Where I am now

Post catch up

2010-08-06T15:29:00.002+01:00

Well it's been almost two week since my last entry. Quite a different two week actually, as work place is alot more quieter now with the kids being on their school holidays... 5 week of bliss. Although the work we have been doing has been quite repetitive, yet it is a job that should be useful once it's completed.

We have basically been moving over to SpiceWorks network management system and away from SharePoint. I have yet to come to terms with the new software, but it is alot more powerful, plus custom made plugins (or Widgets) can be added. We have spent the majority of the week going around the work placement and creating an item log (Assett) for every piece of equipment that we deal with. There are well over 800 items, and they all have to be typed up and kept up to date. Fun...

Apart from work I have been working on my programming, and am slowly beginning to understand methods around problems I face. I also learned - thanks to Dean :) - about variables within functions, classes, or global, and how they affect one and another. From learning this I could see errors appearing before I actually wrote the code.

We have been thinking about a way to randomly place objects that correspond to certain parameters within a chart. We have thought of several solutions, but Dean is convinced he has found the right method for us to work upon. I believe his judgement, but think I will struggle to keep up when it comes to actually writing the code.

Weekend has arrived once again so I must crack on with my programming. Going to work on getting my code shortened, and also commented well, as well as add or repair some more features to extend my knowledge.

On an off topic note: Bought Starcraft 2 and love it!

Figured it out...

2010-07-23T09:24:00.004+01:00

Managed to get my script working with some help from Dean! VBS doesn't accept 'Format'. Instead, I have now used Date(Now()) & Time(Now())

Works fine on local printers. Just need to do the big test - All the printers on the network.

On a good note: Last day of the school term, which means work will be a hell of a lot more quieter over the next 5 weeks :) - Hopefully get a lot of work done aswell to improve the performance of our network. Especially the virtual side of things.

Saturday I will be spending some time doing more programming. Need to get my Excel manipulation to work correctly, as well as experiment with using code to create graphs, which I should have done last week.

Saturday

Saturday has now come, and I am currently worknig on the Excel manipulation project, but finding it hard to concentrate today. Mostly due to celebrating last night, as well as a few hour of playing five a side football. Can't let it get in my way though, gotta get this work done!

Scripting...

2010-07-22T11:14:00.002+01:00

Currently working on a script that pastes print queues into and Excel sheet, then saves the sheet as the current date. Seems to work the excel part fine, but errors when saving.

Here is what I have:

objExcel.ActiveWorkBook.SaveAs _
"File location" & Format (Date, "YYYYMMDD") & ".xls"
objExcel.ActiveWorkBook.Close

Seems to error on 'Format'

I will post my findings once I figure out what the problem is

It's been a while...

2010-07-21T21:12:00.002+01:00

Well, I haven't posted anything for a good year or so, and I believe I have changed so much within this time.

No more dissapointing people or myself with missing close targets, or trying too hard and getting knowhere. I now feel like I am improving constantly, as well as keeping (or trying) many members of staff happy within my workplace.

Becoming a technician doesn't sound that hard. Change a few mice here, replace a few keyboards there, well there's a hell of a lot more to it than people may think.

For starters one of the most enjoyable aspects for me within this job is cabling out new rooms, or expanding the infrastructure. This, in most cases, contains having to climb through narrow spaces, or under stage area where it's pitch black, or scrambling through roof tiles. Although anyone can throw cables through a roof, I have to make sure that the cabling suites the rooms best needs, or the best method for getting area's access via cables.

I'm no expert, but I do believe I have a good enough know how, and can do the job with little issues.

Putting up Smartboards and projectors can be challenging, but fun. I'm quite a hands on person. One of my downsides though, is that my learning seems to revolve around this method aswell. I cannot seem to learn very well just by being shown or told... I have to try it for myself.

I have also ran my own club after school teaching kids Web Design and Photoshop Elements. This was another great learning experience as I was managing the classes, as well as monitoring the kids, and also getting kids involved and excited about their work. A fantastic feeling, and I would seriously think about teaching others, but the 3 years or so at university doesn't appeal to me.

I have just retook my English GCSE and hope to achieve atleast a B, and in September I will be retaking my Maths. Although I believe there are better courses out there that would suite my needs better, I believe that maths and english are the most important.

I would love to do an MCSE, or something along the lines, and hopefully my workplace will contribute to this type of training. Not sure when exactly, but for now I am busy enough without it!

Currently doing a programming course (MCVB), which I am getting through steadily. You will notice me placing my code in here to show examples and maybe get feedback. I am hopefully starting to do some advanced Flash animation with Tom over the holidays, but that will also depend on time, but hopefully will evolve after some time into 3D modelling?

Will also be learning SilverLight and possibly the new Microsoft Exspressions software.

So... A little more about me then. I work Full time within a school as an ICT Technician. This job includes cabling, general electrical maintennence around the site, CCTV, component level repairs on PC's Laptops and monitors, Poster design, scripting, support for software such as: Macromedia products and Microsoft Office products, networking, virtualisation, and a boatload of other things. Not as simple as people think.

I am taking an MCVB course at home, and also do some one on one training with Dean. Will be doing some Flash work, as well as Maths, and potentially an MCSE...so very busy lifestyle!

Other interests: Cooking, gaming, space, movies, drawing

Summative Report

2008-05-13T20:48:00.002+01:00

Where am I now?

I have come from a 2 year Higher National Diploma in Interactive Media. The course has learnt me basic and advanced web authoring techniques, as well as print work, web accessibility and standards. I have progressed steadily through the two years and have enjoyed the course thoroughly. I have not learned everything that I originally thought I would be learning, and I do still feel that this was the wrong course. Hopefully I have learned enough to get me into a full time work placement

Where am I going?

I will be looking for a web and print based job in the Wakefield area. Hopefully more web design work, as I still feel inexperienced when it comes to print work. I have been thinking about taking a graphic design course in a few years time but this will most likely depend on where I am in life at that time. If a job is unavailable to me then I will be going into full time work elsewhere and do web design or print design freelance. I have already got some freelance experience and I enjoy it.

Final Design 3

2008-02-27T22:09:00.003Z

Hopefully this is an improvement on the first 2 versions of the design. Feedback is appreciated.

Portfolio Redesign

Portfolio 2

2008-02-20T20:11:00.002Z

Here's the updated version of my portfolio screen design. Thanks in advance for any comments made.

Click here to see the design (.pdf)

Portfolio Screen Design

2008-02-14T00:37:00.002Z

Here is my screen design for the upcoming portfolio project. The design needs some work on it, and any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks

Click here to see the design

Competitive Analysis

2008-02-06T15:16:00.000Z

Professional Portfolio: dan Lindop
The first thing I noticed about this site was the effort he had put into advertising that his site's are validated and accessible. This is something that should be promoted the fullest as it is the thing that is likely to get us employed. His design is quite simple and plain, which means no bells and whistles, just clear and straight forward. His choice of colours work well together, although some people might argue that his site would cause eye strain as it has a dark background on light coloured text. He seems to have his own corporate identity, which is a must if you are going to advertise yourself. It gives people the impression that he is actually bothered about his career.

There's not much information about the person throughout the site. I expected some information about him and what he does. Some of the pages jump to the left.

The flash can be slightly annoying; although I cannot see people staying on the home page for very long anyway as nothing is shown on it. The banner can also be distracting. Some of the font sizes are too small. They need to be enlarged. Some text is also italicized, which makes it harder to read.

The navigation is clear and easy to use, which is excellent for new internet viewers. The hyperlinks within the body text are also different which makes them easier to spot. The hierarchy of the layout is pretty good. Things that need to be noticed are genuinely larger than other parts of information that aren't as useful. The site also makes use of its space, which is consistent all the way through.

Improvements
The logo needs to be a link back to the home page. This was something that I had expected to happen. Some of the text sizes need to be larger and not italicized. I also think that more information on the person himself needs to be displayed on the homepage. The homepage is quite blank. It needs something to keep the viewers interested. The underline beneath the links has bad contrast until they are pointed over. I also think that alt tags are needed to be more accessible for people with difficulties.

Overall I give the site a 7/10

Student Portfolio: Jason Wan
This site needs some work on the colours. The choice of the colours used conflict. I think that too much colour has been used and could look a lot more professional. The chess pieces I don't understand for the links. The text is grammatically wrong. A good spell check is also needed. The logo also needs some relevance to web design. A nice banner or header would liven the site up

The work shown isn't his best work. Only his best work should be displayed on the site. The site is very plain, and the layout has not been experimented with at all. He could create a far more interesting site with some rearrangements. Some of the links change size when highlighted. This is rather annoying.

Consistency with the text is appalling. The same font and size should be used on every page, and not a different one each page. There isn’t a contacts page, which means viewers would have to post him if ever they wanted him.

Improvements
The colours need to be more contrasting. Try choosing two other colours. Too much colour is also bad, especially when having coloured background on text. The background of the text should be a light colour, most professionally white. The layout could be improved. Moving links and the content around and creating some sort of header would make the site stand out a lot more.

Only show your best work. The choice of work that has been shown is off-putting. There should be some method of communication for viewers to get in touch with the designer. This could be simple email address or a feedback form.

Fonts need to be consistent all the way through the site. Stick to one font. The hierarchy of the site could also be improved. Having important or key words embossed would help viewers that are scanning the site. I would also suggest not having a cartoon portrait of yourself up.

The images need to be viewed without having to hover over the irrelevant icon. This can be annoying as if you move your pointer off the marker then you lose the image. The images can be placed quite easily on the page without the use of this feature. It would also be nice to see the images larger or the actual working final and not just screen prints of the work.

I give this site 3/10

Update

2008-01-31T11:19:00.001Z

Just to let you know that I have a blog for each of the other two assignments
iMe Blog
Tune In Blog

My online content site can also be found here

Delivery Requirements

2008-01-30T15:19:00.000Z

CSS 2.1
I will be creating the website using style sheets as opposed to tables and cells. I feel that CSS gives a much better presentation and professional quality to the site. It is also what we have been practicing for the past few months. CSS 2.1 is also the most supported version, meaning that my site will work on most of the latest browsers without any errors.

I will be using Notepad or Dreamweaver 8 to create my spreadsheet. The CSS code will validate to 2.1, and will be noted.

I believe that validation of CSS is a must as it ensures that my site is future proof, accessible and shows my skill as a designer.

XHTML 1.0 Strict
The website will be created in XHTML 1.0 Strict to show that I work to industry standard professions. The site will also validate at 1.0 Strict to keep the work future proof and accessible. Validation also shows my skills to be able to problem solve and shows that I take care when building new sites.

This will be created in either Dreamweaver 8 or Notepad.

PHP 4.1.2
PHP I will be using to create a feedback form or a contacts page so viewers (hopefully local employers) can give feedback on my work or send me an email message. The PHP could also be used to create a guests list, although whether I will have one on the site is still unknown. This version is the one that my hosting account lets me use.

I will be using Dreamweaver 8 again to create this particular technology.

ActionScript 3.0
Flash has always been something that I would like to learn. I think that getting to know some basic Actionscript for animation or visual cues would be ideal for creating a visually professional website. Showing that I can use PHP, Actionscript and CSS would be a great asset, and will be what most employers would be looking for.

I will use Macromedia Flash 8 Professional to learn Actionscript and animation on.

FTP
The FTP will be needed to upload work onto the server for viewers to access through the World Wide Web. I will be using Dreamweaver’s FTP function, as it is the one I am most familiar with.

Targets Acquired

2008-01-23T15:57:00.000Z

The target audience for the portfolio is a question that will need to be thought about a lot. The portfolio is the most important website we will be creating, and it has to meet the target audience in order to sell myself. The website will also be marked by Educationists, as well as external markers.

The site needs to look professional and to a high standard, which shows as much of my good work off as possible. I will have to show a range of the skills I have learned and can do well if I am to advertise myself successfully. I will be selling myself not only to web design studios, but to potential clients as well.

Educationist
Terry is a 37 year old HND ICT teacher, that works at Wakefield College’s main campus full time. He teaches students aged between 18years – 40years and has worked in this position for 8 years. He is hoping to get a job as a head of the design department. His past experience was 15 years in the design industry with 3 years as a lead designer.

Terry has a passion for programming, and enjoys problem solving and validating his and other people’s websites. He also enjoys reading about new IT technologies and upgrades. He regularly attends to student meetings and enjoys discussing his life and work as a teacher. He also offers his expertise during these meetings.

He owns a desktop PC with Intel Pentium Duel Core Processor, with high speed and a 256Mb graphics card. He also owns an Apple Mac OSX and a brand new Mac Book Air. All his computers are set up with wireless 2.Gb broadband. He also owns a high quality printer with built in scanner. He uses Firefox 2.0 and has a screen resolution of 1024 x 1256 x 16.

Potential Clients
Susie is a 26 year old chef who owns a restaurant called Delicates in Leeds. She works full time with very long shifts. She and her team cater for over 500 guests a day. She has owned this restaurant for 3 years and before that she worked at Little Chef for 4 years. She hopes to open up another restaurant soon in Derby. By the age of 40 she hopes to have made enough money to start business in Australia, and eventually move there.

She has a passion for cooking and loves to create and experiment with new recipes. She attends regular meetings with her staff to give them feedback on their progression. She would like a website created to advertise her company, as she feels it will invite more customers to her restaurant. She will search through portfolio sites of students ready to leave college as she feels it will give them good experience, and she will not have to pay so much for the site being created by a proper design company.

She owns a basic PC with Windows XP operating system. She has a 1.1 GB broadband connection. She has a 64Mb graphics card with 256Mb RAM. She has very little internet experience, but knows how to use Microsoft Office programs very well. She owns a printer but hardly uses it. She uses Internet Explorer 7.

Potential Employers
Mathew is a 47 year old designer. He owns and runs a web and print studio called iMax web design. He owns several studios across the UK, including his main studio in London. He is hoping to sell the company for a high amount of money that he could live off for the rest of his life. He runs a team of 6 designers and 2 programming expertise in his main studio.

He has a passion for web designing and is always searching the net for some new talented employees that could be added to his team. He also spends a lot of time learning new programming languages and techniques. Currently he is learning Ruby, which is taking up most of his time.

He owns several top spec computers, each with duel monitors and 512 GB graphics card. They also run on 2 GB DDR2 RAM. He has an 8 GB wireless broadband connection and owns a server. He hopes to expand his studio to make room for new staff and PC's. He uses Firefox 2.0.

External Assessor
Paige is a 41 year old external HND assessor who works for Edexcel. She travels from college to college re-marking students work. She talks to teachers that aren't showing their full potential and gives them guidelines on what actions to take. She also talks about the student’s educational level, and decides if the students are progressing as much as they should be.

