Unlike most of the other modules where I’ve had quite a good understanding and experience with in terms of the skills required, the design for digital media module has definitely tested my ability to pick up new skills under intense pressure during the design practice. After being given the choice of two different briefs, I chose to work on the Movie Season one as I felt that the opportunity of being able to work towards 5 resolutions would mean that I could experiment with different ideas more. From previous projects, it has become apparent that I tend to struggle sometimes with decision-making, where I can never seem to decide on one single idea, so the choice of 5 idents seemed more logical for myself as I get to develop a series of ideas. While working on this module, I have picked up new skills with software that is completely new to me such as Adobe After Effects and DVD Studio Pro, which has opened up new doors to graphic design. Most importantly, I think I have developed my skills with project management and design direction towards digital production. From working on this module I have definitely realized the difference in terms of design practice and managing the work load in comparison to designing for print; eventhough the format of delivery might be set already, there is a lot more to think about with things like interactivity and managing the research/development throughout the brief. This I think I have managed to a satisfactory level with the work, I realised the change in design practice quite early on, which helped identify my design direction for my idents.
To aid my development and design direction, I researched into many different forms of designs for digital media ranging from live interactive motion graphics to existing tv idents. I did this through the resource of magazine, books, design blogs and websites and documented constantly through the use of my contextual studies blog. With the digital age steadily over taking print and would most likely be the most common form of communication in the future, I needed a clear idea of the things that are happening at the moment, the possibilities of design for digital production and most importantly how people would interact with it as this is what I believe the quality that print can offer which digital media cannot currently replace.
Although I’m quite disappointed with how my final idents have turned out, I feel that my decision to focus on the concept and idea before the technical aspect of it has made my outcomes a lot more effective. I wouldn’t see the work of this module as a failure, as I have learnt a lot, which is going towards my development of who I am as a designer. In general, I think my project management skills have improved throughout this module, regular blog posts have made me more aware of my project progress, which I believe has contributed a lot towards the resolving the brief. I managed my time fairly well, allowing myself plenty of time to experiment with DVD Studio Pro, a completely new software to me. The process didn't take too long as my work had already been organised throughout the module and I had a clear concept emphasising clarity and user friendly while still reflecting the visual approach of my idents. Overall, I think my DVD worked rather well, I kept the idea as simple as I could and simply experimented with different variations while still considering the user interactive aspect. In general, I feel that my whole design process and way of working is a lot more professional, in comparison to my 1st year, when I would often do all nighters while still achieving little amounts of work, my work practice now seems more organised which has resulted in more efficient design solutions.
With the change in my design process for this module, I struggled with generating ideas during the initial stages of the project; I found it difficult to visualise my ideas while still considering the aspect of motion. I feel that this was the main issue that caused a major halt to my development, causing myself to constantly revisit my ideas, which therefore left little time for visually developing the ideas digitally.
Five things that I would do differently://
1/ Experiment with software a lot more while working on ideas – although I strongly believe that I should focus on the concept and ideas first before jumping onto a Mac, I also think that a good understanding of the software is essential towards effectively establishing a good idea.
2/ Don’t write unrealistic action plans – chances are, I won’t achieve this and would therefore affect the rest of my development, as I’ll feel that I’ll be behind on things.
3/ Clarify what I would like feedback on for my crit’s – resulting in more focused/relevant feedback.
4/ Focus my ideas and take more risks with my concepts.
5/ I think the main issue with my idents, is the lack of engaging motion to them for the start, as much as I wanted to maintain the standard subtitle format, I could have experimented with kinetic type a bit more, which would have determined the rest of the development and resolve to the brief.
