To begin my final major project I started with some research into things such as festivals, themes, designers and posters. I started with some mind maps on different themes which I could base my festival around. I picked some themes which I had interest in and already had some knowledge in. The three themes I decided to research into were: music, film and gaming. I then researched into existing festivals which followed these themes. I looked at designs, colour schemes and styles of each theme of festival and compiled them into a mood-board. This was to help give me inspiration and try to inspire me to select one of the themes. After researching these themes, I began leaning toward a film festival and more specifically animation. Firstly, this is because I enjoyed creating the animation in Unit 7 and I have always been interested in animation and have some experience in it from when I was younger. I also like this theme and felt like it best allowed for my to work on my illustration.

After I had decided on my theme I looked into existing film festival posters and analysed their designs. I did this to try and come up with some initial ideas for my designs and poster and to get some inspiration on how they should look. I also looked at some designers and large branding companies. One of the designers that caught my eye was Chip Kidd. The work of Chip Kidd caught my eye because of his focus on typography and vast range of work he has created. I also like the simple style he employs throughout his work and the fact that the text is usually the stand out aspect of his designs. The branding company that caught my eye was Motto. This is because of the large range of example they have on their website with in-depth analysis on how they have created their designs. This helped to give me inspiration on designs I could create to be used on social media and also techniques I could use for my designs.

One of the first problems, I encountered when creating my final major project, was creating some primary sources for my designs. When I created my plan I wanted to visit museums and exhibitions to get inspiration and maybe also some photography I could use. Due to the circumstances this wasn’t possible. I had to settle for some photography of items I could find around my house which best related to my theme of animation.

Another problem, was the creation of my animation. I wanted to use After Effects to create my animation but I only had access to this software at work. This meant that I had to use Photoshop to create my animation and this doesn’t allow for the same level of animation as After Effects. However, I am experienced in simple GIFs in Photoshop so I was still able to create an animation I was happy with.

When I started this unit I first filled out a weekly plan to try and structure this unit and give me an idea of what I need to create each week to meet the deadline. My blog has also helped me keep track of where I am at and what I have created.

For my final major project I wanted to focus mostly on computer rendered designs. Illustrator and Photoshop were the main programs which I used and my experience from work and past units helped me create my designs. For example unit 5 gave me a lot of experience when it came to creating posters and specifically typography. I also did some hand rendered work for my initial ideas and to give me a base for some of my designs. Finally, I created an animation in Photoshop based off of the experience I have gained at work doing the same process.

Overall, I am pleased with the designs I have created and the improvements I have made in my illustration. This unit has also allowed me to improve on my creativity which can sometimes be limited at work due to our existing colour scheme and style. I have also been able to improve on my poster layouts and how to display text on a poster. This has come from the research and trial and error when creating my posters. However, I could improve on my planning before I begin my designs and try to come up with initial ideas to base my designs off. I sometimes feel like I just straight into my designs and create them off the top of my head. I could sometimes slow down and do research or create some hand rendered pieces because these aren’t limited by my knowledge of the software and tools available. I have enjoyed created my designs for this unit because of the creativity I have needed to come up with each aspect for my festival. It has given me free rein and allowed me to expand on my skills in Photoshop and Illustrator and test what I am capable of creating.