OUGD503 - Module Evaluation

OUGD503 – Module Evaluation

Overall, I thought this module was quite successful and I enjoyed working in response to a range of different briefs. The physical aspect of the two larger briefs was enjoyable and being able to make a product was satisfying with the outcomes being effective. Within the module I think I managed my time quite effectively as I was able to balance doing work for other modules with this one as well.

It was good to work with someone from another course as part of the collaboration. Knowing the person meant that it was easier to work with them and I already had a sense of her work and work ethic. Collaborating with an Illustrator allowed the board game to have more of a playful aesthetic and meant the design was more of a polished. Working with someone else meant that I could focus on the production, concept and branding of the game which I enjoyed. Being part of a collaboration however was in some ways difficult because other courses weren’t doing collaborations as part of their course so I didn’t want to ask too much of her. However, we met up every week which allowed us to follow each other’s progress and it was interesting to hear someone else’s thoughts and ideas on the project and my collaboration was happy to help with different aspects of the project. 

Doing smaller briefs was enjoyable partly because there was less expectation for the designs to be fully polished in the time span meaning there was less pressure on the outcome. This meant I was able to experiment more with the designs for the Penguin Book Covers, using photography and the scanning of objects around me to create the outcomes. Using these techniques allowed me to work in a quicker way and find ways to create imagery in a simple way. The use of photography worked well and created some interesting designs that I perhaps wouldn’t have created if I had longer on the brief. This more experimental approach, particularly for the Penguin Covers, used a range of media and photography which created some strong imagery.   

For the smaller briefs I found that setting a day for each aspect of the design process forced me to send an equal amount of time on different aspects. This structure allowed the designs to be created in a short amount of time whilst I was still able to produce quite a lot of work within the time. Knowing how long I had to spend on an aspect allowed me to concentrate on certain elements rather than trying to just get the project done within the time span.

After doing the smaller briefs, which were much looser, it was quite difficult to go back to doing the larger briefs because of the amount of development that was needed. However, starting the briefs early meant that I was able to chip away at them each week so progress was made whilst also doing other modules.

I enjoyed the all-round development of the Hasbro Board Game from concept to production. I find creating games and the interactivity of them interesting and enjoy solving the problem of working out the gameplay.

To improve, more time needs to be left for the production of the designs. Although I left a week and a half for this, it became problematic when things went wrong with printing or materials didn’t arrive which meant that the design was still being produced quite close to the deadline.