During her spare time she loves to read novels by J.R.R Tolkien and relaxing at her local cinema in Dewsbury. She is hoping to get a pay rise, and wants to move up north with her parents. Her dream job is to be the head teacher of a school. She also enjoys looking through student’s digital work online.

She owns a basic PC and she has an intermediate understanding of the web. Her PC is run on 512Mb RAM and a 128Mb graphics card. She has a 1.1 GB broadband connection and uses Internet explorer 7.

Ready, Aim......

2008-01-16T16:50:00.000Z

The goals for my portfolio I feel are definitely better than my previous goals for assignments. They are more measurable, and require me to practice skills that I am not familiar with. This will make the project more challenging for me, but I will also learn a lot more by going through it.

To create a working website(s) that validates with XHTML 1.0 Strict and CSS version 2.1.

I feel is an important goal to any web designer. Validating your work keeps it future proof, and professional. It also makes the website accessible. It will also let you know if your site is cross browser compatible. I have also heard it helps with search engine optimisation, although this is not certain.

I chose this goal as it is industry standard and seems to be what potential clients look for. I also feel that it is good practice for getting code right the first time. It will also let you learn which browsers allow what features.

I will complete this goal by regularly validating my work and keeping my code neat and well noted. Validating work early can solve any problems early before they become a huge problem. This is something I have learned through experience.

To implement some sort of Flash into the website, whether it's an image created in Flash, or some ActionScript.

I feel that by having some sort of Flash on my page will make it more dynamic, or look more inviting.

I chose this as a personal preference, as I wanted to do at least one thing in Flash on the course. It will be a challenge if I am having to learn ActionScript, as I have hardly touched upon the subject. I will also need to revisit on basic Flash animation skills, as it has been a while since I last used it.

To learn a new technique that I have not used before. This could include JavaScript, ActionScript, or sliding doors, etc.

This I feel will also make the site more dynamic and more inviting to the viewers, although I need to ensure I don't go over the top with Bells and Whistles.

I always try to implement something new into my work, whether its something as simple as adding rollover images or creating border effects. Despite the amount of new technologies we will be learning anyway I felt that something fun or different should be included. This goal is for that particular technology.

To make sure that the final website is web standard priority 1 complience.

I feel that this should be completed by every web page created. Like validation, it helps with future proofing and accessibility issues. It will also make the creation of the portfolio more of a challenge as their are more guidelines that I must stick to.

To ensure that this goal is completed I should regularly view the web standards and check whether my code is correct. Doing this more regularly will ensure that no major errors are unseen until its too late.

The portfolio website will be set in 2 parts. The professional part for potential clients will only include my best work, and will have to be created carefully and professionally to ensure that the viewers stay on my page.

The second part will be accessible to those who have permission rights. This can be done in several ways. I could create a separate website for each of the parts, or could password restrict links and work.

Evaluate!

2007-12-12T14:03:00.000Z

I feel that this semester has been quite a packed one. The amount of work we have had t get through has been immense, for both assignments. They have both also been very rewarding in the amount of experience and skills learned.

A major downside was that I have to re take my presentation. I guess that this was due to feeling uncomfortable rushing to find solutions quickly and using my Grandma's laptop over the reading week. This was because my PC broke at home, which created a lot of stress for me. I look back and can see that I had limited myself by using her laptop as I had to spend valuable time downloading and installing the software that I needed. It is also slow and cannot handle many programs running at once. She also lives quite a distance from me as well.

Next time (which I hope will never happen again) my computer breaks I shouldn't panic as much as I did. I should think about who has the most ideal computer and get in touch with them first. I know it is relying on other people, which I dislike to do, but it is an option out of a very tight situation.

The team assignment has gone well and I am now glad that I was chosen as the developer, because the CSS websites and working to a specific brief was fun and experience was valuable. We have had a few hard points where areas of the site were not validating, or having to learn some basic php script. I feel that the php area was hard work. Next time I would look into how it works and get the basic principle instead of digging straight in and hardly knowing what I was doing.

I am glad that both the clients are happy but I am displeased with the amount of effort the Crazy Firehouse staff put into our evaluation. They clearly weren't interested in our experience. We had to nag constantly for them to complete it.

I feel that experience with a more knowledgeable client would have been more beneficial but I guess we were lucky not to have a client that would mess us around. The project has ran pretty smooth and nothing major has crept up and got the better of us.

I have enjoyed working with Rich and Ben. I feel that they make an excellent team even if I disagree about some of the actions that took place within our project. I would certainly change some things but I feel that everyone would make changes if they were to take the task again.

The artistic assignment I have had mixed feelings about. It has been the most fun, and yet hardest assignments we have faced. Now that the 3 week art work and the 2 week production is almost over I am beginning to feel the amount of work that still needs completing for this assignment. We still have to digitalise our final piece including 45 degree angles of the piece. We then have to create a webpage to advertise our product. An evaluation is also requires, obviously. I still have some work to do on my presentation as well!

I feel that my final product isn't the best it could have been, although I do like it. The cards also look quite professional and suite the piece well. I have also began to think about the website to advertise this product on. I was thinking a 3 page site with just the image changing on the different pages. I will need to investigate into some more design ideas first but I reckon my first website idea will be the best.

If we were to take this task again then I would have definitely changed it around and have 2 week creative artwork and 3 week developing. One thing I have learned is that I need to get things right first time so they don't get in the way later.

The lessons with John have taken a rather unexpected turn. We are now going through job applications and interview techniques, which I never thought would have happened. They have certainly cleared some uncertainty I had towards job interviews. The techniques he has learned me are valuable.

One thing John did mention which I would have thought was pointless was applying for jobs that require you to have a degree or higher grade than the one we are currently achieving. He states that even if you don't have a better grade, as long as you have the rest of the requited skills then they will consider you. I certainly see his view on things now.

He mensioned that we should go through the SWOT analysis again to find out your strengths and weaknesses. Telling the truth on the CV is also essential. Don't say your a bubbly, driven, CSS guru if your not, because it will clearly be shown in your interview.

Another thing he suggested which I didn't think would be allowed was to take templates of web designs etc. just in case you are faced with a publication to show how good you are. The work you are given can be placed into your template quickly so you will have more time fixing bugs and making the *task* accessible and professional. It shows that you have taken the initiative and prepared for something like this to happen.

2007-12-05T21:52:00.000Z

Introduction
BTEC is an examination board. They are an organisation that specialises in learning and qualifications. Skillset is an organisation that is run by both people within the industry and the government. The range of skills between these 2 documents is quite huge. I should look at these more carefully and more often, as they hold information on skills I should be acquiring and what skills I should need in the future to undertake a job.

Personally, the way things are represented and formatted within the 2 documents are different from each other. I feel that this is because BTEC are a company that works with education standards, so naturally their document would be aimed at students. Whereas Skillset are a company that is already in the industry, so they would be expecting more developed skills.

Another main difference is that the BTEC document also shows guidelines and goals for students to follow throughout college. This is something I should do more regularly to make sure I am learning what I should be. They also provide references, websites and useful books that could be used to achieve that particular goal.

The Skillset list to me seems like a list of skills that should have been learned for when we finish the course. These skills are also primary skills that are needed to be employed. Its layout is more professionally orientated, as though created by people that are actually in the industry. The BTEC skills are written in a more academic format. They also seem broader.

The BTEC skills, in general, are out of date. Although this is hard to see as I have not seen any previous versions. However, there hasn’t been an update for almost 2 and a half years, and in an industry that’s forever changing. In most cases, BTEC seem to direct more towards the design of things rather than half design and half techn

I noticed that there were areas in the Skillset document about 3D modelling and games programming. This to me was irrelevant and didn’t need to be within the document. I did realise after that each set of skills was assigned to different roles within Interactive Media. It showed the skills required to go into game design and 2D modelling, however they only had a few sections each whereas web design had several chapters.

BTEC links directly to the assignments that are ongoing throughout the HND Interactive Media course, which is why they have a timescale, unlike Skillset.

The BTEC document gives a lot more information and demonstrates various methods and learning outcomes. It isn’t structured very well though, and you can find yourself endlessly searching for what you want to find.

The Skillset document is a lot shorter, although it doesn’t have as much information. It is easier to find statements and a lot more enjoyable to read. Skillset also tells you what personal and technical skills you should have.

Some of the similarities between the two are both aimed at skills within the industry you should know or need to know by the time you finish the course and get a job.

Conclusion
Reading through the Skillset document will give motivation as it reminds people of what is in store for them when they finish. I also think that reading through the Skillsets document will create more awareness of what industry you would be working in. Reading the BTEC one will make people more aware of what they are actually learning, and receive guidelines on how to achieve them.

On a whole, they both seem very useful. I would recommend sticking to the BTEC one for the reason that it was made for us, even though it’s not as enjoyable to read or up to date.

The Skillset should be referred to every now and again, but not as much as the BTEC one. It will help with choosing the role you want to participate in a job; therefore it is essential that it is read at some point.

Cd list

2007-11-19T19:39:00.000Z

Here's the list from my cd. Not sure if the order is correct until I receive my CD back from Steve.

1. Jump in my car - David Hasslehoff
2. Not gunna get us - Tatu
3. Umberella - Rihanna
4. Lost in space - Apollo 440
5. Broken - Amy Lee
6. Can't catch tomorrow - Lostprophets
7. I got you - McFly
8. Leave out all the rest - Linkin Park
9. Bleed it out - Linkin Park
10. Snow white Queen - Evanescence
11. She's the one - Robbie Williams
12. Blue Light - Elliot Goldenthal
13. Spirit dreams within - Lara Fabian and Elliot Goldenthal
14. Saturday - Fall out boy

Get professional, get ProCol

2007-11-14T17:11:00.000Z

Sick of colour schemes that are so bright they hurt your eyes? So intent on making your website look professional? Designers, Developers, listen up! This colour scheme is the perfect choice for you. Brand new *ProCol* colour combination for sale. This colour scheme will really make your websites and creative work look professional. The ProCol colour combination consists of 3 colours (Excluding white). These colours are Black, purple and Grey. These colours can be added onto images and will make them look great.

The grey and white can be turned into a gradient to make the outside of your webpage stand out. Using very little purple will make it stand out even more. The black colour can really make things bold and clear. It can also help with making headings stand out well.

Want a preview of this fantastic colour combination? Click Here to see a preview.
As you can see, the header is clear, bold and great at grabbing the viewer's attention. The purple links really stand out well and there are no contrast issues either. The images have been turned into greyscale to fit in with the colour scheme as well.

So don't keep staring at the same boring colour schemes that hurt your eyes and give you headache. Get professional with ProCol today.

Sculpture your mind

2007-11-07T16:01:00.000Z

Personally, I feel that the trip to the Yorkshire Sculpting museum would be suitable for the first years. They will soon (If not, already) have to start thinking about the aspects of art versus design. I feel that this trip would create a good border between what defines art or design.

We soon arrived at the sculpture park. The path that lead into the museum was actually integrated with peoples names. I didn't notice this until the way home though, after taking a closer look. I guess I was quite eager to get out of the cold weather. Perhaps I should have taken more care at what I look at, or look more closely next time.

The work inside the halls was quite surprising to me. I expected to see masses and masses of weird sculptures, yet what I found was a room with a wall made from twigs taped together, or a giant room created from logs of wood. The room made from logs of wood was really inspiring. What inspired the person to create a room from logs?

The *Skyspace* building was enjoyable, although the view of dark clouds wasn't ideal at the time. The Skyspace was actually a square room with a large hole in the roof. The effect it gave you was that it was like looking at a photo frame, but the image in the centre was constantly moving. It will give a different atmosphere depending on what weather is like. I just wish we could have had a better view.

The *Basket* was an interesting building also. The building itself was created from like a steel mesh, as though looking through a stack of baskets. The landscape was visible between the steel structure which also created a weird effect on the view.

The extremely long walk to the museum on the opposite side of the river was really strange. I didn't expect to see what I did. Pictures on the wall created from mud, manure and animal blood. Although these images were nothing more than just creating a mess from several unusual mediums, it really got me thinking.

With the artistic assignment now upon us I feel that Steve lead us to this sculpture park to try and open our minds. The one thing that I did learn, as well as inspiration, is that art can created from any medium possible. Even animal manure! Don't just stick with what you've got. Find and experiment with loads of different mediums. The whole idea was to get us thinking about what we are going to create our artwork with and not just plain black and white pictures in pencil.

Top Songs

2007-10-31T17:32:00.000Z

Lost Prophets - Last Summer
This was the first ever Lost Prophet song I heard before I even knew who they were. I heard them live at a Linkin Park concert. This song stayed in my mind and I have loved it ever since. It's really got me liking this band. The song seems to have a meaning. The song to me is about leaving home and chasing your dreams, but having to say goodbye to the people closest to you. It seems like the person is spending his last days with his friends and making them life long memories before he goes. The lyrics *I would stop time to stay with you* mean that the person would stop time if he could, and thus not needing to chase his dream. It truly is an amazing song. Lost prophets songs always seem to have some sort of meaning. Werther it's noticeable, or within every individual person.

Linkin Park - Leave out all the rest
This song I found unusual, as Linkin Parks songs aren't always the best when they are slow. Slow songs by Linkin Park are different to their usual music they create. This song, despite being slow compared to most of their other songs, is extremely enjoyable. It also fits in with the kind of music Linkin Park are good at. It's off there new album and I recommend it to anyone.

T-a-t-u - They're not gonna get us
This song is probably one of the very few I actually like from these singers. Although they are foreign there english is really good. I also chose this song as it is a different type of music compared to the other two I have chosen. This is more of a dance song. The song's meaning is about a person that is sticking up for what they beleive in, but by doing so, this person makes lots of enemies. The song talks about this person's travels escaping their enemies. I want to see Craig A's face when he hears this song. I play it often in the car and he hates it!

Half term over already?

2007-10-24T21:18:00.000+01:00

This first half term back to college has been somewhat different this time around. Less support and involvement from Steve and John has been noticeable, although no one seems to be suffering from this.

John's support lessons are also different, in the way that they are no more individual meetings. Personally, I feel that a mix of individual lessons and group lessons is better rather than one or the other. I have enjoyed looking through some of Julian's work and found that his research was quite impressive. I found it hard to structure my research into a working order but Julian's was ideally structured.

Another major change was the team assignment. Actually working for a client that actually likes our work is impressive. I feel that our team is working a lot better now. I did moan at the start when we swapped roles but I am enjoying my role now. I have learned several new skills as well as practicing my CSS!

Validating our team website was a disaster! There were certain errors that just wouldn't disappear and the code seemed fine. It took nearly all day to sort this problem out. In the end I had to create a new template and add each page again. Next time I should definitely validate every time I upload the site. This will ensure that I can sort out problems before they make things worse. I do enjoy validating my website, even though it's quite stressful. It lets me see where I have gone wrong. I have always enjoyed doing puzzles and problem solving, validating websites is just like a digital version. I admit I did need some help to get through this stage, as I really couldn't solve it and I had wasted a very long part of the day trying to get around it. Did anyone else have trouble validating?

