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.