Extended Practice End of Module Evaluation

Overall this year has been without a doubt the hardest, most challenging year but definitely the most exciting and rewarding. Working both solo and alongside of others has meant I’ve learnt knew things off other classmates and tutors also, by picking their brain about certain topics such as photography, and traditional printing.

Collaborating with other students both internal and external to the course has definitely been the most engaging aspect of extended practice for me. Being able to socialise with, discuss and challenge other people has only developed my personal thoughts, experiences and ultimately my practice even more. I feel that I work best when in collaboration as I thrive off back and fourth discussion, with two or minds always being better than just one. It also means that we can distribute jobs between us, ultimately allowing each of us to play to our strengths.

Working alongside Jon for a few of my briefs has made us realise that we work well together, living in the same house also gives us the opportunity to constantly keep up to date, discuss and work on projects outside of university hours. This has sparked the potential of working together after university, possibly becoming a ‘creative duo’ especially after our internship together in London.

Working collaboratively isn’t always smooth running as people’s opinions and actions can clash, which I feel happened sometimes. Within our Hellmann’s project, having 4 graphic designers working together proved somewhat difficult as our direction was questioned multiple times. Plus with us all having similar skillsets, it would have been useful to have other talents such as an illustrator.

I’ve enjoyed working on research led briefs as it’s always interesting to better understand the wider context of what it is you’re designing for. It also allows for my designs to be more informed and underpinned, which helps me to create more meaningful pieces that I feel appreciative of. Writing my own self directed briefs has given me the opportunity to work on issues that I’ve been reading about prior. I prefer more substantial, research led briefs to something such as Secret 7” because it has more substance to it in terms of in depth, developed research.

Completing a multitude of briefs within extended practice has meant that I’ve learnt a lot of new skills physical, traditional techniques which has expanded my abilities within my multidisciplinary role as a designer that I’d regard myself as. Learning skills such as Adobe Premiere Pro that transferred over into other briefs e.g. Monzo and Bon Applastic which has been helpful in speeding up the production process. Along with that it’s been great working away from my screen in the traditional print room, it’s quiet and I can spend a day producing physical work that I can appreciate, all the while learning a new skill.

Overall I am very pleased with the work I’ve produced this year, I feel like I’ve adequately explored different areas of design which has helped to expand my multidisciplinary abilities and ultimately my portfolio. I feel much more confident in my abilities to produce work whether its a couple days or a couple of weeks long. Having the chance to work with other people has been crucial to my development this year and I will continue to do so in the future, with the hopes of working in a studio alongside other creatives of different disciplines.

Brief 7: Evaluation

This last brief was one to finish extended practice, with an issue that we’ve both discussed for a while. I feel that both me and Jon are similar in the ways of wanting our work to be focused around on going issues, to find ways in which to highlight, solve or just initiate discussion around the topics.

Working on this brief on it’s own was different as it meant we could put all of our time into this, which ultimately sped up the process whilst giving us more time to experiment with the production side of things. Collaborating with a photographer also allowed us to learn a lot from her wide knowledge base of cameras, lighting and setting up the equipment.

Both art directing and videography were new skills to us that we both managed to get a grasp of over the process of making this short film. It sparked an interest in the process and the effectiveness of it also. It gives us a medium to address our thoughts and ideas that we so often don’t consider producing work for due to the lack of formats we feel confident in.

Since completing our final piece, we received further feedback that suggested to refine our aim of the brief, as it seemed we tried to tackle more than one aspect which caused confusion amongst other classmates. Looking back now I feel as though we tried to address more than one issue which sparked some contrasting thoughts amongst viewers.

As a result we are set on the idea of developing this piece further for our End of Year Show by reimagining our storyboard for the video taking into account the feedback we received. Plus using our new found skills to develop something hopefully better produced than our first piece.

Brief 7: Final campaign video

Brief 7: Campaign branding

We wanted to take advantage of Tasty's currently style of branding with almost a floral reef of ingredients around their logotype. Instead we replaced the food with bits of plastic to match their style. We name the campaign 'Bon Applastic' a play on of the typical french phrase 'Bon Appetit'.

Using the chopping board as a backdrop for the logo helped keep in fitting with the theme of the video.

Brief 7: Post production editing

Feeling somewhat confident after using Premiere Pro previously for two other briefs, I worked on the editing for this campaign whilst Jon worked more on the branding and social media side of things.



We used a combination of typical above and side close up shots to keep the viewer engaged throughout. We added a simple but jazzy backing track to further the viewer's interest in the video.

We decided to drive our campaign towards campaigning for plastic-free aisles through The Plastic Planet who are already working on a strong campaign for convincing supermarkets to give us them. So by ending the video with a little bit about them, it creates a call to action for the video so that the user can get involved somehow by signing the petition for plastic-free aisles.

Brief 7: Video production

After a morning trip to IKEA, we'd collated everything we needed to start shooting the footage. Using a sleek induction hob layered on top of a wooden chopping board fitted the aesthetic we wanted to go for.