I don't know if this is allowed but I haven't seen any work from the other 2 teams. I was wondering if you could post a link to your designs?

I have prepared and managed my time well for John's assignment and I am (quite) confident that I will pass. I think that this is because I have been sticking to the plans that I make and also created a checklist that I could tick off finished work. Most of this I had learn't from John himself. I wasn't stuck inside from 9 o'clock on Wednesday either. I printed my work off and handed it in. This is very unusual for me. My management of time has made sure I was ready.

I am quite pleased with my final product for this assignment. I seemed to create this site quite easily compared to my attempt for the team project. The only major error I had difficulty overcoming was the fact that I had created the page in "Transitional" and not "Strict". This is something I always seem to do. Maybe I am too eager to start without thinking about these things? I will definitely have to make sure I start in the right type of document next time. Taking care and more time to prepare for the building part will help me overcome this problem.

Shuffle
2's Company

Don't know about anyone else but I feel this has been my best performance yet. I hope it keeps up for the rest of the year!

The Interview Continues....

2007-10-10T15:55:00.000+01:00

Describe yourself in 3 words
Punctual, pleasant, practical

How would you measure the effectiveness of your products?
I could, and probably should, create a feedback form so that viewers could speak their minds. I should also consider web statistics, that lets me see how many hits I receive. This would give me a good idea of if my sites are being used or not.

Talking and receiving feedback from peers and client's is also an excellent way. This can also help with measuring if my site suites the specified target audience.

I personally feel that the colours, fonts and images that I have chosen are all suitable for the required target audience. This hasn't been acheived the first time around in some cases.

How do you handle criticism?
Generally I would be offended, although I know it is a must to be distant from your work as not everyone will like it. If I dislike the end product myself then I wouldn't mind. This is something that only experience can teach and hopefully it will come around to me.

Describe a difficult problem and how you have overcome it?
I guess the biggest problem that has hit me lately is CSS. Figuring out the basics is a big task, and actually being able to use CSS effectively and creatively is an even bigger one. CSS first came around during our summer assignment, where we were asked to create a page using CSS and XHTML. I guess my methods of learning back then was to take as many online tutorials as time would allow, and then through my own practice.

I do admit that my first CSS website is extremely poor, but I didn't stop learning there. The next assignment with John also implies that we use CSS. Practice and more practice is the way I went about learning this language, as well as lectures from Steve and John.

The box model was also something that I didn't quite understand, although I haven't admitted this, but kept trying to learn it by myself. I now understand its concepts and how it affects the layout of designs.

Describe how you fit into a team?
I generally enjoy working in a team with skills that would suite me as Designer or Developer. If I was to have answered this 2 week ago it would have been designer solely, but as I have had more practice I am beginning to enjoy development a lot more. Giving and receiving feedback to team members I would insist happened, as it's a great way to learn from each other and improve the team's final design.

I guess motivation would be a downside, but if I am happy with the team and I know what I am doing then this won't be a problem. I could never take place of project manager I don't think, as I tend to be messy, and sometimes unorganised.

Do you have any questions?
Will team work be a role played often in this specific job?
Would we be given roles or would we be able to discuss them and choose between ourselves?
Will we be required to learn any other languages?
Do you follow the web standards?

Job Hunting - Revised

2007-10-07T20:43:00.000+01:00

This journal entry was quite an interesting one. I have never really looked for jobs through the internet so actually finding a job took longer than expected. It was good practice as I am sure I will need to look for a job in the near future.

I kept finding jobs that over-exceeding my current skills so I found them unsuitable. I eventually found one that would be suitable, although I was behind most of the other peers in my group by this time. I must ensure that I optimize my searches and look for more appropriate sources.

Answering the questions got me thinking. Are these really the sort of questions that would be asked in an interview? I have had several client meetings, and practice interviews within college, but I have never been to one for a job.

I thought about each question but putting my answer into words seemed a little more difficult than I had expected. I answered them honestly, as I would in a real interview although I am sure that it would be different in the actual interview.

I was stumbled when I came to the question about heroes. I really don't have one. Maybe I should look into finding a hero? The only real person I have shown interest in their work is the guy I actually chose, although I am sure that Flash isn't really relative so maybe I should have chosen someone else.

Overall the experience was good and I enjoyed the task even if it took me a little while longer than the rest of the class. I am sure that these questions will pop in and out of job interviews all the time. Maybe I could have answered my questions a little more differently?

CSS Guru Wannabe

2007-10-03T19:03:00.000+01:00

This week I have really got stuck into some CSS work which has helped greatly with both of my assignments. The site for CSS Beauty is almost complete, just a few finishing touches are needed. I would like some feedback on how you think it looks. Maybe suggesting some features or improvements would help me greatly.

Apart from the list bullets (which were working fine earlier, and now seem to be ignoring my padding rules), any other comments and improvements are appreciated.

The building process for Steve's assignment is almost upon me and I am beginning to feel ready for it. Bring it on!!

Thanks in advance. Marc

Job hunting

2007-10-03T16:53:00.000+01:00

Job title: Junior Graphics Designer
Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire
Salary: £14,000 - £17,000 per annum
Job Type: Permanent
Link

Why do you want this job?
The job would be great experience for me coming straight from college. The job would be suitable for me as I have knowledge of the required experience that is needed for this job. There will be great opportunities to learn new techniques and software, as well as develop the ones I already know. I also look forward to the video-editing that is part of the workload.

What is my greatest strength?
I have an imaginative mind that helps me with my ideas generation. It also helps when developing my final design.

What is my greatest weakness?
Probably my most feared weakness is confidence. I always seem to keep questions inside that are dying to be answered, but when the chance comes I don't usually speak until it's too late. This also affects my presentation as I fear that something will go wrong, and in several cases it does.

What would I like to be doing in 5 years time?
There are many options still open to me as a designer. I could specialise in just print work, although CSS is beginning to click in my head and I am starting to learn useful techniques that help create a better website. I am also good at motion tweens and drawing within Flash. Perhaps a job company that specialises in webdesign, but with elements of Flash and print design would be the most suitable job for me.

What excites you the most?
I enjoy any work that is produced in Photoshop. I.E: Image restoration, banners, screen designs. I also enjoy corporate work such as; designing logos and business cards. I am also finding CSS very entertaining at the minute, as there's always something new to try out.

Who is my hero?
My hero has to be Justin Little wood. The guy behind CartoonSmart. His work is such an inspiration and I look up to him whenever I am in need of some Flash help.

Possibly the shortest blog ever

2007-09-26T16:37:00.000+01:00

The main thing that struck me during the presentation was how Dave deals with job vacancies. Dave's argument states that applicants should ring before and after their CV is sent in for him to even bother looking at it. He considers a good portfolio that should include a wide range of commercial skills, better than a degree in web design.

Another main note I took was how awkward clients can be. Good designers should not get attached to their work, because at the end of the day it's the client that has the final say.

Do you know the answer marc? (eek!)

2007-09-19T16:36:00.000+01:00

So far, the CSS work has been rather daunting. Getting my head around some of the concepts and meanings has been hard, although I am comfortable with changing colours, headings, fonts and inserting images. Basically all the easy starting work. Some of the terms used I feel I will begin to learn as we use them more. I feel ashamed that I was unable to answer some of the questions John asked me throughout the presentation, although it gave me the chance to say that I misunderstood. Perhaps he knew and asked me on purpose. I am glad that he asked me though, as he explained things again when I was unable to answer. I totally agree with his methods of learning, and I look forward to having seminars with him again (if they are to be continued this year).

I was also quite surprised to find that my task 1 was unable to open. I think that this is because I used InDesign CS3. I should of thought about using the right version. This means that my feedback on task one will come through late. To make up for this I will be pasting my work into the correct version (CS2) and Emailing it to John. This way I can get the work completed for next week without falling behind.

The team project I feel is at a low. I am displeased with the fact that I am no longer the designer, although being the developer means I will be practicing more CSS. One thing I have enjoyed on this course was the corporate identity elements and I was hoping to continue this work in our team project, however, this was completed by another member. I disagreed with the role changes but as I am not the PM I had no choice. I do hope that my developing skills are good enough for the team. I don't want to let them down. I feel it is too late to change the roles again so I will just have to try my best.

Self study in the first 2 weeks was a bit hectic but things are starting to calm down now that our corporate identity is complete and we have our client.

I am quite pleased (though should I be?) of the summer assignment. I know I referred but the errors were only minimal. Hopefully my work will get better and soon pass first time, or even better!

I am looking forward to learning more CSS and I hope that the concept clicks soon. I am also looking forward to building the CSS websites that are planned throughout this term. The one thing I am still looking forward to the most is the Flash assignment. Maybe it's a bit early but I have been thinking about my portfolio and the layouts and features I could include within it. I want to do so well in Flash, hopefully one of the best because I feel I am at the bottom right now. I haven't used Flash for a while but I will start using it more towards the project. I want to do well but I also want to keep it simple. Overdoing myself wont make thing's better. Some thought that have crossed my mind are: A simple but lengthy movie, webpage/site, or even a small game. I have not touched actionscript as of yet but I intend to learn it throughout the learning progression assignment.

One thing I will miss from the first year is the Sketchblog assignment. I am going to still use the implements that we learned from this assignment today, although for personal use, as Steve wants much less paperwork.

Even now I still seem to indulge myself in sketchbook work instead of progressing smoothly. I have seen some of the designs other peers have created and am looking forward to seeing their final designs.

One thing which I enjoyed today was the group feedback on designs. Receiving feedback I have always enjoyed and have always gone around the class demanding feedback often, although I seem to be the only person that does this. Am I doing it wrong? Should I just move on and choose my own designs rather than spending time gaining feedback?

This morning I didn't feel as creative as I usually am. Maybe it was because it was still early? I am glad we got the chance to work on our ideas in the afternoon though, as I felt I got a lot more done.

I have gone through over half of my sketchbook already, although I have not thought so much about inspirational work. I want my sketchbooks full of inspiration and colour. Maybe it will help me in the future? I know it isn't necessary, but it is enjoyable and helpful should my mind ever feel limited.

And what skills have I learned today?

2007-09-12T16:38:00.000+01:00

Personal Development Plan
Personal Development Plan has helped me with several skills. Time management is probably the greatest skill learned, and the most useful. Planning of time is needed to ensure work is completed on time and to give myself a good work flow. Self Evaluation during weekly Blogs helps me overlook my week and see what went wrong and how I could improve it the next time around.

Tutorials
Tutorials are probably my favourite way of learning. I enjoy looking through tutorials on the internet and following them, but I also implement some of my own work into them. Making small changes to tutorials rather than just copy and paste I feel increases your understanding. I am always determined to complete them first, although this doesn't happen much. I keep trying though.

Lectures
Lectures have greatly improved my listening skills and note taking skills. I can look back at my old notes and notice the difference. My notes are now more in-depth, and more keywords are taken. Being able to take notes as well as listen to the lecturer is harder than it seems although I have improved dramatically. Participating in lectures and asking questions has not been one of my best attributes, although I feel like I am participating more and more as each lecture is given.

Group work and Team Projects
Although this is new to the course, I feel that I am benefitting from it already. I am now more confident, as I have a role that I will enjoy throughout the project. I am also more motivated as I don't want to let my team mates down. Motivation I feel has been one of my biggest downfalls but I am learning to overcome it. As the Project Manager is now dishing out mini deadlines I am now completing tasks earlier and on time rather than at the last minute.

Oral Presentation
Confidence has also been another one of my down points. I do feel more confident in showing my work now and talking it through with everyone. I am more relaxed, although still nervous at times. I look forward to some presentations as it allows me to gain feedback on my work which I enjoy receiving. Knowing what other people think about my work greatly motivates me, and sometimes I feel I try too hard to impress everyone.

Writing Essays
I have learned many writing skills including not to type unnecessary work. I am now able to keep my writing grammatically correct and in an academic format, which I feel benefits me loads. My English skills have also increased, as this was something I didn't manage to do well at school.

Maths and Statistics
I didn't expect there to be any of this during the course. I soon learned I was wrong. Mathematical skills are usually required when having to work from a budget and adding up prices. I feel that these have improved my Maths skills. I have always enjoyed Maths but didn't do too well in this subject at school. Being able to read statistics and store them in pie charts and tables has made me learn that even small percentages of information mean something, and should never be disregarded. This I feel has also helped me with research skills.

Observations
Observing other peoples work I feel sometimes drops my confidence, seeing how great their work is compared to mine. On the other hand it makes me more dedicated to try and be as good as them.

Research
I feel that I have learned research skills, and find more information from sources than any time previously. It has also helped increase my note taking skills.

Exams and Revision
Exams I enjoy, as it gives me a chance to test my knowledge. I feel that working under the pressure of a set time also helps me. I can work well under pressure and by taking these tests further increases my work. Revising for exams I tend to leave until the last minute, but lately I have been going over a lot of my work regularly. I feel that this will help me achieve a pass first time during assignment hand ins.

Down points
1. Lack of motivation towards research
Research has to be my least favourite part of self study. Knowing that this work has to be done is my only motivation. I should learn to enjoy this part as it is a good chance to learn new things. I feel that once I enjoy doing research I will overcome this down point.

2. Leaves small tasks to the very last minute
This is something I am working on now. I will ensure that all the small tasks like designing the CD label and sorting out references will not be left until the last minute. I have also created a check list that enables me to tick off my completed work. I feel that this will enable me to overcome this down point very soon.

3. Confidence in my own work
Sometimes I feel that my work isn't good enough, or that genuine mistakes are easily made in my work. I feel that a better understanding of HTML and CSS will overcome this by part. But I feel that reading the assignment sheet more carefully will help me better understand the work. Hopefully decreasing the chance of me making silly mistakes that get me referred.

4. Time Management???
I feel that a lot of the above comes under this heading. Spreading work out will give me more time for other tasks, and things that are usually left to the last minute I should prepare beforehand.

Final ideas.....Or are they??

2007-09-11T21:07:00.000+01:00

Following up the feedback I have done some major changes to some layouts and took note as to what was said. hopefully these are my final ideas, although their is still time to go back and revive one of my older designs if you have any suggestions. I do feel that these designs could have great potential with the right images, colours and fonts. Oh and Craig (A), this time their .JPG's ;)

Feedback, like always, is appreciated.

Design, Design, Design

2007-09-09T19:36:00.000+01:00

Ive been unable to scan my designs into the computer as I have no scanner available to me, so the only other option was to create digital views of each of my sketches. The images will, of course, be replaced with photographs that suite the site.

The learning continues..

2007-09-05T16:34:00.000+01:00

To be honest I feel that I will need many goals, to ensure that I complete this course and gain several high marks along with it. My goals will be: To be more organised with time plans and finalising work, not spending too much time on one task, to achieve at least one merit or higher grade, and to improve my independent skills.

