C P D ?

On this page, I will talk about how I am evolving further as a designer. This includes the development of my work ethics, observing the progress of my skills throughout my student life, reflecting on what I want to gain from the course and what my particular niche in the design industry is.

CPD VIDEO

*disclaimer: I move my hands A LOT, this was the only take with the *LEAST* hand movement. :/

Thinking about last semester, what things did you learn about yourself and your way of working?

During the first semester of level 5, I was able to try out the methods I listed during the first Academic Advisor Meeting to improve my working habits. Out of the methods, I found that what worked well for me was making to-do lists of things, creating timelines and setting soft deadlines. When I followed my timeline properly, I was able to start ahead with projects and that gave me more time to execute the projects and fix anything before the review. So far in this semester, I haven’t had to stay up the night before a review to rush finishing everything, luckily. Another thing I learned was that I liked working independently a lot more as compared to working in a group because I didn’t have to rely on anyone to progress the project. I knew what stage I was at and what I needed to do to move forward. I didn’t have to wait for a response from a group member. This, I believe, was one of the downsides of not being at the campus and being able to sit together to do work.

What ways are you planning to work to these strengths, and around the weaknesses, going forward?

I want to keep using soft deadlines as a way to keep myself on track of the projects and not procrastinate. If I were to fix anything, it would be refining my current working routine a bit. I think taking breaks in between work so I don’t overwork myself, will help my productivity a lot. I’ve already changed how I update my blog in Brief 2 by working on updating it after every big change or refinement I do to my projects. As opposed to how I did it with Brief 1 when I updated it at the end of the review. This saves me a lot of time as I don’t have to do bulk writing and collect all the images in one go. During one of the staff support with Chris, I just sent him the link to my updated blog and it was so much easier for him to see how my project progressed from sketch to the final 3d object, rather than me pulling up tons of pictures and slowing down the support session. As for my weakness, I’m already sort of working on it as I recently joined a Facebook group with most of my course mates in it. Now I just need to get acquainted with them and make friends!

How would you review your approach to self directed learning?

The way I did self directed learning in the start was very messy and mostly me procrastinating to the point that I would have to rush my outcomes. However, after going through the repetitive process of starting a new brief and going through that journey to the outcome, I was able to develop a routine that worked for me.

How is your relationship with the staff?

I think at the beginning of last semester I found myself feeling awkward to ask questions or discuss ideas with the staff. However, as we gradually built a good rapport I was a lot more comfortable asking for help and feedback from the staff. As the current semester progresses, I try to get project support from the staff at least once a week. This is so I can check in with them, update them on how I’m doing and where I am at with my project and more often than not these support sessions prove to be very useful for me. What I would like to work on is building a good relationship with my classmates. It helps to get the perspective of someone who is doing the same thing as you. We may see the same brief, very differently.

Have you started achieving goals from your action plan from the previous Acadmic Advisor session?

ACHIEVED/STILL WORKING ON:

  1. TIME MANAGEMENT !! (PRIORITY)

  • Continue making checklists for future briefs

  • Set personal deadlines for each checkpoint of the brief

  1. Training myself to be better at procreate


HAVEN'T ACHIEVED:

  1. Working on my personal branding

  • Better presentation skills/public speaking

  • Write points to outline what I want to say and what direction want the presentation/speech to go to

  • Practice annunciating my words more

Looking at the previous Academic Advisor session’s action plan, I can see that I was able to achieve goals related to what would benefit me in the course. Things like time management helped me manage y time when it comes to projects. However, I need to start prioritising working on my personal branding. I know I have a particular look when it comes to my design, I always try to have fun with whatever I do. I just haven’t exactly categorized what type of work it fits in yet, whether that’s marketing or illustration or social/political. I remember liking the community aspect of the project I made last semester called The Secrets of a Hijabi. I also liked the brand identity project. I think I’m still looking for what resonates with me. Other than just the design aspect of my personal branding, I want to work on my presenting/public speaking skill as well. I plan on watching documentaries and reading up articles on It’s Nice That and Eye on Design and just observe critically how they talk about ideas of a certain project/artwork.

How do you feel about working with a real-life client?

I feel excited to work with a real-life client but there were just a few doubts I had. I was nervous about if I was spreading misinformation since I dont fully understand the topic. Especially with the lack of information I could gather from the STFC website alone. The articles on their website are very brief and it wasn’t until I looked at their project partner’s website that I could get more specific details. The quality of work was another worry I had if it came across as professional enough or not. The mid touch points we have with the external partners will really help with getting perspective on which level we stand at.

Are you thinking about doing a placement year?

Since I’ve only got a 2-year visa, I won’t be doing a sandwich placement year. However, I’ve been thinking about working on self-improvement during the summer break. This would include continuing to practice skills such as procreate while also trying out new types of skills like knitting and crochet. I’ve also been meaning to work on self-initiated projects such as continuing my Instagram art account and working on Honk Honk Studio which is an Instagram art shop I created with my friends. We have plans of new releases that I’ve put off working on due to the ongoing semester. I did ask Paddy (during the academic advisor meeting) about how I was considering picking up an internship for the short duration of the summer break and he had advised me on how to find them through Art Council UK. He also suggested to just inquire design firms I’m interested in even if they didn’t advertise a job opening as often times they might be open to hiring interns anyway.

CPD EVALUATION: BRIEF #1

In the first brief, in technical terms, I learned about risograph printing and how to make them. Although it was unfortunate that due to COVID we were not able to physically print them, it was still an interesting process to learn about. I have previously done silk screen printing and enjoyed it so it’s nice to know that there is an easier process of printing to achieve similar results. Even though it was just a digital print we created for the risograph posters, I learned how to manipulate it through photoshop to look as if it was actually printed out and scanned back in. The jittery effect and paper texture made the print come to life. My working process during this brief was a little messy however since it was the first brief after the holidays, it took me a couple of weeks to actually get into a proper routine.

