I decided to put my presentation as landscape, this was because the images would look a lot better surrounded by more white space. It also looked more like a presentation instead of it looking like presentation boards. I think on a whole this looks a lot better because the image delivery is a lot clearer. I have also added information along the bottom that links to what the images are displaying, just so they are clear and people can understand them. It also adds a bit for people to read, instead of me talking about them. I have been able to add information to them that i have not put into my discussion.
Showing posts with label OUPD201. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OUPD201. Show all posts
I have cut down the presentation slightly, just taking out the slides that i think don't fit as well. I am much happier with this because the work on the slides is a lot clearer and i think it is more relevant to the presentation i will be giving. I want the images to accompany what I am saying, and also be visually engaging so people can look at them while i am talking. I think by doing this way you will be able to view the presentation but also listen to what I will be saying. I don't want to bombard people with loads of images because it will not look as professional as i want it to.
I have initially put all the images together of the work that i think is most appropriate to my presentation. I wanted to see how it looked, and what could be taken out. I think some images are more striking then others. I am not really sure about having 3 slides for the type module and then having the slide with the people i am visiting over summer, i just think it doesn't look as good as the other slides. So i am going to take them out. I would rather have specific slides then have some general ones because it looks more specific then.
This year for me has been the most demanding and rewarding year, as a graphic designer, especially with regards to my own design practice. This year has been highly beneficial to me because I now have a focus and specific design area I want to improve. I have also been given a lot of opportunities to develop my skills as well as learn new ones. I think the skill that I have most improved on has to be in-design. Working in this software has helped along my design practice and has become integral to the style of work I produce. I can now confidently say that the work I produce will evolve around type, branding, editorial and packaging. I managed to settle on this after having a long and in-depth talk with Fred just after the end of the animation module. I think this discussion was imperative to me and my design practice because it really highlighted where I was going wrong and most importantly it really showed what I was passionate about. Working with type became apparent and this was defiantly due to my work produced in the type module. It made me realise that I really enjoyed knowing the intricacies of type, learning all that knowledge then being able to execute it within my work. I really learnt some valuable skills and guidelines within that module, which has built up my confidence with working with type. I feel I established my idea for my design practice at just the right time because the modules that followed; the collaborative brief and the product range and distribution brief, really gave me the opportunities to test my new skills and push my design practice and also give myself a taste of what I want to do next year.
I know that my work is not perfect, but I now have the focus I have been looking for from the start of this degree, and specific areas I will now push myself in. through the process of evaluation and analysis I can now see a stark difference from the beginning of the year to now. By giving myself more of a specific area to centre my design ideas and research around has allowed me to put forward a focussed dissertation proposal which links directly to my design practice.
Throughout this year there has been a variety of different challenges, some good, some bad. All of these have helped me realise where my weaknesses lye and how I can go about improving them. I think one of the main weaknesses I have realised is that I try to do too much, not necessarily within the briefs we’ve done, but I try to do too much in disciplines I’m really not that good at. For example I have come to realise working with illustration isn’t necessarily my strong point and that I may have to leave that to other experts in our year. However, this does open doors to working collaboratively next year, either within my year or across the university. I came to realise that throwing everything at a brief isn’t really the right way to go about it, but instead focus the brief down to what I can do most appropriately for it. I think another weakness that I have been trying to tackle is being more specific about what I can produce in the time available. By forcing myself to take a step back and re-evaluate what I have and what I can produce, has really helped me break down the brief in a more specific and controlled way. I tried very hard to do this with the last module, product, range and distribution. And it actually benefitted me so much because I now have a feeling I can do more for this brief over summer, which I fully intended to do. This will help my push my skills and my design practice through the summer break. I also realised through module feedback and crits that my idea generation wasn’t as strong as it should have been, and that due to this I was loosing valuable experience trying and testing things. With the last module I really tried to rectify this and I felt I have, because I made myself experiment more and develop my ideas more which led to me coming out with products that I am really happy with.
