Unit Evaluation.

Link to the presentation is HERE

Objective

To conclude the units of work by evaluating your completed work for unit 1.

Task

Scroll through the slides for instructions and questions.
I have included all of the questions needed on the separate slides. Feel free to use more. 

Presentation

Add to the end of 

Checklist for assessment

Relevant screenshots of work, insightful observations about the completed work.

'A' grade example is HERE

Time needed

3 Hrs

Deadline

Thursday 29th of Jan.

Example of discussing the brief.
The set brief was to create a book cover for the Steinbeck novel 'Of Mice and Men'. The book was discussed and a proposition was drawn up. The main themes of the book include dreams and loneliness. The role of the design will be to communicate and hint at the theme and provide an enigma to stimulate the curiosity of the audience. The client has stipulated the size of the template.

Colour Choices

Objective

In order for you to fully explore the combinations of colours that you could potentially use in your design, you must trial a draft in various colour schemes.

Task

Take a draft and colour it using 4 colour scheme ideas. This could include:
Monochromatic, complementary, analogous and triadic. There are many more examples - high saturation, low saturation with spot colour. It's up to you.

Presentation

Post to your blog with a short explanation of what and why you have done this. You should also point out the most successful version and explain why.

Checklist for assessment

Can we tell straight away that you have consciously used colour?

Deadline

tbc

Pragmatic or Poetic?

Type Contrast

Colour Schemes

GCSE Colour Characteristics 3 - Saturation and Greys

GCSE Colour Characteristics 2 - Temperature

GCSE Colour Characteristics 1 - Hue, Value and Saturation

Quizlet - Colour characteristics

Emulation

Objective
To allow you to look closely at work that you like and that is relevant to your process.

To push your process and technique into new areas.

Task

Take one of your successful scamps. 
Find an existing piece of work that utilises a style, process or technique that could be used to get your idea across. (This doesn't have to be a book cover.)

Copy the piece in the same medium as the original.

Then emulate. 'Work up' your scamp using the same process and techniques. Create the whole book cover: front, spine, back and flaps. (This does have to be a book cover.)

Presentation
Both need work in progress shots and to be posted to your blog.

Time needed

5 hrs

Deadline

Friday 7th March

Written Analysis

Over the next few weeks you will be completing an analysis of a relevant artefact. You will be given certain slides to complete each hwk session and we will revise the

Objective

To increase your understanding of the processes and techniques designers employ when creating artefacts. 

Task
Choose an artefact that is similar to the one that you are designing.

Make a copy of the above Google presentation HERE Coffee pack designers use THIS one.
Using the questions on the slides you will be analysing the layout, colour, typography etc. 

I have also included a wealth of key terms for you to use. They are located at the bottom of the post or you can print them off HERE.

Presentation

Google presentation posted on your blog. 

Checklist for assessment

All points must be covered in detail. For those looking for A/B grades, there will also be some inclusion of further, self-initiated investigation.

Deadline

TBC

Type Choice - Digital

Objective
To research a range of type choices available for your artefact.

Task
Using Dafont (or other free online type libraries), gather together a range of typefaces that could be used as part of your artefact. 

Go for obvious and the not so obvious to give you something to talk about when analysing their suitability.

Evaluate the suitability of the examples that you have gathered. Read THESE TYPE TERMS  and search THIS SITE and include as many as you can. Speaking the language will help you communicate better and score more marks.


For extra points, place your type choices on a draft of your piece and evaluate them in place.  Try maybe six?

Presentation
Print off a sheet of examples and write your comments around the edge or complete in Photoshop

Checklist for assessment Lots of interesting and relevant type choices.

Informed annotation.

Time needed 2 hrs.

Hand drawn type examples

Objective
To create a suitable typeface for your chosen design.
To evidence your understanding of the expressiveness of typography.

Task
Over two double pages of your sketchbook, experiment with hand drawn typefaces that could be used within your design. This could be a title or another graphic element. 
Write your title (or other relevant words) over and over in
You can work in colour or black and white. Leave in your mistakes.
Look on my Type Pinboard for inspiration... (HERE) 

Presentation
Photograph or screenshot your progress.
Post to your blog.

Checklist for assessment
4 pages of experiments, beautifully bustling and busy pages of creativity.

Time needed
2 hrs.


Deadline

TBC

Refing Scamps

Objective
To further develop your layout ideas

Task
Take one of your favourite scamps and draw it neater at an A5-ish size.

Do this 3 times with the same design, refining each time as you go. After each drawing, annotate to describe what elements you can refine. This could be type size/placement, character size/placement,
You don't have to include colour at this stage.

AO2 Refine their
ideas through experimenting and selecting appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes

Presentation
Photograph and post to blog.
Checklist for assessment
3 refined drafts with annotations.