It took a few attempts at getting the height and set up right, until we eventually ended up filming on the floor which gave us more space.







We also collaborated with a photographer. I'd recently done her branding and so was in contact with her. She was more than willing to lend a hand, as we were somewhat novices filming with expensive camera equipment and lighting.













Although it took over 4 hours in total to produce and film, we were happy with the video content we managed to record. This was mine and Jon's first try at art direction, it was definitely a interesting thing to do considering how different it is to our usual style of work.

Brief 7: Idea development

We wanted to overemphasise the damaging effect of single use plastics have on our environment as this is probably one of the more commonly used plastics in day to day life. As a result we felt the idea to make this problem personal to each individual could work as a deterent. So rather than consumers understanding that these plastics damage our oceans, we found out that as a direct result microplastics contaminate the fish we eat. This sparked an idea to bring the problem full circle back to people's plates by satirically including fish in a recipe that has bits of plastic within it.





By utilising Tasty's already proven effective format, with it's millions of viewers a month, we wanted to create a cooking video with a twist. One that would appear like a typical video but would have the fish physically contaminated with plastics. Having the underlying message of the plastic we use on a regular basis ultimately affects the food that we eat.

We chose to go with a simple King Prawn Thai Green Curry as our recipe, this is a quick and easy meal, which is in fitting with Tasty's convenient style.



This was revised a couple of times to eliminate a few steps that weren't necessary.
Also it was annotated so that I had instructions on what steps to do and when to ensure the video flowed smoothly first time around.

Brief 7: Tasty Cooking videos

Short, snappy videos are a current trend in social media as plenty of companies have proven. Whether it be cooking, DIY or just general things, these videos ranging anywhere from 10s to 1 minute take full advantage of bold type and bright, striking imagery to attract the attention of users whilst scrolling.

Tasty have simplified and made cooking accessible to the masses through their easy to follow videos on social media. Utilising both Facebook, Instagram and Youtube they've brought a range of exotic and exciting recipes to the masses; raking in millions of views per month across all platforms.

Their videos have set the standard for easy to follow along cooking instructional videos, ones that people feel they can relate to. They have an instantly recognisable video style that users have grown to know and love.

Their tone of voice is that of simple and approachable, often using trigger words to be even more eye-catching than their visual style alone.

Close up, clear shots showing step by step the breakdown of each recipe makes it super engaging and easy for users to digest, hopefully inciting them to try this themselves.

These videos spark a lot of conversation both on and off screen with users often tagging, commenting and encouraging others to watch/ follow along/ get involved with the content of the videos. This is a cost effective way to spread the brand, their content and their message across to a wide audience, ultimately expanding their reach continuously with regularly new updated content.

Brief 7: Problem/ Our Idea

How can we communicate the problem of the damaging effects of single-use plastics on the environment?

We began by thinking along the lines of a campaign; this is an effective form of communication across any platforms be that print, tv or online.

The Problem

We chose to focus our ideas around single-use plastics as this we found through our research is the growing problem in our convenience led world. Bottles, straws, cutlery, packaging are all contributors to this issue and they're something we don't give a second look at. They're always a cheap option compared to something more sustainable and less environmentally damaging. This, as a result, feeds indirectly into the fish we're eating as the plastics are broken down into bitesize pieces of 'food' for the fish to mistakenly consume.

Our Idea

Produce an environmentally driven, visual campaign that aims to highlight the ongoing problem of plastic pollution.

Using social media as our platform to distribute the campaign, we want to take advantage of current visual trends on these platforms to best attract the attention of users towards this serious problem. The audience is widespread for all ages to those who use these platform such as Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube. This method is a cheap and easy way to communicate our idea, with the potential of users sharing the campaign, spreading it's message even further. That message being, to discourage the use of single-use plastics, and for consumers to use other alternative options.

Brief 7: Plastic in our food

As a direct result of plastic pollution being an issue in our oceans, the small pieces of plastic contaminate the food that we ultimately eat. This is something that not many people realise. Both the toxins from plastic and bits of small plastics are often mistaken for food by fish that they eat and as a result we then eat.

Scientists at Ghent University in Belgium recently calculated that shellfish lovers are eating up to 11,000 plastic fragments in their seafood each year.

'..it was reported that plastic was found in a third of UK-caught fish, including cod, haddock, mackerel and shellfish.'

'..plastic-eating fish are now showing up in supermarkets.'

'new research showed that common plastics attract a thin layer of marine algae, making them smell like nutritious food.'

'some studies have warned that microplastics, particularly at the nanoscale, could transfer from the guts to the meat'

'An estimated 10-12% of the global population relies on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihood'

'Perhaps the shock of finding plastics returning to us on our dinner plates will help to bring that message home. “We’re on the edge of a major ecological disaster,"'

Whereas before people understood the environmental damages that plastic pollution was causing to our oceans and land, it's now becoming better understood that this problem leads directly back to our plates. With seafood now being contaminated by the plastics, we throw away; we are, as a result, ingesting the rubbish we once threw away.

