Reflective Report Introduction & Reflectionaire
The essay i have been told to do is about critical thinking and analysing my own work from last year. The report must reflect and identify my position and think of areas of improvement and further exploration in my working methods.
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This report is about reflecting on a particular project from last year and writing about it critically.
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To start myself off with this, i have filled in a questionnaire about my reflections from last year. This has really helped me to analyse myself in my working practice and see where my strengths and weaknesses are.
Reflective Report - Researching
I have thought about a particular project to talk about and that is one of my rotation projects which was focused on the theme of 'object' and how it can be used in illustration. I have chosen this project because it was something i have never thought about artistically and narratively before so this was a challenge but i feel the outcome was a strong piece.
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I have looked back at my journal summary that talks about this project in some detail. I highlighted areas that i can talk on a deeper level about in my essay report.
The different highlighted colours represent different themes in the writing such as the yellows the emotion that i felt through the project.
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Although this isn't much information to go on in my opinion, my work leading up to this projects final outcome will aid me a lot when reflecting back on my work and analysing it thoroughly.
Reflective Report - Essay
The PDF logo to the right is a link to my final report essay on my reflection of year one. The essay report is strong because it follows the structure in which the brief set and achieves subjects within my theme that i talk about and critically reflect and explore upon.
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Looking back at this report, I have improved on my terminology and explaining clearer about techniques and themes than i have done in the past.
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I haven't done much research into the critical thinking behind this project because i remember it being a very rewarding project to achieve and being an accomplishment to achieve a piece of art that isn't necessarily a road i would go down.
Editorial Report Ideas & Research
My editorial report will be focused on the task of finding a subject, creating context and writing for an audience. I will research and develop a piece of writing that is interesting and culturally engaging to a adult audience.
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For this report, i aim to theme my writing on the theme of the animal and human relationship. There are lots of subjects that this theme can come under so i am to narrow the subject down to write about.
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The image to the right are some ideas i wrote down which links into my 'Fact' project and this current report as these two subjects have stemmed from the same idea.
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After gathering some basic ideas i have chosen to base my theme around on the present effects of our relationship with animals. This is something that truly interests me because i am a big animal lover and i feel this chosen subject will bring motivation, interest and interesting context within my writing outcome and research.
History Of The Animal & Human Bond: I first looked at the history of when the start of the human and animal relationship began. Even back to ancient Egyptian times animals were considered to be respected beings and were even mummified alongside heir human owners. Other sources around the world include cave art where ancient humans would paint animals that they saw. Its not yet known why we did this but it is suggested that it was to tell stories and hunt.
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humans then started to learn that animals could be tamed and domesticated which is where the introduction of the domesticated dog and cat first appeared. Dogs and cats were used to hunt rod-ants and even provide company which they still do to the present day.
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It seems in current times with the advancement of human technology, there have been good and bad things that have happened between humans and our bond with animals.
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I got these primary sources from looking online at different websites such as Express.uk and Wikipedia titles. http://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/417324/A-secret-history-of-pets-Why-humans-have-kept-animals-as-pets-since-ancient-times
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Our Relationship Today:Another area i looked at is the current relationship we have with animals and the benefits the effects have had on both parties. Animals have given us so much in terms of companionship, aiding us in work such as hunting, farming and even helping with disability and rescuing of people.
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In exchange for their help, we have made a bond with animals that we love them, protect and care for them in lots of ways. including helping them when they have troubles themselves such as injuries or illnessess. In my report i have mentioned how us as humans aid animals too, such as going far distances to specialist vet practices to give them quality of life and take them out of pain.
Along with the positive research towards the effects of our relationship with animals, i have also looked at the negative outcomes from this such as animal cruelty and even the effects we have had on wild animals that cause them habitat loss, endangerment and extinction. A good subject for this is a marine mammal park which is controversial for its capturing, breeding and showing of captive Orcas. Since a popular documentary on the insight of these captive orcas, the park has been targeted and is gradually being forced to stop its programme. This is great news for the animals themselves and eventually they will be free with more awareness and help to save them.
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I feel that this report will look at both sides of the effects we have had on animals over the past, present and even future. I want my audience to think of animals more as beings on the same level as us rather than animals that are just there for our selfish use.
Planning For Pamphlet Outcome
I want to create a pamphlet that will visually and narratively help tell my chosen report on the effects of our relationship with animals. I have researched a few pamphlet and booklet ideas to get some inspiration on how i want to create this outcome for a audience.
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Oda Haugerud: The booklet on the left hand side is a design that swedish artist Oda Haugerud has created. I really love the simplicity of this design as well as the wrap around cover which has the title of the booklet. I feel this is a simple way to keep the layout simple yet formal. If i were to do a booklet with this idea in mind, then i would maybe give the wrap around cover some kind of subtle texture and have the booklet itself open out in a butterfly like style.
