OUIL405 Visual Narratives - End of Module Self Evaluation

1.  Which practical skills and methodologies have you developed within this module and how effectively do you think you are employing them within your own practice?

During the visual language module, I have discovered how the use of digital media and photoshop can be a key tool in enhancing and adding different elements to work that can not necessarily be practical to create in traditional tools. I have learnt the importance of thorough planning and roughing prior to creating and how this should be a vital part of the design process. Through my extensive storyboarding and roughing I was able to easily transition into creating the final book with my research based on the Leeds City Market.

2. Which approaches to research have you found most valuable during this module. How have you interrogated your research to identify appropriate ideas?

I found that being in the chosen place of research and taking photos and drawings on site was really helpful in terms of research for me. I found that photos gave a great visual reminder of the place but drawings that have been done at the place of research really helped me physically remember the feelings I felt and emotions I came across whilst being at the market. I also took notes and wrote down things I smelt, heard and saw as a means of collecting research that I could refer back to when creating ideas for my book. Following on from my visual research I referred back to my research and could easily reminisce on my market experience.

3. What strengths can you identify within your submission and how have you capitalised on these? What aspects of your submission are you satisfied with?

I definitely feel that within my submission my strengths lay in the continuity in my book and the drawings based on my research at the market. I really wanted my book to flow through the story and focus on the hustle and bustle of the market itself, I feel that I have done this well, using elements such as the graph paper background and the small details such as tape and mark making, I feel pleased with the outcome of this. I was also satisfied with my physical drawings themselves, I used a mechanical pencil for each drawing which I something that I really wanted to challenge myself to do, I was very pleased with how the drawings came out and I think that the pencil is a good addition to my style by allowing me to add textures and marks.

4. What areas for further development can you identify within your submission and how will you address these in the future?

In my submission I feel that I could have focussed more on the layout and sizing element of the book. I don't feel that I have used each page in the book to its best ability and some pages I feel that the space was wasted due to drawing or text being too large. However, in the future I feel that I could explore a variety of graphic design pieces beforehand to get a better idea of layout and text positioning on pages. 

5. How effectively are you making decisions about the development of your work?. What strategies informs this decision making?

In my work I feel that I have a good consideration for many options before choosing which would be the most effective. I often experiment multiple times with different ideas before choosing the one to go with. In terms of colour, I would often pick multiple palettes and go through each one, making notes and deciding which one would be most effective or relevant in presenting my narrative or idea. When using this approach I find it helpful as physically seeing different options and comparing them side by side makes it easy to develop my work as a whole. 
In the group book project I feel that I was very effective at making decisions in the group situation. As a group we would often get stuck within an idea and collectively, we made decisions such as cutting ideas and narratives in order to improve the development process.    

6. How effectively have you managed this project and organised yourself during this module?

During this project I have worked hard in terms of organising myself and my work load. I knew that I would have a lot of work to do as I wanted to make my book full of colour and detail but I made a timetable and set individual targets for each day, I made sure that I had my book complete with all the images and drawings well before they were due. I found this aspect helpful and very effective in terms of getting work done. I will definitely be taking a similar approach in other tasks as I feel that I have been successful with my time.

Attendance - 5

Punctuality - 5

Motivation - 5

Commitment - 4

Quantity of work produced - 4

Quality of work produced - 4

Contribution to group - 4

Emma Knowles 21/01/2016