10 things that I have learnt about myself as an individual and a learner:
1. I have improved my time management greatly and have learnt how to structure my days effectively while not overloading on one this more than another. As a result I have not allowed myself to get behind and haven't had to deal with a mad pre-assessment rush to finish everything.
2. I have started structuring my time on a work/reward basis and by following this I am able to set myself effective tasks that have to be finished or I can't for example, go out that night. By doing this I can ensure that nothing gets in the way of the work I set myself for a day. However, I think I might need to be more ambitious with my tasks to ensure that I am completing the work to the best of my ability instead of just trying to get it done.
3. I have learnt that, while things may have been different before this course, attendance is the key to ensuring that I understand everything a task involves so I can effectively fit the criteria of the briefs we are given. As a result I have improved my attendance greatly from the first few weeks of the course, but unfortunately learnt of it's importance the hard way.
4. I have learnt how to manage money effectively, partially due to the fact that we do have put a bit of money into our work if we want it to be produced at the best possible quality. I realised that I needed to cut back on other things to compensate for this and have ended up saving more as a result.
5. I have learnt that I work much more effectively when secluded somewhere, as oppose to in the studio among a lot of other people. I get distracted easily when I have company and get caught up in conversation so I have started using the mac suite alone a lot more of the time in college and find that I work more effectively when on my own whether in college or at home.
6. I have started to appreciate that it is important to take time out of my work, whether I just watch a film, go out for a meal or even just work on something that I can dedicate my spare time to. While it is difficult to stop working on one brief and start on another, doing work that is outside of college is an effective break from the intensity of the course.
7. I have gathered that the most effective way I learn is by doing. For example, after software inductions I find that what I have learnt is more likely to last if I have a look around the programme myself after the induction.
8. I have realised that my surroundings greatly affect my attitude to work. I have always worked while sitting somewhere like a bed or sofa to be comfortable but realised while writing my essay that this attitude makes me feel more tired than I am and I work slower. I started working at my desk with my supporting work surrounding me and it stops me from getting distracted.
9. I have started to develop my skills at prioritising things, those that require more input I try to spread out over time and those smaller tasks can be easily finished when I have a spare hour or two. This has allowed me to keep up to date without being over-whelmed by work.
10. As a result of improving my time management I have been able to avoid becoming stressed and have realised that this in itself contributes to my ability to get work done as stress causes me to avoid those tasks that cause me to become stressed.
10 things that I have learnt about myself as a designer:
1. I have learnt to appreciate the much smaller examples of Graphic Design that surround us and the importance of the inspiration I draw from my surroundings. The colour theory and typography sessions we had enabled me to see how big an effect these have on any form of Graphic Design.
2. I have realised where my passion in Graphic Design lies and that is with Typography. After our Design Principles sessions in type I came to realise the importance of structure in type but similarly what I've always loved is type designed specifically for a certain purpose, usually in advertising.
3. My forte has usually been in hand-rendering designs and typefaces and that still remains the same. As a result I have been trying to develop my software skills but have found that it's more difficult to jump right into using it without effectively developing these skills effectively before trying to apply them and that good designing is more difficult using software than I had anticipated.
4. I have learnt of the sheer magnitude of areas within Graphic Design and would like to spend more time learning about these fields, particularly Editorial and Publishing, and Branding and Identity.
5. I have come to realise the importance of working in a group as it is something that a designer has to do when working in an agency. While it isn't always easy to work with people that differ in specialties and ways of working, the input from everyone gives allows the whole group a vast collection of ideas to work from/with.
6. I have learnt the importance of not relying on the internet and instead using the library more and trying to use just my basic surroundings as research as it is often more applicable to a brief when seeing the research in context.
7. Similarly, a lot of my research that I do find online is from blogs as oppose to just found on searches. In the same way that finding examples from surroundings, it allows me to see the designs in context and many of these blogs are strictly Graphic Design based so they have allowed me to develop an understanding of different areas of design.
8. I have realised the great importance of the opinions of others, one of the reasons why working in the studio can be extremely helpful, in spite of how distracting it can be. I have started to rely a lot on group crits when I am stuck for ideas as other designers think differently and allows me to vary my point of view.
9. I have come to realise how much importance colour theory bares in designs and how the context can completely alter the way the colour is seen, depending on the other colours used and the place in which the design is exhibited.
10. I have learnt that I work in a very structured format and could see myself following a path in layout design perhaps in editing and publishing. This is something that I would like to research and learn more about since I have been dead set on my speciality within Graphic Design being typography. In spite of that, I need to broaden my horizons as I may find that my interest and/or talent lies in an area I haven't explored yet.