This next pamphlet design is by an unknown artist but i love the simplicitiy and the way the letter has a strong impact on the front cover in the way that is has been cut out negatively to show the hidden pattern behind it. Its very type heavy and reveals the inside of the booklet with the cut out letter.
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I love the use of incorporating negative space into my work in a way that can be subtle or obvious so this idea would be great if my outcome is a simple yet impact image or type subject.
I found this booklet online but couldn't come across the artist who designed it. Im really interested in making a booklet that stands out and is unique in a way that captures the audiences eye and design. Paper cutting layers of images and text seem to be a intricate and challenging way of producing a booklet but it really catches the eyes and the animation of it popping out gives an extra dimension and sense of depth to the design itself.
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I like the use of using various shades of the same colour to bring a sense of lightness and darkness to the piece, aluminating various images and themes of the booklet itself to stand out.
Editorial Essay Report
The PDF file on the right is my essay for my Editorial report. This has been written out as a Microsoft document format before i edited it into a pamphlet/booklet design on Adobe Photoshop.
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I am really happy with the outcome for this as i feel that i have looked at two sides of a broad and wide subject, focusing on some of the most well known problems and good outcomes from our relationship with animals.
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Below is a gallery of my report ready to be printed and binded.
On the right is a video of what my pamphlet looks like in its physical form after it has been printed and pages binded.
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My Editorial Essay focuses on the effects of our relationship with animals, whether that be wild or tamed. I feel that i have covered both aspects of the effects we have on animals in good and bad ways.
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The images that i got are from secondary sources apart from the book cover which is a primary photograph that i took of my dogs. I feel that my dogs link into the report as they are one of the most domesticated animals on earth and they are subject to good and bad owners around the world in different cultures and backgrounds.
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The layout itself is quite contemporary and simple with a solid, subtle background colour, clear text and images that have a slight transparency to them so the texture of the paper itself shows through.
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The book itself has been printed on A4 Linen Ivory Paper which has a subtle and gentle texture to it. I feel that i choice of paper reflects what im trying to say in my report that nature and animals are in a delicate balance with us and we need to look after that.
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The stitching itself has been binded using technique i made up which resembles the japanense binding stitch and saddle stitch. I really like the outcome of this stitching outcome as i have never been good at binding things together so i feel this is quite stronger than i past outcomes i have made that have involved book binding.
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I designed a simple wrap around cover that covers the bottom quarter of the pamphlet itself to give it more of a cover emphasis the meaning in the title and give it an extra depth.
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It was really interesting and rewarding to work on something that i feel very strongly about in a sense that documents different aspects of the subject and bring light to the issues and good outcomes that have been raised.
Industry Report Essay
Attached is the PDF file of my Industry essay which as been focused on how to make it in the greeting card publishing industry within illustration. I found this essay quite difficult to start off with because i found it hard to research and come up with a question that i am interested in.
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I started researching by looking into what my strengths and aspirations for my future career will want to be. Some of these included:
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Book illustration
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educational illustration
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murals
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animal illustration
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greeting card illustrator
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technical drawings
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campaign illustration
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advertising
With these ideas in mind, i decided to go down the route of looking into the greeting card industry. I used to work in a card shop for a few years so i have knowledge on how things work in terms of publisher to retailer.it was always fascinated with the beautiful designs and how people really cherished them when they received them. I also researched some basic research on the transition between student and illustrator. By doing this i asked a local illustrator and friend from home who currently is an illustrator. i wanted to get his opinion so i interviewed him online by making a survey for him to fill out. Its really intersting to see what other peoples views are in the industry itself as opposed to being a student.
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The greeting card industry seems to be a fast paced and ever changing place to work with the changing seasons. It appears to be a competitive place to get your foot in but there is always room for new designs with every season passing.
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I have never really looked into a indsutry within illustration before so it was well worthwhile to research and learn more in depth about how things work and how i could possibly achieve to get into this role in the future.
Project Evaluation
This project has been quite hard for me in terms of my dyslexia in English and the difficulty in trying to explain things in a way that makes sense. With this said, i feel that i have improved in this aspect from last year with reading back to myself things i have written out and generally taking more time on writing about my subjects
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My favourite esay to write for this project has been the editorial essay report because it has been a chance to write about something i have a big interest in and care strongly about. It was also a great chance to product a pamphlet booklet that has the public and audience in mind. I feel the booklet itself has been quite strong and simple in layout in a way that the audience can clearly read and relate to.
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If i were to do that particular essay again, i would possibly give myself more time to produce something that is a bit more visually appealing, even though i do like the simplicity of this design. I would maybe make visual, simple images that relate to the type and possibly work around the type better. The type itself has been laid out in a informative and formal way that is easy for the viewer to read.
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The essay that i had the hardest time writing and researching was the industry essay. It was hard to find inspiration to write about something i personally dont know much about, but i soon found motivation when i chose what subject within the industry i wanted to go down.
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Overall i feel this essay project has been good in terms of opening my mind to reflecting on my work, making an editorial that is focused on the audience to read, and finally learning an aspect about the industry.