I think one of the main things that I have been trying to achieve this year is a design practice that I feel comfortable with. Realising that I now have this, well the foundations at least, I am beginning to feel more confident in myself as a designer. I think that confidence is something that only comes with time and skill, but now I have a practice I can focus in I feel my confidence will improve a lot over the next year. At the beginning of this year there were a lot of things I wanted to achieve; a professional standard of work and working method, improved skills in areas I enjoy, become more informed about areas of graphic design that interests me, improved blogging skill and organisation. And then by the end of the year I wanted; contacts within the design industry, thorough knowledge of the industry and processes relating to graphic design, a clear and professional portfolio that reflects aspects of me and my design interests, a greater understanding of who I am as a graphic designer and my design practice, a small client base to work with and lastly a website to promote myself. I was very surprised, when it came to evaluating my year and looking back at these because I have actually achieved everything I set out to do. What is also good is that I have also achieved more than I thought I was going to, with one of the biggest improvements lying in critical studies. For me writing has never been my strongest point, and its something I’ve had to work on. But this year I really pushed myself in it and also tried to relate to me as much as possible and for this I was awarded highly. This in turn has really boosted my confidence in an area I never thought I was going to be strong in.
I think one area that I have really learnt to respect more is organisation and time management. Organisation for me this year has been really important, not just because of the amount of work, because it has meant I have been able to delegate more time in certain areas, eg. Idea generation. So now I am getting more from the time allowed then I previously was.
As I had already mentioned it was important to me at the beginning of the year for me to have secured some form of industry contacts and a small client base to work with. I think this was probably the most daunting task I faced this year. Initially when I was first drafting up a list of contacts I still wasn’t too sure about my own design practice, so I was looking at general design companies that I could maybe have the chance to dabble in everything. So when I first sent out my emails they were a broad range of companies. The responses I got weren’t great as a lot of the companies weren’t looking to be very helpful at all and some I didn’t even hear back from, even though I followed up with phone-calls. So I decided to go down a different route and use contacts I already had. Through this I have managed to secure myself a placement with a design studio in London called Popcorn. This will be for two weeks from the beginning of July, and depending on how it goes a possibility of it extending to a month. This design studio is perfect for me because it encompasses everything I have now focussed my new design practice around; type, branding, packaging and editorial design. The designers in the studio are still quite young, which really appealed to me because I want to be a part of a fresh and innovative design team, hopefully with it being quite a small design studio I will get the experience I really want. Whilst I am living in London I also hope to visit some other studios such as gravy designs and satellite creative. I also intend to visit the type museum and design museum to help me get some primary research for my dissertation. I want to get as much out of this experience as I possibly can.
As well as sorting out industry experience for the summer I have also secured some short-term work for some clients local to me. Firstly there is local bar called the Periwig wanting promotional goods designed for hem, such as t-shirts, flyers and posters. I am very lucky to have got this as a client because the owner owns the majority of bars and restaurants in and around my area and I am hoping to do more work for him in the future. As well as this I am doing some work for a local charity near me, which I did some work for last year. The Evergreen care trust is holding a charity Summer Ball and hopefully I will be designing their invitations and menu’s.
All of this that I have managed to secure means not only am I gaining experience within the industry but I am also gaining confidence as a designer because ultimately this all means people trust me to produce work for them, which has really boosted my confidence.
I am really looking forward to this summer and next year as I finally feel like I have direction for my design practice and that I am really improving as a designer. Looking at the third years now it’s quite daunting to think that in a year’s time I will be in their position. However, as daunting as it may seem I do feel more confident in myself and I am looking forward to utilising my third year to push my design practice in type, branding, editorial and packaging.
I have written a rough draft of my presentation just to gage what info i want in it and then how long it will be. It was really useful doing this because it meant that i could then mark out the appropriate boards for the presentation. Here are my initial ideas.
I spoke to the manager of the Periwig today, who is a very good friend of mine. He wants some work doing for him over the summer with regards to creating t-shirts, posters and any of other promotional paraphernalia that they want doing. This is great because this is going to give me a lot of work to do over the summer and I am also going to get paid for it as well. What is also good is that the owner of the Periwig owns a lot of other establishments in and around my area and if my works good enough hopefully i will be able to do other promotional things for them. I have quite a lot of freedom to do whatever i feel is appropriate, so long as its current.