To achieve my first goal I really need to work on my time planning capabilities. I feel that I don't seem to keep to my plans, and I also feel that they are sometimes not sufficiently detailed enough. I have already started working on a structure for my time planning, and I can adapt or change this how I want. I will be creating an in-depth master plan, with an even more in-depth weekly plan for each of the coming weeks. I am not sure if I am conflicting with the goal "taking too much time on one task" now though. Hopefully, by having a more structured time plan, I will be able to keep a track of all the tasks that need completing, and not skipping a task by mistake. I also feel I can make changes to dates and times more flexibly.

I will also start using checklists, as I feel that I will be able to keep up to date with what I need to do and what I have completed. By using this checklist I am able to see if I have completed everything that needs to be done to pass the assignment. I will include all the minor tasks in this list, like creating the CD label, or making sure all the folders are correctly spelt. I feel that I leave these tasks too late then end up forgetting about them.

My second goal I feel is probably the one I will struggle to overcome. I usually tend to spend too much time on tasks that I enjoy more. E.G: site designs and actually making the website look better, or maybe just fear of not having enough information. I feel that I get too involved in these tasks that I leave myself with little time to complete the others. I also find that I spend too much time doing research and taking notes, rather than getting the notes I need then moving on. I always feel like there's something I've missed and so I carry on searching.

To solve this problem I will have to start spreading my time more evenly along tasks. I should also try to limit myself on the amount of research I do. I must find what I need in summary and then move on. I should also work on the actual completion of the website, before making it look good to the viewer by inserting bells and whistles. The task should come first, not how the site looks.

Achieving a merit or higher grade seems like a daunting task to me as I rarely get a pass first time. I feel that by completing the other goals this could be achieved quite easily. I do feel that most of my work is at a good standard, just minor changes that I need to focus on more. Achieving a pass first time would motivate me and make me feel good about my work, but achieving a merit would give me something to be proud of, as I do feel ashamed of some of the progress that I seem to lack.

Independent skills, I mean, I believe contain the above. Maybe not the skills themselves, but how I structure my independent study time. I feel that the above changes would also improve this. I guess I do ask for help from John, but I do feel that once I can get things sorted I will be able to manage on my own, or just about. I do feel I should go over my sketchbooks, although the temptation to change things on my old work could get involved.

The next bit is hard. What would I like to be doing in a few years time...
Due to my experience at college, I can say that I know what my strong points are. These include design work and development work. I feel that I can draw and create some brilliant designs, and create them digitally as well. Some sort of job that includes these would be a print design studio. My website skills I do feel lack structure, although I make them friendly and inviting with my use of Photoshop images, though I cannot see myself as a full time web designer. I don't think I have the skills to take it seriously.

Flash is another interest of mine, and the whole point of me joining this course was to do some Flash and 3D work, although it came as a surprise when there was no 3D work involved. The Flash course has been moved around so I have yet to start this assignment. I hope to achieve a brilliant grade and to create some amazing Flash work. If this goes well then I would definitely feel that it would be the job for me. Animation has always been a dream of mine, as it enables me to do the thing I enjoy doing the most, Drawing. But Flash lets me actually create my drawings digitally, and then give them the ability to move.

One other thing that I enjoyed thoroughly, and like to show off sometimes, was the photo restoration task. I doubt that there will be another chance at college to do another one of these, but I would like to take it farther if all else fails.

Overall I do feel that I have chosen the wrong course but I intend to complete it anyway. I have benefited from it, and I will still get some experience with Flash. I guess even though I aren't doing too well up to now, I feel I try too hard. I feel that is why I haven't quit, and I don't intent to either!

Evaluation

2007-05-10T16:05:00.000+01:00

Looking back to the aims and fears that me and my peers created last September, I can see how much the group has changed. Most of the fears have been overcome, and the aims completed. I came on this course for several reasons. The main reason being: To learn a range of new software. I now have a basic understanding of Macromedia Freehand, Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe PageMaker, some of these I had never even opened before. I now have a basic level of experience with each, and will continue to gain experience over the year to come. I do feel that I should have practiced more of these at home for personal use to gain more experience. I did use them creatively and effectively for my assignments though. I hope to gain more knowledge of these programs next year, as well as take on some more new programs.

Another one of my aims was to actually be able to create a website from scratch, without the help from templates downloaded from the internet. My first website looks appalling now, although at the time I thought that it was really good. This shows how I have progressed. I can go back and look at my old work and know what I could do to improve them. I have also learnt a lot of HTML code, and actually enjoy coding and finding problems now. Coding was something that I hated before, probably because I had no experience with it. I would definitely change the colour scheme of my old website to something a bit more relaxing.

I seem to have a problem with choosing colours for my work. I do seem to choose the appropriate colours, but maybe a bright shade of the colour rather than one that would suite it better. I feel that this is my personal choice for brighter colours rather than the professional shade of the colour that I need. I will have to revisit my colour lecture in my sketchbook to learn anything I have missed and to also revisit my noted. I do feel that my choice of colours has become better though. I now start my work with white and adding bits of colour rather than starting with lots of colour and adding small amounts of white. Maybe this was just a fear of white space? Steve told me to start with white and to add bits of colour, and not to work the other way around. This is something I feel I will remember well. I also used it with my A7 assignment website. I can see that it has a more professional look if I use less colour.

Over the year I have been taking some lessons with John and found them really useful. One of the things he has been helping me with is my confidence issues. I feel that I have learned a lot from this. I can now say I am more confident in my work and in myself than I have ever been. When I first joined this course I never found my voice to answer questions or to ask them. I used to be a quiet member of the class. With the help I received from John I am now capable of this.

One thing that is grudging my confidence is the lack of ability to pass first time with my assignments. It really puts me down when I see my name with a referral next to it. I do feel that this is down to a time plan that's not effective enough. I left the little tasks to do at the end and gave a few hours to complete the work in but soon realised that this was too late as some tasks took a lot longer than I had planned. I have now started to do the little tasks a few days before the deadline. This way I have spare time for if things go wrong. I am confident in my Sketchblog assignment and my A7 one also. I feel that I have planned a lot more effectively this time. I have also used up all 32 hours a week and sometimes more on my work.

I feel that another thing that I am not good at is attention to detail. Things like not naming folders properly or differently to other folders. Things like not creating a professional looking CD label to hand my work in. Things like spelling and grammar. I feel that these are down to lack of time. These are the sorts of things I leave until the last minute. As I have said above, I will be doing these a lot sooner rather than later.

Overall I have enjoyed the course and I would try harder to the beginning of the course if I was to retake the first year. I feel that I lacked motivation and enthusiasm at that point. I have also learned a lot of professional skills and hope to learn more next year.

My favourite part of the year has definitely been this final assignment. I feel more confident about this assignment, which seems to have made me enjoy it more. There was also a lot of creative work and sketchbook drawings involved, which I enjoy the most. I have also enjoyed working with different people within the class. I worked well with Ben and still do, as we sit together in class. I also feel that I work well with Mirhad, although I have known him for some time. I would have liked with some other members of the class like Craig and Jamie Milsom. I think Steve didn't put us together for good reasons. With the second year approaching and the team assignment getting closer it's time to think about who we have worked well with, and not who we have yet to work with

I also enjoyed creating the image restoration piece. I feel that this was something that I did really well. I will have to do some more of this over the summer holidays, as we won't get the chance to do it again next year.

Some of the bad memories are me getting referred constantly. It really knocks me down. These referrals are my own fault though.

I am still unsure of what I want to do after this course. I am thinking of entering for the third year here at college. I feel it will depend on how the second year goes. If I do well in my Grandmaster Flash assignment then I might see if there's a course on Flash and Actionscripting. I do want to continue onto the second year however.

My ultimate goals for next year are to overcome my weaknesses, acheive atleast 3 merits and to use CSS. I know that acheiving higher level grades will be a big task for me but it will be worth the effort in the end. I also want to use InDesign instead of PageMaker, as it's experience wih new software. I feel that my time planning also needs to improve, as I still find it hard to stick to my plans. I look forward to creating our portfolio of the two years as well. My presentation skills weren't up to scratch, although I didn't do too badly. I hope there are chances next year to practice and improve these skills.

Overcome weaknesses
Learn CSS
Acheive 3 merits
Use InDesign
Create a portfolio site
Practice presentation skills
Improve time planning and management

It has been an enjoyable first year and I would like to thanks my peers, Steve and John for making it so pleasant.

Design progress

2007-05-03T16:06:00.000+01:00

This is the third blog entry this week. Please read the previous blogs before this one. The main task that I se tout for this week has been doing all of my sketchbook designs. The dream idea that I had was just another lost memory that had slipped out. It wasn't very useful for the type of music that my CD represents, although it would have been quite a good design for something more relaxing.

Maybe another CD design could be my mini assignment for the summer holidays? It would give me the chance to use some of the skills I seem to lack, as well as doing some design work in my sketchbook which I enjoy doing. Maybe a little too much design thought goes into my work, as Steve has told me. The aspect of working smart and not hard is revolving all around me now, although I still find it hard to come away from creating loads of sketchbook images. I feel that this is something that I will definitely need to overcome before the second year.

I am now down to two designs. I feel that I may have to try them out digitally before choosing a final one. The choice I would like to go for is a little more complex than I had imagined. I have searched numerous image galleries and none seem to have the image that I am looking for. I decided not to waste too much time looking for this image as there was other work to be done.

I do have a lot of work to complete, although I don't feel that I am behind. Steve thinks otherwise, which has made me a bit uneasy. Most people still have work to do on their website and corporate identity elements, whereas I feel mine are complete.

Over the week coming I will be finishing my sketches and working on my digital designs. I hope to have my digital designs finished for our final feedback meeting on Thursday. I also need to hand in my referral work, which is complete, but a final check over things I feel is needed.

The pressure is now on as deadline day comes ever so closer. I am actually looking forward to it as I want to achieve at least two good grades before the year is out (Sketchblog and A7). Hopefully these two assignments will give me the grades I want and will boost my overall confidence.

Dream like Dean's

2007-05-02T09:07:00.000+01:00

This is my second post of the week. Please read the post below as well. On Tuesday I came into college to catch up with some more work. I had the usual meeting with John at 10.00am, where I went through my referral work. During this talk we mentioned what plans I had over summer. I hadn't thought about the summer holiday much but this got me thinking. I needed to ask myself what can I do to prepare for next year. I wanted to do something that I could improve on. I decided that I should work on my main weaknesses. My main weakness is consistency. Some of my work has been referred for spelling words different every time it came to using that particular word. Or sometimes using a different word altogether. EG: sometimes I use ass 1, instead of assignment one. This also seems to happen on my CD a lot. I use capitals for some folder names and the rest will be lower case.

I feel that this is because I usually leave the CD to the last minute and don't have the time to change it. This is down to bad planning. To better prepare myself in the summer holiday and for future assignments I am going to create a CD checklist. This checklist will include things like: Make sure all folders begin with a capital letter (except for website folders), or check spelling. I feel that using this template would help me better prepare. Effective planning would also come in handy. I will make sure that I don't leave it till last in future.

My second main problem is choosing a colour scheme that doesn't conflict. I feel that I use too many bright, Mickey Mouse colours which sometimes make my site look untidy. Over the summer holidays I will need to revisit my colour lecture to pick up on details that I have missed. I would also use the colour index more carefully.

Working hard but not smart is the way that things seem to go for me. I usually spend hours and hours doing design work in my sketchbook, making tiny alterations and decisions. To me this helps me create the final piece and makes sure it couldn't be much better, although I do feel that it takes up the majority of my time. Some alterations and sketches are not needed. I feel like sometimes I go too in depth with some design elements.

By creating an effective time plan I can state that I want the final 4 chosen for such and such a time. I usually plan for this to happen, but feedback from myself and peers usually takes over, thus my plans run out of schedule. I must try to stick with these in future.

To help me achieve all these I will set up a mini assignment for myself where I can test all these skills and blog my progress. I will also be able to use them in the assignment that Steve sets us over the summer holiday. Has anyone else thought about things that they will be doing over the summer holiday? What do you think of setting a mini assignment up for yourself to test your weaknesses?

Another part of Tuesday was getting to see the second year's presentation. This was really inspiring, as I was able to get a sneak into what we would be doing next year. Although the students didn't have their portfolio completed they did give the presentation a good run without getting lost. I could see that they had been practicing. They were very nervous though, which just shows that even with a lot of practise things can get heated up. Here are the links to their portfolio site:
Dave Sellers
Adam McKenning
Mark Feather

The final part of my blog was about a dream I had last night. It was about the CD artwork for our current assignment. The music I was listening to for the assignment is called sea biscuit, but the music itself was quite alien. I kept thinking how could I put the sea, a biscuit and aliens together? In my dream I saw the image. I still have some tracks to listen to on the CD but hopefully I can get my dream sketched out and scanned for tomorrow's blog. The basic idea was an alien fishing in the sea. I need to decide if this is relevant enough though, before I progress any further with the idea.

Mickey Mouse no more!

2007-04-30T16:25:00.000+01:00

The past few days I have been working on making sure that my corporate identity and style guide is finished. I now feel less behind than I was before. Now that I have this out of the way I can concentrate on my CD's only. This is a good thing for me, as I can quickly design several templates for my CD work all in one day (hopefully). After I have my designs then I will feel more on track. I still have not started any work on my CD and I am beginning to feel it grasping me and pulling me back. The reason for this is because I have somehow managed to lose the CD with music on.

At first I saw this as a drawback, but I actually found it quite useful as I was able to concentrate on completing my style guide, rather than starting on my CD's and forgetting about it. This messed up my time plans big time. Maybe next time I should have a space for losing items for the assignment, as well as adding time for the fire alarm the day before deadline day.

Even though I thought my corporate identity elements were almost complete, I still had to change the colour of my logo. It had "Mickey Mouse" colours, coming from Steve. I do agree with him though. I had chosen my favourite colours, rather than some that were more suitable. I do feel that my colours represent ambience, but the next assignment I must let go of these two colours. They have conflict issues.

My new colour is just another shade of blue. Changing the colour was fine and dandy, but changing the logo and screen shooting it all for web use took ages. This was something else I had not planned. I feel that I need to make my time plans more flexible. I will do this by adding spare time, maybe an hour or two, at the end of each college day, for things like the above. This will give me the time to change anything that goes unexpectedly.

Over the weekend I also created a new header for my website, as the old one was too much like a banner. I had received this comment from several people, as well as my own opinion. I admit, I shouldn't have uploaded it and said it was completed. In future I should make sure that it looks exactly how it's supposed to, and only upload it when I feel it is finished. I also used some of Steve's dreaded Photoshop tools to make the website that bit more ambient. Filing white space up with images that are not needed isn't how we have been taught to do things, however I do feel that this image is sort of ambietic, thus I decided to use it anyway.

