End of Module Evaluation

This module had proved to be the most difficult module to date, though that was always going to be the case. I have learnt both positive and negative things about myself, and my design practice, throughout the duration of the module. It has been an eye opening experience, and though at times it may have been overwhelming, I think I leave the course with a clearer idea as to what my design future entails.
A positive taken from this module is the discovery that I am fully capable of producing high quality, visually engaging design using a range of different illustration techniques. Though illustration has always been part of my previous modules, it has never been the sole focus. With this module I took it upon myself to work with a range of illustrative approaches as a creative challenge. I consider myself to have succeeded in several areas, and confirmed to others and myself that I am a visually driven designer. If people where to see me as an illustrator, I would have no problem with that.

Collaborative briefs, such as the DFGA yearbook and the fashion branding, have shown me that I am not a natural leader. I have struggled when it comes to organising people and setting personal deadlines. I always knew it wasn’t in my nature to take charge of situations, and this module has reaffirmed that theory in my mind. However, this is not to say that I am incapable of expressing my opinions when necessary. During DFGA meetings I presented my design work with conviction and clarity, something which I feel aided Mike in choosing my page layouts to develop further. I also made it clear to my fashion student certain ideas she had envisioned in her mind simply would not work for her branding, and instead we came to creative compromises. I have most definitely learnt the hard way that working with a client is a challenge, both mentally and creatively. It’s not something I wish to do again any time soon.

If I where to do the module again there are certain things I would do differently. I may say this at the end of every module, but I should have blogged more. At points I was completely on top of my blog posts, each one with appropriate imagery and thorough supporting analysis. Yet there where also moments when I let it build up, almost to the point where it was difficult to get back on track. This is something I regret now. I would also have picked my briefs a lot earlier, and exploit to their full potential rather than waiting for each to develop at it’s own pace leaving me with few options due to time constraints. Time management has been a big issue for me. Unable to work on more than one brief at a time I should have been organised and assigned weeklong deadlines, and stuck to them. But I just didn’t.

I come out of this final module with a skewed outlook as to what the future holds. At times I have felt graphic design is the only career path I can take. At others it has felt like I have no place within the industry. It would be hard for me to evaluate my time during this module without sounding negative, perhaps even cynical. With additional personal issues to deal with, graphic design should have taken precedence; it should have been an outlet for me. But it wasn’t. It became something I avoided because I couldn’t handle the fact I wasn’t achieving the level of professionalism I assumed I would so late on the course. More than anything I have come to the conclusion that making ‘pretty pictures’ isn’t enough, yet it seems this is all I am capable of. I’m not entirely sure what the future holds for me, but if it involves some sort of illustration then I would be more than happy.

Evaluation: Sitcom Standards

Another illustratively driven brief, this one encouraged my hand rendering skills. I had always been slightly apprehensive about using my hand drawn illustrations within my work before. I had no confidence with them, and as if people would look down at me if they did not the style. I realised I would need to get over this fact if I was going to fully explore the idea of my becoming an illustrator. I needed to explore illustration in all senses of the word.

With my Splendor Pelicula brief I was working with computer rendered, black line icon illustrations and with my skate branding brief I was working with rounded, colourful, computer vectorised illustrations. This brief was designed to help me develop my hand drawings abilities, with an obvious digital inclusion at the end of the drawing process. It also helped improve my character depiction.

I chose the subject matter mostly because I had dealt with film in an earlier brief and was therefore left with the television option. I could have left it out of this module, but figured if I was to be seen as seriously interested in representing popular culture I would need to include it. Also, I had been watching a lot of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia to get me through my other briefs. I guess the zany characters seeped into my subconscious and I felt it necessary to depict them in any way that I could.

Final Presentation Boards

Final Posters

Final Stationery Sets

Final Seinfeld & It's Always Sunny Info Pages

Final 30 Rock Content

Building Content

Additionals to Print

Additional Posters

Producing Deliverables

Liz Lemon: Final Illustration

Jerry Seinfeld: Illustration

Sweet Dee: Final Illustration

Dennis: Final Illustration

Posters & Postcards

In order to flesh out the brief I want to create a variety of different deliverables. Due to the high impact of the illustrations I figured I could apply them to large scale double sided posters, these will be great to photograph and could look really impressive on the boards I will be submitting. Below are screen shots of the three characters I have worked on so far and the way in which the posters will work. The idea itself is very basic, with the large version of the caricature on the front and the a repeated pattern on the back. The colour yellow has sprung from research I have carried out that shows time and time again how existing promotion from the show uses yellow. Perhaps as a connotation to the word 'sunny'.

