Self Reflection on Module Learning
I have included the module learning outcomes below to remind me on what the aim for this module was and what we were supposed to learn to allow me to evaluate my work properly.
- Develop an understanding of the principles and importance of identity and its role within communication design.
- Analyse through exploration, identity in the broader sense to find and use processes appropriate to the visualisation of ideas in both paper-based and on-screen.
- Demonstrate knowledge in the use of industry standard software in the development of a personal brand.
- Take responsibility for self-directed study, timekeeping and organisational skills and contribute to group discussions and peer learning.
Self Reflection Statement
Firstly, throughout our IXD103 Brand Identity module I felt like I developed a good understanding of what it takes to build a legitimate brand that has meaning and personality as opposed to just making it look good, I felt like I gained a good understanding of the structural principles of branding and I feel like I demonstrated this throughout my modern banking brand project and my personal brand project. Before this module I had an interest in branding but I had never really taken the time to explore it in depth, after this module I feel like this is definitely something I would like to specialise in and aim towards helping build and develop brands and start-up companies in the future.
Secondly, for my modern banking project I could have done more sketching work and idea exploration in order to really refine my ideas and build a connection between the logomark and the brand itself, this was partly because I had a good idea that I wanted to go with from the get go but I think going into future projects I will definitely be spending some more time developing and sketching some more ideas to see explore more creative avenues. I’m not the best artist and I think that’s why I steer away from exploring ideas on paper a lot more than I do with screens, this is definitely something I continued to struggle with throughout this module and is definitely something I need to work on and start stepping out of my comfort zone a bit more. Overall I felt like I produced a lot of work for my modern banking brand project and I feel like I produced a high-quality piece of work that could compete with some popular modern brands that we see today.
Furthermore, throughout my modern banking brand project I felt like I demonstrated a good understanding and knowledge of software that is currently being used within this industry, the software I used was Affinity Designer which is a vector based illustration programme similar to Adobe Illustrator. Personally I love using Affinity Designer as the UI is extremely clean and I have been using it for the past 3 years but I think for future projects it might be a good idea to use other applications like Adobe Illustrator to ensure I’m not limiting myself to certain tools that are currently trending within the industry. The main issue I came across throughout my modern banking brand project was working with the Pen Tool and basic geometric shapes to create an icon style logo design, this was something I have never done before and was extremely new to me so it took me a few days playing around with the software and experiment with different techniques to get an idea on how to approach designing the logo for my modern bank brand.
Finally, I felt like I took a lot of responsibility with self-directed study as I was sick for 3 weeks throughout the module so I had no choice but to plan my own study and complete the work for this module. Personally I found it enjoyable completing research tasks and working on my branding projects, it was difficult as I didn’t have much guidance throughout my studies but overall I felt like achieved what I wanted from this module and really demonstrated my skills and a graphic designer and brand designer. The main issue I found was the fact that I was off sick for a few weeks and missed out on a lot of lecture time and class time throughout this module, this was out of my control and I had no choice but to stay at home but I feel like this did set me back a little throughout the module research, lecture tasks and project work.
In conclusion, I felt like this module went extremely well and I felt like I created something that could be seen in the modern world today. I was extremely excited about this branding module at the start of the year and it has really helped me gain some insight into how brands are created and the thinking and research that goes into creating them, I felt like I learned a lot from this module and I would be comfortable enough to create my own brand from scratch or even start looking for some small branding work for start-up companies. Throughout this project and my research for this module I have been obsessed with creating a clothing brand called “OFF THE PRESS” so after this module is out the way and we have submitted our project I think this will be the next major project I start working on for my portfolio.