Summative Statement

With the written element of this module focusing on feminist film theory and how the heroine roles with film are represented, I didn't want to create a body of work just illustrating what I had written within my dissertation. Instead I drew importance upon Althusser's concept of "Ideological State Apparatuses' reinforcing oppression and created a possible solution to the oppression of women.

Schools are one of the 'Ideological State Apparatuses' mentioned in his concept, so the idea behind my project was to create an educational game for children between the ages of 11-16. At this age children can be impressionable, and it is well known that the younger generation are more likely to go against social norm and stand up for what they think is right, for instance Sub Cultures.

The game I chose to re-design was Monopoly, as the origin of the game is important as it adds context to my project. The origin of the game being a prime example of injustice of the woman who originally invented the game.

I have really enjoyed this module, I was able to explore many different creative processes, 3D printing, Woodwork, Illustrator, Book Binding and Photography. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process of creating a concept, development and production and overall I think this shows within my work, resulting in a fully functional, professional piece of work.

This module has really informed my practice a lot, the writing element and the practical has elevated my practice and I would like to take this work on further in the future, focussing on what my passion is, Education.

Final Outcome

Visual and Conceptual Development

Final Presentation Boards

These Presentation Boards have been designed as if they were going into a competition for example D&AD, with a research/concept page, product page, and distribution page.

With these boards being printed A2 and handed in physically as part of the submission, i had to print these in my print slot, so unfortunately i hadn't taken photos of my product to put on the last slide so i had made a mock up.

if i could i would change the last slide, but overall i think these boards are simplistic, not text heavy and displays the product well.

Final Product

Today i had my print slot, so i could finally print all the elements of my game. Although i have checked numerous times, the double sided prints did not print aligned. I am a bit disappointed by this as ive put a lot of work into each element of the game, although ive been reassured that i would never get perfect alignment with the printers downstairs.

The worst is the packaging, as it is really noticeable, but also because i was limited to the size of an A3 print due toit being the biggest side you can double side print with. I decided to print it A3 anyway as a prototype, but i could no longer make styrofoam tray for inside the box as i would have to re-design the sizes for the compartments and i didnt feel like in the time i have left, this was important to my project as it is partly proposed, and this is more of production than it is concept and illustration. 

Nevertheless, I am happy to see my work printed off, although it doesnt look as professional with the alignment, it still looks pretty good, and i think the game as a whole, without the problems, looks great. Obviously, these problems wouldnt be down to the illustrator if this was done professionally, as the production part would be down to a different person/team, once designs were final.

The Votes which i was able to print on coloured copier paper look great, im really happy with these, although two colours havent been delivered yet. The game Pieces also look very good, although they are abit flimsy, as the slits in the two parts which allow them to stand are a but wide, not giving them great support. This would be something i would bare in mind if i attempted to produce something like this in the future.

But Overall, i am really happy with my product, i think it is a good concept and works well with synthesising with my written element of this module. I was able to go to the Photography department in the college and take some photos of it all together and it looks amazing. It all looks very professional, and one all laid out, it takes shape into a board game that you could possibly see in the shops.

Ive had a lot of positive comments on my project, and i feel like all of the hard work put in has paid off, although there are things that could improve, this is something i will learn from and is all part of production. Ive thoroughly enjoyed learning all of the different processes ive used within the module and i think my passion for education, especially in a fun, functional way, has motivated me and inspired me to push further in this project. 

Deed Cards 2

The one thing that i found difficult with this is I didnt want to use money vocabulary, as this game works in Votes and not Money, so i didnt want to use the original language of Rent, Mortgage, Price etc. So instead i asked for advice within the studio and came up with 'Valued at' etc.

I still dont want the values of each issue and category to represent importance, as no issue is more important than another. I would state this in a rule book given with the game, although with the time i have, i have decided that i wont be able to make a rule book, as part of this project will be proposal.

Deed Cards

Ive finally finished the amounts on the 'deed' cards, i finally found examples online of the correct values so the game would function properly like the original game.

Im happy with how these look as they are simple and i like the design on the back, as it is quite refined and simplistic. Overall, i think these are professional looking and work well with the rest of the product design,

Community Chest Cards

Chance Cards

Although designing the cards a while ago, ive only now finalised the facts to put on them. As this is one of the main educational parts of the game, i wanted to show key points from the history of feminism to show the achievements made so far, but by doing this it also shows how some issues that feminists fight for are really important and sometimes unbelievable e.g. 1993 Rape of a wife is now illegal. This is shocking, not only that it was legal beforehand, but at the date in which it changed.

Instead of the original Banker, being the bad guy within the game, i have changed this to the Patriarchy, which is mentioned a lot within feminist film theory, and within the game stops them from getting votes to tackle their issues. 

