My Final Major Project has been a great journey from start to finish, it has been an emotional journey and this project has really tested me. I am really pleased with how this has turned out in the end due to some setbacks along the way. I really did not expect to turn out with a piece of work like I have done at the end of my FMP. I really pushed myself but also had the problem of COVID 19 limiting my work as I have not had access to university for my FMP which is where I could have possibly explored things further. As the FMP is over so many weeks, I wanted to design something that I have a passion for, and I have some knowledge in as I knew it would benefit with my research and designing. My initial research varied; however, I knew what I wanted to focus my topic on, but it was just the case of going forward with it. Therefore, I did it and created an editorial piece on cars as I have always had an interest from a young age, and I am surrounded by the environment now with my friends and a general interest myself. With the topic on cars being about girls I found it interesting, possibly because I can relate to some of the aspects mentioned.
My design decisions were informed by my research throughout my FMP, but the most influential piece of research was the two magazines that took the focus away from the testosterone and gloss from car magazines. These pieces of research pointed me into the direction of focusing my editorial on women in the car world. My other research really helped to drive my work, by looking at contemporary design, visuals and design used in the car world. I carried a large amount of research not just for content but for design purposes. The colour palettes and my choice of typefaces as both components changed throughout my process because of my research findings as well as keeping it contemporary and having the link to cars. My primary research was the main content of my editorial with the two interviews I carried out which massively helped to structure everything and informed what images to have for the spreads as the information needed to link to the images.
My FMP definitely went through some changes and developments from start to finish. From looking at my initial spreads to my final outcome so much has happened including the colour palette, type, layouts, images and adding in aspects related to cars (e.g. checkered flag). At the beginning of my project, I was uncertain about doing something on cars as I did not know what area to focus on. Therefore, I was looking into different idea, but I soon came back to doing an editorial on cars and had great primary research to use! Throughout my work, I was backwards and forwards on the idea of having some background information to set the scene for my editorial. It was spoken about in my tutorials about including it in but initially this was something I was not too sure about but did the research anyway. It was discussed to include some at the beginning and in between the interviews, but in the end, I only decided to have it at the beginning because I did not want to confuse and overwhelm the reader with different pieces of information plus different typefaces and images. Overall, my editorial had some major changes which benefitted my work, and I am very happy with what I have made for my FMP but with the added stress and worry which was all worth it in the end. Furthermore, the main aspects I was changing throughout was making link to cars and women but not being too stereotypical on the woman side of it. Initially, I was including large amounts on pink and girls’ patterns which was not the aim for my editorial as I want to educate the reader on the topic and celebrate the woman who have pushed themselves in the male dominated car world. With the links to cars, I had to consider colour, type, layout, page numbers and images as I needed them to all link together to give the overall dynamic look for a car editorial. Throughout my creative process, I was trialling and experimenting different aspects and designs to see what was successful and what did not work.
Regarding time management, I have had my ups and downs throughout my FMP. There were times when I found myself slacking and other times, I was on top of my work which I am very proud of. In my FMP I have had some setbacks due to some personal family reasons which did affect my work but being able to have an extension due to this really helped to get my work back on track. Overall, I would say I have managed my time much better than I have in previous university projects as I have given myself plenty of time for research, development, and the refinement. I will always continue to improve my time management when it comes to working in the industry and everyday life.
With my FMP being an editorial piece, I wanted to make sure it was a consistent piece throughout and reflects my aims which I think I have achieved in this project. Even though I have two different interviews they are cohesive, consistent and has a contemporary design. The colour palettes and images are a key feature of this editorial because they help drive the editorial, explain the type and the colours show the reader the two different interviews. I think my final outcome is successful and I am definitely happy and proud of myself for I have created. Every trial and decision that I carried out was done with a purpose as the design has to reflect my aims and have the link to cars and women. Even the typefaces have these links because the main typeface for the questions and answers is made by a woman and reflects femininity with it being delicate, and from research, as having a sans serif font reflects cars and their modern style. With the quotes I picked a design typeface which links to cars and the type used in motor racing and car branding, and advertising.
I find tutorials a great way to show my tutors what work I have been doing and gaining some constructive feedback. I think having someone else to look through your work and get some other feedback helps your work to progress and become a great piece of work. Some feedback I had I was not very happy with therefore this led me to get another opinion from different tutors. Doing this really helped me with my work and pushed my designing which I am very thankful for. However, at the end of the day this is my FMP, and I took some independent design choices myself, but I still took and responded to feedback well.
With this project it helped me develop my editorial skills further but something I do think I need more practise is my type and generally having more confidence in myself and my design. From doing development work for this project, proved to myself that I can make good decisions on design. I found having inspiration to work from and adapt had really helped with design my spreads because it helped me to visualise how things would look. Going forward, these are the skills I am going to work on and improve as I enjoy editorial design and it something I would like to get into when working.
My FMP has taught me so many different things, for one having confidence in myself. Also, from all the research I have done, I have learnt different things on my topic especially the research that included facts and figures about woman in the car industry. Also, with how to do different things on the Adobe software’s InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop by watching videos and research.
On reflection, I do not think there would be any major improvements to my final piece because I am happy with the choices I made and how it turned out. Also, with the topic I chose I found it interesting to read about the two women’s experiences and their thoughts and feelings on different topics I asked them questions about. However, as I only had two interviews, something that I would have liked to have done was maybe have one or two more interviews within my editorial as then there would be more experiences, thoughts, and feelings. However, with the amount of content I received I am happy with it but that would just be something I could have considered. Of course, if I had more time, I could have developed aspects further and even would have loved to get this printed out and have an actual copy. However, due to COVID 19 I was restricted to being able to print as I did not have the access I would usually have for printing and binding, but hopefully I will have the chance soon!
Alongside the final piece I have my self-promotion pieces which I am happy with the overall design and branding I have done for myself. I will be using these for getting myself a job as this will show people my work and my contact details. I wanted to have a bright and fun design for my business card but also having it simple, so it is not too much for any employer when looking at it. I have used the same colours and design throughout all my of self-promotion pieces.
Overall, I am happy and proud with my final outcomes for my FMP and proud of myself with what I have achieved over the last three years at university. Thank you Vis Com, you have been a pleasure!
