This project has been really challenging but rewarding at the same time. The topic is probably the most serious and sensitive issue I’ve done a project about so far – I had to be considerate with my design and ensure information was correct and respectful. I did find it hard to get into the rhythm of being creative with the information and message I wanted to put across, but once it clicked – I wish I could have continued creating more practical outcomes.

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At the beginning of this project, I spent a lot of time jumping between ideas and changing my mind. I knew it would be a good idea to carry on from Research 2 module however, I wasn’t keen on doing another project specifically about Malta’s over development as I wanted my portfolio to be varied. Thinking back to one of the other most poignant things I learnt on my research trip was about how many young people are moving away from Malta, this led me onto wanting to research into migration and identity – what does it mean to be from a certain place and why would people want to migrate. The fact my family has migrated a lot in the past too meant I was attracted to that personal connection and thought about making it a personal project about our story. I spent lots of time flipping between different ideas and researching different things such as mapmaking and different migration trends, and I still couldn’t really put a finger on what I was wanting to do.

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I decided to scrap the idea of making it a personal project as I just wasn’t making progress with the research and found the story I did have wasn’t interesting enough. Also not wanting to abandon all of research 2, I needed to focus more on Malta and its migration – it occurred to me what about the European migrant crisis - over the years I had heard so much about Malta’s involvement. I had already been seeing and using a lot of bird imagery within this research as they are very symbolic of traveling and migration etc. The point where this project shifted and had its own originality and direction was when I made the analogy/ connection of migratory birds and refugees and the harsh treatment of both when they get to Malta.

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Since the first stages of this project, I had gathered good research examples. My first reading list consisted of: Visual research: An introduction to research methodologies in graphic design by Ian Noble & Russel Bestly and; Extra bold by Ellen Lupton et al. These books introduced me to themes of identity, heritage, and inclusivity. I was always looking out for research within daily life for example seeing the ribbons on lamp posts in my village in support for Ukraine was very inspiring. And thinking back to viewing The Faces of Europe exhibition while on my Malta trip and realising it could be relevant for this project. I also carried out a lot of research on birds, specifically which birds migrate to Malta and the issues of bird hunting and trapping. My research on birds also consisted of collecting illustrations and other artwork containing birds, this involved searching online and scanning in books. I spent a lot of time researching and I think this was truthfully to avoid starting practical work, which was quite daunting to begin with, with such a serious topic. Despite spending so much time researching I missed out some in depth research about reasons for migration – it was brought up in the presentation Q&A that I had missed learning about climate migration. I didn’t really explain the different reasons why people had to move away from there homes, I just quite generally discussed it and I naively said war was the main cause and missed discussing other reasons. Climate migration is something that affects both people and birds so it would have been good to talk about this connection and similar reasons for moving.

 

 

 

As this project was about such sensitive issues, I found it hard to think of what I could make in response to it and I was concerned about what images I could use from an ethical point of view. However, it clicked during a tutoring session when I realised the purpose for this project was to educate and to do that the true and genuine things need to be shown, despite how horrible they may be. I had to be brave with my image choices as with such a visibly horrific topic you simply can’t avoid showing distressing images, and with the chance to portray a social political message – why tone it down?

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I thought I successfully created a consistent style running through my publication. The style was clear with white space but also surreal and dreamy. This dreamy style could have been more obvious in some areas. I used collage medium again as I felt this allowed me to create my own narrative and authorship with found imagery. I used collage in quite an illustrative way, and throughout the publication combined photographs with illustrations. An aim for me on this project was to really work on my image making skills, I feel this is something I have really excelled at – especially my photoshop skills. However, I feel like the way I worked with text was not at the forefront and this had a negative impact on the design of my publication. I should’ve planned a more abstract, image heavy publication that didn’t need much text. My publication has issues with photo credits, I should have credited my image sources. Especially dealing with such topical photos, I should have referenced the photographer/source.

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I feel like I could’ve done more with this project, but I did find it difficult at the beginning, after I started creating stuff, I felt I was on a roll and wished I could’ve started earlier. I had the dilemma in my head of do I spend more time researching or more time designing? I now realise if I had been responding to research creatively the whole time, I would have got that creative ball rolling a lot sooner. I also question if publication was the right method, I could have created something more like a zine or handout and a proper website would have been good to reach the target audience of young people.

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I think my presentation skills have improved, once I settled into it, I felt a lot more confident talking about my work. I feel I was still lacking in my answers to questions at the end, it put me under pressure and couldn’t think of what to say on the spot sometimes. I like how my presentation aesthetically matches my website; however, I am concerned that my website doesn’t contain all my research – this is located on my starting point PDF document. I could’ve come up with a way of displaying all my research on my website in a concise way, but it was difficult, and I was concerned of time restraints. I really liked how I could show physical pieces during my presentation, it meant I could explain my pieces while the actual piece was in their hands.