WHO ARE YOU:

Abbas "MUSHY" Mushtaq


I started this project off by getting some background information for my content for my double page spread, i had a interview with Abbas i decided to keep the content as informal as possible so that it related to him personally. I decided the most effective way of doing this would be to make my content represent exactly what was said.

Who are you?

Erm, well I'm Abbas, obviously. I'm the only Asian on the course! I'm 20 years old, I'm into art and design, obviously. I barely made it into this course, I went through clearing! i'm really enjoying it though and learning shitloads. I've only been doing art and design for a few years but fuckin' glad I did. I was gonna enrol onto a media course when I was a confused bastard, thank god I didn't. 

Nicknames?

haha mushy, everyone seems to call me mushy, because of 

my last name thats why i guess. 

Where are you from?

Im from Huddersfield, Its pretty shit. Rugby league was invented there thats about it

really. 

Who do you admire?

"Ermmmm if i had to pick anyone it would be my mum probably,

its easy for everyone to say Mandela but i don't know the prick do i."  

Where do you want to live in the future? 

Tokyo for sure,  all that technology and shit plus i love the japanese 

film industry and culture.

When did you decide you wanted to be a Graphic designer?

Errm as soon as i found out what the fuck it was.... Even though im still finding that out.

Post modern or modernist graphic design?

Modernist GD but it has to push the boundaries a little nothing boring.

What style of design do you like and why?

I like design that is basically concept generated "sick ideas" that make you stop and think..... shit...why didnt i think of that? 

Favourite typeface?

Century Gothic  Bold only in caps tho, lowercase is shit! i love how it looks nice and round and holds a high amount of readability.

Favourite colour?

Red/black , but not a primary red a nice dark maroon red. Black is sick as well everything looks good in black.

If you could change anything what would it be?

Fuck all, everyhting happens for a reason dont it.......

Is that it bro?

Layout design ideas:

I have decided to experiment with many innovative and experimental layout design ideas after creating these designs i then confronted Abbas on which layout he felt worked the best, We where torn between two layout designs. I decided to digitalise both and see which worked most effectively. 

                                

Developed Digital layout ideas:

Creation of Digital idea:

I have decided that overall the layout i have created is confusing i feel that this is down to the weak hierarchy of the design, this causes confusion for the viewer this is something that i am going to revisit, i feel that the design should make my partners work the focal point. so i feel that i must simplify the design so that there is a strong hierarchy throughout. I feel that reducing the amount of images used will also improve the aesthetics of the design.  

Revisited Design:

 

When putting the images into my document i went through the same process everytime:

- Start off by drawing a template in InDesign of how large your image will be measure the size for example W - 41.65mm H - 79.75

- Then set up a photoshop document with the selected dimensions  

- Then place my selected images into photoshop and scale to fit the document size

- From here after making any changes to the image i then save the document as a tiff file and import it into InDesign.

Final design: I decided to go with a simple modernist style layout that used a lot of white space, I feel that this gives the design a simple clean aesthetic this is what i aimed to create to make the main focal point of the design Abbas' work.  

SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE

For this brief we where asked to produce a graphic response/product/ body of work that makes a statement, comment, observation or gives advice about your experience on your first year of the course.

We where then told to choose an appropriate media or format and develop and identify the content will be entertaining,advisory or informative.

Background Considerations: 

Think about the new experiences that you have had, the difficulties that you have overcome and the new people you have met and the life skills you have acquired this year. 

Remember what it was like starting your first week, how did you feel and what emotions did you experience? Excitement, Trepidation, Fear or did you feel overwhelmed. You might have benefited from some advice, opinions and insight from  others that have experienced the same transition.

What might you say, do or give to next years graphic design students to make the transition into the student experience, particularly this course more welcoming.

Mandatory Requirements:

Enjoy the process of reviewing your year:

All work should be documented on your PPP blog and labeled SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE:

Deliverables:

Resolved design solutions, in a format and media appropriate to your concept. 3-5 A2 presentations boards that communicate the product, range and methods of distribution of your concept. Pdf versions should be posted to PPP blog. 

Evidence of your design development, in the form of design sheets, support work, notebooks, prototypes, documented on your ppp blog. 

