). Vectors allowed me to produce designs that could be blown up to any size and format and are much more flexible then bitmap images and photographs. A few specific examples of some technical skills I developed are: correct use of layers and groups, appropriate export settings, and the use of anchor points and curve techniques

Working in Adobe Illustrator was frustrating at times, as the simplest change to a design was actually not all that simple. I have learned that I prefer the design process and tools of Photoshop as opposed to Illustrator. However I know that each software is specialist and there for a reason, so it was appropriate that I made the concept designs in Illustrator. But, I put the designs and text together in Photoshop, something I should have done in InDesign if I knew the software (as I mentioned before).

Reflecting on my Work Methods & Process

I achieved the main goals I set out in my learning agreement, and I feel this project showcases my ability to work to a real life brief. I learned a lot about product design, and improved my drawing and graphical skills. A particularly helpful resource was the “Drawing for Designers” book, supported by ‘The Little Book of Packaging Ideas” along with a lot of online research.

The “Drawing for Designers” book was particularly useful because it boosted my confidence, since it explained that not every design has to be an illustrator with amazing drawing skills. Drawing can simply be a means of idea development and representation. It doesn’t need to be a highly polished drawing, it can simply be a rough sketch that represents my idea which I can then take further and develop digitally (Illustrator/Photoshop). The book helped prop up an area of my personal development that has been lacking a bit till this point. But, thanks to undergoing this learning process, I can enter future projects on a better level and be able to represent my thought process thoroughly from beginning to end.

The reason behind this lack of initial idea development/sketching skills, I think, is because on the course there isn’t as much focus on the development aspects of projects (simple processes of just getting your ideas on paper and sharing ideas) as there is on the technical side (which is emphasised much more).

I also learned a lot more about my own design process do’s and don’ts. For example I am now aware that at times I spent many hours working on a single design, making changes and edits, simply to delete the whole thing without documenting it, or redo it completely and lose the original concept.

I have documented most of my design process but I know that there are some small changes here and there that may have been lost because I failed to document them right then and there. The defining reasoning behind my work process is my attention to detail and perfectionist approach. This is a mix of a very positive characteristic which can at times a hindrance. Because of the time I spent working with fellow creatives (especially in our makeshift living room studio), this issue was brought to my attention. It was also pointed out to me that I sometimes over-think or over-do some of my work which doesn’t help me make the best use of my time.

I spent too many very late nights and in some cases all-nighters because of over worrying and my belief that I was underachieving. When you work on a creative project this can happen some times and it even happens in the industry, that you need to work a few long nights to get the project done. But, I am aware that this is an area of my professional development I need to work on. Even though it shows my commitment and drive for the project) it is a) not healthy in large doses, and as I found out, it can be b) counterproductive!

I have to learn to draw the line in these matters. I need to give each area of my project the time it deserves but not overdo it otherwise I spend hours on a certain section that doesn’t need it and therefore neglect another section and all the while time is ticking away.

Design in Context

I learned the merit of taking inspiration from other designers, and seeing market potential within design. This is evident within the idea I chose because I started with a range of potential ideas, and chose an idea which was marketable and manufacturable; I had to look beyond the face value of the ideas, and consider all the aspects. My final product fits into the Samsonite niche of the luggage industry, and sits well between other Samsonite products which are essentially the contemporaries and competitors to my product to an extent (my product concept is allowed a level of special treatment because it doesn’t have any direct competitors from existing Samsonite products; the past winners and current entrants to the competition are more appropriate as my competitors and contemporaries).

 

I modelled my design on existing Samsonite products, as well as aspects of last year’s winners. My idea is arguably similar to some of last year’s winners, but that is because I drew upon the strengths from those designs and put them together with my ideas in a unique way which yielded a completely different product. I was inspired by the stroller-suitcase winner from last year, but my idea has a different focus. I did not approach this project by simply trying to do something similar to last year’s winner. The stroller-suitcase idea triggered my bed-suitcase idea. Mine is a much more flexible product which is primarily a full sized baby bed, with an additional stroller feature to it. I added the stroller feature only half way through the product development! Throughout the project I have been doing a little self-troubleshooting; stepping back to try objectively identify problems and then address them by developing appropriate solutions. Mobility was one of the issues that came up, and in order to solve this I incorporated the stroller-esque feature to my product (which is what makes it similar to last year’s winner). I think the eventual similarity is a good thing because in a way it sends little positive vibes because I know that my idea, due to its slight similarity to last years, would be what Samsonite are looking for. Furthermore Incorporating proven working solutions helps ground innovative ideas (such as mine) in the real world and turns them into real, practical ideas instead of crazy off-the-wall concepts.

