Module Self Evaluation

1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
I have developed a big range of skills this module. I would say my main skills have got to be time management. Compared to last year and the year before than my time management has massively improved. I have been setting myself daily deadlines to finish work, which has meant I have been very productive in the time I’m working. This has meant that I haven’t been working late nights and which then roles on to not feeling tired the next day and I can be productive in the mornings as I think this is when I work best. I don’t work as much as most people on the course but I feel like the time I do work I am using very effectively. Other skills I have developed are my organisation of blogging and brief management. I feel like I kept my blog fairly up to date that meant I wasn’t rushing to get that finished at the end of the module like I usually am. I hope this carries on for the rest of the year.
2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
I have developed my screen-printing technique massively. Before this year I have only dabbled in screen-printing but I have done it for 3 out of my 4 briefs this term. I have made a lot of mistakes along the way but I feel these are all things you learn the most from. I have become very comfortable doing it now for both fabric and paper. This will hopefully open more doors for me next term as there are some really nice printing techniques that you can do with a screen and I would like to explore more of them next term. Other approaches to design I have taken is the photography side of things. I have been learning how to take better photos of my products and setting up the relevant equipment. I think this will help presentation on both my blog and hopefully on boards. I have started to use InDesign much more within my practice. I feel this is a good step for me to take. I missed out on the type session last year so I have only really started using InDesign full time this year. I am still learning more about it every time I use it but I’m finding it ever more useful for my design work. Things I was using Illustrator for last year I am now finding much easier and getting more professional results on InDesign.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I feel like I producing a better quantity and quality of work this year and Amber also said the same. I am much more proud of my work this year although it not all good Its still a better quality than last year. This is a step in the right direction and I hope to improve even more next term. I say I have worked a lot better within collaborations I like talking out my work with people and find that I can take charge very naturally. I like the subtle competition that a collaboration creates I want to better myself more and aim to produce better work that my partner. I want to see my work been used I so I try much harder to better the people I’m working with. It just a bit of friendly competition and I think every one experiences it but I do thrive off it. I will definitely be doing collaborations next year but I also need to consider who can bring the best out of me and whom I can work well with and pick someone with a different working style so I get variation in my design.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
My weakness has to be Boards. I really am not good about talking about my work in a professional manner. I tend to be very chatty with the way I write and barely ever use a comer. I feel like my boards let me down massively this term I’m never satisfied with them and I just don’t enjoy doing them either. I will address boards differently next term and make sure I get numerous people to read them over to check my god awful spelling and ways of wording sentences. Another weakness is I had a slow start to my brief I found that my first to briefs took to long to complete. I did correct this when I realised and really knuckled down and set myself strict deadline after this.  Finally I think that although my design practice was kept fairly up to date throughout this term my design context did start of going well but slowly got pushed into the darkness and I didn’t keep this going after October. I know where I went wrong I did all the work that I wrote down to do and Context blogging was never on there so I just totally forgot about doing it.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
Keep up with my context blogging. This means I can have a steady stream of influence to my work. Explore more available printing techniques on offer to me. Helps better myself and better my knowledge of design Set myself daily goals. I started to do this the final few weeks of this term and it really helped productivity. Organise my crits and documentation better. Really nail writing up my brief instead of just having what I am going to in in my head.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: (please indicate using an ‘x’)  5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
	1	2	3	4	5
Attendance					x
Punctuality					x
Motivation				x
Commitment				x
Quantity of work produced				x
Quality of work produced				x
Contribution to the group					x
The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.