I also rang up creative gravy today, one of the designers is a friend of my sisters and I have organized a visit around their studio for when im in London, i still need to confirm the date but they are more than happy to have me come visit them. What i lie about their design work is the facts its corporate but still innovative. I really love their website too i think its so sophisticated and clean, which is mimicked in their work.
I will be doing some more work for the Evergreen Care trust this summer, its getting to the time where they have a lot of events coming up to help promote the charity and they would really like me to help out. I will be offering my services for free, obviously, and its such a good experience because they arn't just one client there are a lot of separate areas that may need me to do design work for them. One of them being the promotional good for the Summer Ball that is coming up. I will hopefully be designing their invitations and menu for the night, this is all really good experience because it means i can push my skills in my new found design practice. I am really looking forward to doing this because its for a good cause as well.
I have organized a visit around Satellite creative for when im in London, It is towards the end of the placement because it takes a while to get to their offices. instead of emailing them I rang them up, I find it a lot easier to talk to people over the phone then by email because you get an immediate response. They were actually really nice and helpful, so im looking forward to going around their studio. they are an agency that specializes in branding, logo design and editorials they also do web design but im not that interested in that element.
I have organised a visit around Duffields printers for after the module hand in because im very busy right now and i want to focus on my work. So i am going to have a look around after the hand in and presentation, its really good because next year i will be living with the son of Duffields printers - Simon Duffield so i am going to have a huge source of knowledge of printing living with him!
My friend asked me to help out with a project she was doing and design a logo for a company she was starting. I had a lot of free reign to do as much as i wanted with the logo. I designed a wide range of logos varying for sophisticated to quite modern and edgy. I think the blank and white work a lot better than the colour, but it was up to Helen to pick the ones she liked.
I heard from Popcorn again today, I had to ring them as i hadn't heard back from James when he said i would. They said that he was away on a trip, but had told them to tell me that i can start in July and that it's for a couple of weeks. If things go well then i could maybe stay for a month depending on the work load and timing.
So i am very very happy right now!! I have secured a placement at a company that i really respect and really wanted to work with!
Today I had a phone conversation with Popcorns Creative Director James Graham. He really liked my portfolio and defiantly wants me to do a placement with them over the summer, he's wasn't sure about the times or what months were best but he's going away for a week and he said after that he would give me a ring with the best times to come down.
Yey though..!
This is my email that i sent to popcorn via my sister and her boss. I had to send a copy to them first in order for it to be passed on.
Popcorn are a young and fresh team of innovative graphic designers, they specialize in branding, type, editorial and packaging. This is one of the main reasons i would like to work alongside them. They are a small studio which will guarantee me some hands on time with them, and it means i will be able to see the functions of a small design practice. They are also in london, which means i can visit other studios while i'm there which would be great. I would really love to work alongside popcorn, because there work really appeals to me its clean sophisticated and still very new.
_________________________________________________
Popcorn Design
7 Tilney Court, Old Street
London EC1V 9BQ
7 Tilney Court, Old Street
London EC1V 9BQ
0207 199 9290
studio[at]popcornbox[dot]com
studio[at]popcornbox[dot]com
I have spent a lot of time talking with my sister, who works in London for SlamPR and discussing my placements etc. So she has helped me get into contact with the design agencies she works with and some of her close friends who are graphic designers. I have had to create a new covering letter that would go alongside my portfolio so it would help illustrate me more and what I am capable of. This was from the advice of my sister and her boss (who also checked out my work), and her designer friends.
This has really helped me because it has put more structure to the people I am trying to get into contact with.
Here is the revised cover letter I have sent to the companies in London
My name is Robyn Russell.
I am a Graphic Design student currently in my second year at Leeds College of Art and I am currently averaging a 2:1.
I am writing to you with regards to a short term summer placement, a week or two, anywhere between the end of June to the middle of August. I have previously interned for a graphic design team local to my hometown, Creative Design http://www.gagraphics.co.uk/.
I have now amassed a varied skill base including a good understanding of design software such as :
· Illustrator
· In-Design
· Photoshop
· Quark
· After Effects
· Dreamweaver
My passion lies in package design, branding and any print based media and my work tends to focus on experimentation with type and layout.
