I Can Do Better...

As the first Semester of the HND Interactive Media Design Course draws to a close, I find myself flicking through the pages of my sketchbook and sitting in amazement at just how much I’ve learnt already. A little over 15 weeks has passed and already 3 assignments have been handed in, 2 more have just been issued with one more continuously running in the background.

A2: A Journey of 1000 Miles was a great assignment to begin the course with. Not only did it expand my knowledge of the more technical aspects of web design but being referred also made realize the importance of so called “tinker time” and working to the highest level of detail. I’m not going to lie, I was massively disappointed when I was initially given a referral but at I took heart from the fact that it wasn’t so much the content that was the issue – it was the presentation. With the relevant amendments completed it was time to focus on:

A3: Sounds Like A Plan – Quickly became a self inflicted thorn in my side as my issues with my time management became more and more apparent as each week passed. Mini deadlines had been set for each segment of work in order to keep us on track with workload. Unfortunately I allowed myself to get distracted with work and personal issues and quickly found myself missing these deadlines. The Christmas break was my ideal opportunity to get myself caught up and back on track however it came and went and I found myself with an even bigger mountain to climb. I managed to complete the assignment and hand it in on time, however I’m expecting a referral. The work produced is simply not good enough in my eyes and I can’t see how it could possibly pass without amendment.

A4: Typecast has without a shadow of a doubt been my favourite assignment to work on. I’ve really enjoyed the idea of the assignment being broken down into timed mini assignments. Also it’s been great to actually start putting into practice the knowledge gained from the lectures. Again my time management issues were exposed as I didn’t use my self study time as well as I should’ve done to prepare for the Font recognition and typographic knowledge test which was an integral part of passing the assignment. Fortunately with some last minute cramming I managed to scrape a pass on the test however I’m annoyed with myself as I know with proper revision and preparation I could have achieved at least a merit.

A1: Sketch blog – This assignment has been running in the background since we started the course. Unfortunately I’ve not been treating it as an assignment more as something else that needs to be done. I think this attitude will be reflected in my efforts so far with regards to inspirational pieces and the required amendments. Also the ideas generation process for each piece of creative work is assessed as part of the assignment and this is an area I definitely need to improve on if I’m to pass.

Going forward into Semester Two it is obvious what I need to do to improve my performance. I need to get much more organized and implement the time sheets properly in order to manage my time properly. Also I need to stop diving straight into using the computer without having first having created a design in my sketchbook. I can do both these things I’m sure my overall standard of work will improve and life in general will be a lot more calmer.

Panic!

Our first week back is done and dusted and with next weeks deadlines looming the panic is really starting to kick in.

I’d intended to get myself completely up to speed with my assignments over the Christmas break so that I could avoid the stress and pressure that I’m currently feeling and... I didn't. As previously stated in my previous blogs I have a real problem with my time management outside of college. Too often do I comprise my performance on the course by not putting in the required self study time.

The reason for this is simple – I’m too easily distracted. I have all the best intentions of getting up early and cracking on but often find myself doing anything and everything but my college work. As a result my performance in the typography tests have been poor to say the least and I’ve now left myself a mountain to climb if I am going to achieve a respectable score in Tuesday’s assessable test. I’ve seemingly got a good grasp of the theoretical side of Typography but I struggle with actually being able to identify fonts. I’m envious of other members of the group who have been putting in the required amount of self study time and have been consistently scoring well on the mini tests and who are now in a much better position for Tuesday’s test than I am.

If I am going to perform well for the remainder of the course I need to learn from other peoples examples and start making better use of my time outside of college. This will ultimately help reduce the stress and pressure that I am finding myself under at the moment and hopefully enable me to paint a truer reflection of my abilities by gaining merits and distinctions rather than referred passes for the remaining assignments.