Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (Design and Media)

1. Briefly describe the final outcome of your project and the progress you have made, and if applicable how it differs from your original Project Proposal:

The final outcome of my project is what I had hoped for at the beginning of the project regarding success and my initial vision coming to fruition however the development of my project took many changes and adjustments throughout the 7 weeks due to new ideas and necessary changes.

My initial vision in my project proposal was to create an underground tunnel and also an over ground tunnel in the streets of London, however in its final state, my project only included an underground tunnel and an outside path leading to it. This change was made because of the reconsideration of the necessity of an over ground tunnel and the space and restructuring of the surrounding area it would include, which was not worth its aesthetic appeal and limited benefits. Another change from my initial idea I made was that I changed my location from central London to a more outskirt area of central London. This was due to the reality of the limited space for construction in central London and the space required to create my desired design would be too challenging to construct in the tight knitted streets. A drastic change I made from my original idea was the complete deletion of having shops inside of the tunnel. I removed this idea from my project because I came to realisation that in order to have shops inside the tunnel, the tunnel would have to be extremely large and none of the tunnels in London I had researched were large enough to accommodate this. I then looked at the possibility of having small stalls inside of the tunnel selling the basics that a shop would sell, however this also would take up too much space in the tunnel and would either create a cramped feel in the tunnel or a large obstacle for the cyclists, which is a potential danger hazard.

However, with the changes I have made from my original project proposal, I feel that the final outcome of my project was very successful and I recreated my vision of a new cycle lane for London and even added more beneficial parts to the project, making it better than my initial idea.

2. What methods have you used to show how your learning has effected your project eg FMP Blog/ FMP Plan/ sketchbooks etc, and how has this helped with development of your work:

Throughout the 7 week period of my project, I have been recording my development and learning process in multiple ways, which have positively affected the development of my work.

The first method of recording and developing my work is my final major project blog. On a weekly basis I would recap what I have achieved and learnt from the week. This helps me feel a sense of progression in the project and I would look back at it to see what I have achieved and what else I have left to do in the coming weeks. Another benefit of recording my work in my blog was so that I didn’t forget certain things. Such as a location I saw on my travels that inspired me and could relate to my project or a website that had useful information on how to build with a certain material. In my blog I also note what I have learnt from the week, whether it is positive or negative and if negative, how I’m going to overcome this obstacle.

Another way I tracked my progression and learning was in my sketchbook. I used my sketchbook to draw my ideas and collect my ideas such as sketches of my designs, printouts of my sketch up models or just cut outs from magazines or articles which inspired my design or provoked forward thinking for my project.

Lastly, a way I found helped me a lot with organisation and time management was my FMP plan. I created a time plan which plotted out when I would and should achieve certain goals and finish certain parts of my project. This helped me keep track of time and to see if I was on track to completing my goals.

These three ways of recording my development definitely helped with the development of my project and was key in keeping me focused on the final model design.

3. List the targets met (from the original FMP Plan and any that were added later):

I feel that I met most of the targets I set for myself in my original FMP plan, however, I underestimated how long it would take me to build my final model.

I underestimated this because I didn’t take into account how time consuming gathering all the materials and equipment needed to build my model would take, aswell as the construction of the model. In my FMP plan I set myself the target of starting and completing my model within 2 weeks. However, it turned out that it would take me 3 weeks to complete my model as I started a week earlier than planned as the realisation of time restraints due to having to travel long distances to get certain materials and use certain equipment that is not always readily available to me.

Apart from this one set back, I completed every target I set myself and stayed within the time frames I gave myself to achieve and complete certain parts of my project.

The list of targets I met were as follows:

-Complete research

-Complete development of idea

-Complete realisation of idea

-Scout location to base my project

-Gather materials for my model

-Gather equipment and utensils for my model

-Build and complete model

4. Reflecting on your overall final major project, please discuss any developments which have contributed to the final outcome:

Certain key developments have contributed a large role in the progression of the final outcome of my project. These developments would be my learning and understanding of computer software’s, design and physical building with materials.

A software that I become very accustom and familiar with during my FMP was Google Sketch Up. I used this software extensively to illustrate my idea and give myself a 3D perspective of it instead of 2D sketches in my sketchbook. This software helped bring my design to life and realise the final goal.

The main development that contributed to the final outcome was my progression and new understanding of building with different materials. My final model is made from many different materials including card, cardboard, paint, wood, acrylic, foam, Perspex, ABS, paint and many other materials. When using a large variety of different materials, I had to adapt to each one when using them and learn their strengths and weaknesses and what they are best used for. For example, acrylic is a strong and durable material however when cut, can be brittle and shatter so I had to be careful when cutting my acrylic pipe not to shatter it. I also learned that it scratches very easily and had to beware of damaging the material as it transparent and will highlight any damage, taking away from the desired effect.

5. Please state what advice you received from others during your FMP, and discuss what you found particularly useful: you should refer to group reviews, one-to-one tutorials and feedback from evaluation groups

During the week period of my FMP I received countless useful advice and opinions from people around me such as class peers, tutors, family and friends.

I think the feedback from others played a large role in the development of my project therefore I made sure to request feedback from people at every step of my project to reassure or dissuade me from my designs and ideas. Having many different opinions from different people, from different backgrounds and ages gave me many different perspectives which I feel is important in creating a product or concept that is designed for people because I myself have a vision of how I want certain design elements to be, however these design elements are tailored to me and my preferences and may not appeal to other people. This was something I learnt when I suggested that the path way going to begin with a large downward slope, however after talking to my peers, they dissuaded me from this idea as they thought that this would be a safety hazard for the people coming down the slope as they would be carrying a lot of speed and in the rain it would be extremely slippery and dangerous and for the people going up the hill, it would be very tiring for them. Therefore with these opinions and feedback I was able to take the design back to the drawing board and scrap the idea, which I am now thankful for.

Another great piece of advice I received was from a tutor. Herself being a cyclist, she had great experience in cycling and my project related heavily to her. The idea she suggested was that I should use some sort of lighting to light up the interior of the tunnel so that it can be visible for the cyclists at any time of the day, making the tunnel much more available than before.

6. Key points to take away – things to change about my approach (give at least 2) eg improve time management, what skills you have developed and how this will affect your future course/career and things to continue doing and to build on (give at least 2). What are you going to do next year?

(NOTE – you may find it useful to refer to this document at the beginning of your next self managed project.)

Aspects I would change about my approach to future projects would be time management and organisation. The reason I would change my time management is because I would give more time to complete larger tasks such as building the model and take away time from smaller, less time consuming tasks such as research. The reason I would change my approach to organisation is because I didn’t properly plan out where I was going to purchase all my building materials and equipment, which consumed a lot of my time that I could have spent doing more productive things in my project and making larger developments.

Skills I will continue to develop and build on would definitely be my CAD software knowledge and also my physical model making skills. The reason I want to build upon my CAD software skills, is because at the moment I think my skills are quite basic and definitely leave a lot to be desired. Therefore I would like to develop my skills further by learning new techniques and new design software’s which are more complex and professional than Google Sketch up, thus making my designs look more professional and polished. Also, the reason I want to develop and improve my physical model making skills are very similar reasons to why I want to develop my software skills. By developing my techniques and how I make my models, I will be able to create models at a much higher standard than I am able to achieve at the moment with my current skill set.

All of these developments will be very relevant with what I want to do next year, which is product design at Ravensbourne. I will be able to use my newly acquired skills and knowledge and be able to apply them to my future product design projects that will be more demanding than the projects I have completed this year.