Mid evaluation/run down on current status of briefs

This post is to look at where I currently am with my briefs, looking back at how things have changed since my statement of intent was written, and to outline some decisions made about the briefs that I havent blogged until now.

First up, my rationale:

'To produce Typographically driven, concept based visual solutions for layout and branding with a focus on print outcome'


Good news, I am pleased that this is still relevant and accurately describes the work I have been doing since I wrote it.


Now to a rundown on the current status of my briefs: (order as described in SOI)


1) Leeds creative Time-bank
Brief completed, this was the first one I finished this module so it seems a long time ago! I don't think I will re-visit this one as I achieved all I wanted from it.  As a pitch for a design direction it's a credible solution I feel.


2) Exhibitions brief
This brief is well underway and I am planning to finish it before the end of this week, I have an interesting design direction for each exhibition and I just need to push out the brief to explore "what can it be" (© Fred) 


3) Lights camera action (film posters brief)
This brief I started ages ago but it has stuttered to a halt unfortunately, its an ideas led brief and tragically I have had only one really interesting idea for it: the James Bond Goldfinger poster. Even this poster isn't really completed yet as I have some adjustments I want to make. The plan is to spend a day on this brief to finish the bond poster and print it and thrash out some more ideas. I would really like to get something good out of this but if nothing new comes from another day brainstorming then I will drop the brief as I cant afford to waste more time.


4) Its all too much (roses 2011)
This brief was always a stand-by, incase something more interesting didn't come in, but I have done some small live briefs instead of looking at this one, so its officially dropped now.


5) Calendar brief
Another brief currently underway, I hope to have something completed by the end of next week. Its been a long term brief, and although I feel I have some some interesting work for it, its still based around experimental and quite minimal layout and STILL lacks real world context so I get the feeling it wont meet many grading criteria unless I can quickly make much more out of it.


6) Creative Networks brief
This was a quick live brief (but not nearly as quick as it should have been!) with only a postcard as an outcome which wasn't really worth the time invested unfortunately. I could revisit this to push the brief out a bit but I would really prefer to leave it and put it down to experience. At least its a real world job, but I learnt more about client management than actual design doing this!


7) KTP brief
This is a brief that I should have never started, I think I felt compelled to do something for this because I went to a briefing to find out more and found there was only 3 of us in the briefing! To be honest I wasn't really interested in the brief, and the 'pack' as it was originally described to us is a longer term project in planning stages that wont be ready to print anytime soon. A week wasted, brief dropped.


8) 2020 perfect vision
A one week live pitch that came on the back of a week placement I did for the company. I pitched the DVD packaging as they asked, but I can see some ways to make this brief slightly bigger so I may revisit this before hand in to expand the scope of this. I think I have come up with quite a neat solution for this and taken existing branding in a new direction so I am pleased with this work even though its more commercial and client led job.


On the whole I am slightly concerned at the moment about the amount of work done, even though I know where and why the time went, I have been working on briefs (or on placement), just not always doing the right briefs quick enough!