I really like this, although it wasnt planned in earlier design, it shows the children playing the game that it is Patriarchy that reinforces oppression and is always the 'person' you would be playing against/fighting against as a feminist.

Packaging Woman

Ive finished the woman for the packaging, this will go on the front of the box. The idea is to keep the packaging similar to the original packaging of Monopoly, very simplistic and recognisable.

After the original simple packaging, they then started to put images of the Monopoly Man on the box. This is what i am proposing to represent within my work.

Packaging Design Complete

Ive finally changed my packaging and i love it! i think the changes advised in the crit has definitely improved it for the better, in this case, less is more! I think the simplicity of the design makes it a lot more contemporary, although resembles the vintage packaging well. Because of this, i think it looks very professional and i think it's great.

Initially, i only put the elements on the bottom of the box, which made the top look bare. I decided to make a play on "Parker Brothers", by changing it to "Franklin Sisters", although this a witty joke, it does complete the design making it look like a product instead of just a design.

Crit Feedback

Today we had the final crit before the deadline, i found it really enjoyable to look at everyone's work in the class, everyone has produced really professional work, pushing them so much further.

I was really thankful for the feedback given for my work. I dont have a print slot until the day before the deadline so all i had to show was my board game and the 3D printed 'R's and the presentation boards.

The presentation boards i admit, are not very good. I had done them after i put my board together, just as a tool of explanation for the person(s) giving me feedback. For my presentation boards that i will submit, i am planning on doing 3 that will almost represent competition submission boards.

The feedback given at first was basically on the presentation boards as i had not mentioned that they were not my final ones. Then when explained i got more feedback on the actual work i had made. The best advice i got was about my packaging, as id asked for specific feedback on this on my boards. They mentioned that they also preferred the plain packaging, but mentioned how i could put elements of the game i.e. twitter birds on the packaging like the example Monopoly packaging i had put on the 1st board.

I think this is a great idea and has really helped me with a dilemma i was dealing with.

Printing My Board Game

Ive finally printed my board game today, i was really nervous waiting for it to be printed, hoping everything would come out right. I am really pleased with it, this time 2 months ago, id never used Illustrator before, and now i feel really confident in using the software and i think it shows in this work. 

Ive really enjoyed making this game, it has been fun to see it all come together from initial ideas, developing the design and then finally making it. To see it come out looking as it does is amazing, although the design is not difficult, im happy with how clean it looks, it is probably my most professional looking work to date.

I spent the rest of the day backing it on to grey board and lining with buckram, this was not as easy as i remembered in the book binding workshop, but it was nice to do something off-screen. 

Although i am very happy with this piece of work so far, through a production fault of mine, the board does not bend like other games. I didnt leave enough of a hinge in between the grey board segments, so when bent, the image buckles. As this is a production problem, and would not be my job as an illustrator, I have decided that for now, it looks fine flat, and although i would have liked it to function properly, this works well as a prototype and i am very happy with it, considering the time ive had to produce it.

3D Printed 'R's

My 3D printed 'R's have finally been printed and posted to me. I did order them in purple, although they had ran out so I decided to go with green instead. I actually think this is better than purple, as i have used this quite a lot within the game so the green would be nice to break it up.

I originally wanted purple as it is the only colour which is not one of the categories on the board so i decided to use it for the main colour for the packaging and the name on the board. 

Although i like the 'R's, if i had to do it again, i would consider making them slightly larger and less fragile. They are a good prototype, to show my ideas but in comparison to the board, it is quite small and there is a worry that they could be lost etc.

This would be easier if i could have met with the 3D designer (my brother) in person, as my ideas of size etc. would be easier to explain and show in person. But overall, i am really happy with these, it has been great working with different techniques and out-sourcing 3D printers etc. I think this made me see a bit of what it would be like to create a product like this professionally and what the costings would be.

I only ordered 6, although they sent an extra one, the price of the print was only about £3.50, thats with student discount, excluding delivery. Although this is a good price, if i had printed the full amount needed for the game to function, this could be quite expensive but it is something you would have to budget and shop around for when producing something like this.

Presentation Boards

Packaging Design

Ive started to produce my artwork for the packaging, i want to keep it similar to the original Monopoly packaging as the origin of the game is important to the context of my project.

Using the colours of the suffragettes, i played around with the composition, doing multiple tests. I didnt want the packaging to look like a flag, which i thought both of the colours as stripes, resembled. 

This design is what i have decided to take forward, i think it is a lot more professional. I will have the bottom half of the box green to even out the colours.

Ive added the artwork on to the design, as Monopoly started to add the image of the monopoly man. Although i like the artwork, i am not sure whether i like this design on the packaging. I don't feel like this is professional looking, but as the crit is coming up at the end of the week, i will ask for feedback on this.