How was my time keeping?
I took some steps to manage my time keeping from the outset of this project, though it could have been better. A production schedule was created where I identified everything that would be required to work towards this brief effectively, which I was able to refer to a few times. However, especially towards the start of the project, the very long time allocated to this project did mean there were times where my work slowed down, as there was no concern for running out of time. I was able to step up the amount of work I did further into the project, however, particularly in the final few weeks. I always had the deadline clear in my head, and knew that I would be more productive closer to the deadline, so overall my time keeping was not a major issue in this project. I took extra time towards the start of the project to do general research, which was useful, and done with the security of knowing when the ultimate deadline would be.
How was my analysis of the brief?
The project brief was self-initiated, a proposal which was then confirmed to be my brief to work towards. I put care into making sure the brief was in a direction that would be useful for my design practice, was building off my existing research and provided interesting opportunities for further research, and had deliverables that would certainly be achievable. I was able to refer back to the brief as the project went on, to ground the direction of my work to always know what would be appropriate and effective for the proposed client, message and audience. I expanded on the brief through research based on the message of the brief, and created personas in line with what was outlined as the audience in the brief.
How was my research? How did I draw conclusions from it and use it to inform idea generation and development?
My research was firstly built on my previous dissertation research. The concept of greenwashing was something I had significant familiarity with going into this project, which was very useful for being able to set out a proposal and work towards it in an appropriate way.
I continued with extensive research when the proposal for this project was in place. Much of my early research focused on expanding my knowledge of editorial design. I paid attention to professional views on this type of graphic design, and looked at many different examples of covers and inside spreads to consider what works about such professional examples, taking on visual inspiration in a way that stays relevant to my brief and doesn’t copy any existing designs closely. I also discovered new adjacent areas of research which expanded my view of the greenwashing issue, such as Corporate Memphis. I also looked at the satirical response that editorial companies have taken to similar issues, such as that of AdBusters. These fed into the ideas I generated on what text content I could include, and the visual approach I could take to visualising each text.
Selecting existing texts on the topic was also a result of extensive research, as I build up an overview of how greenwashing is relevant to the graphic design industry, and then hand-selected texts that effectively introduce greenwashing and this connection to audiences. I visually researched specific topics that appear in each of the articles; taking this research was crucial to deciding what might appear on each spread.
How did I use evaluations to help with my ideas generation and development?
Extensive written evaluations of my work were essential in developing and improving it. As I began to create designs based on my secure body of research, there were many instances that my initial developments for the design seemed not to be visually effective. It is not always immediately clear why a design might not be working. To address this, it was important to step back and take a critical eye on my work, evaluating which aspects are and are not working, and shifting my approach according to what I find in my evaluations. For example, the ‘Misdirecting Climate Action’ spread started with a full-page illustration which incorporated the Corporate Memphis style to visualise a well-researched aspect of the text. As I proceeded with this, it was clear that my approach was not working, despite some solid initial justification for taking this approach based on my research. It wasn’t until I halted my designing to evaluate my work, that I was able to identify that the design lacked depth, that the Corporate Memphis approach – whilst well-intended upon my research – was not appropriate for the text content of this particular spread which made no mention of the concept. It was in this way that evaluations were instrumental in arriving at appropriate and effective design outcomes.
How did I use experimentation during the project? How can I make this more effective?
Experimentation was not a major part of my process for this project. The subject of greenwashing is a familiar area for me to research, and I approached much of this with familiar design techniques to build on what I have learned over this course, in order to produce appropriate designs of a high standard for my work. It did take some experimentation, in a way, to arrive at the visual direction for the spreads. I had to experiment with different layout approaches and typography choices to land on what seemed to be most effective. Another example is that I initially considered more prominent use of a Corporate Memphis style, and it wasn’t until I experimented with different photographic options (after evaluations found my first approach was not effective) that I found the visual direction that would apply to all pages, with the use of -photo editing and carefully considering how the illustrations are relevant to the text content. Some experimentation was needed to reach past a first idea which sometimes had issues, though I could have used my time in this project to experiment more with different illustration or photographic techniques to take the work in a different effective direction.
In what ways did I show that I had achieved the Learning Outcomes?
I took the time to research into professional practice in editorial graphic design, paying close attention to the structure behind different layout approaches. I also incorporated new typesetting features using InDesign that I found to be in line with professional practice.
I have become knowledgeable in the area of greenwashing, as was necessary to produce appropriate outcomes. I made sure it was an area I was well-informed on, in setting out the project proposal, so that I could select text which built up a view to inform graphic design audiences on this complex issue of greenwashing. I evidenced how my designs developed from my research to the final versions, taking screenshots through my process and critically considering the work.
Work for this project was largely independent and self-initiated, though taking on some feedback from tutors was a very valuable aspect of developing the outcomes. There were a lot of decisions related to the subtleties of adjusting the layout, of finding a consistent visual style and typographic approach throughout all of the pages of the outcome. Taking a critical eye to my own work was instrumental in developing it and making it more appropriate to reaching the proposed audience; written evaluations are where I evidenced this.
What parts of the project did I enjoy most and work best? Why was this the case, and how can I work well at all times?
I worked best after the interim crit. Taking on valuable feedback on the earlier version of my first designed spread, I was able to make changes to this that made it more effective. With the first spread at a higher standard, I was able to approach the following spreads with a clearer perspective on what works best in layout, with some variety in colour choice and making sure that the text is promoted in visually interesting ways. During this work I had a process that started with carefully researching each article I would use, identifying what aspects of the text could be visualised to create an interesting magazine spread design. I became more comfortable with approaching a spread for this outcome as the project went on, and I already had other spreads to compare subsequent work to.
What parts of the project did I enjoy least and find challenging? Do I need to develop certain skills based on this experience?
It took me some time to turn my extensive research into an effective approach visually. It was a challenge to start to approach a spread, with necessary research in mind, but find that aspects of the design were not effective. Bringing in visual responses to research earlier on has been a point to address in my work in previous projects, and it was a factor here too, though I did make sure that a lot of my visual approach was directly tied to my research this time. There was also a learning curve with making my InDesign skills more effective, where at first I found it challenging to know how to give the designs a neat and professional appearance – this is something I developed my practice in over the course of the project.
To develop my skills going forward in design, it would be worth considering how to get more out of my digital editing visual approach with the range of effects and tools in Adobe software. Furthermore, whilst I don’t intend to pursue a career in illustration, more experience here would be valuable to be a well-rounded graphic designer.
What areas inspired me going forward? What targets can I set?
It was inspiring to learn a lot of the different techniques and professional standards in editorial design and in the use of InDesign. I started to become familiar with professional typesetting practice, and working more in this area I could find more about different approaches to editorial design.
Also working towards the topic of greenwashing, inspired me as a designer to keep on noticing in ‘green’ brand images and design, with a critical eye to consider whether messages are truly environmentalist, and to be diligent about greenwashing and not contribute to that myself.
Luke Whatley Design BA (Top-Up) 