Evaluation

In reflection of this unit, I can conclude that Unit X has been the most successful and finalised project that I have created during my time on this course. I feel that I have found more of an understanding of how I work as a designer and have been focused on translating this through my body of work. I have challenged myself to create two successful collections within two different contexts aimed at slightly different target audiences.

Whilst builing up a body of primary research to take forward towards a design collection, I have found that I draw from my visual research with the intention of manipulating them through digital processes. Perhaps this slightly limits my potential in terms of creating pieces of artwork although, this is the methodical process that I work in for producing designs for industry. I feel that this is something that has been brought to light to close to the end of this project, but is something I will continue to consider for my portfolio in preparation for future portfolio interviews.

Based on my collections, I feel that I am most happiest with my collection for gift wrap. In one of the live briefs from the previous practise unit, I was shortlisted from 400 applicants to 60 for a giftcard design which would be sold in Marks and Spencers. I feel that this gave me the confidence to approach this context and I have enjoyed working within a different market to interiors as it encouraged me to consider new elements and criteria within giftware and accessories. Based on the experimentation I carried out with Puff printing in the Practise Unit, developed with further cotextual research, I have achieved a highend collection for giftwrap focused on the combination of hand screen relief printing and digital manipulation.

In this project I wanted to challenge myself within my colour pallet and colour use within a collection of designs. With my collections complete I feel that I can say that I have achieved a more professional colour pallet than I ever have before. I am aware that I do work within tonal complimentary colour pallets but I feel that injecting vibrant contrasting colour has lifted my designs and given them some life.

The work of Christian Lacroix helped inform my colour pallet for my second collection. I wanted to take on a completely new colour approach to the first collection and I felt that because working in black and white is originialy such a key element to my design process, it would be interesting to explore it within the final elements to my collection. This collection in particular has been created solely through digital print and has been targetted at a highstreet audience in contrast to my high end collection for gift wrap.

Overall, I believe I have produced a professional, focussed body of work that exhibits my talents as a digital print designer for industry and I have effectively met the briefs stated at the beginning of Unit X.

Plans for Degree Show

Portfolio

In preparation for assessment, I had to carefully consider the presentation of my portfolio. I understand that it is a body of selective work that exhibits my attributes as a contemporary designer.Through my portfolio, I want to illustrate my skills within drawing and digital print, and evidence of my designs working in practise. I intend for each page to be clean, fresh and minimilistic to illustrate a clear message. This body of work will be primarily focused around my digital print samples and this is where I see my work lying within industry.

Final Collection for WallPaper

Final Collection for GiftWrap

Screen Printing

During the Practise Unit, I came across the work of Barbara Hulanicki, an illustrator who designs for both Fashion and Interiors. As part of one of her wallpaper collections, she uses the process of flocking, which adds a relief texture to the surface of designs. Combining this with the research I undertook into my outcome of gift-wrap, I felt that incorporating digital elements and the screen printing process involving a product known as Aqua-bind, I would be able to create a similar effect. This would also allow me to create a collection that would challenge a higher end market within this context. 

Also informing my choice to involved screen printing in my designs was the work of Linda Florence. Screen printing has allowed me to bring in similar elements of layering through combining a hand crafted process with digital print. 

Previously in the practise unit, I had only printed on to plain surfaces or ones I had made by hand, as opposed to digital print. Whilst sampling this process, I encountered the problem of an unpredicted colour change when applying heat to the aquabind surface to make it rise. After testing this, and discovering that the heat was darkening the original print, I went back into photoshop and altered my designs allowing for any colour change during the printing process. This has enabled me to achieve more accurate colourations in terms of my chosen pallet.

Above: The original design. Below: I have made the design lighter to allow for the darker colour change when heat is applied to the design. 

Above: The original design. Below: I have made the design lighter to allow for the darker colour change when heat is applied to the design. 

Colour

Colour was something I did not experiment with as successfully as I would have liked to in the previous Practise Unit. I want to use Unit X as a challenge to push forward a more innovative and professional pallet and adopt confidence in how I apply it to my designs. I restricted myself to tonal pallets within one colour in the last project, so for inspiration for my new pallet, I have resorted back to my visual research and selected imagery that would give me a variety of colour choices.