Week of the 3rd June – Independent study
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Portfolio Final Outcomes
Portfolio Final Tutorial
Monday 3rd June – Sign Up Discussion + Independent study
With my final piece I just wanted to check with the tutors to see what I could think about and improve upon. The tutor was happy with my overall design but I just needed to look at the finer details which I had not noticed before.
The first page he said the title seemed a little unprofessional being “Fiona Fraser’s Graphic Communication Portfolio.” Meaning that in the commercial world companies might think I’m unexperienced or simply doesn’t look through the rest of my work.
We also spoke about how the first page was a little simple and didn’t showcase myself with my work. I was unsure what work to place in as all my work has been so different.
Going through my work he pointed out the gaps between each part such as the type next to the work and how everything should be lined up. This gives the appearance that all the work has a purpose to it which has been thought out for effect.
One comment that has made me think is the fact that I like the words cut and hyphenated. Looking further we noticed that some of my work was similar with the imagery in Design as Activism and the one model in different clothing. On top of this the tutor said that a lot of what I do is a little off the normal path which can be seen as a good thing when perfected.
Discussing this further I realised that this could become my style with cut off elements, slanted text all placed in a precise place for impact. Thinking about this concept the app I created was mocking the mainstream so it was pushed away from the ‘normal’. To embrace this further I decided to make all of the headings slanted and I added in a few more hyphens to be a style choice not just a happy accident.
Lastly we discussed the final page and what impression that would have upon the viewer. My end page is very technical with the app having the links but is that the last impression I want to give them? Looking back over my work I decided not to change the last slide but add another about the app, showing off the humour and joy of the app.
Now What! Degree Show
Cardiff School of Art & Design Summer Show 2019
Cardiff Metropolitan University held an exhibition, showcasing all the graduates work across the School of Art and design. These included Textiles, Illustration, Ceramics, Fine Art, Product Design and in the heart space Graphic Communication.
I made sure that I looked at all the exhibition across all the fields which gave me a greater understanding of the differences between each course. At first I thought Fine Art and Illustrations were very similar and in a way they are but the main difference is the concepts behind them. For instance one fine artist created a darkened room which was a representation of his own mind making the viewer/ me think more about the meaning. Whereas an Illustration student created a room showcasing their work and making it feel like a punk teens room, meaning they have a clear visual, up front representation instead of a metaphorical work.
When looking through the graphics section one project caught my eye. Joe Topham-Taylor created a funny controversial piece, showing off wales. One quote saying “Wales is just a worse version of England.” For someone very English like me I found this very funny and almost ironic. However, my Welsh friends thought the opposite and got a little annoyed as the classic “everyone hates the English” quote pops out. This shows me that even very simple photos taken amazingly added with short phrases can spark such emotive conversations.
Portfolio First Improvements
Monday 20th May – Independent Study
Moving on from my first mock up I retrieved all my work so far and placed them in order, being the best at the start and end with a few others in the middle.
Using InDesign I developed a simple aesthetic using only 4 colours that are not over powering. My first thought was to have the paragraphs over the top of the work however I needed that work to be the main focus as future agencies are most likely not read the text, meaning that the design should be clear and straight to the point of my work.
For my work I also had to create work that could be seen in context such as the app. this resulted me searching for a non-copy righted photo for the app to fit into. I also printed the editorial work and photographed it in the photography studio (which we were shown a few weeks prior). This makes the portfolio more commercial and professional.
CLICK ME – 1st mock up of portfolio
Portfolio Initial Feedback
Monday 20th May – Portfolio Speed Surgery
I spoke with a tutor that had not seen any of my work previously so had to explain the style. I found this incredibly difficult as all my work has been so different though out the year. Luckily some of the group had seen some of my pieces and they describes my work as playful, structured and modern. This was a new idea to me with my work being two opposing styles – having a childlike free flowing story leading the eye in a playful manor but still having structure and a mature presence with the placement. The layouts so far have not been showing it off as well as it could have, so moving forward I will take out the added in lines as they don’t represent me. I will keep to the lighter tones to keep it bright and open allowing for the work to be seen as bolder and more in charge for that balance.
When talking with the group the tutor used a an example, being that in a CV you would not write Curriculum Vitae as the title you would use your name. This means that it is more personal and straight to the point of who you are. In the context of the portfolio, I need to make it more me and have my name as the front, allow my own work and style to shine and not to be generic.
He continued to discuss how everything we design is a representation of us at that time and how we need to take this on using our skills to communicate what we want. For example I would show off my skills of the software used and over exaggerate my best work almost hiding and removing what I’m not so good at.
The tutor also mentioned to have all the work within context. Implying that my app should be on a phone held by someone and my editorial piece to be printed and have a photo of a magazine style.
Portfolio Digital Mock Ups
Week of the 13th May – Independent Study
Moving forward from the sketches I created my first digital mock up. Unfortunately, I didn’t have all my work at the time so I decided to leave it out and simply focus on my layouts and elements that build up my portfolio.
I looked at the fonts and experimented with very digital styles that I liked almost 80’s digital gaming style compared to the over the top curvy scripted fonts. Through this I decided that I needed to find something that represented my style, being a very simple and to the point digital font.The typeface I most like is Letter Gothic Std, which is sans serif almost oval style that I prefer when all the letters are capitalised, making the simple font bolder.
When looking at the mood board I created a colour pallet that matched my original thoughts and sketches. However, when using the colours within the design they didn’t match up quite right and was very over baring. To over come this I dulled down oranges to a baby pink and softened the greys to be lighter. I also realised that the text didn’t look right as a colour so I added black for a more mature look.
Portfolio Mock Up Designs
Week of the 13th May – Independent Study
Through looking at my research I was able to draw up some very basic quick layouts. With the mood board I originally thought I should create the designs portrait to be more unique; however, a lot of my work is landscape so might leave too much space around the work.
I liked the idea of having the paragraphs almost look as if there are being pulled across which is making a bold statement and should draw the eye to the work. I am also preferring one paragraph per page, allowing more more work to be seen.
