Evaluation of project

After completing my project, it was time to reflect on the process that was completed during this term.

Starting off with the main idea of the project, I really liked choosing 'purple haze' as it is a very broad topic which allowed me to explore a lot of outcomes. However, it was down to me to choose the specific idea for my project. I got slightly worried when I realised that I had to produce 6 products, therefore, I decided to play it safe and proceed with a theme similar to last terms project. I used the 'multi-functional products' as I was familiar with the concept. Even one of my functions is similar to the previous terms project. However, the final outcomes ended up being completely different. Regardless, I decided that next term I will use something completely different as a topic. I will avoid multi-functional products and avoid using university students as my target market. This was my comfort zone both terms as I had a lot of data and personal experience to work with. Next term, I will focus on something more daring to include more research and go out of my comfort zone. I will try to create a more statement piece with a lot of research behind it. 

Completing tasks such as 'the Martians have landed' and 'the mountain valley' allowed me to further enhance my creativity and think outside the box. I found these exercises very helpful as they helped me organise my thought and collect my ideas. Additionally, completing research and my own work inspired by Odilon Redon was something unique and new to us. We did not do something like this in the previous term and it really helped me enhance my creativity. The fishbowl method was also an effective method to learn from each other, receive feedback and benefit. I liked working and listening to my classmates and we had a really nice discussion. I feel like this term, we had a lot of classmate to classmate engagement which helped us benefit from each other and work together to help improve each others work. 

Regarding the research aspect of this project, I believe that I did a good job. During my last terms project, I did not complete a lot of research because I found it hard to filter and scrutinise information. Completing the 'researching myself' task allowed me to understand how important it is to look into other artists to see what things in their life influenced their work. As mentioned above, these tasks were really beneficial and useful for my to understand how each artists surroundings affects their work. I researched into various different designers such as Dizz concept and Gerrit Thomas Retvield to draw inspiration from multiple sources. I completed this before my initial ideas to help me get inspiration before starting this project. What I liked about this research was that I kept on building it and drawing inspiration from various sources to end up to my finished products. This helped me have a very coherent project with a lot of research from various years and designers influencing it.

It is very important to dedicate a lot of time to research as it really enhances your thoughts and makes your project look more professional. You acquire new methods and techniques which allow you to expand on existing knowledge.

I also learned how to take constructive criticism from people and try my best to improve the aspect people are referring to. Last term, my initial main set project idea was rejected at the sign off. This made me very sad and unmotivated and it was really hard to hear to constructive criticism. However, this term I turned it into something positive and tried to approach everything in a positive way. This really impacted my outcome as I was way more excited and focused to work on my project. 

Last term, I did not have development of my work and the initial ideas were very similar to each other. This term, I decided to focus on the initial ideas and the development and I decided to create several initial ideas to explore every  potential outcome. I was satisfied with the various shapes and elements in the design and I believe that I created a lot of drafts for each. 

In my blogs, I tried to be as detailed yet as concise as possible in order to get my message across. I tried to use multiple images to illustrate what I was talking about and diagrams to make it more fun. For the process of designing, I tried to include many screenshots and technical details which allows the user to understand what I am doing and follow my thought. 

I believe that I could have completed more researching regarding the colour purple. I did include enough research to back up my work. However, I could go deeper into the researching aspect of the colour and look at more specific aspects of it. I also think that I could have better 2D outcomes. My colour testing and the 2D acrylic collection could be done better in order to have a more realistic and accurate outcome. This is something I want to focus on next term in order to enhance my practical skills. 

I think that the De Stijl pattern was a clever way to implement the colour into my design. I really like the route I took with this pattern as it completely transform my products and make them more daring. Last term I played with neutral and white tones. This term, I tried to switch it up and create a more fun and enjoyable environment. It was something original and out of my comfort zone which challenged me and pushed me to create something different. I also liked experiments with colour pallets to see which one I like the more. It was a fun and enjoyable process.

This term made me focus on organisation and time management skills. Having 6 outcomes to create was terrifying at first and a challenge. Last term, I had only one outcome to create and it took me a long time. Therefore, this term I had to ensure that I work a lot to complete all the work on time with a high quality result. I am proud of the effort I put into this project and I definitely think that it payed off at the end. It made me patient and made me gain skills such as research, creativity. I always had in mind to push myself and try new things and I think it is evident in the outcome. Referencing was also an element which I struggled with last term. I did not reference things last term which ended up making my blogs look very unprofessional. This term, I referenced everything to make sure that it is professional. It was a goal of mine last term to include more references and I am glad I did.

The measurements and materials were definitely the most frustrating and time consuming part of this process. It took me forever to accurately measure everything and it was overwhelming researching about materials. However, I decided to dedicate a lot of time to them in order to produce a cohesive project. I also briefly touched upon manufacturing processes. This is something I am very unfamiliar with so it was very useful to look at these. I could have definitely added more research, however, with 0 background knowledge, this was satisfactory. Next term I will definitely focus on looking into this at a greater depth and perhaps also look into specific costs to get a more completed project. I am not familiar with the costs of manufacture and bulk production which is why I did  not include it in this terms project. It requires a lot of time and research, something that I did not have this term. 

Additionally, I would like to add more research on ergonomics and anthropometrics next term.

For my design boards, I am really happy with how these turned out. I tried different layout, colour and orientation to make it different from last terms project and make it stand out. I think it works well with the ongoing theme.

I also fixed the website in order to make it  more professional looking and visually pleasing. I made necessary corrections that were pointed out by my tutor last term.

The software designing was the best aspect of this project. It was a very rewarding experience to see weeks of work come to reality. I realised that last term really helped me develop my skills and ensure that the process of designing runs smoothly. I think the products look great and they encompass some unique and useful functions. I definitely do not regret the theme I chose as I really liked it. It made me work hard with a lot of effort to achieve these results that I am so very proud of.

I think both the blog and the website have vast improvements from last term. Looking at the two separate galleries for the two terms in my website, I realised the improvement. Last terms project was all over the place with low quality renders and not visually pleasing. However, this term, the design boards are clean and professional and attract the user. There is a lot of information to entice them and make them feel connected to the product.

However, I used both Illustrator and SketchUp just like the previous term. I do consider this both a positive and a negative. This allowed me to focus on 2 software primarily which made me way more familiar with these software's and increased my skills. However, I need to explore new things which is why next term I will try and focus on a different software. I had 6 items to design, therefore, I thought that it would not be smart to try out a new software for such a major project. I am hoping that next term I can explore more. 

Adding visual images, experimenting with different mediums both in 3D and 2D was a very valuable aspect of my project as it helped me have a complete project with testing of various mediums. 

Designing a cupboard, desk, table, chair, stool and steps was a very fun experience to go through. I had some halts in the process which acted as obstacles, however, I quickly overcame them. This was a very useful and beneficial experience that I am so glad to be a part of. I tried to work really hard to achieve the best results possible. 

This course is really pushing me to transform and enhance my skills. Technical skills, digital skills, research skills, time management and patience are the few of the many skills I have gained over these past two terms. It is great to see how much I progressed and I think that the effort is evident. I am very proud of this project and I cannot wait to see what I will design next term.