OUGD402 - Study Task One

On my last day of Induction week at Leeds College of Art I was given a task by my tutors that asked me to list 5 reasons why we wanted to study on this course, 5 things we wanted to learn, 5 things that we considered our strengths and 5 things that inspired us. Some of these were harder than others and provoked a lot of thought. Bouncing ideas of one another and listening to other peoples answers around the group was really refreshing and something I haven't had the chance to do since my A-levels. I did find this task enjoyable and it made me think a lot about myself as a designer and how I work.

Identify and explain 5 reasons why you chose to study on this course:
1. Graphic Design was my favourite course I studied at A-level and I had a lot of fun doing it. It was something I enjoyed and something I found a passion for.
2. The course is different to other art subjects. Its very academic, needs a lot of logical thinking and requires problem solving skills. I have always been interested in the sciences throughout school and A-levels, and they have given me a lot of transferable skills for this degree. I enjoy Graphic Design because it's a way of communicating with people in any way that you can think of, trying to get a message through different media. It requires many other skills other than just being good at drawing or painting.
3. Leeds is a great city and it is a good distance from home. I didn't want a 3 hour train ride to get back to my friends and family. The location here is ideal for me. 
4. I want to continue learning and progressing with my design skills. I want to get better, learn the software and be able to create amazing things.
5. Leeds College of Art is a very tight community with a focused course and small groups which gives a friendly feel and environment to work in.

Identify and explain 5 things you want to learn during your time on the course:
1. Printmaking skills. I have done screen printing and lino printing before but I would like to enhance those skills and be able to make something really great, and also learn other ways of printing that I haven't done before.
2. The ins and outs of typography. Typography is something I'm very interested in and I would like to learn more about it, including knowing what all the different parts of the letters are called, the way they join together in script and being able to create better type.
3. Successful layout design. I haven't really had the chance to look into layout design or know what the do's and don'ts are, so this is something I would like to learn as I have no experience in it!
4. I would like to learn how to be able to create anything I can imagine. I would like to have great skills on a computer, so that my software abilities don't limit me in what I can create. 
5. How to create and develop my own style. I want my work to be unique and people will know I've made it before they read my name.

Identify and explain 5 things that you think are your strengths:
1. I always set off to work with a clear plan. I think things through in my head before I attempt to draw any rough outlines, and I don't like to touch a computer before those outlines are what I want the final product to look like.
2. Even though I have a plan, I do like to develop and experiment with my work. I enjoy copying the same image into a new file on Photoshop and altering the colours and the composition of the piece to see what else I can create.
3. I am good at time keeping and I always make sure I meet deadlines.
4. I am patient and persistent with my work. I will carry on with something and make sure that it has been created to the best of my ability.
5. I enjoy working and creating with all types of media, and mixing traditional and digital techniques together to create something new.

Identify and explain 5 things that inspire you:
1. Food. I really enjoy cooking and baking. It is a creative process and I enjoy making food look and taste nice (I also enjoy eating it).
2, Other peoples work inspires me from professional designers to the people sitting next to me. I like to take ideas and develop them to suit my work.
3. I like looking at printed fabric with small, intricate details. I find it inspiring because everything works so well together and there has been a huge amount of thought put into it.
4. People with strong beliefs inspire me, feminists for example. Me and my friends put together a small feminist zine over the summer and got it printed and sold. It was a really good experience for me and we're thinking of making some more at our time at university. 
5. I also like to look back on previous work I've done and see how I can make it better using the new skills I have gained in the time.