My final header now looks like this:

You can visit my finished website on: www.marcpugh.co.uk/corpid/index.html. Feedback is still welcome ;)

Colour Frustration

2007-04-26T16:17:00.000+01:00

This week has been a busy week for most of the people in our class. There is now only 3 weeks until the deadline day and the list for things that need completing is getting bigger. The time for getting things completed and online has come. I will have to make sure that my online style guide is completed for next week, as well as some cd ideas. I feel that I am back on track with the work now. Although I have some sketches to create still I feel that most of my corporate identity elements are at their final stages.

I feel that things started out quite a slow process, with the main layout to create and the rules to state, but I feel that now these are in place all our corporate identity elements use the same layout. This makes the design process some what faster. I spent days creating my logo and a suitable colour scheme. I then spent days creating the business cards but once I had the layout sorted, the rest of the elements adapted to the layout. This meant there was no need to design everything from scratch.

I feel that my website is looking a lot more professional now. When you are viewing a page, that page title will be written in blue in the navigation bar. This shows what page the viewer is looking at. I feel that this is necessary to a lot of sites. It also makes it easier for people who find themselves lost within websites easy. I decided not to create buttons in Photoshop like I did before as it increases file size and loading time. Instead I simply added a rollover colour. I feel that this method is much better and I think people should reconsider this method if they have images as links.

The feedback meeting with Steve on Thursday proved to be very useful, like it usually is. I received some feedback on my letterhead and continuation sheet. I also need to make some adjustments to some of my other corporate identity items. I was glad, however, to find that my logo and header for these items was at a professional size. The size I used for my logo was 15mm x 15mm. I also used a 21pt font split across two lines for my header.

I was not glad to hear that my corporate blue needed changing, as I had already completed elements with this in. I will have to change all my digital work so that they contain the new blue. I need to think about colours more carefully. This was something I had trouble with the last time. In future I should turn the colours to greyscale and find out if they have enough contrast. I wish I would have done this sooner. I guess it is my own fault for not doing this properly the first time.

Over the next week I will be working on my corporate blue, and applying it to all of my work. I will also be making sure that my content (apart from the release sheet) is completed and loaded onto my website. I will also need to start some work on my cd designs. I feel that it will be a very busy week at home. I really want a good grade for this assignment. I feel that it is the most important one and I feel that it is the assignment that I have tried the hardest with.

I am looking forward to John's session, like always, which will be taking place next Tuesday. I always find some way of improving myself in these sessions and I am quite proud of it. Steve has even mentioned how much I've progressed with the help from John. I recommend him to anyone who doesn't see him. I also want to see John so that he can look at my referral work before I hand it back in for marking.

My website has had some moderate changes made to it so here's the link again: www.marcpugh.co.uk/corpid/index.html. Feedback on my website and corporate identity elements is always welcome. I will be working on them throughout the week as well so changes may take place often.

Playing catch up

2007-04-21T18:14:00.000+01:00

This week I have been spending my time in college trying to catch up with my digital work. So far I feel that I have caught up with the majority of the workload. I have only my release sheet to do and then I can concentrate on my CD work.

I feel that I am beginning to understand the importance of consistency. I have made sure that all my work has a relative theme, and is used throughout my corporate Identity. Here is an example of my business card, letterhead and continuation sheet.
My website is also coming along, although I have not updated my work onto it just yet. The link is www.marcpugh.co.uk/corpid/index.html. The "use of the logo, corporate font and corporate colours" pages are completed. Feedback is appreciated on all of my work, thanks.

Over the weekend I will be completing my corporate ID work ready for our start back at college on Wednesday. I will also be working on my referral work, as I want to hand it in as soon as possible to get it out of the way. I will be coming into college on Tuesday to start some work on my CD designs. I have yet to start this part. I feel that my sketchbook will also need some modifications, ready for Steve's pre-Sketchblog-assessment

Blog for the last two weeks

2007-04-16T18:44:00.000+01:00

I have just come back from my holiday to Tunisia, and have spent some time doing sketchbook work. I have had no computer access which I fear has hindered my progression slightly, although I am hoping to come into college throughout this week to catch up. By the end of this week I hope to have all of my corporate identity completed, as well as some ideas for my CD.

Over the two weeks I have done most of my design work, along with the use of the logo, and corporate fonts and colours. I need to either wait till next week and receive feedback from everyone for my final designs OR choose my finals now so I can concentrate on having everything digitalised for next week. What do you think is the best way?

I didn't manage to find many inspirational pieces of work, although I did find some weird shaped post cards, which are now stuck in my sketchbook.

Not much else to say except I hope everyone had a good holiday and I'll see you all on the 25th.

Which logo?

2007-03-29T16:00:00.000+01:00

This week has been another exciting week for me. I feel that I have almost come to an end for my final logo, although Steve has suggested that I should make some minor changes. I feel that I have made good progress on my logo work, and I have evidenced all of my development work. I feel that this is an improvement I have made in other assignments, but not enough to achieve a merit. This time I am evidencing all my work. From beginning to end. I am going for the highest grade I am capable of achieving, as I am disappointed that I have only achieved passes.

Here is an example of my final logo. It does need some minor changes, but they won't be noticeable. I feel that the swirls represent the surrounding. I also feel that the colour scheme suites the logo quite well. I think that I will need to include my other corporate colour into the logo somehow. Any ideas?
My other chosen colour is green.

Wednesday was spent by designing my website. I was annoyed that I had misunderstood what Steve had meant when he said last week he wanted our screen designs completed. I thought he meant final designs in sketchbooks for Thursday afternoon. What he really meant was to have the screen design fully digitalised for Thursday morning. This meant that I had to totally change my time plan around. I suppose this is a good thing, as it gives me practice at time planning. This example shows that everything won't go the way you want it to. Although the shortage of time, I do feel that my design is quite good. Here is a shot of what it will look like:

I feel that this web plan will need some work on it. I don't feel the colours are the same as what I have chosen in my logo. I will have to look into this. The navigation bar also needs some alignment work on it. Anything else?

Wednesday also introduced another surprise feedback meeting with my group and Steve, although we were more prepared this time. I am glad that he is constantly asking us to remember things, as my memory is shockingly bad anyway. It helps us to improve our knowledge of the tasks at hand, as well as what elements to include for merit and distinction work.

Thursday was pretty much a get on with it day. I spent time on my logo design most of the day receiving feedback and making amendments. I was supposed to have done this on the Wednesday but I had to change my plans. I feel that my logo is almost at 100% complete and I feel I have made sufficient effort in this. I wouldn't have done my logo designs any other way. I feel that I have taken the best approach to create my final logo.

I also looked into my corporate colours and the use of the logo in my sketchbook. I have given my logo a minimum size of 15mm, although I feel this may be too small. What does everyone else think? I also gave my logo a 20% extrusion zone around it. I feel that this is a good size as there is a good deal of space between my logo and the edge of the paper.

I have also started some business card designs which I feel are quite good. They are in full colour which will cost a lot but I feel it is necessary to add colour to attract people. Here are a few of my sketchbook images, although not in very good quality:

Our feedback group was rather... quiet. I feel that we explained ourselves on Wednesday and had nothing to mention in Thursday's.

Over the holidays I will be doing all of my sketches and design work. I will probably not have access to a computer until the third week of the holiday as I am going away for two weeks. This gives me the chance to capture loads of inspirational and cultural work.

Logo ideas

2007-03-26T19:21:00.000+01:00

I have not thought about colour much but here are a few of my main design ideas.

2 feedback sessions?!?!?

2007-03-22T16:35:00.000Z

This week has been a very good one for me. The Wednesday morning I was expecting to see John take us in the morning for a timekeeping lecture. But as normal, it was Steve who started off the day. He showed the class the presentation on Logo design again. This was good to refresh some of the key concepts of logo design in mind. I also generated some new logos after he flicked through the examples. I think that this week I have concentrated more to the course than I have ever done before. On my way home me and Craig were discussing logos, and seeing them on our way home. I never really thought about logos at all until we started to create them. Every where I seem to go now I see them, and I always try and think of ways to improve them, or say whether or not they are actually good logos. I think this logo design work has sort of lit a spark in me. I have really enjoyed creating different logo designs for our assignment (and having them ripped to shreds by people). This is a part of learning what's right and what's not though. I enjoy feedback from other members, and I offer as much.

The second lecture of the day, which I didn't expect was the Timekeeping one, taken by Steve. I was keen to learn as much as I possibly could from this presentation, as I feel that having improper time plans is one of my weaknesses.

Throughout the afternoon of Wednesday, and the full day Thursday I created over 100 logo ideas. Steve's words about evidencing progression really got me motivated. I started with about 60 designs and then selected several ones and changed them around to create even more unique logo designs. I then used feedback and my own opinion to narrow the choice down to 10 single designs. I am going to create these ideas in freehand first and change the colour scheme, before narrowing my choice down to 4 finalised pieces. The next time I feel that I would use less feedback. I think people started to get annoyed with me asking for recommendations and picking out their best ones. Sorry if I did. I would also try not to create as many logos that were similar.

I look forward to the presentation we have to do on Wednesday, as it is another chance to brush up our skills and confidence. I also look forward to gaining feedback on my finalised pieces, which I can use to create a final logo. I also would like the chance to see everyone else's work. I am sure that their will be loads of unique ideas and designs.

Our feedback session was quite shocking really. Very disappointing. We were asked to tell Steve about the tasks that were needed for a pass, merit or distinction grade for our sketchblog assignment. Only a few of the tasks stood out in my mind, I could not remember them at all. Steve wasn't impressed at all. We have had this assignment for 23 weeks now and I could not even remember what was needed to pass it. I really needed to read the assignment sheet more. Next time I would have definitely read it more carefully, and made sure that I knew what everything meant. Asking more questions I feel was needed, although this is something that I am working on at the minute. Since the beginning of the course I feel I have improved quite a lot.

The second feedback session was also very alarming and shocking. It was a reality check, and I feel that I definitely needed it! I really need to do some work on my sketchblog before the final hand in, although I do feel that most of the tasks are quite up to date. I will need to add more cultural references, as well as a couple more inspiration pieces that aren't web based. I feel that everybody needs to do some changes to their sketchbooks over the next few weeks. The asignment sheet is your best friend. Make sure you fully understand what it required.

Throughout the next week I will be selecting my final four pieces and preparing for the presentation. I will also need to complete my site map and start to work on my corporate identity. I have managed to ask about some specimen pieces of corporate identities, although I have had no reply back as of yet.

I will be uploading some of my logo designs later on after I have created them in Freehand.

Confidence Grudge

2007-03-15T16:21:00.000Z

This week has been a bit of a rollercoaster. I've had some problems out side of college that have been stuck in my mind during certain parts of the day. On the other hand, I feel that I engaged in Marc Bowers lecture pretty well. I found his words very enthusiastic. I feel that his words have made me realise more that this course needs our full attention. We have no time to slack off. I enjoyed seeing his creations and he taught us yet another way of working life. All of the companies we have heard about have their own unique lifestyle. I was also surprised at how much work he has done since he started his new job. I never thought about how much pressure people are on whilst in a design studio. I believe that Marc's lecture was useful to everyone, and we also have a new friend to keep in contact with. The places that could be appearing at Real Radio have inspired me. I would like to get a placement as soon as I leave the course, rather than going freelance. I would definitely engage in Marc's presentation more next time, as my questions were quite simple and relatively easy to answer. I could have asked a lot more in depth questions, although I feel I gained from what I asked of him.

We have received our final assignment, the big one. I feel that this assignment will be enjoyable, as a lot of artistic skills are required. I feel that I can use this to my advantage. We have already created a business card before, but the chance to create another one will show me how much I have improved my skills. I will need to look back through my sketchbook at this section again to refresh my mind. I also look forward to creating yet another website for this assignment. The more practice, the better.

I am also looking forward to this assignment as there is a lot of sketchbook work involved. I feel that this is a good chance to improve my sketchbooks. I am already starting on my third sketchbook and I feel that this assignment will take up the majority of it. I have already created over 20 logo designs in my sketchbook, although they are only quick sketches. I feel that I need to create a few more dozen and then go into some detail about colours, etc. To prepare for this I am going to sort my time management out more thoroughly. I will also be taking time off work, as I feel that I work too many hours to split my spare time up. I seem to come home from work and start college work constantly. This is something that needs to change immediately for me. I will also read through my sketchbook for helpful links and tips learnt from previous lectures. I also found some inspiring work on Giger's website, although it is not necessarily relevent to our assignment

Another drop in the week is the fact that I know I have failed my website assignment. I concentrated so much and made sure I thought everything was ready to be handed in and then I ended up messing up my CD. I thought I could pass first time but to me it seems like the smallest things are the biggest problems. I need to prepare a lot more for deadlines. I need to make sure everything is completed the week before and to make sure all the little things are sorted out before deadline day.

I do feel that I have done well in my presentation though. I enjoyed it even though I was nervous.

Over the next week I will be creating more sketches of logo's. I will also start to think about fonts and colours that I would apply to my logo. I need to do some more work in my sketchbook and to make sure it is up to standard for the "Sketchblog" assignment. I also feel that it's better to get the website plan out of the way as early as possible. I feel that it would create pressure if left until later on. I feel that I will need to work whilst I am on holiday, although it is another chance to bulk up my sketchbook work.

I still am not sure if I am good enough to enter into the second year or not. I feel I can do the work, but I don't pay attention to small details like I should do. It is these small details that keep getting me referred. I know I can do the work, but sometimes it's hard to get everything perfect. I also felt like I was aiming too high. I worked for merit grades and forgot to complete the pass tasks first. This is another lack of attention to detail. I will have to prepare well in advanced if I am to spot these mistakes sooner.

Revert to type

2007-03-08T16:38:00.000Z

The typography unit has been an interesting one. Timed tasks made this unit quite unique, as we were never sure of what to expect. I enjoyed the timed tasks, and managed to work quite well through them. I am glad that Steve gave us a mock task, as I failed this one dramatically. I hadn't managed my time well enough, which is something that I got better at as I progressed. It felt like a real timed assignment, as Steve hadn't told us it was a mock until we had reached the time limit. This was very sneaky of him, although it made everyone prepare better for the real ones.

I did my best with my Don Weller newspaper, as I feel that I have used more typographical skills than in the others. I feel that the work I produced was better each time we had a timed task. To prepare better next time I would learn more typographic skills that I could implement into my work. I would also try to manage my time a bit better, as some of the assignments I only just made the hand in time.

