FIRST PROJECT EXPERIENCE
The retail project was the first project I did this semester. It was most hard and challenging project. This project made me reconsider designing but when I saw the final outcome of the project I felt proud and want to do more projects. It also taught me what are the things that a designer should do and don’t. This was a roller coaster experiences for me with lot of ups and down.
At the beginning of the project I had the problem of understanding the project. It was hard for me to understand the brief as it requires lot of researching. I was struggling in the research part. Where I was a bit lost and didn’t know where to start. I seek help from my class mates and note down a list of the point that I have to research. As I have to design a retail store for a very high brand. I had to start my project by researching about the history of the brand, the new trends, competition and etc. The brand I choose was Dior. It was a very high and luxurious brand. I had difficulty to come up with a concept for this brand. I have to think about the standard of the brand and how to come up with unique and abstract idea. So what I did was, I analyzed the latest clothing collections of Dior. From the I got many ideas but it was hard to combine the idea to brand because I have to keep the brand image and have an abstract theme. After lot of mind mapping and brainstorming. I finally came up with a concept.
My concept of the project was ‘femininity’. To represent femininity, I choose a flower, which is world’s most expensive flower. It was connecting the brand I choose.it was difficult to come up with a concept because I didn’t have that much time to do much research about the concept, so my concept was very weak. It was hard to come up with an Idea because I was having trouble from the beginning of the project. I kept on thinking that my project would be low and was thinking about others works. I thought I would make my development strong and I started to developing the idea. This was most challenging task from the project. I didn’t have much time because most of time I was struggling in the research part. As I had a little time and have to do two model and a technical drawing. I had a mental break down, where I was very stressful and physically was weak. I kept on think how to do this. All the negative was surrounding me. My mind was filled with ideas yet I wasn’t able to make it. I start to panicking as the due date was getting close. Yet I haven’t finished my model. Those days I was literally fighting with myself. I kept on saying to myself ‘I can do it’ yet other half of me was giving up but I didn’t give up. I kept on doing my work nonstop trying to finish all the requirement. I stop asking my classmate about the project which made me focus on my project. I start to make a list of thing to do in daily routing. I kept on going in a timetable for a week as submission day was getting close. I was able to finish most of work as I was going with a plan.
On the day of submission, I had finished most of work in the morning. Yet my presentation board was the only thing which was incomplete. I had to print the presentation board and that’s where I had troubled. I didn’t think about the printing would consume so much time. Due that I was not able to give it on time. I felt so sad and felt I have let down myself, that was a day I would never forgot. I have never been so panicked. I literally lost my phone on very same day. But luckily I had finish my material board and submitted on time. Which submission was until four. It gave me courage to submit my other work which was late yet I did submit it rather then not giving it. Due to late submitting, I wasn’t able to present my work but later I was satisfied because this was my very first project of interior designing and I was able deliver all the requirements which was in the brief. After the submission the feedback I got from my lecture was very surprising for me. I thought my project was not good enough as I was struggling so much from the beginning. There were good and things that I have to improve. The feedback was very encouraging and gave me a hope that I can design just have stop overthinking and focus on work. It also acknowledges the detailing of my furniture’s. I did lot of work on developing.
Apart from that I have learned so much. I learned time management is very important. If I had make a timetable from the beginning of the project. I would have completed on time and would have make something more interesting and creative. It also makes me realize that thinking about others does make you think negatively but asking for help and helping is fine. This experience did teach me to be patient when it come to the thing that take time. Where you have to cooperate with other people. From this project I did surprise myself even never I have ever thought, I would be able to do a model and 50 pages of research book. As a person even I have become more fearless. For my next project I would defiantly make a time table form the beginning, so that I could have enough time to design properly. I have learned so much from this project that I know I have ability to design. This very first step of designing was very overwhelming yet exciting.