Close up of the riso poster!

My abstract telescope!

CPD EVALUATION: BRIEF #2

I started this brief with a whole lot of worry about the lack of data I had to convert into an object. This is where the staff support came in super handy as I told Chris about this and he really helped me out. His suggestion was simple but so effective; work with the data I already had. Interestingly enough music was what inspired the final outcome of this brief. I was inspired by how NASA Scientist took a study of a gamma-ray burst and turned the points into a musical score. Though it wasn’t visual, it was able to translate the dramatic nature of the burst through sound, which was fascinating to me. I also learned how to use Autodesk Fusion 360 for this brief, which was a lot easier and more enjoyable than I initially thought. The infographic poster and the 3D object were completed by the time we had our first touchpoint with STFC so we were able to get feedback from Poppy on the first 2 briefs. I was initially nervous about spreading misinformation with my posters as I wasn’t completely familiar with the topic myself. I was extremely relieved to hear how Poppy and her manager liked my posters and were intrigued by my abstract telescope! The meeting with STFC made me feel so much more confident going into the 3rd brief.

CPD EVALUATION: BRIEF #3

For this brief, I found that I used a lot of the skills I learned from the previous 2 briefs. Through all the practice I got from brief 2, I was able to create my exhibition using Autodesk Fusion 360 and Adobe Dimension. We also learned about creative tech and how to use that in our projects. I was inspired by the workshop we had with Tanya. In fact, phase 1 of this brief, the space goggles, was purely made with what I learned through the workshop. The way Tanya explained the kit and the tech behind the kit to us made it feel so doable. I think it’s a very handy skill to know and I can see myself applying it in future projects. I was even able to make a small mock exhibition with the playground circuit and chibi light kit. Creating the mock exhibition helped legitimize the project a little more. Going through that process with the exhibition and prototyping the space goggles, I was able to understand that in future projects, clients might want physical mocks of the project I’m proposing to see how it works.

CPD EVALUATION: EASTER BREAK WORK FLOW

I used the 4-week planner Paddy uploaded for us before the Easter break so we could organize our workload. I wanted to focus the first week of the break on revising the previous brief outcomes so I could have them all prepared when I would have to include them in the video abstract. I used the advice Paddy gave me during the Academic Advisor Meeting about scheduling in breaks so I won't feel guilty about taking time off. I included at least one break day a week. I also made Sundays the day I would catch up and update my google site. Although initially, I planned to update the site as I went along doing my work, things sometimes don't go to plan. There were times where I would get dragged behind because I couldn't think of what to do or my laptop would slow me down. Therefore, I made sure there was a day in which I could have time to just catch up on things on the site.

CPD EVALUATION: BRIEF #4

In the last brief, I learned a lot about After Effects and how to present my work in a video format. Johnny’s After Effects workshop helped build my confidence as I started making the video. I also looked at a lot of different video essays on youtube, channels like VOX, Ted-Ed, What IF, to name a few. I studied how they spoke, animated the ideas, or even structured their videos from start to finish. This helped me construct the format of my video and the way I did my voiceover. I felt so accomplished after finishing the abstract. I felt like I applied so much of what I learned in classes, whether it was theoretical or technical, to all of my briefs. One other thing I was able to explore was the Studiocity resource with the written document, as I sent it over to get some feedback after I finished the first draft. I liked the way they were able to highlight areas where I could improve and it definitely enhanced the final written work. I had the last touchpoint with STFC earlier today and I was pleased with how Poppy and her manager could see my phase 1 and phase 2 outcomes being used in real life. It’s interesting to think that I was so worried about spreading misinformation because of my lack of knowledge in astronomy as a whole but then being told by Poppy that both she and her manager thought I was able to express a really complex topic in a simple way. I’m happy I was able to achieve my aim.

My Studiocity feedback^

What longer term ambitions do you have for your [graphic design] career?

This semester I was glad to discover so many other aspects of graphic design, past what I already knew. Just by learning risograph printing in brief 1, 3D printing in brief 2, creative tech in brief 3 and video editing in brief 4, I was able to go beyond vector illustrations. One of the practices I have developed during this semester is to constantly look through every type of medium possible, analogue or digital. I want to continue being explorative in my future works. I think just by knowing more mediums to express an idea, you have the ability to find an appropriate medium that can make your work that much more impactful. I have also developed a habit of reading It’s Nice That and Eye on Design for fun, which opened up my mind to not just ways of making artwork but also the current topics going around the world. It helps me understand the importance of graphics as a way of educating people; bridging the gap between people and enlightenment. This also helped me as I reviewed my classmate’s projects since I was able to think more critically.

As mentioned above, I want to prioritise working on my personal branding and do more projects that interest me. I made an effort by starting an art account that would encourage me to practice using procreate and make me think about what to make every day. However, because I was doing it every day it wore me out, especially when I started focusing on the briefs more. This caused me to hit a slump in my creativity. I want ‘creating’ to be enjoyable and not something that’s draining me. I’ve been able to work out a routine when it comes to the brief but I think I want to also include that practice when it comes to my self-initiated projects as well, so I can keep a healthy balance. The last thing I want to continue as a long term practice for my career is to continue reflecting on my work, my routine, and life in general. I think reflecting helps put into perspective where I am currently in my life. It helps me think about if I’m doing something that is working well for me or the areas I might need to improve in order to achieve my goals.

Some of the artwork I was making when I posted stuff almost daily on my art account!