Unit X- Reflections

In the final stages of this project I have been working hard to finalise all of my work so that it would be ready for the exhibition. This meant finishing and backing all of my samples to a high standard and choosing my final collection to be displayed along side my cushions. I am glad that I made the decision to have my fabric printed onto cotton canvas. I chose this as I thought that this was the most durable yet professional looking fabric for my prototypes. If something is designed to be used in the home then it must be durable and not easily broken. Also the cushion covers can be removed and washed in a washing machine easily without any risk of warping or shrinking. Although I could have experimented with more fabric testing I still feel that I have made an appropriate choice. Although I would have liked the opportunity to experiment with more printing methods, I felt due to the time scale this would be unrealistic to produce work to the best of my ability.

I was initially quite nervous at the thought of displaying my work in the exhibition as I sometimes find it difficult to pick the strengths and weaknesses within my own work, as I am not very confident. But I am pleased with this project and although I am out of my comfort zone displaying my work, I am confident that I have tried my hardest to push myself and ensure that the work that I have produced is to the best of my ability. I feel that I have chosen my final collection well and I am pleased with my selections. Here are some of the fabric samples from my final collection

After my last tutorial I focused on trying to create a brand for myself. I created some tag designs that I had printed on fabric and made into tags to add to my cushions. As well as this I have been creating mock ups on Photoshop of some promotional style products using my logo and designs for this project. This was something very unfamiliar to me but after doing lots of contextual research I thought I would try it. Although this is something I have never done before I found it very rewarding to be able to visualize the possibility of having my own brand. Here are some of the branding images I have created

I feel like throughout this project I have engaged well with what has been asked of me. I particularly enjoyed the very beginning of the project where my imagination could explore the Whitworth and all of the possibilities that I could design and make. Also attending workshops gave me a much broader sense of what other people do on their courses and how different their way of working is in comparison to my own discipline. I have gained a much greater appreciation for other contexts and way of working, especially 3D design, as this is the subject that the girls from my collaborative group study. Although I was unable to attend all of my tutorials due to illness, I felt that I learned a lot about my own work and the work of others by attending these. I have been really inspired by some of the ideas and creative ways of working that some other students have had. Meeting up with my collaborative group has been the part of this project that I feel I have engaged with the most. It has helped me see the strengths and weaknesses within my work but also has helped me see this amongst the work of others; this can sometimes be difficult when looking at work from another discipline. Because of meeting up with my group I was able to see a clear development within my work based on the feedback that they were giving me. This has helped me improve and develop my designs and push myself further and out of my comfort zone. I can also identify development within my work, not only through my print designs but also within my passion for designing, creating and making. Throughout this project I felt myself enjoying the project more as I progressed through it. I think this was because I was receiving regular feedback on my work from a range of different sources, tutorial groups, course friends, my collaborative group and interdisciplinary points of view all played a major roll in the success of this project for me. Receiving regular feedback and, more often than not, receiving positive feedback really gave me the confidence boost that I needed to push my work further and get me to the end of the project without hitting a major creative block. I think the main aspect of this project that I could improve on would be my initial research and initial drawings. I always find myself getting one idea and sticking to it from a very early point. In future I am going to try and push myself further at this stage to create more opportunities and ideas for myself to develop.

When setting up my exhibition I had to think creatively as to how I would display my work creatively and professionally for other art students and the public to see. This made me very nervous although I tried many different ways until I was 100% sure that my work was displayed clearly and effectively to show it at its best. Setting up the exhibition also pushed my collaborative and team working skills as it was a very congested area where we all needed to work together to make the whole operation run as smooth and as successfully as it could. I feel like I really pushed myself in this aspect, as it was a very long and tiring day setting everything up. It was also very clear to see other students not putting much or any effort in with helping at all. I was at the session from morning until night making sure everything was ready for the exhibition opening, and through doing this as it gave me such a sense of achievement to see how successful it all looked on the opening night.

Throughout this project I feel that I have made good and informed choices as apposed to just doing something because I wanted to. I have thought carefully at the type of product I wanted to design for after visiting the Whitworth’s retail outlet I decided I would like to design for cushions on the basis that it would be a reasonably priced souvenir product with a purpose and a function which people can take how and still have the concept of bringing the outdoors indoors. I chose my colour pallet carefully and chose the designs I would use on my final outcomes because they fit in with the ‘Playful’ theme that the Whitworth uses to describe itself. Throughout this project I have witnessed my own work and my confidence grow and develop. I think that creating and designing cushions could definitely be something that I want to develop and pursue in the future as part of my career. Also it has taught me to think about the context of my work and how I portray myself, and my image as a designer. Overall I feel like I have gained a lot of experience by doing this project that I will take with me into the future whilst perusing my career goals of becoming a professional textile designer.