Evaluation-Print production

Choosing boxing as my what is good was a tough subject to choose. I knew boxing would get heavily criticised for causing brain damage and being a thuggish sport. Because of this my presentation was mainly on why boxing isn't bad rather then on why boxing is good. I focussed too much on boxing not being a cause of brain damage and showing the precautions in place rather then stating why i thought boxing was good. I missed all the valid points of boxing creating confidence and quick reactions, self defence etc. In future i need to make sure i focus on the brief rather then going off onto my own thing.

My research was ok for the presentation, i could have asked more boxers their points of view also my secondary research was very limited to the internet. I did get some images of some dvd's focussing on boxing but on the whole i found it hard to find different types of secondary research. Maybe this was because of the subject matter or just because i wasn't looking in the right places, in future i will have to dig deeper to find more useful research.

After the presentation i focussed on boxing being good because it's an anger outlet. I began by drawing a few different ideas then i focussed on packaging for boxing gloves. I had this idea of having an angry face with a short statement of the front of the packaging, it was only till i'd developed this and done a mock up that i realised how awful it was. It didn't communicate well, it wasn't well thought out and it didn't look good.

I needed a new, different approach that would stand out from other boxing brands. I ended up looking at character design, which is definetely not a way other boxing brands sell their product. This idea worked much better, i drew a lot and tried a lot of mock ups to see what characters were working. However my problem was that i was spending way too much time drawing and developing the character and not leaving time for the rest of my packaging, layout, type, colour etc.

When i first tried a mock up of the back of my packaging with my character, and my first layout etc it was dreadful. The character and the rest of the content just didn't go together. My layout had a soft approach to it, it wasn't eye catching, aggressive, exciting, it was boring and dull while my character was aggressive and 'in your face'. I needed to rethink my tone of voice for the packaging to work with the character. At this point i focussed on my layout and font and made sure it clearly ties in with the tone of voice, aggression, angry etc.

My leaflet went through a similar problem but even worse. I began developing my leaflet using a completely different character which didn't work at all, it didn't tie in with the packaging. I had to start drawing again, i began drawing the character from the packaging for the leaflet. Again I also had the same problem with the layout. However this became easier once i'd completed the layout on the packaging.

I realised that i had too much information to fit in a leaflet, a poster would be more appropriate, not only to fit all the information into without looking cramped but it would be more functional as a poster because that way it could be pinned up for reference when boxing rather then trying to look through a leaflet with boxing gloves on. My finished poster works well and clearly ties in with the packaging.

I stuck to two spot colours throughout everything i produced which im glad happy with. I think it's all that's necessary my work communicates well without needing any more colours. This way print production will be cheaper by only needing two spot colours.

I should have given more time to looking at paper stocks, i rushed this and in the end needed the advice from printers, next time i will give the production more thought then i have done. Next time i will constantly refer to my tone of voice so i don't end up drifting away from my intentions, I will also refer more to the brief to again make sure i don't drift away from what i should be focussing on.

So heres my first product that i've produced this year that im proud of. It's the first piece of work ive done thats character based which works well. As boxing glove packaging its quite playful and fun with the angry character theme running throughout. I think as a portfolio piece it will show that i can produce packaging thats fun and humerous . Showing a wider range of skills.

Above is the leaflet which i'm currently producing to with the boxing gloves packaging i'm producing. After a talk with Lorenzo i've come to realise the importance of tone of voice within design. For some strange reason its taken this long to realise that throughout all of my design the same emotions, feelings and message have to work throughout to communicate appropriately to the targetted audience. For example the above illustrations are fun but angry and trying to convey letting out built up anger however the type i've chosen doesnt do this at all, its relaxed and quite formal. Put together this design doesnt work. I need to re think the layout and type im using in this brief to make sure the tone of voice works throughout.

1. What is professional/industrial experience?

• Entering into competitions gives experience
• Work placement in agencies is a way of gaining experience
• Seeing other designers portfolios to see how other people work in the industry
• Showing your portfolio to other designers to see what their opinions are on your work and to gain ideas on how to develop your work
• Interviewing designers

2. Why is professional/industrial experience important as part of PPD?

"I am a commercial designer first and foremost, meaning i will take on any project and deliver a professional result that will stand up against the competition. I feel that thorough research and communication are absolutely vital in achieving this. I love all aspects of design and creativity, especially high resolution, visually stimulating print work." David Pugh

"Employers look for more than a degree and work experience can give you that extra edge. It helps you develop an understanding of the world of work and an awareness of your own skills and abilities. The experience may also help you get your first graduate job, as some employers use vacation and longer placements to identify their future workforce."

• To gain an understanding of the industry
• To develop as a designer
• To further understand where you want to fit into the industry
• To see the kind of work thats currently being produced
• To work collaboratively

3. How do you gain professional/industrial experience and what form does it take?

• Industrial/professional experience can be entering competitions
• It can be working in an agency
• It can be be as simple as talking to other designers that work in the industry
• Gain experience by entering competitions
• Talking to designers
• Working with designers
• Entering competitions
• Showing other designers my portfolio

4. What should you aim to gain from professional/industrial experience?

"Work experience will give you a competitive edge in the graduate employment market – it highlights to employers that you have some understanding of what it’s like to work and that you will have gained some of the basic employability skills they want."

"On my placement I designed cards firstly for the male market. As my project that I produced for them was focused on the male market this helped with my colour choices etc. I also did some gift ideas for father’s day and female birthdays. I worked a lot on Photoshop and learnt so much from it!" Vicky Morgan

• A further understanding as to where i want to fit into the industry
• Learn more skills within graphic design
• Gain contacts with agencies and designers
• Develop as a designer