Personal Reflection

Monday 2nd August 2010

Pleased with my subject choice. Cannot reflect on much at this stage…

Monday 9th August 2010

Although I have begun my research I feel the work i have in front of me does not reflect a full weeks worth. I need to continue what Im doing just devote more time and effort towards it. After an e-mail discussion with my tutor I have decided to stick with the capitalism and the western society theme for my practical project however my thesis will be based on a similar theme however ill investigate more into the role a graphic designer can have in the current western society

Monday 16th August 2010

I’ve stepped up my research efforts and I’m now beginning to produce what potentially could be a big body of research. I still have a few weeks before out official semester start date so this is a good opportunity to get a head start

Monday 23rd August 2010

Dividing my work into two will be beneficial as it would allow me to focus the research as much as possible. Books need to be purchased asap! I feel the speed I am working at should give me an adequate starting point for when i return to college mid september

Monday 30th August 2010

Reading and highlighting books is a tedious task but i need to do it. I have also printed of a large stack of essays which will also be read. My theory research is growing larger than my practical. I think i’ll try and spend more time on practical research in september. However theory research will not be forgotten!

Monday 6th September 2010

Looking forward to returning to college. I have tones of research and web links saved that i need to print out. This will allow me to document all my research into sketchbooks. I am not sick of my subject yet which is a good sign. I am enjoying looking into the various social and cultural concerns that surround the western society. I not planning any visual aspects yet however i am looking forward to producing a body of visual work on this subject

Monday 13th September 2010

I find that being back at college it is much easier to work in a continuous flow. I can still get plenty done at home however things such as printing and using other materials can only be done in college. When i don’t have access to college facilities like during the summer break i can only work up to a certain point then i have to move onto something else. However now that we are back on college timetable, moving from home to college regularly makes it easier for me to continuously work

Monday 20th September 2010

I’ve come to the point in my research but i am unsure of where i should or could go. Hopefully looking through the ‘Visual Research’  book will give me some pointers. I believe the hand in for our research so far will be on October 26th, therefore i still have a month to strengthen my body of research for both modules

Monday 27th September 2010

Not many major changes are needed for either of my proposals which means i can focus most of my time on continuing my research tasks. I need to improve my time management. Since i have been back into college i have not stayed as focused. I need to set out a plan to follow. Rather than working in small sections i need to set out periods where i can work continuously for a number of hours

Monday 4th October 2010

I have decided to present my proposal in book form and have begun developing and experimenting with it. I created a book for a previous project and was pleased with the outcome so i’m excited about producing another. I have also got a small notebook/sketchbook which i will write any and all ideas i think of whilst researching. This will stop me forgetting!

Monday 11th October 2010

Im on track to hand in a sufficient body of work. I have developed plenty of ideas and alternatives and have now begun to create my book proposal. For the deadline on the 26th just a mock-up of the book is needed the final printed version can be handed in at a later stage. The small ideas book is coming on well i have a good range of ideas and quick sketches to help me develop ideas in the future

Monday 18th October 2010

I am pleased with the way my book design is looking. I think if i get this completed in the next few days i can then focus on developing some more experiments. I also feel that my research has branched off but i still could research more on capitalism theories in general to give me a greater understanding of my core theme

Monday 25th October 2010

Looking back through my research i feel i have explored a nice range of topics and kept the core theme the same as i intended. My book proposal mock up came out great and i’m looking forward to presenting this tomorrow. I also printed covers for all sketchbooks etc with my project title ‘Out of Control’ so that all my work to date looks like one body of work

Monday 1st November 2010

Happy to have handed in all practical work so far. Time to get my thesis typed up! See you in December…

Monday 6th December 2010

Over November i spent all my time continuing my theory research along side typing out the full 6000 words. If i am totally honest i found typing the actual 6000 words easier than i thought. I think this is due to the fact i had a good body of research as a basis to work around

Monday 13th December 2010

Im glad i only have to do minor jobs tomorrow and wednesday. In the past i have had a mad rush before a deadline but with this thesis i have managed my time well. Reading through the final thesis i feel it is definitely the best written work i have ever done, however theory was never my strongest attribute!! Now all that is left to do is hand in and wait for a grade…for the theory module anyway

SEMESTER OVERVIEW – Monday 3rd January 2011

The first semester of my final year is over in a flash! Way back in August I picked my subject which I intended to base both my theory and practical projects on. This subject was capitalism and the western world. As my research evolved i separated the two slightly and decided to focus my practical work on western society in general however for my theory module i narrowed this down to graphic designers and the opportunities they have or the roles they play in western society. I tried to carry out as much research as i could and i feel that this is why i found typing the 6000 word thesis easier than i thought i would. There is nothing major i felt i could do more with regards to the thesis. Theory based modules have never been my strong point however i feel this is definitely my best essay by far. The only original intention that i did not carry out was a questionnaire. I didn’t end up having a questionnaire and i feel that my thesis would have benefitted from having the valuable first hand facts a questionnaire would have produced.

I am very excited about producing the visual work for the practical module. My proposal has set me up to produce an impressive body of work. I really enjoyed researching the various social and cultural issues that surround our western society. Even though i researched the subject quite extensively i still feel i could have done even more before the hand in back in october. I still have had the festive holiday to spend some time continuing this research and i will continue to do this. My practical hand in did lack an extensive experimentation body of work. I completed some but nowhere near as much as i originally intended to. So my main objective is to experiment as much as i can in the future. Altogether it has been a successful semester and as i said i am really looking forward to producing some visual work based on my researched evidence

Monday 3rd January 2010

After spending quite some time working on my project logo i have slightly neglected the experimentation work i intended to. My ideas book is still in college behind marked. If i had this i would have found it easier to base some experiments around. However i was unable to do so plus there are some materials i need to purchase before i can really get stuck in. I need to do this as quick as possible and experiment as much as i can!

Monday 24th January 2010

After a tutorial last week my tutor described my logo and development of at as ‘well conceived’ and was happy with the change of title. He believes my project has genuine scope. His criticism was that there was still plenty of room to up the pace. On a personal level i still feel that i am underachieving in times of quantity of work i can produce. This is the week where i will up the pace! I still would like to develop a visual style for my work to follow. I have nearly filled up a sketchbook of experiments and I’m still far from a finalised style, so I am set up to have a very productive week…

Monday 7th February 2011

Not working at a fast enough pace! I need to seriously get moving with everything!! Flat out!!

Monday 28th March 2011

As we have an extension I am going to spend a whole day creating an extensive plan that determines day by day what my aims and targets are with regards to both my main project and the exhibition module.

Monday 11th April 2011

I seriously need to get a move on with regards to the book design based on my posters, as well as finalise the visual style for the actual posters. The posters are my priority. Also since February i have neglected blogging for the simple case that i have been so busy with project work. Blogging could actually help me with this project especially at such a crucial stage. I will try to be a more pro-active blogger!