Personal Issues (explained and overcome)

While doing this project I did have some personal problems that I believe had a knock on effect on the overall EMP unit. Over Christmas, right before this unit began, my long term relationship abruptly ended and at the same time both of my grandparents died. The combination of the two naturally had a big impact on me. Therefore the EMP became a more difficult experience than it is meant to be because I was not in a positive mindset and was battling against a storm of emotions. At the same time I had to try do my best for the project to make sure that I did not miss this opportunity for what I could produce and also what I could learn. Things got so low that I did in fact contemplate going on anti-depressants; and because of this I lost focus on the project. However I sought emotional support from family and friends and with their help I decided against the medical treatment.

This unfortunate set of scenarios (because they happened all at once within a short period of time), put together with the challenge of working on a live brief (for competition), as well as an advanced unit brief for the course, made the entire experience seem at times not only hard but unachievable.

Working on my own, because of all the external issues, became even more difficult so that is why I tried to create a studio environment so that I could have face to face contact with other people as much as possible. On top of all this, I was also mixing job searching into it all since I am graduating this year. The current economic downturn makes it even more crucial that I started looking for work as soon as possible. So even though this added a lot of stress and took time away from my project, it was something I had to do.

Considering everything that transpired, I think I coped as well as I could and still managed to achieve my goals of producing an interesting product idea, that displayed my skills and abilities. But it has allowed me to grow as a designer and most importantly as a person. I learned that no matter how hard it gets, it’s better to channel any anger or emotions into something positive, rather than into a spiral of depression.

I hope this is evident within my project and my work attitude, as I have a deep passion for design, creativity, user interaction and being innovating. These qualities will hopefully project me to my overall goal of being a creative designer and making a impact in the media industry.

Things that I would do differently if I did the project again…

- perhaps choose a topic which I had previous knowledge of, as this would had made the whole process from idea to design much easier since I would spend less time trying to gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject!

- work within a team, made of people with skills that complemented each other so that the group as whole could address any issue and deal with every aspect of the brief (for example for this project a real product designer with knowledge of the appropriate materials and the skills to physically make a real mock-up would have been invaluable…but a real mock-up was not a requirement of the brief at all).

Having other people around to bounce ideas off of of, bring a different point of view, or bring completely fresh ideas to the project would have been valuable (though I did try do this to an extent with our living room studio set up). I believe would had made the project work more smoothly and added a new dimension to the project. For example if I had worked with someone who had good web based skills, they could had made a promotional idea for the project. And a person with print based skills could have filled in for my lack of InDesign skills.

Before choosing to work alone on this project, I did ask fellow members of my course if anyone wanted to collaborate on a project, but unfortunately everyone already had their own mini group or had an idea that they wanted to tackle alone.

- try and arrange a meeting with Samsonite, the client, in some form. When I first approached the project and read the brief, I decided that bearing in mind the kind of brief and the manner it was laid out in, it would be un-professional to contact and ask questions about the project. However, I feel that the additional level of interaction could have helped me produce either a stronger idea or an idea that fitted better with the Samsonite brand and their interests. I learned from this experience and I have no doubt that if such a project or competition arises I will seek to contact the client where appropriate.

- make full 3D mock ups, this was not a requirement for this project but nonetheless it would be appropriate for a 3D project such as this. No matter how good the planning or concept designs may be, inevitably more issues and therefore more changes would arise if I was to try actually make a mock-up of my product.

- outsource more skills so that the project could also have additional aspects within the overall project…these could be models, physical concepts, photography, video, etc. This would ensure that every aspect of the project as done to a professional level. Also, by covering all these different mediums it would increase the projects appeal and open it up to a larger audience. For example if person enjoys a hands on experience they would appreciate a physical mock up more since they could actually interact with it and touch be able to touch the actual materials it would be made up of. A more visual person would to drawn to the graphics and illustrations, whereas a multi-media interested individual would prefer animations, videos and websites. By covering all the potential avenues of appeal to the audience the product will be communicated in the most appropriate and effective manner.

 - seek funding: The major problem faced with any product related design is funding. I personally did not require funding as the competition I was entering only wanted design sheets (better known as boards) that are created to show a concept ideas. I was only required to send in digital files (so there weren’t even printing costs to consider!).

 However if decided to take this project further funding would be required. I am aware that there are many types of funding available including private funding (own capital, private business or investor), bank funding (loans), design trusts and group (e.g. Arts Council England) who give out loans and grants. Depending on how much funding was required to take this product to a market level.

For example if I wanted to manufacture and market the product as a worldwide item, I would require a large investment and may need to give a percentage of it to a business or an investor, as security capital. Even-though I am a creative designer, I am interested in the business area of design which is good to at least be aware of, and if you have further understanding of it then that’s even better. This interest will help me produce more marketable products and give me the opportunity to potentially branch out into business sector of the creative industry.

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