Project Report

Final Presentation Boards

Final

So so so so so pleased with the final outcome! I would've liked to portray more dances and make backgrounds and other props for the play pieces but with the time that I had, I'm feeling pretty satisfied with what I've achieved! As explained before, the play pieces won't be loose in the box like this - they would be on pre cut sheets of board that the buyer would need to pop loose themselves. The product would also be wrapped in plastic when sold at the shop.

Other Products

My illustrations could easily be applied to other products - From my research visits to Waterstones, I've noticed that the most common range of products/merchandise that came with children's books were art prints, notebooks, tote bags, and button badges. Below are other products part of the 'I've Got Rhythm' range. I've decided on these products as I think that the functionality of them would also be appealing to older audiences.

Prints:

Tote bags:

Button badges:

Packaging

I started making the box for the play pieces and book. The box is pull out storage box which will be lined with blue paper (the same colour as the book). I decided to pick blue as its a colour that isn't girly nor too boyish - although the product is probably more appealing for girls, I didn't want to leave other consumers out.

I made the pull out bit too big on my first try so it doesn't fit yet and I don't have any more of the card so I will have to wait til Monday to finish it.

The play pieces won't be loose like this when you buy it from the store. It would come in sheets, pre cut which they'd need to pop out themselves. but because there isn't the facility/time to do this, I'm leaving it loose in the box for submission.

I also made a little title/cover/wrap (not sure what its called really) for the box. I decided to place a bar code that I found on the internet and the not suitable for children under 3 warning sign on my product to make it more realistic and to see how it would look if it were to go in stores. I've decided that my product is for kids aged 6+ as I think that this is the age where they are no longer babies and have a better understanding of things.

Pattern on the right is the lining paper for the box.

Play pieces

I decided to make the play pieces after the crit to see if they would stand and balance. I printed the characters on paper first and spray mounted it onto mount board to give it a bit of strength and to make it more sturdy. I decided to try cutting around the characters myself with a scalpel however, I found that cutting a smooth curve was quite hard and also affected the neatness of the edges. 

I decided to go down to woodwork to ask about the laser cut machine that they have so that I wouldn't have to do it manually. I asked if it was possible to laser cut through the stock that I used and how I would need to set up the document for laser cutting. I was told what to do, but I wouldn't be able to do it anyway because I was told that I needed an induction for it first before I could even work the machine - and there is literally no time left as deadline is nearing.

I decided to try using straight lines instead to cut around the characters - this was much neater and easier to do. I actually quite like the outcome - the straight edges give it a bit of energy but might not be suitable if for young children because the corners might be a bit of a hazard.

I think when in industry production this would be die cut using the proper machine and printed straight onto the appropriate stock. But for the purpose of this module, I am leaving it like this to show how the play pieces would look and interact in real life.

Also I was going to make background etc, to add to the play pieces, however, I have decided not to because I'm running out of time and I want to make the packaging for my product.

Final Crit

General peer feedback:

• Really clean, professional standard of production!
• Really professional and perfect for a young audience.
• Agree with how professionally finished it is. I would like to see it on nicer stock though.
• Professional looking - love the idea of the maze - makes book more interactive with audience.
• Absolutely love it - concept and visuals! Looks really professional and so nice that it's interactive!
• Beautiful detail and love the colours! So developed!
• Amazing how its interactive! So well thought out! Very impressive!!!
• This is really well thought out and produced
• Such a really nice, diverse approach to looking at dancing - I love the interactivity!! you can see how your visual journal has informed the end point too.
• Well developed body of work - well informed and with an interesting outcome
• I like you illustrations and how the interact with audience
• Love it, it's perf, sell it, so good.

Final crit review:

Demonstrate an informed understanding of issues relating to media, communication, audience and context through the delivery of solutions to brief led problems or clearly identified creative concerns. (Knowledge &Understanding - Critical Awareness)

Strengths

• Good contextual research
• Culturally diverse - shows an element of education

Improvements

• Very vague audience - not necessarily a bad thing?
• Perhaps identify the audience and identify/label it as your intended audience.

