Semester 2

What type of project do you feel you best respond to?

I prefer briefs with clear guidelines, mainly because then I know what I need to do and can respond easier and quickly. However I understand that such briefs can be restricting and stunt the imagination in designing. When we had briefs that were a lot more open I worried that I wasn’t answering it properly and that the outcome wouldn’t be correct.

Are there integral elements that often form key elements within your work?

I enjoy editorial design, mainly because of the magazine project last semester. I do enjoy taking images although this hasn’t formed a huge part in my projects this term. I Photographed images for my D&AD brief and I like the manipulating stage although I need to be careful not to take it too far at times. I would like to develop my interest in editorial design and explore typography in more depth and how images and text can relate.

What are your strengths? Where have you been most successful? What do you think was the reason for that positive experience?

I think I find strength in doing projects quickly because I tend to over think and complicate otherwise.

This is why I think a few of my Meltdown posters were successful, even though they only took a day to produce. I enjoyed manipulating the images for it and not having to take them myself. I think when I am not using my own work, I find it less stressful to work with which may be handy when working with clients.

Where have the problems arisen; have you been able to overcome them?

I found the UOC logo design very difficult because I don’t think my strength lies in that kind of design. I dislike having to design something a particular way and it felt like that was the desireded outcome. I also had issues with designing the photographer’s book: making the images and text work together as well as the task of putting the long book together. I think creating a plan always helps and I tried my best to concentrate on what I wanted from the projects.

What are you interested in, what are you about?

I think I have been a lot more open in this semester’s projects to include elements of my own personality within the manifesto especially.

D&AD, Little White Lies

UOC Logo

Meltdown

Manifesto

Photography Book Design

D&AD Which brief did you choose and what opportunities and con- straints did you identify in relation to the brief? Which aspects of your initial research have influenced your design work?

Typography: Ministry of Sound Posters. The only constraints I could see was the amount of text needed on each poster and also the size of each. On an A2 scale, I really had to think about the sizing of the different elements. I started off by thinking about what kinds of imagery I would use by researching other design solutions for club posters.

Explain the concept you have come up with?

Each of the three posters have an element of hanging numbers/text. The backgrounds have all shutterspeed manipulated imagery to relate to a club atmosphere.

Do you feel you have successfully met the creative demands of the brief?

I think I have created a series of posters that relate well to Ministry of Sound and are something that I haven’t seen before as an example for a club poster. I probably focused too much on the hanging element and neglected to think about the overall picture.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Which brief did you choose and what opportunities and con- straints did you identify in relation to the brief?

Which aspects of your initial research have influenced your design work?

Little White Lies: The film Drive. Instead of a fine art piece I used some elements from my Ministry of Sound posters to influence the design of this magazine cover. I enjoyed being creative and painting/drawing elements aswell as placing them all together.

Explain the concept you have come up with?

I used the Little White Lies logo as part of the design. The back of the main character within the film was the main element because I felt it was an integral part. I used the same typeface as I used with my ministry of Sound posters for the title of the film also.

Do you feel you have successfully met the creative demands of the brief?

I think I made it look interesting and different and because I enjoyed the film, I am happy with the outcome. I think the grey perhaps is a little too much and I should change the arrangement of the name of the film.

D&AD Ministry of Sound

Drive

1

2

3

4

5

UOC logo

What ideas were you trying to communicate through your written manifesto?

Who I am as a person and what I believe in. It is mostly concerned with things that I myself find hard to remember and to help me concentrate on issues in my own life. I especially wanted to show how I am unafraid to show others who I am and what I have beliefs in, because I think this is key to believing in yourself.

Explain how you translated your written concept into a visual artefact?

I edited my manifesto a lot before I started designing it because I thought that the less said, the more influential it could be. I wanted the most important elements to be a part of it. I decided on individual cards because I liked the idea of people being able to take them away as a little inspirational quote’s. I also liked the idea of having parts cut out, making it quite interactive also. I would possibly have made more points than I did and made the cut out’s more professional with extra practice.

Having written and designed your manifesto, how do you think you can: use it to inform/direct your process? To bring your own agenda to design problems? to suggest directions for future exploration?

Writing something that is of particular importance to you can always help bring out your imagination when designing. I think from this manifesto project I have understood the importance of caring for a design and thinking it through before making it too quickly.

Ma nife

sto

1.

Be e are veryt you hin 2. wh g yo ua oy Pra o y u w re: Th ann is i 3. a b s yo Ge e? ur l t lo ife, st i 4. ny our Kee pc ima alm 5. gin atio a You nd n drin are 6. kw luc k ine Rea y: n

eve wh lise w r ta on ho ke eve ma 7. life t r t for d e Do id a rs, w gra n’t nd h nte w o 8. wh ast d d o oa e ti e Be s lwa n’t, me Fer ys w exp ris 9.

Bue lain ill Do l i l n er f n’t gy o our w r 10. o t h r self ry ed N a ega y. B tivi eca ty g use ets day you so ff a now re t her he e bes t

1

3

2

5

4

1. How will you develop and broaden your technical abilities?

I need to increase my Photoshop abilities and I think the computer lessons really helped me think of other areas to concentrate on. I need to look more at printing also, because I find the end results disappointing at times when if I understood the different ways of printing then I could change ideas and make them more original.

2. How will you develop and broaden you knowledge of contemporary practice in relation to your own interests?

As I enjoy editorial design I will try and focus on typography and look at examples to improve on knowing what works and what doesn’t. I would also like to continue with photography and expand my knowledge of processes.

3. How will you nurture and develop you current strengths?

By continuing to practice and hopefully try new techniques. I want to keep things fresh in my mind and do projects for myself rather than for a design brief.

4. Where do you need to strengthen your game and more importantly how are you going to make this happen. What action needs to take place?

I stay away from Illustrator because I feel like I don’t know enough to be able to use it. I am also extremely impatient but by looking at things that inspire me and practicing I am able to develope in this area. I think making things is very helpful because you can see it right in front of you rather than on a screen. Having something tangible can help develop ideas also.

megansteen91@gmail.com -email 07843816852 -mobile www.megansteen.co.uk -website