After the posters I then though about what else could I could create and came to the conclusion that postcards could work pretty well. When the designs below are printed onto a bold yellow stock the black will really stand off the page, and again it will give the illustrations a chance to stand alone. The screen shot below shows how I set up my document to print, complete with crop marks and the corresponding text on the reverse of the appropriate illustration.

Ready to Print

In order to start creating deliverables for this brief I started with the basics: front cover designs for a set of notebooks/sketchbooks. I want them to be both humourous and informative, so I settled on a combination of image and text. On the very front cover there is either one of two options: 1) a single large scale illustration or 2) a much smaller repeated pattern. On the reverse of these cover pages is a small amount of information in relation to the character that is on display. This information includes a very short bio on the character and then a single quote taken from the episode 'The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis', the episode in which the titles of 'wild card' etc. where assigned.

Inside of the front pages will be the opposite version of what you see on the front cover; e.g. if there is a large version of the drawing on the front, there will be a pattern. This will be single sided and printed onto tracing paper. It will serve as preparation for the rest of the notebook, and provide an added level of protection to the contents inside. Below are the layouts for the three different characters, in order they are: Charlie, Mac and then Frank.

As I have stated previously I will be working on the remaining two characters from the show: Dee and Dennis slightly later. However now I have a template so to speak it will be easy to create deliverables at  lightening speed. Fingers crossed!

Mac: Sketchbook Layout

I took the basic sticker template and this time added the required information for the character of 'Mac'. I was a little apprehensive about this particular one, as the character is only ever referred to as 'Mac', and the reveal that his name is actually Ronald McDonald only happens much later in the series. I don't want to alienate my audience, however at the same time I'm sure of someone is a fan then they would understand the situation. The sticker design can be found below.

Something I haven't mentioned yet is the presence of the 'FX' logo on the sticker itself. I think this important as it adds a sense of credibility to the products. It will also add a sense of continuity across the range of products I am able to come up with and make them easily recognizable as a set.

I then applied the sticker in various different positions all over the front cover designs I have proposed. The flip book below shows the range of different options I was able to generate, and how the yellow and blue colour scheme works well together.

Frank: Sketchbook Layout

The second illustration I have chosen to explore further is the 'Frank' character, portrayed by Danny DeVito. The first step in creating a range of front cover ideas was to first adjust the sticker template, and replace the previous information with what is required for this particular design. I was a little worred that 'the muscle' would not fit in the space I have, but I needn't worry as it fit easily. The Only thing I may struggle with in the future is Sweet Dee's 'The Useless Chick' title. I'm pretty sure this won't fit so instead I will simply use 'The Chick' instead.

I then applied the above sticker design to several different front cover designs. I settled on the combination of a pale red and grey after stumbling across the combination and thought it worked really well. I also know for a fact that I will be able to get the stock of my choice in these colours, so I am confident in my abilities to produce something physical that has the same impact it does on screen. I'm not sure which one works best. Again that final choice will be dictated by which is the most practical.

Charlie: Sketchbook Layout

After experimenting with various colours and scales I thought about finalising designs for my 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' sketchbook set. I know that I will be printing my designs onto various coloured stocks and therefore the way in which I will be able to achieve design variety is by wrapping the books in belly bands that reflect the personality of each character. I knew that I would have to design a template of sorts, something type based that could be easily adjusted for each individual. I came up with the design that you can see below. In terms of colour, it can be easily changed to match each characters pallet and the typeface, Komika Axis, is playful yet bold and legible enough to maintain a sense of credibility. The sticker below shows how the information is easily interchangable.

I then took the above sticker design and applied it to the range of front cover designs. I'm not sure which of the belly band ideas is most successful. However I do like the colour combination that I managed to come across. I think the very pale orange compliments the turquoise incredibly well, and when combined with the boldness of black and white it works really well. The final belly band decision will have to be driven by both practicality issues and design success. I may have to ask for others opinions in order to settle on a final composition.