Deadline
Wed 1 July, regardless of Olympic Day.

Photos of Subject Matter - Contact Sheet

Objective
To gather further primary research for your unit 1 project. 
To enable those who feel drawing is weak to collect useful primary research.   
Within the mark scheme, AO3 states: 'Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to their intentions in visual and/or other forms.'

Task
1. Consider the subject matter for your project. Take a collection of 30+ images that you could either edit and use in the final artefact or just use as drawing/illustration reference.
To get the best results form this task, be as creative as you can with your subject and composition. 
As an example, if you have a wise old wizard in your book—and don't have a wise old wizard to hand—dress up your friend/dad/self in a bed sheet, cardboard hat and long stick. Pose them in different, relevant positions. 
Or, look on YouTube for tutorials about how to create wise old wizard make-up. There are loads of tutorials (plenty on zombies) on make-up. Make sure you then photograph the 'making of' period.
You will get plenty of good results from using your initiative. 
Do not make excuses as to why you couldn't get interesting images, there is no excuse.

2. Screen shot the collection of thumbnail photographs. (see presentation above)
Open in Photoshop (or print off and write on the paper) and annotate -

• Circle image that are good. This might be due to them being in focus, correct composition etc. 
• Cross out images that are not to be used. Out of focus, badly cropped, wrong position etc. 
• Write simple notes against the photos, 'out of focus', 'too far away' or 'too dark', 
• Make your annotations obvious - write in pink? 

Within the post and underneath the contact sheet, comment on the following:

• What were your intentions for the shoot? Why take these images? 
• What are the successful elements, What worked well? 
• What were the unsuccessful elements? What didn't work well? 
• If you were to take these images again, what would you do to make them more suitable? 
• Do you believe that you have all the shots you need for the project? If not, what others do you need to take? 

Presentation
Save as a jpeg and post to your blog.

Checklist for assessment
Lots of interesting photographs with concise and insightful evaluative annotations. 

Deadline
First lesson back after the Summer hols.

Scamps - Other Desginers

Objective

To further understand the part white space plays in a graphic artefact.

To become aware of how designers balance elements on a page.

Task
Gather a range of similar artefacts. This can be via Pinterest or your own examples.

Draw them in your sketchbook.

Look at your example and loosely sketch the page. Pay close attention to the light and dark tones—allow your brain to 'threshold' the greys in to either light or dark tones. See my measly example above.
The images above are of magazines - not book covers, but you get the gist.

Presentation
See my example above.

Checklist for assessment
12 examples.

Time needed
Two hours.

Deadline
Start of Lesson Wed 24th June.

Subject Matter Drawings

Objective

You will need to evidence that you have looked hard at the world around you. You can do this by drawing from life, your own photos or web reference (pin boards?)

Task

Create sketchbook pages full to brimming with small / medium sized 'primary' drawings of your subject matter. A students - 4 pages+ / C students - 2 pages / E - students - 1 page.
Primary drawings are direct from photos or real life - not from other illustrators' work.

Presentation

Photograph the pages and post them to your blog. Post title- Drawing from subject matter.

Checklist for assessment

Full, bustling pages / detail / obvious investment of time / different approaches to drawing

Time needed

2 hrs+

Deadline

Start of lesson, Wednesday 17th June.

Here's a little tip. Don't let your brain trick you into giving up as soon as your reach your first drawing hurdle. Keep on going and make a busy, messy drawing if you wish. Just don't throw away until all avenues have been exhausted. If you are drawing a load of smallish drawings, cram your page with examples. You will be amazed at how effective they look all huddled together.

Below are some examples of the sorts of pages you could be competing...

HWK - Brainstorm

Objective

To allow you to retrieve and create a wealth of ideas for your unit 1 project.

Tasks

1. Create a post for the brief. Either copy in my example or write your own.

2. In your sketchbook, brainstorm all of the possible ideas / associations that you associate with your story / lyrics / title / synopsis / brand.
This could be evidenced in many forms:

Children's book cover - print the story out, double spaced and annotate i the margins. Highlight key scenes and iconography that could be used on the cover.
Game cover - start with a few words in the middle of a page. For Epic City Limits is would write the 'name' of the game, 'city', 'jobs', 'youths' etc. Then, using a thesaurus, branch out with connections.
Digipak - brainstorm the name of the album... and print off lyrics by a similar artiste and annotate them in the margins. 
Packaging design - Brainstorm the name of the product... and the overall 'feel' or 'message' of the product.

Presentation

Photographed and on blog.

Checklist for assessment

Loads of interesting ideas.

Time needed

1 hr

Deadline

Lesson start, Wed 10 June.