Evaluating my project

In this project, Pattern and Culture, I have explored the theme of Islamic, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, African, American Indian and British/Celtic cultures and the traditions and styles involved in this range. I researched into the different cultures and developed my own approach on creating patterns that I felt represented them. Using different media and the print making facilities, along with Photoshop towards the end of my project. I then developed these patterns into Notebook sleeves on Photoshop and put these around small Moleskine notebooks. I chose to use Islamic, Indian and Celtic patterns as I felt these worked the most successfully.

My aim for this project was to represent cultures around the world and create a sense of them ‘crossing over’ and sharing the differences through a range of colourful, detailed patterns and shapes. I do feel my sketchbooks and final outcomes show the cultures through the patterns themselves and the sense of them crossing is put forward by the mixture of patterns put together in my notebooks and prints.

At the beginning of my project I did not fully know where I planned to take my development. Towards the end I decided I wanted to incorporate stationery, in my statement of intent I mentioned I might consider bringing in cityscapes and putting my patterns onto these. I have not done this as I felt stationery was more appropriate for the area of design I am working in.

 

I have developed a much wider range of knowledge on the different illustrators and graphic designers that are appropriate for my theme but also I have discovered others that may support my future studies. Due to the nature of this project I have also gained knowledge on other design areas such as surface pattern and paper cutting designers. My skills have developed greatly during this project, I now have better ability to work successfully in Photoshop and the print making facilities. Alongside this I have developed my own style of working in and presenting my sketchbook work and have begun to pay much more attention to the level of care required when creating my work. All of these skills are ones that I can continue to use and develop in my further studies in art and design.

I have found that primary research has been difficult to gather, for example direct, original sources of the different cultures that linked to my project. As a result I have relied heavily on book and Internet resources and would have benefited from more primary research.

I feel my project has been successful, the outcomes I have created reflect my aims for the most part, along with the development in my sketchbooks and other work. The large prints I have done which are expanded versions of my notebook sleeves represent culture, as do my three hand drawn prints. If I did this project again I would attempt to produce my own notebook with my patterns built into them, on each of the pages and then the entire book cover would be of cultural influence instead of just the sleeves. I would also gain more primary research by travelling further to more places to gain a first-hand insight into the cultures and what they include. I would have loved to have had the opportunity to travel further a field such as to places like China and India and gain a real first-hand insight. I would also consider making my work have a clearer message, although I do like that the concept is fairly subtle.

I have enjoyed this project as I feel I have developed greatly as a designer and have more ability to continue in the design area as this project has given me the skills and confidence to do so.