Evaluation for Client project

1. Evaluation For Client
Project
Alis Rose

2. Legal, Regulatory and Financial Constraints
In terms of legal constraints, I had to be very careful when choosing fonts to download from dafont.com as
most of the fonts that I liked came under the category of “free for personal use”. This would therefore
mean that if I used this font, I would be infringing on copyright and have the potential for my client or
myself to be taken to civil court, which could lead to a fine. Fonts were a massive element to my
production work and therefore only chose fonts that I knew were public domain, or 100% free. I had the
same issue when using images such as the frame. This was easily solved by changing the search tools on
Google images to either “Labeled for reuse” or in the case of the image that I settled on “Labeled for reuse
with modification”. It did make the process a little more lengthy, however I’m still happy with the outcome
of my images.
I didn’t however come across any regulatory constraints as the tasks I was doing were not to design
adverts, and from a financial perspective I had all the equipment I already needed. However, when
designing elements for my client I had to keep their costs in mind as if my designs had a lot of colour in
them they would cost a lot to print, which is something my client was not willing to do.

3. Time Management
I think I managed my time pretty well, as it took me a week and a half to get my design work up to a
standard in which my client could see everything done to then give me improvements. The improvements
then took me a day or two to achieve. I finished ahead of schedule meaning that I wasn’t stressed by
deadlines and I got my work up to a standard that my client and myself were happy with. I originally
allocated time in which to do each task separately, spending a few days on each design element.
However I did end up having all three tasks on the go at once, doing bits of each to make sure that
everything kept within the same style. I preferred doing it this way rather than sticking to a strict schedule
as it allowed me to look at each piece of my work with a fresh pair of eyes every time I decided to dedicate
time to that particular piece.

4. Communication
I chose to meet with my client a lot more than communicating via email, text message or phone call as it
made sure that there was no confusion and also as they were family, it also meant I could catch up with
them too. They are situated within walking distance from my house so there was no trouble or cost to me
travelling to see them. They had a very informal approach because again, they are family and therefore
put me at ease when asking for information regarding measurements, colour schemes etc. I always made
sure I either called or texted ahead of time to make arrangements to see them so that they could be
prepared for my visit and I could make sure that they were not busy. There wasn’t much communication
between visiting them to see what they would like me to design, and showing them the final products that
they could then evaluate and it was all positive throughout the experience. I again thought it was
appropriate to see them when showing them the designs as I could talk them through my thought process
and could really understand what they liked and disliked about my work. The only thing that I had trouble
with was getting my client to send me a paper copy of the brief they gave me. I met up with them before
the two weeks of production started so they could talk me through what they wanted so I knew what I was
doing. However it is preferable to have a paper copy, especially when there is money involved or you don’t
know the client as well.

5. Communication
Phone call on the
09/05 to arrange to meet
at the shop so I could
measure up the
shopfront.

6. Achieving the Brief and Agreed Outcomes
My client only gave me a few simple requests for what they wanted. One was to create a design for their
shopfront which advertised the things that they sold such as paninis and coffee etc. The client was also
keen on having quotes written on either sides of their shopfront just before the door, this required me to
find appropriate quotes and make sure the following design fit with their theme. They also wanted a design
created for their windows as they planned to get the bottom part frosted and they wanted this to be coffee
themed. They also wanted their menu re-designed as they planned to frame a copy and put it in their
window. In terms of style, they wanted it to keep within their dark grey and wooden theme that their
shopfront has, they had no preferred font choice or style aslong as it matched that colour scheme. I met all
of these requirements and also created a copy of their menu with my own design of a frame for their
tables in the shop itself.

7. Achieving the Brief and Agreed Outcomes

8. What I Have Learnt For Future Tasks
As this was my first time working with a client, it has helped me build my confidence with my design work.
I was designing work for someone else rather than myself which pushed me to make sure that everything
was perfect before I passed it onto my client. This being the first instance where I can imagine my work
being used for a real-life company, I felt the standard was reflected within this. I have also learnt to be
more confident when showing my work to people outside the college environment as at first I was very
nervous to show my client what I had done. I also think my skills involving text-based designs have
improved which is something I neither enjoyed or thought I was very good at before this project. Choosing
the right font to convey the right meaning was something I always got hung up on and now I am pleased
to say that is no longer the case. This task has also improved my time management skills outside of the
classroom. I worked on the production of this project at home where there is a lot more distractions than
college, yet I managed my time effectively and finished ahead of schedule. It gave me my first taste of
what it would be like to work freelance which is something I had never considered before. It was the first
time that I worked to a professional brief and I think that my skills have improved, it is hard to create what
someone else is visualising but with good communication I think it is possible, as my client was very
happy with the outcome.