YOU WISH YOU HAD BEEN TOLD ABOUT LEEDS

1. How many hills you have to walk up.

2. The amount of Pretentious People.

3. How cheap the taxi's are 

4. The best places to eat

5.  How sketchy Hyde park is

YOU WISH YOU HAD BEEN TOLD ABOUT BEING A STUDENT

1. The crazy amount of work you will have.

2. How much you will miss proper food.

3. How annoying washing your clothes is. 

4. How hard it is to control your time management. 

5. How to control your money 

YOU WISH YOU HAD BEEN TOLD ABOUT GRAPHIC DESIGN

1. How it takes over your life

2. How committed you have to be

3. That you wont speak to as much of your friends back home

4. Theres a lot more to it than i initially thought

5. How important a to do list will be. 

YOU WISH YOU HAD BEEN TOLD ABOUT THIS COURSE

1. How intense it is 

2. How much it will cost.

3. Believe fred when he says you will always be working

4. Punctuation is high in importance 

5. That id be gutted that college isn't open on a sunday

YOU HAVE LEARNT ABOUT LEEDS

1. Dont let your girlfriend walk around hyde park on her own

2. Royal cars are the best taxi service

3. The hills improve your fitness 

4. Never been in such a windy place

5. Great nightlife

YOU HAVE LEARNT ABOUT BEING A STUDENT

1. budget, and finance is the hardest thing to keep under control

2. You must find a balance between work and social life 

3. Missing home is something that you will have to deal with

4. Work becomes your priority 

5. You have to be switched on 24/7

YOU HAVE LEARNT ABOUT GRAPHIC DESIGN

1. There is so much to graphic design

2. It is all around us, even if it is horrific most of the time

3. I have new interests within the subjects

4. I have realised that social activities effect design.

5. I am fully dedicated to the subject

YOU HAVE LEARNT ABOUT THIS COURSE

1. It is intense but i feel that over the course of 3 years it will shape you into the best

2. Make sure that you are organised, or you will suffer

3. We have such an intense time table, but once you finish. you feel a great sense of achievement. 

4. Stay on track with work a slight lapse, can cause you to fall behind 

5. It is your opportunity to experiment and make each task fun

YOU'VE DONE WHICH YOU DIDN'T THINK YOU'D DO

1. Become totally obsessed about graphic design

2. Start to look into the theoretical elements of graphic design

3. The fact that from doing the above i have started to appreciate postmodernist design

4. Eating nothing but pasta for two weeks 

5. Sacrifice food for beer money.  

I WISH I HADN'T DONE

1. lost contact with friends back home

2. being that obsessed with graphics that i forget to inform the parents that im still alive 

3. Started smoking again

4. Allowed my self to drink horrific cider

5. sacrificed food for beer money

I WISH I DID

1.  Id have know about how to manage my time at the beginning of the year that would have been a massive help 

2. organising my time would have allowed me to enjoy my life outside of work a lot more.

3.  got on my skateboard like i expected to 

4. got at least 1 lie in a week

5. completely dismiss procrastination  

I THINK ARE THE WORST THINGS TO HAPPEN IN THE YEAR

1. Panic of not completing work for deadlines 

2. The stress that the course puts on you 

3. not waking up for a visit from the family 

4. Realisation of how procrastination effects your work

5. losing contact with friends back home.

I THINK ARE THE BEST THINGS TO HAPPEN IN THE YEAR

1. Realising how much i enjoy graphic design

2. Meeting new friends 

3. Enjoying leeds and what it has to offer

4. Seeing the progression of my work over the year

5. having a much better understanding of graphic design

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1st message: 

- Dont stress over workload:

5 Reasons why:

Everything can be achieved with hard work and time management 

To love the subject 

Maintain a healthy social life

Produce your best work

Keeping on track 

How? 

Motivational Posters giving tips on how to combat this    

A calendar helping to manage time

Too do lists helping organisation 

Application giving them updates on what needs to be done  

2nd message: 

- The course requires 100% dedication at all times

5 Reasons why:

To achieve what you have come here for

To get what you paid for

To get the most out of this education 

you have been given a great opportunity, make the most of it

You get out of it what you put in. 

How?

A zine that shows, past students work and what they have progressed onto after attending the college 

Manifesto that motivates the students every day, giving them the correct mindset.

A blog with daily updates of motivational quotes from students.

Post cards that teach you how to link personal likes into set briefs 

Poster designs, showing the path you will take.  

3rd message: 

- Must maintain some social life 

5 Reasons why:

Can be hard making friends 

Hard settling in 

Settling in to a new place

Can stop the enjoyment of uni 

Takes your mind off of things

How?