Understand the potential and limitations of technologies and processes used in the production of illustration for 2d, 3d and/or 4d distribution. (Knowledge and Understanding - Research)

Strengths

• Loads of contextual research.
• Your work is thoroughly researched and informed

Improvements

• No testing of 3d product - will they stand up and balance?

Analyse and critically evaluate the impact of social, cultural, technological and/or ethical concerns on the development of solutions to problems relevant to individual creative concerns.

(Cognitive Skills - Problem Analysis, Problem Solving)

Strengths

• Concise, neat blog!
• Good in depth level of research

Improvements

• A few further annotations of blogging.
• We don't see the stage that takes images from visual journal to final images.

Explore and apply a range of appropriate practical and conceptual approaches to self-determined ideas, concepts, solutions/proposals in response to own identified intentions and relevant practices. (Practical Skills - Practical and Conceptual Development)

Strengths

• Like the cut out characters idea!
• Very good well informed book.

Improvements

• For future projects, need more experimentation in visual journal. It's a bit clean cut and formal.
• For product and packaging, perhaps mock up your artwork onto a few more examples of product and packaging.

Produce technically competent and conceptually appropriate outcomes to identified problems through the selection and application of visual skills. (Practical Skills - Visual Quality and Technical Competence)

Strengths

• Very high quality images!
• Mocking things up gave clearer perspective to what the outcome would look like. Helps make decisions on whether its the right format or if its enough.

Improvements

• Perhaps see some more evidence of decision making that went into creating/resolving of the final images for studio brief 2.

Demonstrate the ability to plan and carry out a period of increasingly self-directed study through the appropriate use of workshop areas, studio activity and project management skills.

(key transferable Skills - Presentation and Evaluation)

Strengths

• Seems very organised.
• Has successfully and competently managed to convert your written research with strong visual outcomes.

Improvements

• You didn't do anything textile based things but you wanted to at the start - you should have had a play.

General Comments

• Really lovely quality of images and characters have been well refined and developed.
• There is no evidence of where you got your visual reference from - what did you watch and look at? what inspired them?

Evaluation

I'm really pleased with the feedback that I got. I'm glad that people picked up upon the interactivity of the products as this was what I wanted to achieve! I agree with what has been said about the experimentation of my work - I haven't really done a lot of visual experimentation and just went with how I usually like to work - this is a repetitive thing, I've noticed, with previous modules as well, this might not necessarily mean a bad thing? Maybe I've found my process and visual aesthetic that makes my work 'me'? After completing OUIL 504 and the Pan Macmillan Alice brief, I fell in love with working with shapes and texture so this may be what made me work this way for this project.

Layout

Ready to print!

I decided to play around with the characters I already have and lay them out as play pieces. Im not sure if I should just have the characters or if I should also make backdrops and props etc. so the kids can actually make full scenes out of the pieces. Definitely wont have enough time for that for final crit.

Pages mock up

I've decided to keep the pages on the right quite simple with white background so that they would balance out/compliment its neighbouring pages.

Progress

After discussing it with Eleanor in the progress tutorial, I've decided to make a play set out of my illustrations to go with the book instead of a calendar. I've decided to not make the calendar as I would need to illustrate 12 different dance styles. I would like to portray as many dance styles from different cultures as I possibly could, but there just isn't enough time left for that. So I've decided to illustrate 6 (ballet, hiphop, swing, bharatanatyam, kabuki and marinera) instead as this is a more achievable amount for the time I have left.

I decided to use bold and vibrant colours to make it more attractive and appeal to younger audiences. These are the pages that will sit on the left side of the book. On the right, there will be some fun facts and/or activities that the children can do. I've decided to make the book 23cm x 20cm - a good and comfortable size to hold and carry around.