This year, my first module was to create 5 sketchbooks. That seemed like a nightmare at the beginning, but it really worked and I soon found myself reaching for my sketchbooks to jot down ideas and notes instead of using scrap paper and never including it in my progress. Within the module following, I reverted back to InDesign as it was easier and quicker as there was no idea generation.
Within this module, I wanted to use a sketchbook again in hopes it would aid my final outcome: and also, continue to expand my annotation and paper use. And that it did.
Below I have included images of my research stage within my sketchbook. These pages were at the beginning, middle and end of my sketchbook: when using in design, I added all research to the beginning and never truly reverted back to integrate them within my idea generation. With this new way, I found myself realising there were aspects I needed to research again, and more thoroughly research to aid my ideas, such as materials, and ecologically friendly methods. It really helped my process be a smoother one.
As you can see, it was necessary for me to research into all kinds of areas: ecologically friendly packaging methods on the market, ecologically friendly materials and delivery systems, the brand itself and it's target audience, D&AD past entries and winners, competitors, other companies which had used our idea, and fashion trends.
Though I won't go too into detail right now on the idea, as I would like to save that for my final outcome blogpost, I have shared below my idea generation and process.
Though I am working as a pair, our research was conducted separately and we came together to discuss our ideas and communicate them back and forth. We also scheduled many meetings away from our college studio days, as a way to keep in touch with one another and make sure we were both on the right track. It was tricky, but it was worth it as having two heads instead of one meant we didn't get stuck on a bad idea and try to make it work: we were level headed, and told each other straight which direction we wanted to take, and both evaluated whether it was a good one.
Our idea generation was done quite separately. Keeping tabs on each other meant relaying our ideas to one another, but we went separately when it came to our sketchbooks. I think this was a good method to take as it meant we could both equally explore our own ideas before relaying them to our pair. I believe our final outcome is strong because of this.
Finally, I have really enjoyed working with a sketchbook. As this was my target for this module, I'm glad I have stuck to it as I feel my creations have been better for it: it's a lengthier process than jumping to the screen, but it's not as exhausting, and I found myself getting less bored and procrastinating less due to not having the distractions of the internet.
My other target was to work with a plan and follow it: I believe my partner and I both did this. I used the wanderlist app, a recent stumble upon, to keep a to do list that I could regularly update and check, and remember to actually write! (Thank god for smart phones and my addiction to checking it.) I also used my calendar app to keep updated on when my partner and I were meeting, what we needed to have done by a certain time, etc. It was really helpful for my time management and I even managed to schedule a weekend away from the whole project to celebrate my birthday in, right before deadline day. This is usually a time I am cramming and rushing to finish.
Overall, a big success, and I will be posting about my final outcome soon. I believe setting a target truly helped me within this module, so for my next module, my target is to continue to experiment with illustrator and use it as quite a big aspect of the project in order to gain more experience.
