Below are photographs of my weekly planner inspired by Fred's time management session last week. This allows me to plan my time purely for course related task. I find this really useful, and also colour coordinate activities week by week.
Archive for March 2012
Time Management: Week 1
Time Management (Session 2)
Today we had our second time management session with Fred, following last weeks session. We have been focusing on time management recording what we as a group generally do every week. The tasks can be split into three category's. Domestic, Social and Design practice.
Here you can see some of the sheets we did from today's session:
My three lists of ten Social, Domestic and Design rules that will make things easier for me in the future and keep my happy...
Social
- Avoid working on my Design practice at weekends, this is my time for part-time work and social activities
- Stop staying up past midnight on weeknights
- Save drinking for the weekends and not week nights; except birthday / special occasions etc
- Attend the gym at least 4 times a week (preferably before university)
- Skype family at least 4 times a week
- Skype/Call/Text old friends at least once a fortnight to catch up
- Go out once a fortnight (every other friday) and then special occasions; this will allow me to save money and also enjoy my nights out more
- Spend one evening a night where I do no work and spend it purely with flatmates/friends.
- Organise a day out once a month with my flatmates/friends.
- Organise girly film nights once a month with Eve and Hannah.
Domestic
- Maintain my tidy/clean bedroom
- Clean the kitchen every evening before bed so it stops stressing me out when I wake up to a pile of everybody's plates
- Plan meals better, cook for fresh food rather than frozen and don't waste as much food
- Manage money better, stop spending over £100 a week: allowing myself to save money and put the remainder into savings
- Do my laundry once a week; 3 washes.. darks, lights and colours
- Hoover/dust my room once a week: living in such a small room has made me realise how dusty and dirty surfaces get
- Pamper myself at least 3 evenings a week (moisturise/tan/facemasks etc.)
- Drink more and eat less junk (chocolate, icecream etc.. apart from work, thats the exception)
- Only allow myself half an hour for lunch plus small 5 minute breaks throughout the day.
- Early nights and early rises on weekdays (lie-ins are for the weekend)
Design
- Continue to manage my time effectively and stick to deadlines that I set myself in order to keep on top of tasks and not let them build up (to-do lists)
- Always complete design sheets before beginning to digitally produce designs; this way I get the most out of my idea's and inspirations
- Blog work the day it is completely to maintain on top of my blogging and set tasks
- Set up a network over Easter and continue to promote myself and my work (tumblr/behance etc.)
- Experiment with new processes (screenprint etc)
- Blog a Designer a Day for the rest of the year; this will expand my knowledge of designers and hopefully my awareness of current trends
- Catch up on my large 'to-do' list and get to a stage where I can create a design a week to build my portfolio (Hope to be at this stage by the end of easter)
- Break up my day, do lots of little tasks throughout a day (social domestic and design practice based), giving myself breaks along the way.
- Split my time effectively on each project between research, initial idea's and design process.
- Continue to blog lecture notes the day I go to the lecture; keeping on top of my workload.
Writing these 3 lists on 10 rules was unbelievably difficult, I wanted to make sure they were all realistic achievements whilst also things that I would actually work at to achieve and not just ignore after completing this blog post.
What is Graphic Design for?
Information and Wayfinding
Design that is clear and understandable. It needs to be understood quickly and clearly. It is there for a reason and that is to make people understand what they need to know, wether that be signs and directions on a map, or something like info graphics, informing them of facts, figures and statistics.
5 examples of websites/blogs. that will help you to define information & way-finding design.
Flickr Group - mainly photographs of way finding signage
Wayfinding Consultants. Information on general way finding as well as some work.
Another Way finding Consultancy. Lots of work and clients on here.
Various pieces of way finding design.
sign spotting and wayfinding design inspiration blog
Signage
Infographics
Maps
Product and Packaging
Design to contain a particular product. The design could be clean and simple and informative for the product. It could be designed to protect a product or to make a product stand out. It can be used to promote the product but has to show the customer what is inside the packaging.
- 5 examples of websites/blogs. that will help you to define product & packaging design.
One of my favourite package design blogs. Lots of cool stuff on here.
Lots of information and package design work.
Another all round packaging design website.
Design company who work will a lot of coprerate packaging design.
really nice packaging blog.
Food
Drink
Other
Branding and Identity
A design that is made for a particular company or person. The design has to suit the aesthetic that relates to the company and usually consists of a corporate theme, logo design and colour scheme. The design has to remain the same across the entire company so that people will associate this to the company easily.
5 examples of websites/blogs. that will help you to define branding & identity design.
excellent blog on branding/identity/design.
agency who deal with lots of corperate logo work.
studio - expertise in branding and identity.
Brand Experience Consultancy - worked with the biggest and best brands
designer who works solely in branding. works alone.
Logo Design
the logo guess game
Letterheads/ Business Cards etc..
Editorial and Publishing
Designing the correct layout of type and image to create a publication. Large amounts of text that need to be clear to read and understandable. There is a lot of consideration for heir achy with type and image. What needs to be read first and what is most important. The positioning and Layout is also key when it comes to editorial.
- examples of websites/blogs. that will help you to define editorial and publishing design.
brilliant deisgner. works with lots of editorial, publishing and web based design.
Book/Mag Layouts
Zines/Risograph prints
Retail and Promotion
Basically promotional design which the customer comes into contact with in the marketplace. This could be a number of different forms including advertisement posters or point of sale displays but they all have the same goal and that is to 'sell' and promote their product.
5 examples of websites/blogs. that will help you to define retail and & promotion.
The advertising section of the behance networks has many retail and promotional pieces, and is a direct source that is constantly getting updated.
website contains creative advertising and retail promotion. some great ideas executed brilliantly.
design for retail - ignite.
design for retail - whiteroom UK
retail advertising - the detective agency.
peter dean - retial advertising work.
Promo
Shops
Websites
