Why Am I Here - What do I want to Learn? - Study task 1

5 reasons why you chose this programme...

The courses reputation - The End of Year shows consisted of a very high standard of work & My tutor at Winstanley Art Foundation also emphasised; 'If you want to come out of university and have the knowledge of what to do and where to go, LCA should be your choice'. When you leave this course you don't just leave with a degree, but with an awareness, a sense of speciality and the knowledge to put your talents into practice.
The opportunities available at LCA - After attending an open day, I was aware of the Colleges facilities and the resources available to its students, it has a very extensive range of facilities including Mac rooms, print rooms, libraries etc// it felt like a place that had focus, and a place that was serious about their work, which even shows through the actual architecture of the campus. Whatever your direction, you'll be catered for.
The quality and standard of work from previous students - You get a real feel for the drive & determination behind the students designs, seeing the results of hard work just made the course more appealing. Before you were even accepted onto the course, the teachers were testing you, setting summer projects and one-on-one interviews. But its because of this that you can see how proud and passionate the tutors are, it seemed like they'd literally help in anyway they could to ensure you succeed.
The location of its Campus, Leeds - A-swell as having a thriving Student lifestyle, it wasn't too far from home!
Good links with the Industry - This was the main reason I chose to study on this programme... without good links in the Industry, all the hard work might not pay off at the end.

5 things you want to learn...

Web design - At the moment this is all a mystery to me but I'd love to be able to design a website that can combine both design and content seamlessly, similar to the example below. Being able to design a website to a high standard will definitely broaden my creative prospects. During this age, everything is becoming online...which means everything will subsequently need a website to offer their service through.

Professional presenting - Public speaking has always been an issue for me, I don't know what happens, but the nerves always get the better of me, a frustrating issue when you've spent so long producing a design and can't communicate its purpose effectively. However I think with practice, my nerves will be eased... as Daunting as that sounds. It may only seem like a small factor of the course but its definitely a skill that will put us above other designers, knowing the correct language to use and technical aspects to comment upon will give you the opportunity to be taken seriously.
The key concepts of Branding - Although I understand the basics of Branding, I know there's a lot more to creating a sense of culture, vision and personality through minimal elements. To do this successfully will also involve a broad knowledge of print production, which is vital for this industry.

Effective blogging - Instead of continuously scrolling and struggling to arrange elements, I want to be able to display my work in an easy and accessible way, using all the resources possible...

How to put a portfolio together successfully and self promote - I need to get my name out there, but at the same time, I need to be careful about how I do it. In my opinion I don't think there's any point to start getting my name out there when I don't have a bulk of good work, simply because if I did...I'd just be another graphic designer taking advantage of every social networking platform and design platform. I want my work to be striking and cause a commotion.

5 things you want to improve...

Planning and Organisation - Although this has been drastically improved, I need to implement a weekly plan that'll make sure I'm spending my time wisely as well as my money. I've learnt it's not about how much work you do, it's about how effective and efficient the work your doing is. Implementing these principles will make sure my blog is up to scratch, for every day.
My scope of drawings - Although I'm happy with my illustrations I need to develop them and alter their components continuously, doing this will give me a wider scope of choice when it comes to designing my finals. I'm learning to work outside of my comfort zone and produce illustrations that aren't the core aspect of my designs.
My knowledge of different creative fields - learning more about different creative fields will certainly improve my outcomes, widen target audiences and possibly provide me with a design direction for my work, collaborating with people from different classes would be a good starting point.

Tutors perception of myself - I need to work to the fullest of my ability and not take the opportunity and chance I've been given for granted. There was a massive amount of applicants and I always think...Why should I be here...if someone is willing to work harder than me.
Ability to collaborate - Instead of jumping into a generation of ideas, time should be taken to really analyse our skills sets as a group and implement tasks based on these attributes.
Public speaking - Although it's going to be hard I need to put all of my nerves aside and concentrate on the communication of my ideas, which is affected as a result of this.
My knowledge of binding techniques - Everything moved up a tier and so should the delivery of my work, stapling and ring binding are out of the picture as of now. I need to start using printing services and techniques such as chinese binds to produce a professional and flawless outcome.

5 skills you think are your strengths...

