OUGD503 - Studio Brief 03 - Project Report

Over the course of the responsive module many new and existing personal skills were challenged. During the group collaborative project in Studio Brief 02 it was important that effective communication and collaboration between group members was successful. A team contract was drawn up at the beginning of the project to ensure equal division of work. As a member of a team I was given the opportunity to utilise my strongest skills as an editorial designer while also learning new skills of team project management and the process behind illustration design. Effective scheduling of team meetings and group-set deadlines was crucial to meeting the overall project deadline, and was managed effectively with the use of social media for fast communication.

Working individually on a range of large and small competition briefs presented many new personal challenges. Managing small competition briefs such as Papyrus required a quick turn-around of research, ideas, critiques and final deliverables. Creating a poster for the LCA Film Society allowed me to experiment with an illustrative style of vector art combined with typography, strengthening my skills with Adobe Illustrator.

Individually producing a publication for the larger Shy Bairns project gave me opportunities to expand on my existing knowledge of editorial design, as well as working alongside an external print company to learn the process of designing for professional printing. Extending the project into design for social media also allowed me to use my existing knowledge of interface design in order to create effective promotion for the Shy Bairns collective.

Managing projects individually proved to be more challenging than working with a group as there were not as many opportunities to delegate work. However, I personally found that working through the full process of a project individually to be more rewarding as it created a more cohesive project and allowed me to fully incorporate my own interests and influences into my work.

Collaboration is a key part of a professional Graphic Design career and the experiences I have gained within this module have provided me with a wealth of new knowledge and skills that can be utilised in future projects within this course.

OUGD505 - Studio Brief 02 - Product Range Distribution Initial Designs

A selection of initial design were created in order to gain more feedback as to the style and direction of the project. For the purpose of the critique group, an example set of designs were created based around the many different words found throughout Northern dialects for a bread roll.

Feedback on these four design further indicated that the use of stickers was a highly appropriate format for this project. There was much positive feedback for the retro designs as they gave a unique aesthetic to the product. It was also noted that despite there not being a deliberately humorous tone to the sticker designs, the concept of the sticker sheets that would allow individuals to label objects did inherently play on a humorous aspect of the language.

During the critique it was noted that as peers discussed the project, they also began to contribute their own words or phrases from various locations across the North. This strengthens the idea that this project should be community based and community led, and should allows individuals and communities to use the stickers as tools for discussion and education.

When considering the distribution aspect of the product, it was suggested that locally run food shops would be able to target the stickers directly at their customers.

It was also discussed that this project could be extended onto a digital platform and could incorporate an instagram campaign that would allow individuals to find, collect and share the stickers that they find, furthering the reach of both the project and the language involved.

OUGD505 - Studio Brief 02 - Product Range Distribution Dialect Research

After concluding the format for the product, research was undertaken into the many different dialects that exist in the North. Amongst the 12 counties in the North of England, there are many, many different variations of similar dialects which have evolved over generations. The main distinct dialects are Geordie, Mackem, Cumbrian, Teeside, Scouse, Mancunian, Lancashire (Lanky), and Yorkshire.

In order to conduct primary research into common words and phrases from a range of these dialects, a discussion group was created using family members, friends and peers. Using online platforms, individuals were asked to contribute their own words and phrases in order to create a bank of information that could be used throughout this project.

Words that were generated from these discussions included:

clem (starving)
scraps
neb
hyem (home)
pet
chuck
petal
nowt
reyt
pop

doylem
gadgie
marra
slamming
laik (playing out)
maungy
rank
bray
goon
harry carry (reckless)
antwacky
ginnel
snicket
teaming down
allus (always)
berra (better)
spenny (generation)
chuntering
mither

cob

bap

stotty

barm cake

tab

shan

deek

jarg

belta

hoik

eeee

top hadaway and shite

ey up

chuffed




Secondary research was also conducted primarily using the website for the Durham and Tyneside Dialect Group, a group of researches who have systematically been documenting words and their origins from around the North East of England.

OUGD505 - Studio Brief 02 - Product Range Distribution Sticker Research

Following on from the feedback on the concept of sticker products, research was conducted into the design and aesthetic of small stickers often found on fruit and vegetables. These designs vary greatly from location to location, but provide and simple and unique way to brand an object and share information. There are also existing connotations that these stickers are collected and shared, which would be an effective tool to utilise during the promotion and distribution of the final product.