Visual Communication: Module Evaluation

The initial brief of the module encouraged working with peers that were deliberately diverse, this allowed me to develop my understanding of working as a group, such as encouraging my peers to work independently or collaboratively on elements within the project. Collaboration also improved my time management skills, as I was forced account for the pace of others as well as my own.

I have often relied on line quality as a primary tool, however the use of vector has greatly enhanced my understanding of shape and the use of a fixed palette to create appropriate imagery. I have made more regular use of the light-box in order to refine my drawings through reflective repetition, this has lead to a highly promising method of densely layering line art within photoshop to create the impression of depth and texture. During the first brief I consumed several hours creating a looped .gif, this was an arduous experience, but has vastly improved my focus on tasks and has warped my consideration of the animation as a potential tool.

The least successful element of the module was definitely the collaborative brief, the amount of confusion and indecision within the group resulted in a less satisfying resolution. I also experienced guilt having assumed the role as the main worker within the group, which was a shared sentiment with the other group members. In future I hope to face collaborative tasks with a more transparent attitude, and share the burden of work equally, making use of the individual talents of each member. Otherwise I struggled with colouration on several occasions, leading to large amounts of time being lost to nudging the HUE bar, though ultimately I would suggest it improved the final product.

The greatest improvement has been the consideration of a wider amount of media, rather than just the fine-liner, the use of water colours in the final brief informed my later decisions to incorporate textured brushes within photoshop. I am particularity pleased with how I applied format in the second and third briefs, the postcards in each instance were particularly strong in using the portrait format, using colour values to create focal points. I was impressed with the results of the looped .gif, I find that it introduced a comedic dynamic that the static imagery alone was incapable of.

Upon the opportunity to revisit the module I would have invested more time into analogue colouration, as I found the digital exorbitantly time consuming, over-all I find that I am lacking in the experience and confidence to colour things physically which can only be remedied through confrontation. I would have enjoyed the opportunity to create some more screen-printed responses, as reliance on reprographics has proved stressful. I would have accounted more for the input of others during the collaborative segment, as I am fully aware that the skills of others can be capitalised on for effective results.
In addition, I might have made less use of the fine liner to make visual responses, as it is not universally appropriate.