The practice presentation that we did last week went well in my opinion, although I knew straight away what changes I needed to make. My presentation lacked technical terms such as: baseline, counter and apex. I did however manage to do the presentation without too many pauses or errors. I also managed to gain some valuable feedback on my presentation and my leaflet. I feel that this feedback was very important, especially because the deadline was only a week away. I feel that I made sufficient practice runs through my presentation before our practice one, although more practice would have been better. I think that you can never practice enough, and there's always something gained each time you practice. The next time I would definitely add more technical terms into the presentation before the practice one. This would enable me to receive feedback that will be more effective, as I could pick up on more errors that are made.

The actual presentation didn't go as smoothly as the first attempt, but I did feel that it was a good run. I came in and tried to be calm, although this was not an easy task. My nerves got the better of me in the end and I took a breather before we started. I am glad I had this breather as I don't think I would of calmed down for the presentation. I had managed to turn my presentation into a .pdf using some software I found on docudesk. I did however find some limitations to this software, but only until I opened the file ready for my presentation. I found that it had rotated my PDF clockwise so the whole presentation was now facing the wrong way. I am glad that me and Steve could find a way to rotate it back to it's original state.

I had two major pauses in my presentation, which is probably why my presentation went over the limit. I know Steve will of picked up on these so I am worrying about the result. I did do quite well on the surprise questions that he had in store for me. I feel I did pretty well, which should pick my marks back up hopefully. I feel that next time I would make sure that my presentation is 100% complete and right before converting it. I would also check that the method of conversion doesn't affect any of the work that I produced. This was something that I feel I lacked on this time. I do hope my grade was worth the effort.

The timed task Steve dropped on us this afternoon was very hard. I didn't manage to complete it at all. I feel this will drop my marks back quite a lot. I hadn't managed my time efficiently enough, as some tasks took longer than I had anticipated. I had spent over 25 minutes creating a list of things I could include, which turned out to be a waste as I only managed to use half of them. I did however manage to spell and grammar check my work, which should make it a little bit better. I would definitely plan my time better next time. I would also prepare before hand by learning terms more fluently, as some of my definitions are a bit short.

Overall I really don't know what to expect. My timed tasks I felt were quite good and should improve my marks, but the final task and the pause in my presentation will drop my grades. Would I pass?? I hope I do.

Reherse, reherse, reherse

2007-03-03T19:13:00.000Z

This week has been quite an eventful one. Wednesday started with the guy behind Purple giraffe. He came in and showed the class what he had been up to since he had finished the course that I am attending. His work was quite advanced to what I am working at right now. It was very inspiring to see what difference CSS can make. I enjoyed looking at the Flash site, although there was much less Flash work involved in this site. I also like the logo design of his band's website. It looks professionally made and is relevant to the site. I am inspired by his Photoshop work, as it is far more advanced than what I could ever make.

The information he shared was very useful. I learned what his work life was like, which is totally different to the Design Mechanics. This has showed me that each company will be different in their approach to work and discipline.

I regret asking fewer questions than I would have liked to, although I do feel that the answers would of been too advanced for me to understand anyway. Did anyone understand the UFO language that he mentioned?

Thursday went better than I had expected, although I knew what was wrong with my presentation when Steve had given us the intro. I was well prepared for the presentation and I feel that I was a lot calmer than I had expected to be. I also feel that I didn't hesitate as much. I do need to work on my presentation forms though, and more technical information is a definite must. My presentation was also a lot shorter than I had expected, although by adding more technical terms I should manage the limit. How did everyone else's presentation go?

Over this week I will be finishing off my evaluations for both my assignments. I will also be adding more technical terms to my presentation and working on my leaflet. Has anyone thought about creating a leaflet that folds? I am going to create mine so that it can fold like a booklet.

Here's a quick preview of what it looks like at the moment. Feedback appreciated, although I know several changes to make straight away.

Testing...1,2,3

2007-02-15T16:38:00.000Z

This week has been an exciting week for me, especially the timed tasks that Steve decided to drop on us on Thursday. Wednesday's site testing was quite fun. I am glad that I was able to have a good look at some of my peers work, as I hadn't seen many of their websites until that day. I feel that everyone has something unique on their websites, and I feel that everyone is making good progression. I feel that my questions were a little unprepared, although this was my own fault. I suppose that I was scared of what people would criticize my site, although I know that no-one in the class is like that.

I am glad to have taken part in the testing and I feel that everyone gained valuable feedback on their sites, as well as mine. I wish that I could of prepared some better questions, as I would of gained a better response to some questions than I did. I noticed some very unique questions as well, which showed that the person had thought about their questionnaire quite thoroughly. I wish I shared their enthusiasm.

I am glad that the feedback I received was useful, and I have already began to make changes to my website. It now works in Firefox (not fully), which was the main issue that people had addressed to me. I have also managed to add my content and fiddle about with a search feature.

Adding this feature took some time but I am glad to say that it is fully functional. If anyone wishes to test it then feel free: Marc Pugh.

Through my self study that week I had been working on a different search feature to my current one. I had wasted loads of valuable hours clicking away at code trying to make it work. In the end I realised that John's server didn't accept the .asp code that I was using. Next time I would definitely of asked this sooner, as I would of saved loads of time. I would of used this extra time to add my content, which would of made my testing more efficient.

The tasks we had received on Thursday were quite exciting. I was scared at first as I didn't fully understand the first task but once I started with it I figured out what to do on my own. The first task went quite well, although on my printed copy one of the lines isn't lined up properly. This is something that Steve will definitely pick up on. I also didn't expect to have a second test where I had to input text and images onto the design that I had created. I found this task quite interesting and I feel that my final piece looked quite effective. Here is a preview of my finished piece:

I feel that if I had more time then I would definitely change the masthead around, although I feel it is quite good as it is. Our feedback session was more in depth as usual, as my group was a man down. This allowed more time for feedback as we had more time between us. I managed to learn a few tips off Steve. He has also set me a feedback task. I have to find out what paper folded in certain positions is called. I had no idea that these had names. I managed to sneak one out of him, which is where the paper is folded into 3 parts, and the two ends meet. This combination of folds is called a gate fold. Anybody know any more?

Throughout the next 2 weeks I will be creating my leaflet and presentation, ready for the practice session in two weeks. I will also be working on the feedback I received from my testing. I will need the spare time to create a feedback form using CGI, as it was one of my goals.

Which one am I?

2007-02-09T20:13:00.000Z

This week's blog task is different to our usual blog of the week. We have been asked to find out what role we would play if we were in a team. We have to choose a role from the Belbin site, and say why we have chosen that particular role. "Which one suites me?" I thought to myself, as I scrolled down the list. I guess I could be several of them, depending on what the group needed.

I feel that I fit into the "Plant" role, as I am generally good at creating initial ideas. I feel that the drawback of my role is that I don't expand on my ideas, and generally stick to a single design. I also feel that another drawback is that I sometimes hold back my ideas, instead of letting them loose. This is something that I am having to work on, as I feel that there's a lot more inside my head than I let out. Saying all that sound's like I am not a "plant" at all, but I feel it is the role where I would be the most useful at if I was in a team.

I generally think that I would be quite good at "co-ordinator", as I feel that I can be quite bossy (not in a rude way), and I am generally good at setting people different tasks on how I feel they would do the best at. I have this experience at work where I have had to train new members of staff.

I feel that I would need an "Implementer" who could expand on any general ideas, as I am not good at expanding on ideas. I feel that this person would be the primary member of the group.

Another member I feel the group would need someone that is quite motivated and good at giving orders. A "chairman" would suite this place. They will be able to give everyone tasks to get on with, and will discipline people that don't obey.

I feel that getting a balance of roles is the best way to create effective teams, although I feel that their will be cases when even the most balanced teams may have trouble. I also don't think that there will be a balanced amount of roles in our group to have all balanced teams. There will be peers that play the same roles.

Personally, I would like the chance to work with some peers that I haven't worked with yet, although I do enjoy working with Rich, as I have done in the last two half-terms.

London Strike

2007-02-01T16:34:00.000Z

Wednesday's trip to London turned out to be quite the opposite of everyone's thoughts. It was a shame that the main purpose of going to London, was shut because of a strike! I think the majority of the class was disappointed in this. We had travelled a long way to visit Tate Modern. I wish that we would of found out about the strike earlier, as we might of had the chance to change the date. We did, however, have the chance to look around London, and see many of its inspiring buildings.

The rest of the afternoon was a bit of a mess in my opinion, although this was not Steve's fault. The museum had really messed up our time plan for the day, and in the end everyone went off in their own direction. I feel that this was good as we was able to do our own things. I found many inspiring images and signs, although I regret not taking enough photos, as everyone was walking faster than me. I didn't feel like getting lost in London on my own! I do hope we get another chance to go to London to see the Tate Modern museum, or any other museum Steve thinks is worth visiting.

The tests we had on Thursday were quite challenging. I am glad that the first one Steve gave us was juast a test, as I didn't manage to complete it in time. I am glad he gave us these tests, as they were able to challenge our experience so far. I feel that what I had created was quite good, although I saw some better designs from other peers. I feel that I have progressed well with typography.

Our meeting with Steve went well. I was able to receive some feedback from my very green website. I knew what the feedback would consist of though. I am quite glad that we can make changes to our designs, and not have them 100% to our plans, which I thought we had to. I hope to make good progression with the rest of my website.

I look forward to Johns lesson next week, as I am willing to learn what he has to offer. I also hope that I can come in on Tuesday throughout the day to print off my referral work, as well as work more on my website.

Planning put to the test

2007-01-26T20:55:00.000Z

I think the Builder assignment really puts our planning to the test. It will show us how well we have planned our website. I feel that our designs can only be as accurate as our plans, and that ineffective planning really shows in our work. I think the assignment lets us know how important plans are, and how they can change a final design. Making amendments to our plans is also important, as I feel that our actual designs can never be completed like our plans 100%. I know that my planning wasn't as accurate as I had thought it was. I noticed a few errors in my pixel measurements. I also found that the colours that I had chose looked different when I converted them into RGB. I feel that all these errors are learning us that even the little things can change the outcome of our websites.

I also found that my website doesn't work on several web browsers, which I am quite surprised at. This learned me that not all browsers are the same. I am unsure of how they are different though, this will be something we should all look into.

John's session was very helpful. I am glad that it was extended, though not on purpose, as we was able to sort more things out. He found several errors in my referral work, which learned me that it is necessary for more than one read through your work. We were baffled by some charts that wouldn't rotate to how Steve needed them to be. It took us a long time to figure out how to do this, although in the end it was me that found out the problem and solved it, which I am quite proud of.

I am also quite proud of the website I have completed so far, even if it's a little... different than how I imagined the site to look. I feel that I am also making good progression with my presentation work. I found Myfonts was useful to find out what my selected person specialised in. I found out that he was famous for his sans serif fonts, although he created several display and serif fonts, as well as a symbol font.

I hope that the trip to Huddersfield went well, and I am looking forward to the London trip as it lets us look at some actual designers work.

Back to college

2007-01-19T20:39:00.000Z

The first week back has been very interesting, due to the fact that we have now begun to create our first website for the course. This is also the first website I have ever created so I am really looking forward to it. I am glad to find that one of my team mates managed to achieve a merit, as well as several other members in the class. I am really inspired by their grades. I am going to try much harder this term, and I am going to try and make sure my feedback group works as good as my last one did. The feedback groups are really helpful if you work together.

I am glad that I managed to achieve a pass for my Back to BASIC assignment. I was hoping to pass this assignment first time as I enjoyed it and I put a lot of effort into getting it up to scratch.

We have finally got the chance to use Dreamweaver, which I am glad bout. I have been wanting to learn how to use this program for some time. My first attempt at it, however, didn't go very well. Over the weekend I am going to try to get to grips with this program, as I feel we will be needing it a lot more. I will also need to complete my referral work for my Picture This assignment.

I look forward to the meeting with John on Monday. I find his lessons are very helpful. I am also looking forward to the trip to London. I am wanting to see what Steve has in store for us on that day.

The second assignment that we received on Thursday was one that I will fear the most. A graded presentation. I must make sure that I practice as much as I can, as nerves will get the best of me if I am not prepared enough. I don't think I am the only person dreading this assignment, but I do want to learn to present correctly without making a fool of myself. It is a very professional skill and will definitely be needed further on in life, so I am glad that we are learning now rather than when it's too late.

A reflection of the first semester

2007-01-12T22:41:00.000Z

The work that we have done so far in the first semester has been somewhat different to what I had expected, although I feel this in a good way. I had expected to rush straight into the work and to have created several websites within the first few weeks. This is totally different to how the course has been. I didn't expect to have learned so much or to have so many lectures and assignments on our hands... and we haven't even started to build a website yet! The work has been truly inspiring, and I feel that I have learned far more than what I had anticipated. At first I was nervous to meet the people in the class but I now feel confident to talk to everyone. I think my feedback groups have been successful, and I am looking forward to working with some more members of the group.

When I first found out that Macromedia Flash wasn't a big part in this course I was quite shocked and I felt like I didn't belong here, as I feel that this program is my strong point. I am now glad I came on the course, and the "Flash" doesn't bother me as much. I would prefer to learn new programs instead of learning ones I already know how to use. I am glad that I was able to do the Photoshop part early, as I thought that the image restoration assignment would come farther into the course than it actually did. I was surprised at how easy the program makes it to manipulate any image. I expected to fall behind at this part, as I had never used the program before. I was glad to find that I wasn't the only one.

In honesty I have had my ups and downs about the course, but with the help from John I can say that I feel that the rest of the course is a big up for me. I hope to continue with his lessons, as I find them very helpful. I am also glad that I get on with both Steve and John quite well. To be honest I feel like I have let Steve down, as he wanted everyone to pass this assignment first time. I know that I have not accomplished this, but I am not going to let it get me down.

I think that the scariest part of the course was the presentation, as I have had little practice with them. I also have some confidence issues, as I don't feel comfortable with everyone staring at me. I think that the fear of everyone staring at me is when I start to lose concentration and forget my words. I hope that the next presentation that I have I will be more prepared for. I want to impress Steve by finally getting something right for a change. I think I will need some help from John and my peers to help me get over the fears of presentations. I am also quite glad that I share this fear with a lot of the other peers.

The most enjoyable part of the course I feel was the image restoration part of the assignment, as I feel that it went particularly well. I also enjoyed this part of the assignment, as it was amusing trying to get the colours to match realistic colours.

The things I should change for next time include: Being more confident, getting involved more, sharing more of my ideas, making sure that there are no small errors on my assignments as it's these small errors that have referred me on all occasions, make sure work is checked, double checked, and even a third check wouldn't go amiss. I will definitely try to use these as targets for next term

Deadline Disaster!

2006-12-22T20:03:00.000Z

The hand in day for our assignment didn't go as planned. I was up late Wednesday night making sure I had everything saved and ready for printing. I was shocked however, to find that the work I had saved on my USB was gone. I came in early just in case something went wrong, but I didn't expect to find half of my work missing. I had only 3 hours to get my work back up to standard. This proved difficult as their was much more to do than I had anticipated. With the help from some people I managed to hand in my work with just 2 minutes to spare! I felt rotten. This was the second time that I had been the last to hand in my work.

