Millie Southall completed a project on the theme of illusion. She created collage artworks of natural places that were edited using Adobe Aero to create an augmented reality effect. The goal was to show that there is more than meets the eye in natural settings. While the project provided an opportunity to develop graphic design skills, challenges included a lack of understanding of the initial brief and difficulties coordinating group work. In the future, Millie plans to improve her time management and ensure a full understanding of project requirements.

1. THE GRID
YEAR 2 PRODUCTION
WORK
Millie Southall

2. PROJECT OVERVIEW

3. What was the theme of your project and
what attracted you to it?
• The theme of my project was illusion. I wanted to take on illusion as a theme as I
feel like there are a lot of different ways you can go about it.The theme of illusion
could be linked to lots of other themes we were given such as time. I also like how
literal you can be with illusion.Visual illusions are fun to look at and fun to create
and I liked the idea of creating a visual illusion.

4. What research did you undertake and
how did it help develop your project?
• In my team, we started off by researching our target demographic. Our target
audience we were given was 16–25-year-olds. We started by researching what
social medias they use and what people this age like to do in their free time and
what sort of things they enjoy.We found out teens enjoy crystals and healing sort
of things, so we decided to go down the theme of 60s trippy psychedelic illusions.

5. How did you develop and improve your
ideas throughout the project?
• At the start of my project we decided to go with visual illusions in the more generic
was as in moving grids and eyes. As we moved onto our own personal part of the
project I moved more towards the themes of illusion and nature. I decided to make
collage art of natural places and turn everything into an illusion.The idea was, if
you see a natural place there is much more than meets the eye. So, I edited natural
places and used adobe aero to make them like augmented reality.

6. What was the outcome of the
project/task?
• I made a collection of collage art and put them all on some sort of website format,
and made a map of York as to where each picture is. It was meant to be some kind
of like a treasure hunt. I ended up not using the map because I found it too difficult
to create something that looked good I then used adobe aero to separate the
layers so you can use the camera and move between the layers.

7. PERSONAL RESPONSE

8. How did you feel about the project before
you started?
• Before the project started, I was unsure about the project. I didn’t quite
understand the brief and the whole teamwork and the independent work aspect. I
was also unsure on what we were supposed to make.

9. What do you think about your project development
and how did it help you to refine your idea?
• I think my project developed well.The further I researched into time and illusion
the more of an idea as to what I wanted to do, the better of an idea I got. I
originally was going to go more along the lines of the stereotypical illusion, like
grids and neon green. But as I researched illusion, I discovered it isn’t just images,
it can be the illusion of something. So my project is like everything is an illusion. I
got an ordinary photo of something in town like outside the minster and edited it
to be something completely different.

10. Did you collaborate on your project or
engage contributors, etc?
• I collaborated on my project with the team I was given. For the first half of my
project I was in a team and we researched the project as a group. I enjoyed doing
collaborative work however at times it was difficult because all the work fell on me
on occasions, for example the research PowerPoint.

11. How did you feel when the project was
completed and why?
• I felt happy with the work I created. I enjoy making print and doing graphic design
so doing the project was a lot of fun to me. I felt unsure a lot of this project so I am
happy it is over and we get to start with our FMP’s because I can incorporate some
of the skills I learned on this project into the design parts of my FMP.

12. EVALUATINGTHE
PROJECT

13. What were the good points about the project/task and what did
you learn from them?
• I liked working with a group. It is a very different dynamic than working
independently and I enjoyed getting to experience this and collaborate with
others.
• I enjoyed doing the independent work because I had free reign of what I was doing
and didn’t have to take in someone else's ideas on my vision.
• I learned how to use a new Adobe Software that will help me with future projects
(Adobe Aero)

14. What challenges did you face and how did you
respond to them?Try and think of at least 3...
It was difficult to draw using mouse and keyboard. I then started using a drawing
tablet and purchased a drawing tablet so I could also work from home.
Another challenge was the groupwork. Me and one other team member did the
majority of the work and it was difficult to do since other groups had more
contributing members than us.
Understanding the project was also a challenge. Once I understood more I began to
work better but it was difficult.

15. What were the negative points about the
experience, and what could you have done to
improve them?
• I didn't understand the project too much so I wasn’t sure what the actual task was
until we got further into the project. I think taking more time and looking at the
brief closer might have helped me understand what the project was.
• It was slightly difficult to work in a group because not everyone did equal amounts
of work which led everyone to have different levels of responsibility over a group
project.

16. How would you rate the final piece? [think along the lines
of poor, satisfactory, good or excellent...justify your
rating]
• I think my work was satisfactory. I think my practical work would have been better
if I managed to have more than one photoshoot. I found it difficult to get a
daylight photoshoot because I work nights when I am not at school so by the time
I have rested after work it is sun set.This made it difficult to get the photos that I
envisioned.

17. What is your opinion of your final piece?What
elements do you think are successful and
why?
• I think my final piece is okay. I could have done better but I worked with the
images I had and I think I did a good job. I think if we had a longer production time
I could have taken some more photos in multiple locations.

18. How well did your project apply the
characteristics and conventions of the
medium you worked in?
• I think the project fit the characteristics and conventions of graphic design. I
believe illusion and graphic design fit together hand in hand because illusion is a
very visual thing so working on making illusions with design was good.

19. ANALYSIS

20. In what ways was the overall project a
success?
• The project was a success overall because I was able to develop my skills in graphic
design. I learned how to use Adobe aero, and I also learned how to use a graphics
tablet better. I enjoyed drawing off a graphics tablet more than using a mouse.

21. What elements did not go well and why?
• I was unable to get a good photoshoot because of my weekend hours at work. Due
to the fact I work nights over the weekend, I sleep during the day so by the time I
wake up the sun is already setting.This could be changed next time if I take a set
day off work or do the photoshoots on my definite days off.

22. How did your skills develop during the portfolio?
[remember, skills aren't just technical, remember things
like organisation, time management, communication, etc
as well]
• The skills I developed were mainly technical during this task. I developed skills in
graphic design as most of my previous projects have all been video. I developed
skills in softwares like photoshop, illustrator and aero. I also got a graphics tablet
to help.

23. What would you do differently in the
future and why?
• In the future I will develop my time management. Over the course of this project I
have started to plan things by the day. I have a diary and now keep trach of
everything that needs doing by when and will schedule shoots.

24. ACTION PLAN

25. If you were making a similar project in the
future, what would you do differently?
• I would spend more time reading through the brief and maybe take some notes
and try and fully understand what I am supposed to be doing in the project is. I
think I would try and engage the group more and take less of a leadership role, so
it wasn’t so dependent on my ideas, and it was more collaborative.

26. How could you develop your skills for future projects?
Please identify the appropriate resources and courses. For
example, webpages, tutorials, books, short courses and
qualifications.
• I will use moreYouTube tutorials on the software's I am using. I enjoyed using
adobe aero and I would like to learn more adobe software to expand my
knowledge and skillset.

27. What personal attributes could you develop to
ensure you are working at a professional
level?
• I could work on my time management. I managed to complete everything to a
schedule but I did most of it closer to the end of the project. I think I need to
spread out the work throughout the weeks I have and then it will make it easier to
complete the project.