Conclusion

I have enjoyed the experience of working on a live project, though there have been ups and downs along the way. One of the biggest issues I came across was communication, especially early on in the project, and towards the end deadlines became a problem.

Meeting the Brief Requirements

Provide a similar feel to the previous report
It was difficult when I received the brief to understand what was expected of the final design. I was able to read the previous report, which I felt met the purpose well even if it was a little uninspiring. The copy of this year's report was very different in content, as it included a lot of statistics and required creative graphs. Due to this, I don't feel that it has a similar feel, as the colours are also much more vibrant to fit in with the new title of the project, 'Our Happy Place'.

Consider new logo and colours
When I read this in the brief I relished the chance to design a new logo as I feel that branding is the area of design that I am most competent at. I had the idea of using a brick-coloured hand painted design as I felt it would have a local and grass-roots look to it. However, early on I was presented with a logo that had been designed by a resident which had become official before I started the design process for the report. I wouldn't have chosen the style or colour of the official logo but I had to find a way to work around it.

In terms of colours, I experimented with different styles before I settled on the colour scheme. The previous report used shades of purple, mainly lilac and violet. My style tends to be simplistic, using minimal colour, and so I tried out a white and grey colour scheme, as I didn't want the bright green and yellow logo to clash with any other colour I chose. However, the Council wanted more colour included and instead I chose to embrace the multicoloured style of the logo and created a cover featuring many different bright shades.

Follow Worcester City Council's Corporate Guidelines
These guidelines were never presented to me or mentioned by the client, and weren't at the forefront of my thinking. I will have a month or so to continue work on the project once it's handed into university, so if there are any issues with the guidelines I will have time to make changes.

Feature Organised Information with a Range of Imagery
I feel that I have met this requirement well, as the information is laid out in an organised structure and clearly headed, with a similar layout throughout. The final work presented to the client will feature a range of imagery, with photographs accompanying the logos and iconographic elements.

Meeting my Learning Outcomes

As this project was to some extent self-directed, I was able to select my own personal learning outcomes of the knowledge and experience I wished to gain from the work.

These were as follows:

Gain Experience of Working with a Client
This is the first time that I have experienced working directly with a client on a one-to-one basis, knowing that I will be producing the final work for them. It has been a rewarding experience, and one I have learnt a lot from. I was nervous about meeting the clients for the first time, but they were appreciative about my designs which was a great feeling, and inspired me to create something different and inspiring for them.

This experience can only be beneficial for my future in design.

Meet Deadlines
The deadlines were an issue at the start and end of the project, but for different reasons. Early on, I was nervous that I had been entrusted with such an important document, and as it is a statutory document there are strict deadlines that must be met. However, the first draft of the copy was slow in reaching me, although that gave me a chance to try out different designs. With four days until I had to hand in the work for university I finally received the final copy, but obviously there was not enough time to include the updates. This was a worry for me, as the work that I will be handing in looks unfinished and I would have wanted to be able to show how I could finish the report.

However, my clients at Worcester City Council want me to continue work on the project and although it will eat into time in the next semester when I should be concentrating on other work, I am excited about seeing the conclusion of the project and meeting the definite deadline in March.

Develop Skills on Illustrator and InDesign
I had used Illustrator a lot before starting this project, and feel that it is the software that I am most competent with. Due to the large graphical element of this report I was able to demonstrate my skills with it and demonstrate my style of work, which I am very pleased about.

I was less familiar with InDesign, having first used it in the original Publication Design module, but I feel confident with my understanding of the software after this project. It will seem less daunting the next time I have need to use it.

Adapt Style to Meet the Needs of the Client
As I have already mentioned, my style is often simplistic, using minimal colour and often white on black. However, this had to be adapted to fit in with the philosophy of 'Our Happy Place' and so I had to embrace the use of colour.

I don't tend to include many photographic elements in my design, preferring bold iconography, but in this work I was able to use both side-by-side (though this won't be evident until I am able to source photographs).

Create a Final Piece of Print
I was very excited about seeing my work printed out professionally and having that in my portfolio, although I still have to wait a while for that.

Learn More About Layout Design
The research stage of this project showed me about how documents can be laid out, and I had to look closely at their design which has added to my understanding.