Evaluation and Reflection

My teacher has asked me to write an evaluation and reflection of my major project, questions and answers as follows:

1. Did you achieve the main goals of the project? How?
Yeah I did definitely. I set out on this major project with the goal to design and produce something that I would be proud to put into my portfolio. With that goal in mind I've put more effort and time into this assignment than any other I've done, and the results are pretty awesome :)

2. What have you not achieved? Why?
The only thing that I haven't achieved in finishing a full documentation set, and full fly-through of the space. We didn't have enough time to do a documentation set of this project, which no one is to blame, and the fly-through was my fault for not finishing it in time. Obviously there are always technical problems with these things, and I should have allowed enough time for errors.

3. Does your design reflect and respond to your original concept? How? If not, how could this improve?
I think that in some ways my design does reflect my original concept, and in others it doesn't (please refer to an earlier blog to see my concepts). I wanted a space that was very spacious, had natural light filtering through, and was welcoming. Definitely with my void, use of glass/frosted glass the space is very open and has a lot of natural light going through, and the timber in the space feels very homely. However, the colours that I have used in my concepts haven't entirely translated across to the design, but I like it how it is.

4. What are the 3 most successful aspects of your design and why do you consider them to be successful?
- I'm very happy with the splashes of colour that I have used, I think it brings life and depth to the design.
- The void, water feature, and grass brings in natural light to parts of the ground floor and makes it feel very outdoorsy.
- The library is my favourite space. The tree with hanging light bulbs is a great feature and makes the space feel very warm and welcoming.

5. What are 3 things that you could improve (both for this project and for future projects)?
- Time management - I should be finished with everything long before the due date, to allow time to fix errors.
- Better choice of materials - I never feel like I have put enough thought into textures and materials as I could.
- Learning how to use programs before actually needing to use them - self explanatory!

6. How have you maintained the original design integrity whilst negotiating design revisions as well as issues such as budget, time, teacher feedback?
One of the most difficult things was negotiating on the design with our 'clients' (teachers) whilst trying to maintain the design integrity. It was just a matter of give-and-take, remembering that the client needs to be kept happy, but reminding them of the original concept and what the design should achieve.

7. Have you found this difficult? If so, how will you deal with this next time?
Strangely, for a large and stressful project, I haven't found it too difficult this time. I must have gotten lucky with the teachers being happy with my ideas almost all the way through!

8. What have you learned personally over the last 3 years as you have studied to become a designer?
Because I also did 3 years at UWS, this year is my 6th year studying to become a designer! But in the last 3 years at TAFE, I've learned that I need to focus more on my assignment and not to assist with others asking me for help all the time because in the end I'm the one who suffers with stress and time constraints. My love for design has grown exponentially in this course, and every time I complete a big assignment I'm reminded of the reason why I pursue this industry, and I'm motivated to achieve more. Also, NEVER RELY ON COMPUTERS FOR LAST MINUTE WORK!

9. What are your main strengths as a designer?
I'm neat, and a little bit of a perfectionist. I'm not sure if that's a strength or a weakness! Other than that, I think my presentation skills are generally quite good...

10. What are some areas you need to work on?
I'm not very good with sketching ideas out, and maintaining paperwork/visual diaries. I've improved this semester, especially with the job file assignment (thanks Xanthe!) and passion for the major project.

11. Any other comments?
Only to thank my 4 wonderful teachers for everything they've taught me in the past 2 and a half years :) I hope to keep in contact with them in future, because they'll always be my first contacts in the industry and their knowledge and advice will always be appreciated.