Presentation Skills

From today's presentations I have gathered a number of techniques to help improve my confidence in presenting work. From recognising these areas I hope to be able to apply them to my future presentations.

- Having a story/reason behind the images

- Using the presentation to fit with the speech allows the  presentation to flow (this helps with the direction of the talk so if you’re struggling you can find direction from the presentation without the audience being aware)

- The use of titles on the page allows for the audience to have an understanding of the topic of the page 

- When presenting images in a  collage form, it adds understanding for the audience if there are small titles that stand out against the images

Tom Frost

I discovered 'The Boy Frost' whilst reading an article in the Country Living magazine. This article covers Tom's passion for traditional print to create 'evocative images of flora dan fauna'. I was drawn to this article as screen printing is something that I have had a recent interest in exploring. On reading Tom's story I discovered that he was approached by the Yorkshire Sculpture Park to produce '50 new pieces on a flora and fauna theme' which then lead to him having a gallery collection at the sculpture park for a number of months.

 As I was intrigued by the work that Tom produces I decided to look up his website, which then lead me on to his blog. One post in particular that caught my eye was titled "Earnest'. From reading the blog post I have learnt that some of Toms work has been featured in the publication which I have now ordered to explore further!

LCA

Identify and explain 5 reasons why you chose to study on this course

1. The facilities that are available for this course attracted me to study at LCA. Although it is a graphic design course there is the opportunity to take a brief in any route that you like which provides me with the flexibility to experiment in other areas; such as screen printing and photography

2. The course is not limiting on the briefs that are selected therefore cover a wide range of design areas. This an important part of the course as I am unsure of the design direction that I want to take within graphic design, therefore this will allow me to explore various areas

3. The small number of students - this makes the course very focused and personal, as everyone knows each other which adds confidence to the environment which I think helps when producing work. (This is better than being surrounded by people you barely know therefore would be less likely to ask for opinions/help)

4. I like how all the tutors are practising graphic designers who each have their own individual interests and way of working. This is something that I wanted going in to uni as I was restricted previously to a limited design opinion

5. Leeds - It feels very similar to my local city and being one of the fastest growing green cities I still feel at home in the countryside (at times) 




Identify and explain 5 things that you want to learn during your time on the course

1. I would like to learn to use InDesign and be confident in using the programme. This application has been highlighted as a requirement to do experience in a local design studio that I would like to explore

2. I would like to learn how to present myself to a design studio/client. This is a key skill needed to get out there in the industry and being confident in approaching such people is key

3. Traditional print - this is something that I have always had an interest in however the facilities have not been widely available to me. I think that this will aid my design and I will hopefully find more areas that I am confident in



Identify and explain 5 things that you think are your strengths

1. Working in small groups - I think that this is one of my strengths as I am able put my opinion across as well as feeling confident in approaching the task in a number of ways to ensure that everyones strengths are used

2. Adobe Photoshop - This is a programme I have used for a number four years now for editing photographs as well as illustration work

3. Time keeping - I think that from the beginning of a project to the end I manage my time quite well, keeping up to date with the work and always being finished 24hrs+ of the hand in so that I am not stressed and fully prepared




Identify and explain 5 things you would like to improve

1. I would like to improve my skills on illustrator and being able to use the programme with confidence for a number of different projects and not always for just the same thing

2. Presentation skills - I already feel that I am becoming more confident in talking about my work to a large group of people but by the end of Level 04 I would like to have overcome the fear of presenting!

3. Time - I could spends months over a project however I would like to learn and appreciate short briefs and be happy with the work that I have produced in the small amount of time

4. Sketching - A lot of my work is digital as it is where I feel most confident however I would like to start sketching before transferring to digital to have more in-depth ideas...hopefully the more I sketch the better I will get 




Identify and explain 5 things that inspire you

1. Adventures - I follow a number of photographers/designers who travel the world, capturing beauty. Not only does their work inspire me but it encourages me to fulfil my dreams

2. Pinterest - This is my go to place for inspiration as you can search for the specifics and save them for the future. As well as using the website for design purposes, I also like to use it for crafts and beauty

3. National Geographic/Country Living (magazine) - I not only read the articles in both magazines through interest but I also like to look closely at the design of the magazines and the photographs that are captured by the explorers/photographers

Identify 5 examples of design that demonstrate your fields of creative interest

Daily To Do Lists

An organisation method I have investigated is'Plan: Organise your life' which is a website (app coming soon) run by Google to help 'organise your life'. This interactive calendar allows you to schedule events/tasks  by drag and dropping in to your personal calendar. As well as having a clean layout that you can personalise to your taste, the website also allows for you to put in how many hours sleep you've had, as well as how many hours you've spent working. This clever feature can help you monitor your routine so that you can squeeze everything in or enjoy some personal time. 

2-5th November 2015, To Do List:

Monday: 

- move on from research and begin thinking of direction (Alphabet)

- take a book out from the library 

- catch up on Gogglebox 

Tuesday:
- take a book out from the library - cop?
- complete experimentation design boards
- look in to what's on in Leeds next weekend (13-15 Nov)

Wednesday:
- complete experimentation design boards
- read a section of 'Critical Writings on Graphic Design'
- organise cardboard letters 
- attend film club!

Thursday:
- gain feedback to progress with alphabet
- complete deliverable design boards
- read a section of 'Critical Writings on Graphic Design' (train?)