Data Project: Evaluation

The Data Project has now come to a close! It's been a busy few months hard at work on this mock exam project. I've really enjoyed it, especially the more the project progressed. There were quite a few stressful parts along the way, but the best part is having classmates and teachers to help.

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Evaluation

What primary research have you done for this project?

As a class, we were introduced to SurveyMonkey, a website that lets you create and collect data from your own surveys. As primary research, and to collect the data for my infographic, I used SurveyMonkey to create questions for my class. By asking about favourite colours, patterns and sock styles, the idea was to ask questions to determine the class’s ‘ideal sock’. Once I had collected all the results, I wrote them all down in my notebook to make it easier for me to count the answers. I created a final survey to settle two ties from my original survey.

In my local Waterstones, I came across two products that reminded me of my own work. Firstly, I found a book with a checkerboard spine and red foreground that reminded me of my checkerboard sock illustration. Lastly, I came across a multi-coloured square repeat pattern on wrapping paper from the Elmer The Elephant brand that reminded me of my own design.

As a class, we collaborated via a Padlet board. We shared our plans and ideas for our project including our primary and secondary research plans, and our ideas for outcomes.

Finally, to create vectors of the socks I wore over 12 days, collected that data by writing down each pair I wore over that period of time.

What secondary research have you done for this project?

I researched artists Gemma Correll and Valentina D'Fillipo, I looked into the topic of data by reseraching and mind mapping, and I researched infographics and their layouts.

How did your research help develop your ideas?

Initially, I wasn't happy with my infographic design, so I decided to use outlines like Gemma Correll does on her work. Her clothes diary also helped me to see how data can be displayed in an artistic way. Although my sock vectors don't resemble her work, I took some of her layout ideas and used them in my infographic.

Valentina D'Fillipo's method of displaying a chart in a shape that represents the data inspired me to create stacked bar charts in the shape of a sock. I loved the idea so much, and it really helped to be able to display my data so visually.

Researching infographics gave me ideas on how to format and lay out my own. Through this research and mind-mapping 'data', I was able to research different methods of displaying data, and how to represent it, such as in a chart.

What artists, designers or brands have you looked at as part of your research?

I researched graphic designer Valentina D'Fillipo, and illustrators Gemma Correll, and briefly, Nick Sharrat.

How have these Artists, Designers or Brands inspired and influenced your work?

Initially, I wasn't happy with my infographic design, so I decided to use outlines like Gemma Correll does on her work. Her clothes diary also helped me to see how data can be displayed in an artistic way. Although my sock vectors don't resemble her work, I took some of her layout ideas and used them in my infographic.

Valentina D'Fillipo's method of displaying a chart in a shape that represents the data inspired me to create stacked bar charts in the shape of a sock. I loved the idea so much, and it really helped to be able to display my data so visually.

What traditional materials and techniques have you experimented and developed with during this project?

During the project, I did silk screen printing and badge making, which helped to improve my skills in those techniques.

What digital software and techniques have you experimented and developed with during this project?

Digitally, I used Photoshop to create mock-ups, and Illustrator to create a repeat pattern and vectors of my socks.

What materials and techniques have been most successful?

In my opinion, the silk screen has been really successful from the end results. They look really cool, and I like the handmade, imperfect look that the traditional method gives. Also, mock-ups have been really successful; the effect they give is really clean, professional, and makes the outcome look really appealing. Mock ups are a great alternative if you don't have the time or equipment to create a physical outcome.

Were your final outcome(s) successful? How and why? If not, explain why.

Most of the silk screen prints came out well, except a few that weren't properly aligned.

I began screen printing the background onto the piece of paper, then putting the sock design on top. I had to line up the sock to the background space the best I could.

I found that the blue sock was slightly too big for the blank space I'd left for it on the background, but the overlap created a lovely sublimation effect.

I went through a few variations with the tube sock design. I created the first one with an outline. ​I didn’t like the look, we were able to use masking tape to cover the lines. We tried another print without any outlines, except around the stripes, as we thought it might be hard to cover the outline in that small space. ​I still didn’t like the outlines, so we were able to tear a small piece of masking tape to cover the small gap. The result was perfect, with no outlines!​

My sock vectors were successful in the end. There were quite a few design revisions on some socks, but the final outcomes were good. I had a slight bug about the doughnut sock because it doesn't have a blank space for the elastic part of the sock! I had an issue with scaling my designs down for badges, but that was resolved by using the Rasterise tool.

I think my mock-ups came out well. They look clean and professional, and give a realistic image of your design as if it were real on a photograph.

What did you learn during this project?

I found a new love for traditional techniques. I found the silk screen printing so satisfying and rewarding, because of the outcome. It made me realised that it doesn't have to be perfect; my silk screen prints weren't perfect, but that very fact gave them a lovely hand made quality, and with the blue stripey sock for example, I had accidentally oversized it, but it turned out that the overlap of the blue and the yellow gave a lovely sublimation effect.

What new skills, knowledge, techniques and processes have you learned during this project?

From observation and my own practice, I learnt the best techniques of screen printing, such as the best way to hold the squeegee, how to mix paint. Looking at other people's designs, it made me realise I could create my own hand drawn prints for silk screen next time.

Also, when creating my badges, I had to scale down my sock designs to fit the badge. Especially for the badges with patterns, they didn't scale down well or properly. After trying different options on Illustrator, I used the Rasterise option, which made my vector into an image, and I was able to scale it down properly.

Is there anything you could have done differently to make your project more successful?

I think that planning and time was a big factor. Had I have planned my project and time better, it may have been possible to print my own t-shirt, or to create my own mug.

Supporting information: Write anything extra you’d like to include in your final evaluation that may have not been mention in the above questions

I've really enjoyed this project. I was nervous at the start - the word 'data' sounds very 'mathsy', but as the project progressed, I had lots of fun creating all of my outcomes and creating ideas.