I would relish the opportunity to work alongside a professional team, such as yourselves, in order to further my experience in the design industry.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Robyn Russell
Contact:
E-Mail - rr83299@students.leeds-art.ac.uk
Mobile - 07711884585
Examination results:
Foundation Degree: Art and Design (Merit)
A-Levels: 3 (A - C)
GCSEs: 10(A - C including English and Mathematics)
I have updated my portfolio, retaking some images and adding some new work that I have done over the easter break. Because i now know I want to work with type and layout, its been important to show these are the aspects that I am interested in. So I have added work that I have done for the Type module.
Sooo...
I have emailed a variety of companies and I am still waiting to hear from them. I have stagard my emails so that i have more control over when they contact and visits etc. I have put together my portfolio, the birthday card for 23ccc and my business cards. So I am prepared to hear from the companies.
I also managed to speak with my sister over the weekend and she has some contacts in London, well the graphic designers that work for her who is a close friend and she is going to forward my details to get into contact with them. This is great because it means if i do get a placement with them i will be able to stay with my sister, she also said that she would get in contact with other designers she knows and hopefully i will be able to get some more visits down in London.
I have put together a skeleton email that I intend to use to email some of the companies I am interested in visiting over the next few weeks, or the summer period. I didn’t want to put too much information in them because I wanted it to be quite a short email, and then later we could discuss my work further. Hopefully I will get some feedback from these companies. If not I do plan to follow up with phone calls.
Dear
I am a graphic design student studying at Leeds College of Art. I am contacting you because I would really appreciate your feedback on the samples of work that I have sent you. I am very interested in type and design for print. I would really appreciate the opportunity to have some feedback from experienced professionals such as yourselves. What I really like about your design work is… . Any response would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Robyn Russell
Contact:
Telephone: 07711884585
Email 1: rrusselldesigns@hotmail.com
Email 2: rr83299@student-leeds.ac.uk
(The basic skeleton email)
Dear Mark,
I am a graphic design student studying at Leeds College of Art. I am contacting you because I would really appreciate your feedback on the samples of work that I have sent you. I am very interested in type and design for print. I would really appreciate the opportunity to have some feedback from experienced professionals such as yourselves. What I really like about your design work is the variety of work you do, especially across branding and the editorial design you have done. Any response would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Robyn Russell
Contact:
Telephone: 07711884585
Email 1: rrusselldesigns@hotmail.com
Email 2: rr83299@student-leeds.ac.uk
Dear Claire
I am a graphic design student studying at Leeds College of Art. I am contacting you because I would really appreciate your feedback on the samples of work that I have sent you. I am very interested in type and design for print. I would really appreciate the opportunity to have some feedback from experienced professionals such as yourselves. What I really like about your design work is the clean branding work you design, and the innovative logo designs you have done. Any response would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Robyn Russell
Contact:
Telephone: 07711884585
Email 1: rrusselldesigns@hotmail.com
Email 2: rr83299@student-leeds.ac.uk
Dear Simon
I am a graphic design student studying at Leeds College of Art. I am contacting you because I would really appreciate your feedback on the samples of work that I have sent you. I am very interested in type and design for print. I would really appreciate the opportunity to have some feedback from experienced professionals such as yourselves. What I really like about your design work is the branding you have done for the wide variety of companies, as well as your logo designs. Any response would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Robyn Russell
Contact:
Telephone: 07711884585
Email 1: rrusselldesigns@hotmail.com
Email 2: rr83299@student-leeds.ac.uk
Dear Sir or Madam
I am a graphic design student studying at Leeds College of Art. I am contacting you because I would really appreciate your feedback on the samples of work that I have sent you. I am very interested in type and design for print. I would really appreciate the opportunity to have some feedback from experienced professionals such as yourselves. What I really like about your design work is the variety of work you do across design for print, I really like that fact you work across a range of media. Any response would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Robyn Russell
Contact:
Telephone: 07711884585
Email 1: rrusselldesigns@hotmail.com
Email 2: rr83299@student-leeds.ac.uk
I have put together some mock ups of my business card, just paper mock ups to check the size and readability of my business card. Overall it all works, the card pulls out revealing my skills, which is important. My contact information is obvious although the email is a little small but that can be adjusted. Overall i am very happy with the design and its function. The function and format work well to create an interactive business card that will engage the viewer and hopefully deliver the information in an appropriate way.
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