Extended Practice has been a proper challenge, a major undertaking. I feel like I've put everything into it and am thoroughly proud of the work I've done this year.
Looking at my work as a whole, I've pushed outwards in every way, trying to get away from flat digital print and essentially move where the project dictates. A strong example of this would be Wall of Sound, where the process came to me months after the original spark of the idea. Wall of Sound is a project that I'm proud of - despite the slightly underwhelming final print. It's a piece that I will push forward in the near future.
I believe the branding briefs I've undertaken this year show a huge leap forward in my understanding of the client and the appropriate brand application. Taking the Laura Farrall brand as a case study, I spend a long time with the client going through various iterations and gradually chiselled a final brand that she was extremely happy with. I believe I've grown into a more mature designer who can work with the client and not just for the client.
On that note, every brief - bar one - is recognisably my work. I feel confident in my voice as a designer and confident that whatever path/process I go down, my fingerprint is still there. The brief that is less successful in that regard is the Plusnet brief. The copywriting choice is strong - this is something i've improved on massively - but the aesthetic echoes Steve Powers' work more than I now feel comfortable with.
Finally, this last month has seen a strong collaborative project with Alec, the textiles yearbook. The brief shows a full range of skills. We worked as a pair but have both left a mark on the book. We curated the work carefully and the result is a strong flow of work, each piece sitting well next to their counterpoint. We worked hard to restrain our own aesthetic input, letting the yearbook work as a blank/neutral canvas and letting the work inside providing the pop of colour. This restraint shows my maturity as a designer and the finished print should be a beautifully bound, subtly foiled piece for my portfolio.
Extended Practice has been a long struggle but I've applied myself to many different projects, processes and collaborations and as a result, produced some very strong work.
No comments:
Post a Comment