I am glad, however, that my A3 assignment should achieve a pass first time. I am quite confident in this, although something always seems to go wrong with me. I don't think I will achieve a merit, as I didn't have time to print out all of my work, but I can have the chance to upgrade this after Steve has marked the assignments.

To me I don't think the Picture This assignment went as well as it should of, and Sorry John. You told me to be more confident with myself, but here I am once again doubting my skills. I really am going to try much harder to be confident in my work. I always think my work could be better though, and I guess this is the reason why I am not as confident as I should be.

My target for the next semester, is to make sure I am not the last person to hand in my work. I am also going to make sure that I am comfortable and confident throughout the next two years. I am going to head for a merit on the next assignments. I guess that if I can achieve a merit then I would be in a comfortable position with myself in the course. By achieving this will also make sure that I am confident.

So I am saying this: Bring on the next semester. I will achieve as many merits as I can, and I will be as confident as I can. Steve, I can do this.

I would also like to thank Craig A, James S, and anyone else who helped me organise myself for the deadline. I really don't think I could of been ready if it wasn't for you guys. I WILL do better next semester.

Banners

2006-12-17T17:24:00.000Z

Feedback welcomed

A hint of confidence

2006-12-14T16:04:00.000Z

The deadline day is just seven days away. I feel like I have got a lot of work to do, but not as much as I thought I would have. I came into college on Monday, which I am glad, as I completed a lot of needed work. I feel that I can work a lot better in college than I can at home, where I get disrupted often. The extra day on Monday really let me concentrate, it is something that I will start doing on a regular basis.

I also had a meeting with Steve on Monday, as I was stuck with my pixel conversions. He really helped me sort out my problem. This helped me get back on track as I was running a little behind. I knew from the feedback that I needed to show three screen designs and not two. This was something that I overlooked before. I will also keep this in mind for the next time I create a plan. I had the chance to look at some of the second years work but I didn't ask as I don't really know them. I feel that next time I see them I will ask for some inspiration. I now know they don't bite after I talked to some of them over coffee (Or a caramel mochachino).

Wednesday was a crack on day, apart from the announcements Steve made. I was able to complete more work, although most of my time was taken by my screen designs. These took hours to complete, but in the end I feel like I have made a much better job of it this time around. My first screen design work on A2 was rather messy. I will have to continue my screen designs like this in future, as they are much better. I also created the plan based on feedback from other members. I am really grateful of the feedback I received. It was helpful to see how different opinions people in the class had. I feel that the feedback sheets me and my feedback group came up with are a great idea and I advise other people (if they haven't already) to give them a try.

Thursday was spent mostly putting everything in the right order and making sure they were properly referenced. The references took absolutely ages! I kept finishing them and then finding a mistake at the beginning, which meant I would have to retype all the other references after. After I had received feedback from Steve I realise that they are still not correct. I must do more proof reading before I make changes, as this will reduce the time. I feel like I wasted a lot of time changing my references and not enough time on the important things.

The only thing I feel I am quite behind in is my banners. I feel that I should of spent more time with them. I will definatly have to stick to my time plan next time.

The feedback meeting from Steve went really well I thought. I now know what I need to change, ready for handing in.

This week I will be making sure that I make all the emendations that Steve has gave me, as well as my own proof reading. I will also make sure that I stick to my time plan. I will also be coming into college during next week if I am not interrupted by work ringing me. I feel like I will complete everything on time. I also feel that I must put more effort into my Blog, as last week I admit I neglected it. I feel that I have let Steve down by not making any comments, so this week I will try to make as many as I can. I have definitely put a 100% more effort into this week than any other. I will keep it up through the next week as well. I would like to achieve a merit, although passing first time would also surprise me.

Bring on the deadline!

Lagging behind?

2006-12-07T16:03:00.000Z

Next week is our assignment standard hand in date. This means that everything, or as much as possible, has to be completed for that day. I feel that everyone will have to work very hard to achieve this standard. I know I will. I feel like I am lagging behind everyone else and I'm not sure why. Almost everyone has started their screen designs in StressMaker, but I am still creating a final piece in my sketchbook. Maybe this is due to the amount of work I have put in it?

I have a lot to complete for that week. I also have another problem, as my sketchbook has been obliterated. I will have to copy all of this up into a new sketchbook, which will consume valuable hours of my study time.

Wednesday was a good day for me, as I was able to receive some valuable feedback on my screen designs. I think that my designs were too fancy, and as I have never created a website before, I felt like the designs would be too hard to create. I simplified them down to make them more standard, but made sure they were flexible. I feel that my final design is the right choice for me, although I had a little help choosing this design from some feedback Steve gave me.

I hope that my design will be easy to build and look effective at the same time. I really want to achieve a merit this time, although I am still unsure of "how much" research we need to put into our assignment. I have done research on my goals, target audience and my delivery requirements. I have also thought about the feedback I recieved from peers. This was something I did badly the first time. I think the feedback forms were really helpful, although they are time consuming.

The feedback forms have really taken a lot of my time. I think that next time I use them I will have them ready for the Image concepts deadline, instead of designing them at the last minute. I will also make sure that image designs are a little more flexible and not similar designs with minor changes in them. I must keep in mind that minor changes dont contrast, they conflict. I feel that this is an important line when creating screen designs.

Thursday was rather stressful, especially when we had to create some banners using Photoshop. I feel that my designs were too complex to put into Photoshop, especially for me, as I am a Photoshop novice. I think next time I will choose a less complex design until I get a grasp of the basics. I should of chose a basic design in the first place, but I thought I would tackle the complex one as it looks quite effective. I wanted to impress myself by creating a design that looked good and wasn't basic. This was a mistake in my opinion.

The exercize Steve set us in the morning was a real motivation to me. The idea of quick fire designs was really an inspiration of what real designers work like. I think that Steve should make more of these, as it lets us expand our minds, within a very short period.

The feedback with Steve didn't go well at all to me. Instead of a 30 minute feedback session, where valuable points can be taken, I felt that it lacked in helpfulness this week. I feel that this was our groups fault though, as we were ten minutes late into his meeting. I guess we were too busy working and didn't hear the last group come out. Sorry Steve.

Over the next week I will make sure that all my work is saved into StressMaker layout. I will also need to make sure that I complete my draft designs in my book, ready to create at college. I also need to make sure that my sketchbook is repaired. I will need to create a budget statement and complete my banners. I am going to leave my Image restoration till last, as I feel it is the least important thing for handing in next week.

To make sure I complete all of these I will come into college on Monday and Tuesday (with permission from Steve), as I feel that I completed a lot more their than I do at home. I feel that this week will be a struggle for everyone to complete, although I feel that everyone will make more effort to complete things for the submission standard this time.

I must remember to save my work!

2006-11-30T16:40:00.000Z

This week has been an exciting one for me, due to the fact that we have started our image manipulation section of our assignment. I have never used Photoshop before, so I was quite scared that I would find it too complicated for me to use. I had a tutorial with Steve, who showed me many features of Photoshop. I was quite surprised, as I picked it up straight away. In a lot of ways this was similar to Flash!

Wednesday flew by, mainly because everyone was concentrating on their content. Although I was unsure of some of the terms that Steve had given us, I knew some of them by nature, due to the course I took before this one. I felt that I could use it to my advantage.

I had also been creating some screen designs at home, and looking at different ways in which my site could be formed. I looked at text that was web safe, different navigation bars, different buttons, different layouts, etc. I then used these ideas and created my own in my sketch book. On my first assignment I didn't take in the feedback I had received from my peers, and I created a site that was based on my opinion and not the audience.

This time around I will create a form that lets my peers select their own layout from my designs, so that their feedback is going into account. By doing it this way I will not be creating a website for me, but I will be creating a website that is based on the feedback that I receive, which I feel will improve the site overall.

My designs are a lot better this time around, as I have actually researched into site templates that could be useful, instead of creating several basic ones from my head. I feel that the research has been helpful.

On Thursday we started the image manipulation. Steve had found a scraggy photo and we all had to repair it and to add colour. I feel that mine was going well.... Until the computer crashed and I lost a lot of work! I must remember to save my work a lot more next time, if ever it should crash again. I was well peeved about this, although it was my fault for not saving often enough.

Over the next week at home I will be finishing off my previously outstanding assignment, ready for John to check through it on Tuesday. I will also look into more creations for my site, including the form template that will be used for people to select their favourite layout, font, etc. I will need to work on this Photoshop image at home also, if I am to complete it on time. I feel that I am on target with my assignments, although some adjustments can be made to them. I must not leave these to the last minute, unlike I did on my first assignment.

Working in a green environment reduces your chance of receiving a stomach ache!

2006-11-23T16:02:00.000Z

This week Steve shocked us all by pronouncing that we would be presenting a show on a specific colour. I hate presentations, as I have not had a very good experience of them, although Steve's lecture helped. "What can we possibly say on colour?" I was thinking. I was hoping that I had a colour that I liked, which I was successful at obtaining. I recieved the colour Green. I was partnered with Mirhad, which I was quite glad of, as I know him from my previous course. I felt quite calm whilst I researched through the web for information on my specific colour.

During my research I found things like "St. Patrick's Day, which I was familiar with before. I never realised there could be so much content to a presentation based on just one colour. I also found some amusing phrases during my search.

I was unable to have a successful rehearsal, which made me even more nervous about the presentation, due to the fact that I was rehearsing in a room with very creaky doors. Another thing that made me even more nervous was the fact that I didn't know who would be watching. As people started to go up and present their colour, I was thinking to myself "I don't want to go next, hope it's not me next."

Eventually my time came and my nerves weren't too bad.... until I reached Steve's door. What made me more nervous was the fact that Dianne would be watching, I didn't get on so well with Dianne during the first week so I was quite nervous about being around her. I started off with a great introduction according to Steve, but the rest of the presentation was full of umms and ahs. To be honest, I was expecting this, as I am like that on all my presentations that I have done. I felt quite bad, although I think I did better than any of my previous attempts. I think this was because of the lecture with Steve, which covered ways to structure the presentation. I found this useful, as i never really was any good at presentations.

After I had finished I was relieved that I had it out of the way, although Steve had mentioned that people will be going more than once. I hoped that I wouldn't need to go again. Even after I had done my presentation I kept thinking "Not me, I hope I am not next." The feedback I received from Steve and Dianne wasn't so bad. I was expecting them to shout at me for not rehearsing enough but they just smiled and told me what I would need to do next time, which I will take into account.

One thing I am glad of is the chance to do a presentation, as one of our major assignments involves one. This gave me chance to practice and learn new techniques for the next time. Even though I hate presentations, I do hope that there will be several more for us to practice on. I learned many facts about the colour green, and some other colours thanks to the handy fact leaflets that were created by some of my peers. Another thing I learned was that I shouldn't be scared of Dianne. I was always nervous when she was in class as I dont think we got on very well, but now i know that she is as nice as Steve and John.

The next time I have a presentation, I will make sure that I rehearse a lot more. I think this was the main reason of my nervousness during my presentation. I will also make sure that I give eye contact to all the audience, and not to focus on one person. I will also remember to hand out my fact leaflet. I had this in my hand ready to impress Steve with after my presentation, but I was so nervous that I forgot to hand it out!

All Clear!

2006-11-16T16:21:00.000Z

My tutorial with Steve on Wednesday afternoon was quite useful. I had not got myself in trouble for spelling mistakes, late emails, etc. which was good, as he usually has something to say to me. I was quite pleased that I had completed everything without missing any details. I used this time to show him some of my work in my sketchbook, where he could give me some feedback on what I had done. I will use this feedback to make my sketchbook better in the future.

I enjoyed the lecture on colour patterns as it was more arty work than technical, which to me is easier to learn. I find it strange that it was a scientist that invented the colour wheel rather than an artist, which I thought had invented it. I also found a new colour pattern, which I had not come across in Steve's lecture. I showed him this and he didn't have a clue either. During my spare time I am going to research on this and try to find out what it is.

I have started to use the C.A.R.P. lecture and enter some of the technical terms in with my Back to BASIC assignment. I feel that I needed this in my first assignment, however this lecture didn't come until we had completed it.

The feedback group with Steve this Thursday morning also went well. I found out what I was missing from my assignment, but also some other key points that I could use to improve my grade. I am going to try my hardest to receive a pass first time, or maybe even a merit!

In class we have also started to use the "P"word (Photoshop). I have found this relatively easier than what I had expected. My previous encounter with the "P" word was not a successful one. I hope to learn more about the "P" word and I am quite excited about the image manipulation section of our assignment. This will let me get my hands dirty with the "P" word, and really grasp its usability.

During the weekend I will be working on my feedback from Steve on my assignment. I will be doing some research into my goals and my competitive analysis to increase my chances at getting a merit. I also need to do some work on my referral assignment, which is starting to drag me back. I hope I can get this finished and out of the way during the next two weeks. I can use my feedback from Steve to increase my grade on my referral work, which doesn't need much altering, although I shouldn't leave it to the last minute.

Pleasure/Pain

2006-11-09T16:48:00.001Z

This week has been a mixed week for me. I feel disappointed in the amount of work that I have done this week in my self study, even though I have met the goals set by Steve. The week started with me setting some work to one side for self study, which was obliterated by the fact I had to work. Pain. I started with my essay on Picture This on the Sunday, but soon felt the urge to move onto my other assignment. I also feel that I am starting to use Blogger more effectively, which is something I have been trying to come to terms with.

I also had just purchased another Flash tutorial (sorry Steve), that was urging me to complete it, which I will post up when it’s completed. Pain. I also found out on the Monday that I can no longer get my Eczema prescription free anymore, and with my Eczema getting worse, I had no choice but to pay £20 quid! Pain. A good part was the fact that I have finally passed my driving test. I felt really shocked and pleased with myself.

I learned a great deal in Wednesdays lecture. The lecture was on colour shapes, which was very helpful towards my assignment. I had searched for a colour shape chart on the internet, which I wanted for my sketchbook. I then realised that because it was an image of the whole spectrum, the printer would not be able to print it as it should look, due to the fact that printers are based on a CMYK ink cartridge, which meant that colour would be lost.

I am enjoying my feedback group at the moment, as we are working well together. We also managed to complete all the tasks that Steve had set us, without any major errors. I was quite pleased with the group. Steve also seemed impressed, which I am glad of.

In these next assignments I have took my action plan into perspective, which will help me get a better grade if I stick to it. I have also created a decent time plan that suites me and my timetable, which I didn’t take seriously enough on the last assignment. The deadline for next week has a big pile of work for me that I will need to do in my own time. I hope I don’t get called into work! I found some inspirational work during class that i have stuck into my book. The links are on my "useful links" area. I also found some intreguing work in a magazine I bought called Imagine FX. It comes out every month (I think) and some of the work inside is qute impressive.

