EVALUATION - Anna Branding

The process of working with an individual not on Graphic Design has been invaluable. Initially I found the prospect of the brief quite daunting, as I wanted to reflect the high quality work that Anna produced, however she was great to work with and only ever gave constructive criticism. The experience has allowed me to see what it is like working for a client, requiring me to be professional, organised and willing to compromise in order to suit their needs. The development stage quite long, as I wanted to make sure that Anna was fully content with the final designs. Requirements were also changed half way through the brief, which is something that will prepare me for the possibility of this happening within the industry.

During the initial stages, in order to gain a better understanding of the individual I was working for, I made sure that I was aware of the type of photographer Anna was, and the area that she specialised in. This helped to inform my designs right from the beginning, showing the client that I was both interested and committed to the brief. As I had only ever produced branding for myself, it was necessary to undertake research into existing designs, as well as processes and print services. By doing this, I was able to see what was successful in terms of content, layout and colour, using this information to produce a design that reflected the visuals being used.

In terms of strengths during this brief, I feel that from the outset I had a solid understanding of Anna as an individual and as a photographer, with good knowledge of her existing projects. I listened to her requirements, whilst also making my own suggestions without being too pushy, staying in contact with her throughout the entire process in order to keep us both up to date with what was occurring.

This is not the type of brief that I would usually work on, as it didn’t allow for the opportunity to work with my usual aesthetics. I therefore feel that I have branched out, exploring type and image in a different form to create a successful outcome where the type and content works effectively alongside colour and image.

In terms of weaknesses, I feel that the crafting of the end products wasn’t too the highest of standards, which is something that I had hoped for. As the cards were printed on matte, the black reverse picked up on every finger mark and every piece of dirt. This made a lot of the printed products appear grubby, detracting focus from the triplex process used. This is something that I brought up with Anna, suggesting that she consider using professional print for her End of Year show, in order to reflect the strong, high quality visuals.