Studio Brief 1 - Initially: A - Z Poster Theme Feedback & Self Evaluation

The feedback I received on my initial theme ideas during our peer review sessions in the studio was really positive. I found the whole process of group feedback a little daunting as I don't have the most confidence in my own work or when it comes to showing other people my ideas. However, after beginning the session and getting to know the other 3 people within my group, I began to relax and found the whole process really helpful and enlightening. It was really interesting to step out of my own little poster bubble and see how the others had approached this brief, their ideas and processes etc, and it forced me to look more critically at my own work as well as others.

Here is the feedback sheet I received:

Page 1

Page 2

Overall i think my ideas were liked as they caused the group to think about what the theme was and they weren't too obvious. The main themes liked were the "Pockets" theme, the "Rainforest Creatures" theme and the "Leeds Pubs" theme. The roughs ("scamps") were well received although a bit too neat meaning less room for further development which I agree with.

Self Evaluation

How effectively do you think you have tackled the first part of this brief? Have you been able to exhaust your ideas? How well have you used research to support the development of your ideas? Has drawing allowed you to visualise your ideas and evolve them further?

I found generating ideas for this brief a little difficult because a lot of my initial ideas were very obvious/straight forward and I really wanted to push myself and have the work I create for this brief be anything but ordinary. I think some of the ideas that I did manage to generate were inspiring and a little different, either telling a hidden narrative or being a completely unique subject matter. With the themes I chose, research was paramount in enabling me to meet the brief and find a subject for every 26 letters of the alphabet within a theme. Most themes I knew a little about, but researching them in person, via the internet and in magazines etc, really helped secure the idea. Drawing also helped me visualise my initial ideas floating around in my head. Once the ideas was down on paper (however crude) I could really work at them to make the image the best it could be. The time constraint and aim of 260 images was a little daunting, but once I got over that it meant I had to rely on the simple and natural task of thinking and drawing, thinking and drawing until imagery I was happy with started to take shape.

In light of your feedback, what theme/ideas do you intend to develop into a final deliverable poster? Please describe your intentions for the tone of voice/functionality of its artwork

After listening to the feedback in my group and also getting a little insight into how other people were approaching the task, I have decided to develop my "Pockets" idea further. It is a little different in that it is all paper engineered and the idea that each pocket is the individual vignette with the A - Z item inside was received well by the group. I think pockets and their contents are personal and overall I aim for the poster to have a very physical function in it being very hands on for the viewer. I want the poster to be interactive, creating more of a personal experience - a mystery as to what item can be found in each pocket by each individual person. 

Outline briefly how you intend to generate the final deliverable artwork. Consider media, method, design and application. What are the next steps required in development and refinement in your poster?

The next steps in developing my poster involve the refinement of the individual pocket design and each of their contents. I need to consider colour, medium and what the pockets/contents are to made out of e.g cartridge paper, heavyweight paper or card. As each pocket will be a different size and shape, I will also draft out the positioning of the 26 pockets and their various sizes on to an A2 sheet of paper to play around with the overall composition and to make sure they fit aesthetically. I will then use this information to generate the sizes of the pockets and how they are to fit onto the final A1 sheet.