Critical reflection

What went well

Overall, I think the final products I have made have been made to meet high standards and do
so efficiently because they meet the required codes and conventions which my research has
helped me gained knowledge on. I’m particularly happy with the way in how the package
design turned out because I think it meets all codes and conventions for visual design such as
having the right material; cardboard and having an eye-catching pattern on the packaging too.
I also added studio lighting to make the packing look like it’s already glistening in the light.
Another aspect that went well for this module I feel was the final film poster design. I feel its
simplicity stands out and the house style used fits in with the Harry Potter Gryffindor house
colours. The image created in the middle is a wand with spiral stars coming off it which gives
a magical effect, reflecting the core parts of the books and films. Despite these two pointers
standing out the most, I’m happy with the overall response I have given in each section for
this assignment.
What did I learn?
One aspect which I had learnt was how to navigate around both Adobe Dimensions and
Adobe Dimensions XD since I have never used these software’s before. It was insightful to
know the purpose of these soft wares for future references and if I decide to go into the visual
design industry, I’ll be more aware of how to use these soft wares. I also feel as over this
course I have become more familiar with how to use Adobe Illustrator. Even though I have
used this software before I feel a lot more confident when using it now due to having to
create different icons and add different effect to each final design product to again, meet
codes and conventions. Furthermore, I learnt about some new codes and conventions for
items such as the package designs for the perfume the designing of the app. There are certain
standards for these products that need to be met and in order to do this successfully, dedicated
research was need. Another element which I learnt was how to construct a package design
using Illustrator to create my own pattern, sizing it and using colours that I wanted for the
uniqueness of my brand. This was something I enjoyed doing as I felt like after researching
the products, I knew what would be best for me and the brand of perfume I was advertising
for.
What could I have done better?
Some aspects I could’ve done better would be time management, organisation and some
further technical research to enhance each final product. Time management as I feel with
visual design a lot comes to play with how to use certain software’s. If you’re unable to use a
software with its highest functions, sometimes your work can lack in the best visual design so
for future reference, I hope to study the functionality of each software in depth before I start
to use the to create different things. In terms of organisation, I feel as though I could’ve done
better with the way I prioritise each aspect of creative design as I found some to be more
challenging than others for example: using Adobe dimension and Adobe XD, despite these
software’s being ok to use, I feel as though I should’ve been organised and maybe started to
develop these first so I was familiar with what the required me to do. I think this ties in with
the technical research that I feel I could’ve improved on in regards to doing some further
research in how to achieve certain effects made in Adobe Dimensions, Adobe XD and
Illustrator which would’ve have one made me aware of the skill to achieve the final look and
two given me the insight for any future purposes.
Long-term implications?
Overall, I’m happy with the work I have produced over this module and feel as though it has helped
me develop many skills from how to construct package designs and use various software’s which link
together to create certain final designs. I feel as though I’ve gained many skills from this module as
I’ve been able to construct the work, I have using varied techniques shown in the seminars and on
Moodle. For future references, I hope that I’ll be able to use certain software’s used in this module
however at a more advanced level so I can achiever progression in the final products I produce.
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