OUGD601: Module Evaluation

Over the course of this module I have discovered and adapted my skills in signage, way finding and environmental graphic design. Through the practical exploration, (site analysis, sign development) in my primary research to reading and understanding the full amount of work, thesis, research and knowledge that goes into the creation of a wayfinding system. I have also vastly improved on my research and academic writing skills. For my research I consumed many different sources from the primary (including interviews and physical analysis) to secondary (from videos to articles to academic texts), I have found that through a vast improvement in organisation I was able to achieve more and thus produce a piece of writing that surpasses what I have handed in over the past two years. One key skill I have achieved through this module is the ability to adapt a previously existing brand in a new and exciting way. Although I initially believed that having most design decisions made for me would make the production of signs easier, it in fact made it rather difficult. The important consideration was to produce something that stood strong on its own but that also acted as an extension of the Leeds College of Art brand and I took great care to pick and choose the aesthetic elements that best translated from two dimensional material into three dimensional signs.

My approach to this module began as a purely academic one. I made sure to read and understand thoroughly what I was going to discuss before I gave my dissertation a title. This intense need to fully understand did cost me a fair bit of time and with no solid title in place my subject swayed slightly from one place to the next. Whereas over summer I had read into graphic design for social change I then transitioned into graphic design that makes a difference, followed by signs and their development and history and finally into environmental graphic design and wayfinding. However, that being said I am glad I allowed myself to wander from subject to subject, although it meant a lot of work and effort ended up not being used it did mean that I arrived on a subject that I find genuinely interesting, and one I would never have found on my own. As I transitioned from writing to practical development I still remained quite firmly in the research front, however this was a more physical form of research and a wonderful transition from writing to production. Sign systems require a lot of research and understanding of a site in order to work and become functional. Over the course of two days I walked the site again and again, making notes, creating a site journey, assessing where the best placement for specific signage would be. The actual production of the signs probably took the least amount of time, and aside from meticulously picking over aesthetic decisions most of the decisions had already been made, the content, the placement, the hierarchy of information, the size. So the final push to production was rather enjoyable and almost the payoff after doing such in depth research.

Within this module my strengths included researching, and understanding. The full knowledge fed into every aspect of my work from the dissertation to the practical, and in this was I feel the two really synthesise and work off of each other, rather than follow on from each other. I also believe visually my signs look wonderful, they feel suitable to the site and the users, suitable to the brand and the Leeds College of Art personality and a rather interesting take on the idea of signage, although they follow the conventions of sign systems their unique look and shape makes them an interesting thing to look at. My weaknesses most involve time management and organisation, I would transition from bursts of productiveness to utter lethargy. This meant that often I would find myself panicking and pulling all nighters desperately trying to catch up. If I had managed to achieve this level of productiveness throughout the module then I would have a much stronger final product, both written and physical.

If I were to repeat this module again I would settle on a topic much quicker, meaning that I had more time to organise myself properly and fully explore all different types of research. I would also organise my time better making sure that I had more time to explore primary research and get thorough feedback on each stage of my project. If I had achieved both of these changes I feel I could add more to all aspects of the module, producing a fully rounded discussion and perhaps even physically creating a new sign system and installing it into the graphic design department. Or perhaps extending the signage across the entire university. There is still plenty of room for development, but overall I am rather pleased with what I have managed to achieve.