Abilities to draw and Illustrate - Although I can illustrate, I still need to recognise when drawing can become too involved with a design, a good example of this would be 'Level 04 - Speaking from experience'. The communication of the design became complicated through the illustrations because they were much more pronounced than the actual content of my design.

Knowledge of Artists & Designers - Because I've been involved with creative subjects since high school, my knowledge of Artists has grown over the years, however I still need to delve into other designers and not just stick with the ordinary, this will develop my work and give it more individuality as oppose to being inspired by the same resources others are.
Using software such as Illustrator and Photoshop - 'Practice makes perfect'
The relationship between colour, format and layout - I feel confident arranging elements and communicating a certain message, enhancing its clarity through colours and size. The 'colour theory' sessions have definitely given me a better understanding of what compliments eachother.
Motivation for better outcomes - A major factor that spurred me on through the first year was seeing how far I'd developed as a designer, this year I'm going to make sure I take full advantage of the resources and environment around me.
Idea generation - I can efficiently generate various design ideas however I need to start broadcasting my ideas more effectively, just because I know what I'm doing, it doesn't mean others will understand how I've gotten there. Going through the design process step by step gives me the confidence to generate innovative ideas for my projects and allows me to think outside of the box.

5 questions that you want to find the answer to...

The best techniques to adopt when using different design processes - e.g. Is it possible to apply gold foiling to materials such as perspex...or even wood? Is it possible to laser cut a design into wood and add text using foiling?
How to effectively accomplish certain procedures in Photoshop for e.g. Half tone - This can be amended by asking the Computer resource team. After actually understanding their abilities, I'll be sure to ask them many questions...not just when a problem arises.
Will I get a job in the industry on a consistent wage...
How do I broaden my skill set to maximise job prospects...
What're the perfect books for my Essay questions - For the Level 04 essay question I was really disappointed. I didn't know why I'd received that amount of marks, I'd referenced all of my sources appropriately and developed my response, following on from my One-to-One with Richard Miles.

5 ways to evaluate your progress...

Peer review assessment - In my opinion I feel this is the best way to evaluate your progress because it allows people to assess your work in a comfortable environment so they're more likely to give you useful information, it also allows you to expand on their comments and review their progress.
Self assessment - A useful tool but it's often open to bias
Critiques- A hit or miss scenario when it comes to CRITS, sometimes you walk away with so much feedback you don't know what to do with it, other times, you walk away with nothing but confusion.
Tutorials - Not only do these provide you with a step-by-step guide to complete a task, they also let you know how far you can actually proceed before you need help with your progress.
One-to-one's.
Constructive criticism among a small selection of designers.

Common questions...

How did the course gain such a good reputation?
How can I improve time management/ punctuality?
How do I improve essay writing skills?
How do we learn web & general software skills?
What rates do we charge?
Will I make it?
How can I evaluate/ Reflect progress
Gain more confidence whilst presenting?
What do I want to specialise in?
How do I become better informed of whats going on in the industry?

10 problems that might arise in Level 05...

Unable to find a suitable placement?
Managing a larger work load
What if I don't pass all of the modules?
The essay might prove problematic
Tackling new design processes
Money problems
Printing problems
Stress/ overworking
Blogging
House problems e.g. Bills & Spills.

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Identify & Explain 5 things that Inspire you...

Films - The concepts, images, inspirational dialogues and CGI most films implore always inspire my creativeness. E.g. After watching the 'Transformers' trilogy, I vividly imagined vehicles morphing into anything and everything.
Everyday scenarios - Being in a certain place at a certain time, playing a certain song. Could be all it takes.
Artists/ Illustrators - The breadth of artists & Illustrators is unreal, as is the standard of their work...and it's only going to get better. I want to be part of the 'Up & Coming' talent of todays generation.
The future - Knowing that my sense of living and quality of life could be effected by the decisions I make over these next two years is a daunting but exciting experience.
Peers work - Being surrounded by other designers definitely adds to the competitiveness and quality of work in the studio, Seeing their work and how they've improved also acts on your own ability to improve your work.

Identify 10 examples of design that illustrate your fields of creative interest...

Adidas Originals, creative Illustration/ Logo development.