Module Evaluation

OUGD502 has been a really enjoyable and pleasant experience. Reflection on my own practice has really made me self-evaluate in an introspective way, which is important for progression. Looking at what responses were successful and what were not, as well as what I enjoyed and what I did not, means I can progress to Level 6 with a clear idea of where my strength and weaknesses lie.

Sessions on aspects of the profession like copyright laws and how to price your work provide excellent intel for preparation for industry. Similarly, the push to contact practicing professionals further made me engage with people I would normally be too shy to talk with. I found the creative report to be initially really overwhelming. I am really bad with people I don’t know and get quite anxious about asking questions in general – a bad character trait that I know needs conquering. As such, I interviewed someone who was incredibly inspiring and motivating. Ally allowed me to feel more at ease in my own aspirations, as well as focus on my own work and tastes. She also made me understand to really try everything whilst still at Uni as afterwards resources are fewer and jobs become more restricted.   

I have always been relatively okay with presenting, as long as I know and am passionate about what is to be communicated. I found the presentation this year very enjoyable. I felt at ease when I was in front of the small group talking and felt I communicated myself well. Listening to everyone’s presentations made me really excited and impressed by my peers in the class. Everyone had a distinct identity and were genuinely getting out there and doing their own things. I was not happy at all with the fact that no feedback was given to each person, apart from a statement at the end stating all our presentations needed to focus more on conventional and taught graphic design. This really annoyed me as I felt the communication between tutors must’ve been very off. As students, we were responding to what we were told – a presentation about who we are and what we are doing beyond the course. For a lot of people to get up and talk in front of an audience is extremely nerve-racking and it was evident that although some people struggled, they delivered their piece really well. For the tutor who was marking us to state this at the end was somewhat demoralising, and felt as if they just had not been paying attention to any of our presentations.

It is a shame because I found PPP as a module to hold a lot of value and to be really necessary. It is certainly a key characteristic of the course that prepares the students for industry, not only through visiting professionals but also through getting more comfortable with pitching your ideas. Even if one may not have to stand up in front of a room of people and pitch an idea, within this sector of work its evident that we will always need to be convincing others of our ideas and designs. Unfortunately, this approach from the staff conveyed it trivially.