OUGD501: COP2 Evaluation

I have thoroughly enjoyed this module as it has allowed me to experiment with traditional ways of making and a continuation of a hands on approach from my project last year based on William Morris. The work I produced for that was in essence a form of pastiche because I created artwork which had elements from Victorian times (1800s). The work I have produced for this module has been from looking at how traditional print is relevant in the present times and why it is still used and loved even though we have a wide range of technology. The most likely reason is the fact that as designers we now have a wide variety of choices in terms of technology which can be used to work together and enhance design projects. From my primary research one thing that stood out to me was that the process of screen printing and spending time crafting artwork is something that is still valued today almost as much as it was during William Morris' socialist time. 

The process of making in the print room workshop took a lot longer than anticipated which perhaps impacted on the amount of work I could produce. It was incredibly busy which therefore meant being able to take photographs took much longer in terms of time adding on for my screens to dry. In total I spent a couple of days in the print room. But overall this project has allowed me to become more confident with using the print room and especially printmaking. Unfortunately due to lack of time with this project in particular I didn't have the opportunity to be able to learn letterpress type but this is something I am going to combat over summer by taking part in some workshops to further my skill set. 

I am happy with the outcome of my prints however if I had more time I would liked to of created a series of them onto different coloured stocks with different inks such as metallics onto black for example. This would of shown different processes within screen print and creating these into a series of smaller books/collections of photos in terms of their process would of been incredibly ambitious and perhaps time consuming too as even this project took quite a while to produce. In terms of booking print slots for digital print I was incredibly lucky that I managed to plan my time early enough to incorporate all the elements into the pack that I wanted. I feel the development idea of using an envelope instead of creating them into a book works much better with my concept of revealing the process as the viewer has to physically look through the prints instead of simply flicking the pages in a book. 

In terms of the rest of the module, I have enjoyed a large amount of the lectures but most specifically the ones based on ethics. The workshop we did on a written piece based on ethics and the first things first manifesto I found incredibly interesting which has linked through into the current design practice module where I am creating a book for parents on early signs of Autism. This definitely relates to what I would like to do in Level6 COP3 as ethical design is something I enjoy creating and researching about but I would like to gain a more in-depth understanding as to what is and why it is important. For COP1 & 2 I have focused on printmaking and traditional methods of design which is something I will always enjoy but I think for COP3 I want to challenge myself by learning about something I don't have a full understanding of.