I have been working on my illustrator skills this week and have produced this ad for blackberry...

Portfolio Module

I have officially started work on my portfolio module. Task 1 was research in to what makes a good portfolio and examples of portfolios I like. I produced a presentation based on this research. 

I have evaluated my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in relation to this module...

I am confident in my Indesign skills based on work in previous editorial briefs and for development layout. Existing software knowledge is also a strength and this was enhanced during the recent digital skills module. I have also started attending web design night classes, this could be beneficial in creating an online portfolio. Another strength is the existing work I have already produced, there are a few pieces that I am confident reflect my style and skills in my preferred areas... editorial and branding.

Weaknesses for this module would include areas that I have not covered or that I am not confident in the final outcome. This includes packaging, illustrations and branding. I need to decide what areas I would like my portfolio to include and develop some work to show these skills.

The weaknesses I have defined form the basis for my opportunities. The main opportunity for this module is the development of my creative portfolio. 
For this module I can work on a live brief that will showcase my chosen skills area.
This is also an opportunity to show the level of work I can produce in a broader skill set including photography and web design.

The main threats to the module, as always, are the time constraints. I have a heavy workload at the moment with two other modules running along side as well as some work for external clients. Time planning will be key in making sure I meet all of my deadlines with the best work I can achieve...

Time Plan... February

Adidas poster

This is the adidas poster I have been working on for digital skills using layer masks to bring images together.

Contextual studies, Digital Skills and D&AD

This has been my first week back at college after Christmas and there has been a lot to catch up on. My first priority was to get my UCAS application finished and sent off which I am pleased to say I have now done.

The next deadline I have is for my contextual studies essay on poster design. I had a meeting with my tutor John to discuss the essay in more detail on Monday and have devised a time plan in order to meet my deadline of next Friday. I have also done a SWOT analysis based on my essay writing skills...

Strengths:  I enjoy writing and conveying my thoughts on interesting subject matters.
Weaknesses:  I do not have any experience of writing a 3000 word essay. I do not have a lot of prior    knowledge about the particular subject matter.
Opportunities:  This is a chance for me to write a longer essay and utilise my essay plan skills. I will gain knowledge on interesting subjects relevant to my course through my research.
Threats:  Time management could be a potential threat with this essay due to the timescale I have before hand in.

I have spent a couple of hours today compiling research into poster design and new technologies, I will continue to look at this tomorrow and devise an essay plan.

I have had two digital skills lessons this week learning new photoshop skills and documenting them using inDesign, I have made a concerted effort to keep up to date with annotation etc so as not to fall behind on my time plan, I stayed an extra hour on Monday and Tuesday in order to finish of the annotation for the tutorials we have had and I now have everything we have done covered.

I have began looking at the 2013 D & AD briefs and there are a couple that stood out, I am interested in the brief for It's Nice That, Ted Baker and Batiste, I am still undecided on which route to go down but I  am going to concentrate on my essay for the next couple of days to get it under way.

Time Plan... January