Drinking games - cards - whole set ect  

Nights out - club guide, what night would suit you?

Location guide - places to go to socialise - guide 

Restaurant guide 

Promotion for activities such as sports  

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1st Problem: 

- Financial Problems

Reasons why:

Buying un necessary munchies

Drinking champagne when you should be drinking cider

Going out every night

Unnecessary clothing shopping

Taxis rather than walking

How:

How to budget shop - guide 

mixers to make a nice cheap beverage 

Up and coming big nights out - spread them out 

Clothing guide - Make your own

Short cut guide to important locations  

2nd Problem:

- Panic about work deadlines - STRESS: 

Reasons why: 

Procrastination during work time

Depression

Poor time management 

Going out all of the time

Following the crowd (other uni's)

Over thinking caused by constant thought about work

How:

Time management planner to plan work time in and out of college

daily timetable splitting social and work life - 

Motivational posters - that gives you what you need to push through to the end

Motivational manifesto linked to graphics

Graphic design survival guide, how to survive on the rough course. 

  

3rd Problem:

- Procrastination:

Reasons why:

It occurs from boredom 

distractions - people, friends, 

Hangovers - ruin everything

Relationships - troubles 

Lack of motivation

How: 

Motivational posters that force you to kill the procrastination 

ways in which you can avoid it - maybe reminders to place around in the form of postcards

small publication containing the horrible facts of procrastination 

Manifesto - to motivate you to not procrastinate you can relax when the job is done!

Initial research:

Material that is already on the market to help students:

At the moment i am unsure what format the pieces will take, however i do know what it is that i aim to produce i have collected the content for my designs, i will draw up some format ideas and will move onto  producing some digital design ideas during the next few days.

An inspirational manifesto - The content for this has beed produced by my peers.

Motivational posters - On how time management and hard work can reduce stress during the course making you a much happier less stressed designer.

Time management planner - I am hoping to have a fixed idea for this after the crit on monday, i am really trying to generate an innovative format for this design. I will discuss this with my peers and

The content of my manifesto is generated from my peers, this allows to produce a design that is perfect for my target audience because it consists of things that the new students will encounter or come up against: I have chosen specific points that fit in a sort of brief plan of the day almost giving them some sort of order and tips within the manifesto. I have used the language in which the quotes initially came so it is appropriate to my audience and will almost give them a feeling that will not overwhelm them reducing stress and calming them as well as motivating them.

     

How to time manage: 

Time Management Tips

Set Long Term Goals - Turn dreams into reality by allowing yourself to craft a vision for your future. Aim high. Post your goals a visible place to stay motivated.

Determine Priorities - Use your long term goals to create concrete, short-range actions that will take you in the direction you wish. Rank those steps so that you can work on the most important items first.

Pose an Essential Question - Continually ask yourself "What is the best use of my time right now?" If it is not important, or urgent, don't do it.

Tackle the Worse First - To craft an effective life, begin each day working on whatever makes you the most anxious. Once you've confronted the most difficult work, subsequent activities will seem easy.

Think Ahead - Planning time is never wasted time. Reserve regular weekly periods for assessing both short- and long-term goals. Schedule time each day to work on your top priorities. Review how the previous week went and see what you need to change in order to be more effective.

Postpone Minor Tasks- Resist the temptation to clear up small "to do" items first. Start with top priorities. The quick things can wait until you take a break.

Write Down Results - If huge "To Do" lists make you feel overwhelmed, try writing "Did Do" lists at the end of each day. Keeping track of your accomplishments may help you stay motivated.

Reserve Your Prime Time - Allocate your most alert times of the day for the most challenging tasks. Carve out, and cherish that time.

Pick Your Bird - Are you a wren or an owl? Most of us are at our intellectual best in the morning. Starting the day with a period of productivity also helps us feel good about ourselves for the rest of the day. However, a few of us are true "night-owls" who are most productive late in the evening when distractions subside. Use your prime time wisely.

Practice Telling Time - Estimate before starting and then record how long it takes to complete a task. Note when you tend to underestimate or overestimate the amount of time activities will take. When you can predict how long it will take you to accomplish something, you can schedule it accurately.

Use Little Bits of Time - Keep a list of small "To Do" items for gaps between appointments. Always have an article to read for times when you are standing in line, on a bus, or waiting for an event to begin.

Enjoy Your Free Time - To stay productive you must take breaks. Schedule time for rejuvenation. (See "Avoiding Burnout" ).