I have my first assignment to hand back in from its referral, although I haven’t touched it since I received it back, which I am not pleased about. I will have to make a start on it to get it out of the way of my other assignments.

During my self study time I have been looking at some images that have been created in Photoshop for inspiration. I found several pieces that I found intriguing and I will place a link to the site in my useful links. Most of the images I searched through were based on image manipulation, which is what my assignment is about. I can’t wait to start Photoshop even if I am completely new to it.

I have also settled down with “StressMaker” as I copied and edited my Picture This essay with no problems at all. I am quite proud of this as I struggled with it the first time I used it.

Workload Increase

2006-11-02T16:23:00.000Z

On Wednesday, when college had opened back up from the half term break, the tension in the class was quite low. We all knew that our assignment scores were to be put up after break. Most people were fine, including me. That is, until Steve showed a list of the mistakes that he had found within several assignments. Immediately after, through break, the tension had increased dramatically. I was getting quite worried about failing my first assignment.

We headed back to the class after our break to receive our scores. As we approached closer to the door everyone seemed to slow down, dreading to look at the results. I glanced at my result to find that I had failed one part of it. I was gutted. But I was glad that wasn’t the only one. There were more of my peers that had failed than I had imagined. I was also quite surprised that no-one had received a merit.

John saves the day
I was quite upset that I had completed the assignment but not passed it. I felt like I had let my peers down. John came over and told us that we could get our work back and improve on it to achieve a pass. I was glad! I had no idea that we could get our work referred.

Thursday was also quite eventful, after receiving our second assignment of the semester. The workload had increased but we also had a longer period to complete these. I feel that the second assignment is similar in a lot of ways to the first one we did. The third will start the introduction of Adobe Photoshop, which I have had no experience with. I will be glad to learn the basics of this software in the future.

I am enjoying my new feedback group; team Delta, as I had the chance to interact with two members that I had hardly spoken to through the first 6 weeks. I am happy now that I have worked with almost everyone in the class now, and the class as a whole is becoming more involved together.

I have also learned some new features in Blogger, like adding pictures at the side. I can show off a bit of my artwork off now. I will be glad when I have some work from inside college to upload onto here. I also had a change around with the colour schemes, which I didn’t know how to do before. I am eager to learn more features of Blogger so if anyone would like to make me a comment with suggestions of improvements then please do.

My spare lesson with John also went well. I learned not to worry about my grades. He also helped me approach Steve with something that had bothered me. I am glad now that I had discussed this with Steve. He also showed me how to improve my Blogger. I will be editing my old posts to make them even more interesting. I will also be adding more screenshots etc of my work as this helps me evaluate myself and to learn from my mistakes.

I was quite worried when one of my Delta members had passed out on me! I had no idea what had happened. I am glad that he is fine now and that we can laugh about this incident.

A Week Off!

2006-10-30T10:16:00.000Z

Personally, I have missed college, but the chance of escaping all the hard work is a relief. Although I have tried to relax over the week I haven’t had much chance as I have worked every day. I feel I am ready to go back to college.

Throughout the week, I have done some more work in Flash and have also tried to get to grips with Photoshop, although this wasn't as successful as my attempt in college. Next week we will be back at college and I can't wait to see what Steve has installed for us. I also have a spare lesson with John again, which I am looking forward to, as his help is quite useful.

The assignment is still in my mind, although the deadline was a week ago, but I still hope to achieve a good grade. Looking back on the assignment I feel that it was much less chaotic than I had expected. I hope the next task is even more fun.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Its off to the pub we go!

2006-10-21T19:11:00.000+01:00

This week has been quite a nerve-racking one. It’s a relief to have finally handed in my assignment. We were able to chill out at the pub and relax after the 6 weeks of hard work. This was good for me as I was able to socialise with the people in my group and was able to speak to members that I don’t really interact with. I hope to achieve at least a pass in this assignment and will be glad if I achieve a higher grade. I have put extra work into the assignment to try and achieve a higher grade.

I am quite scared that I will not achieve a grade as good as everyone else. I had seen a few people’s designs that they had created and their sites were a lot more creative than mine. I hope that through this course I will learn to be as imaginative as the other members.

To make my next assignment better I will try to put more thought into my work and to use my time planning a bit more efficiently, as I only just finished the assignment on time. I was unprepared for the CD label and had to quickly come up with one on the morning of the deadline date.

PageMaker has been deleted.... Introducing StressMaker!

2006-10-12T16:23:00.000+01:00

This week we have mostly been working on our assignments. That meant another week using the horrid program PageMaker, which I find very hard to use as there is no scroll! It also lacks in other functions that make writing relatively easier. I was pleased to find that Dianne was around to lend a hand. She showed me how to change the text font so that it matches Steve’s criteria.

I was pleased to have the one-to-one chat with John on Tuesday morning as it helped me organise my work. He showed me ways to keep my sketchbook tidy and easy to relate to. Although I knew parts of this organisation "stuff" I never started using them until now. I feel that they are really important and will help me in the future.

I also attempted another shot at Photoshop, which went wrong, but I did learn some new features in the program like the "magic wand". During my self study time, if I get the chance with all the assignment work that needs to be completed before next Thursday, I will be trying to learn more features of Photoshop. I will also be enhancing my bog during self study time, to make sure it is kept tidy and professional looking.

The "Blogger" lesson with john was very good, even though he made me show my blog to everyone in the class. I learned what I need to change to make my blog much better. I was pleased to find that my blog wasn’t the only one that was lacking in professional inputs.

I am getting quite nervous now as the deadline for our assignment hand in date is getting closer. I will need to purchase "StressMaker" and install it at home to ensure that I get everything complete for the deadline date. After the assignment hand in date we will be going to the pub! Something to look forward to...

Oh no! Photoshop has arrived!

2006-10-05T16:50:00.000+01:00

This week has been quite hard as I am now having to learn two pieces of software for the course. I’m finding them quite hard to learn, especially Photoshop as its much more complex to the design programs I am used to. Although I am getting a basic idea of how PageMaker works I still have trouble with certain features of it.

For my assignment I have been using Photoshop to create a few images for my website….with great difficulty. I think I had about five people surrounding me trying to teach me how to use it! To be honest though I think the images that I created were quite good for my first attempt.

Watching Diane’s presentation was good as it let me see what other students that had done this course had come up with. It also gave me an idea as to what options are available after this course. Her Flash work was very inspiring. My assignment work is getting better, mainly due to Steve’s lectures about professionalism. I think that my feedback group is well balanced. To me it seems like Jamie is the leader of the group. Whenever there’s discussion work to be done he always seems to be the person that wants to go first. I also find this inspiring as he wants to show off his work instead of hiding it away until last.

Overall I think that this week has been fun but hard. Learning Photoshop was fun even if it’s so complex and I can’t use it very well. Also getting called into Steve’s office often for mistakes made in my work or blog makes me feel sad. I feel like I am letting Steve down and he has helped me so much.

To improve myself for next week I think I will start to double check everything, even simple things like changing my name into a capital “M” and a capital “P” (which took me three times to get it right!) I must also learn some aspects of Photoshop at home to better prepare myself for the next time I need to use it.
I want to thank Steve and everyone else who helped me with Photoshop!

My best week so far

2006-09-29T19:50:00.000+01:00

Through the fourth week I have been doing work on my assignment both in class and at home. Now that the designing part has started I am feeling a little more relaxed as I am enjoying this part of the assignment. I have also been on time to my lessons which is good as I didn’t miss out on my group meeting, although I think they might have forgiven me by now. The pile of homework is slowly going down and the assignment has only two weeks left to complete. I feel like I will be able to complete this assignment in good timing, (hopefully). I still cannot believe how much work I have done in the few weeks I have been here. My sketch pad is almost 2/3 full. I will need a new one soon!

The lessons have also been more enjoyable as I have been getting to know a few more people. Helens lesson was much better this week. She had revised on what Steve had told us before but having the chance to go over it again was good as I was able to revise on it which helped me to learn the things involved more thoroughly.

Personally I think it’s been a good week and I have started to get used to the amount of work that must be done on this course. I have also started to space my self study time out through the week instead of the last few days to do everything. I thought Steve might be in a mood with me as I write about him in my last entry, but he just laughed when he saw it and is fine with me which I am glad of!

P.S I can’t wait till we start Flash, although I have a while to wait!

Timekeeping Horror

2006-09-23T20:19:00.000+01:00

During my third week of HND Multimedia I have been working on my assignment, both at home and at college. I have also done some self study work that I think will help me during the course. I think I am starting to settle into the course now, and I have made a few friends. I am still a bit nervous around the people in the class that I don’t really talk to. I was late to class this afternoon which didn’t go well with my teacher. I was sent out of class and had to work in the library. I felt quite surprised actually, as I was only late by a minute or so, although I expected this punishment when I realised I was late. My teacher is strict with time keeping.

I am starting to feel the pile of work crop up now, as it’s far more advanced than the last course I did. On Monday I was stressed because of the amount of work I had to do and the little time I had to do it with. This was partly works fault as I was supposed to have Monday and Tuesday off for self-study but I was called into work instead which gave me less time for self study. I didn’t feel like I was going to complete it all. Another thing that bothered me was the fact that Steve had let the other two pupils that were late take their group meetings and he made me miss out. I felt like I had let my group down and that the other groups had got away with it. I am also a little let down to the fact that I am not the only person who knows how to use Flash. I thought I had a head start on things.

To improve my week I could try to get to lessons on time. I am not usually late but I have had a close call and a late already so I must be careful with my time keeping. I should also space my self-study work out more instead of relying on the last two days of the week to complete it. I could also try to interact with more members of the class that I have hardly talked to, which would make me less nervous around other people.

My first two weeks at college

2006-09-17T20:52:00.000+01:00

My first 2 weeks at college have been quite fun. At first I was quite nervous about meeting new people but after I realised that some people I knew were on the course I calmed down and became more confident.

Throughout the induction week the class was split into smaller groups to make it easier to meet the other members in the class. Whilst in the smaller groups we had to talk and work together to answer Questions with as many answers as we could find. These group tasks helped the students in the class get to know each other better.

After the induction week had finished we had to kick straight into the first assignment. I was quite glad actually as we now have the chance to show off our talent. I am a little bit scared as my work may not be as good as the other students work, but I will try my hardest anyway. The first assignment is on planning websites and everything learned in this assignment will greatly benefit me in my other assignments and the work after.

I was a little disappointed to find that the "flash" part of the course would not start until the back end of my first year. I think it is a good thing really as I will be looking forward to completing the first year just to take part in the flash area of the course.

Overall I think its been a fun two weeks and I am hoping that the rest of the course goes as smoothly and as fun as these.

Formative Report

2006-09-17T20:51:00.000+01:00

Where have I come from?

I first decided that I would like to take media seriously in year 11 of school. During year ten I found out that I was quite good at art work, especially pencil work. I spent a lot of time and effort in my art + design classes than any of my other subjects, especially towards my GCSE’s as I really wanted a good grade in this subject. I was quite worried towards the end of year as I thought that I didn’t put enough effort onto the other lessons and too much effort into my art work. My art work was actually lowered due to the fact that I had hardly any colour work in it. I still managed to get a good grade in art and design and still get the other relevant grades to get onto the next step. Throughout year 11 I became interested in PC’s and how they work.

After a while I began to lose hope of taking my art work further into college as I thought that the lack of colour in my work mite make things harder for me. I decided to take on a computing course instead so I could learn more about how they work. I was particularly excited about the second year of the course as it had a web design unit. Although I learned a load from this course which would help me in many jobs, it wasn’t the course that I thought it would be. I continued it anyway to see what the opportunities would be available after I had finished it.

As the first year progressed I started to use my spare time for drawing again. I began to search and experiment with programs that would bring my artwork and technology together. I had asked a friend to help me with this problem and he found Macromedia Flash. I began to use this program and started taking tutorials off the internet seriously. I had finally found something that brought my two hobbies together. It was also fun to use, although quite frustrating at some points.

So when the end of the AVCE course was coming near and we had to decide what to do next in life, I decided to look for a course that would take computers and designing into account and to explore software such as flash more thoroughly. For these reasons I chose this course, the HND in Interactive Media. The course also was designed to make people think for themselves, as well as learning professional and team skills. It was also based on web design, another thing that I had been craving to learn.

Where am I now?

On this course I am hoping to expand my imagination, as well as to learn new programs such as Dreamweaver and Photoshop. I also hope the course will help me polish up my “Flash” skills and go into more depth on design work. I would also like the course to be as enjoyable as possible. When I started the course I was quite nervous, but as the lessons started I was relieved to find some students that I already knew.

Where am I going?

The next step after this course I am still unsure of. There are several options available and they will probably depend on the grades I get from this current course. Most likely I will be going to university after I receive my grades. If I don’t get the grades I need then I will probably go into a job based on web design etc. after iv completed university I will be looking for a job or experience on web design or flash animations. My true dream would be to go back to university and take a course on games design/ 3D designing using programs such as 3D studio max. I didn’t get the grades I wanted to get onto the games design course so I chose Interactive media as backup which is what I am taking now. Truly by the end of my college/university life I would like to be in a well paid job with lots of experience to offer and with an enjoyable background.

Where I am now

Post catch up

Figured it out...

Scripting...

It's been a while...

Summative Report

Final Design 3

Portfolio 2

Portfolio Screen Design

Competitive Analysis

Update

Delivery Requirements

Targets Acquired

Ready, Aim......

Evaluate!

Cd list

Get professional, get *ProCol*

Sculpture your mind

Top Songs

Half term over already?

The Interview Continues....

Job Hunting - Revised

CSS Guru Wannabe

Job hunting

Possibly the shortest blog ever

Do you know the answer marc? (eek!)

And what skills have I learned today?

Final ideas.....Or are they??

Design, Design, Design

The learning continues..

Evaluation

Design progress

Dream like Dean's

Mickey Mouse no more!

Colour Frustration

Playing catch up

Blog for the last two weeks

Which logo?

Logo ideas

2 feedback sessions?!?!?

Confidence Grudge

Revert to type

Reherse, reherse, reherse

Testing...1,2,3

Which one am I?

London Strike

Planning put to the test

Back to college

A reflection of the first semester

Deadline Disaster!

Banners

A hint of confidence

Lagging behind?

I must remember to save my work!

Working in a green environment reduces your chance of receiving a stomach ache!

All Clear!

Pleasure/Pain

Workload Increase

A Week Off!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Its off to the pub we go!

PageMaker has been deleted.... Introducing StressMaker!

Oh no! Photoshop has arrived!

My best week so far

Timekeeping Horror

My first two weeks at college

Formative Report

Get professional, get ProCol