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/feb/14/sea-to-plate-plastic-got-into-fish

Brief 7: A Plastic Planet

A Plastic Planet are a group of people campaigning for plastic-free isles in our supermarkets. Amongst many other efforts to reduce our use of single-use plastics, these guys are hitting the problem before it could even become more of one.

As consumers, we sometimes don't have many options but to buy plastic instead of any other alternative; because there aren't always alternatives in the supermarkets. So by campaigning for plastic-free aisles, it will give consumers wanting to make a difference, the opportunity to do their bit by shopping plastic-free.

"Working collaboratively with the supermarkets rather than campaigning against them and then they having to make change is the way forward."

'But right now, the public have no choice but to buy their food and drink packaged in this indestructible plastic. When you can buy gluten-free, fat-free, dairy-free; why can we not buy plastic-free?'

They are currently petitioning for these plastic-free aisles in supermarkets; they've already managed to integrate this into a supermarket in Amsterdam for Dutch supermarket Ekoplaza.

The aisle enables shoppers to choose from 700 everyday products that are free from plastic packaging. Before the end of the year, Ekoplaza plans to roll the plastic-free aisle out across each of its 74 stores.



https://www.change.org/p/all-ceos-of-the-uk-supermarkets-we-want-a-plastic-free-aisle-in-our-supermarkets

Supermarket in Amsterdam

The grocery retail sector accounts for more than 40% of all plastic packaging. 

Plastic-free aisles make sound commercial sense, with a Populus poll last year revealing that 91% of Britons back the measure.

'Plastic has replaced so many forms of packaging that consumers wanting to reduce their plastic footprint at the moment find it impossible to do so.'

This is just one effort amongst many to reduce the amount of plastic in circulation within the world be that in our supermarkets, homes or oceans.
Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/28/first-plastic-free-aisle-is-an-example-for-other-supermarkets-to-follow

http://www.aplasticplanet.com/

Brief 6: Evaluation

Secret 7” was the smallest of all of my briefs, making it challenging but fun all the while. Short timescales for me are sometimes tricky but with the brief being very open to interpretation it gave me the opportunity to experiment with programmes. Creating work that is a little more aesthetically based is not usually something I work on, but it made for a different working process.

From start to finish this was reliant on constant feedback as developing my designs further required input from others to speed up the process given the short timeframe. I felt that I managed my time while during the couple of days, spending a set time on the research, ideas then development sections of the brief, ensuring that I didn’t go over my estimated timescale. Doing it over the course of three days allowed me to intermittently work on other briefs as a way to then come back to the brief later on in the day with a fresh mind and perspective.

One thing I wish I had experimented with was physical types of printing such as screenprinting or even letterpress to create a more varied style. Also because screenprinting is something I enjoy doing as a way of taking time away from my computer screen.

Brief 1: Evaluation

This first brief was the biggest and most extensive brief of all, but working collaboratively made it more manageable between the two of us. Research-intensive briefs for me are much more interesting and meaningful; exploring a real-world issue makes for the potential to get a real understanding of why things are. Both me and Jon are similar in mindsets but different in our skillsets which allows for variance in both our ideas and execution.

With this being a brief that spanned a couple of months, it allowed for in-depth research into our issue through different means of first-hand methods. Interacting with people to better understand their perspective on the issue, I’ve found, is far more effective than secondary research done on the internet alone. This sparks up debates and discussions around the topic amongst people who it may not have concerned before, which is good for the issue itself.

Advertising campaigns have become an effective way for me to be able to address my ideas regarding issues, in an easy to understand format. Creating and editing videos and audio has been a new learning experience but all the while, enjoyable and useful. Managing our time effectively by assigning job roles and interim deadlines to ensure we stayed on track proved useful.

The final outcome, I felt, was an appropriate answer to some of the issues we discovered. Although it wasn’t possible to solve everything in one sweeping solution, the problems we did tackle were addressed through the extension to Monzo’s banking platform. This method of distribution felt more feasible and real world than some of ideas prior.

Brief 3: Hilda Quick website

Developing a website for Hilda was crucial as this is a visual means of distributing her identity and her work to go along with it.

I used WIX to develop her website as it's a cheap option with plenty of room to customise easily with her website builder. I would have liked to have done it myself on Muse but with the short time frame it was a struggle, plus it would also have meant that Hilda would have to update it herself through Muse in the future which would have been a struggle. At least this way she is able to update her website easily in the future.

For the background I created a moving visual, that being a line that moves at intervals to a different angle. This was a super effective way to bring through her branding without it taking up space in the foreground of her website.

Brief 3: Photoshoot of promo pack

Hilda handled the photographing side of things during this collaboration but I did learn a lot regarding lighting angles, setting up etc from her during this process.

Working final promotional pack

poster

Brief 1: Final video for Monzo

Stills of video

















Due to it's short and snappy nature the video will be able to be distributed across all social media platforms for Monzo to share their new addition to their platform.