The idea of branding myself was and still is a hard task to accomplish. Initially I had no real concrete interest in a specific field within graphic design. But as the course progressed, being exposed to more areas of graphic design allowed me to explore and develop different design techniques that has resulted in a shift in interest. The enthusiasm for editorial design has come from the satisfaction of holding the finished product and how experimental one can push the way we interact with printed media. By finally identifying a more substantial area within graphic design to pursue, the task of branding myself became slightly easier and more enjoyable. However this is still my first year in the course and my interests may shift again. Hopefully it is a refinement of the field and aimed more at a specific area within editorial design.
After taking a step back and analysing my resolutions for this self branding brief, achieving a professional level of work practically is the main area of concern. Because this branding could potentially become a medium to send to clients, the more polished the end result is, the more likely the client will take me seriously as a designer. Being invested in editorial work, the quality of the finished publication determines the quality of the design. A more refined, polished and well made publication would be more effective in communicating its purpose.
Therefore despite the ideas of branding myself through a clothing tag as a business card and a wearable patch which relates to both interests of mine, the quality of which these are produced in reduces the overall effectiveness in how I communicate my professionalism as a designer. This is something that needs to improve in Level 05 for all modules.
During the process of making these resolutions, I've also learned not to make substantial design decisions until I have seen the design in context. This was highlighted in the clothing tag idea whereby the idea was to remove the cover format of the front card because of the ill fitting form factor it created. However when put into context, the cover format worked better than the idea to keep all components of the clothing tag separate cards because of how the cover kept the cards inside organised. The value of this is that it keeps my options open in terms of experimenting with different ideas based on one design aspect. Furthermore, this design decision was done on printed examples of the clothing tag. Blank mock ups of the clothing tag should have been made to get an idea of the different form factors possible. It reduces the errors made on the actual printed pieces and possible mistakes.
Overall the two resolutions does represent how I see myself as a designer at this stage. It was an opportunity to design my identity that still has a lot of room for improvement in order to better communicate my personality and design practice.
As a whole, this module has made me reflect on myself as a person and myself as a designer. To evaluate my strengths and weaknesses in how I work and to consider my interests within the field of graphic design. Through this process, it made me more aware of the design studios, further broadening my knowledge of the range of design work that is possible and how each one brands itself to have unique personality. It has me made consider more of the aspects that make each studio stand out from the crowd and how I can apply it to my self branding. Its these aspects that are used to display my strengths and interests that reflects my personality. This module represents a starting point to constantly evolve my design practice, to get myself more immersed in the design field and to start conversations with designers and design studios.
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