Group PPD

What is industrial experience?

Industrial experience is not all about doing a work placement or doing a couple of days in a studio as a coffee runner. Its about understanding the industry I am interested in to a far more detailed depth. Its the opportunity to talk to people in their chosen environments, its about learning the process from start to finish from client to final print. It's gaining an immense amount of knowledge that no lecture could ever teach you. It's all about the experience. It gives you an opportunity to find out what you love and hate about the industry and learn from it. It's about creating those contacts in an industry that is hard to make yourself known in.

Pentagram Studios in London, New York

Eddie Opara, Partner of Pentagram

(Talking to people you wouldn't normally

get the chance to talk to)

Progress Crit

PPD TASK

What do you want to achieve this academic year?

- Professional standard of work, and working method

- Improved skills in the areas that I enjoy working such as; photography, screen print, software, typography.

- Become more informed about all aspects of Graphic Design and their related areas

- Improved blogging technique and organisation with regards to blogging. 

What do you want to achieve by then end of this course?

- Contacts within the design industry

- Placements organised in order to get a job (internship etc)

- Thorough knowledge of the industry and processes within Graphic Design

- A clear and professional portfolio that reflects every aspect of me and who I am as a designer

- Greater understanding of who I am as a Graphic Designer and where it's appropriate to market myself.

- The knowledge to freelance successfully

- A small client base I can work with

- My own website to help promote myself

What do you want to achieve in your career?

- Working within a small environment that covers a variety of processes

- To have worked with both big and and small firms

- Experimented with all styles of design i am interested in

- To have worked across a variety of places, within the UK and abroad.

- Have a thorough network of reliable clients that i know and they know me.

- Professional typographer

- Have my own skills which are perfected and recognised in the Design industry

- Money

TASK 1 EVALUATION

PACKAGING // BRANDING // PROMOTION

After looking into the cliental list i made, i began to realise that the industries that are important to me are the ones that incorporate packaging, branding and promotion. This correlates with me as a designer as the skills i have work across a variety of different medias and i am driven to push myself with new ideas and methods of delivery as much as possible. Being decisive has helped me focus on the areas where i know i would excel out in the main market and helped me gear my research that way. I looked at two companies that i feel embodied what i am looking for and i feel within those companies my creative style would thrive because they appeal to my varying nature and team work based ethic. The skills needed to work within these places are to be current and edgy and have a open mind for new things, which is exactly what i would bring. you would need to be informed and work hard. My aims are to work within a company that i would thrive in and would be able to contribute and it be appreciated, therefore i would try to avoid the larger companies as you would have the same atmosphere as you would working in a small agile and inventive company. I want to remain a versatile designer and for that i would need to work within a versatile environment which is exactly what you get when working across packaging, branding and promotion they would give me ample opportunity to try and push my skills as well as creating a professional standard to match myself against. By remaining versatile it mean i would be transfered over the varying jobs that are available within this client base, this is what I view to be key in becoming a successful graphic designers and making a name for myself, which is another important aim of mine.

TASK 1

PACKAGING // BRANDING // PROMOTION

Graphicthoughtfacility - Again this is another company that works across a broad media base such as digital print, products, digital graphics. As well as having a huge client base that means they get to create all sorts of edgy and innovative designs for many different causes. One of the more interesting parts of this company is the work the have done for Theater. I love the Theater, i have been performing my whole life, and Shakespeare is a great love of mine and this company created some amazing programs for The Globe Theater, this really interests me because it is a passion of mine and the style they have worked in captures me because its so well crafted and executed. This is where i want to be, designing work for things that i love in a company as versatile as this. Their designs are sometimes unconventional but that excites me because it means they are pushing themselves to break the mould and try new things which is what i am all about. Sometimes the ideas i come up with are too big for me, but within this company i feel they would flourish because they are pushing for the new and innovative design which i know i could bring to the table. What i also like about this company is they have some very selective clients which means that their work is catered to the clients that appreciate it the most, which means there is a trust and a bond between the designers and clients. This is interesting because it means that they arn't taking any old job so that means their designs are refined for their purpose, i really like this idea of working it means that there is in instant understanding between designer and client which is fundamental for a good partnership to work. Another aspect that i like is their work isnt just about designing for designs sake they actually have a message behind their work, for example the work for the globe was based on 'A politically-charged season with a Roman theme. The graffiti tradition of the streets of Rome was given a contemporary update in recognition of the theme’s continuing relevance'. I like this, it gives depth to their work which is exactly what i try to do with my work, i want it to work on more than just one level this is another reason i feel i would thrive in a company like this.

TASK 1

PACKAGING // BRANDING // PROMOTION

Pentagram - Is a company focusing on branding and design for advertising and promotion, which is an area i am very interested in. The company uses a lot of typography to create their designs, and their design work travels across a variety of medias. This is something i like because it means they don't stick with one style of working and use their skills in a variety of different areas which is what i want to be doing. They also incorporate print process that i enjoy such as; embossing. They advertise themselves as a multidisciplinary structure for working, this is something i am very keen on as i mentioned above. They also say they work in teams which range across all they work they do, this is important for me as i feel working in a team really brings out the best idea, working collaboratively helps generate fresh and current ideas. It creates an enjoyable working ethic. If i were to work within a company like this i feel my team working skills would be fully utalised, i am constantly coming up with new and different ideas to convey something and within a team they could help me realise those ideas as well as me helping them. I pride myself on being a versatile designer and as they cover a varying amount of work, this would really push me to prove myself and my work which is what i want. They are a global company which i think is brilliant, it means you have influences from all over the world going into your work, which again helps you keep edgey and current which is what i want to be doing. My ambition is to join a company like this, they arn't overly large so you wouldn't be lost within a team of designers and they embody nearly everything i want to do. From looking through their website you can see the designers have a lot of free reign to work across what ever media is appropriate, and their works is of a professional standard that i aspire to produce. 

Some examples of their work:

PACKAGING

PACKAGING

PRINT

PRODUCT

POSTER DESIGN

TASK 1 - Who am i? Who are they?

05 Module Code OUCE255 Outcomes 1, 2

BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN

LEVEL

Module Title ENTERPRISE & INNOVATION

TASK 1

Who am I – Who are they?

BRIEF

Based on the principles that have been introduced so far in the Enterprise module, investigate who you are as a creative in relation to who is out there looking for creative talent.

Write a list of all the possible client groups that use graphic design in the development, production, distribution, promotion and/or communication of their products or services. Identify one client group that reflects your current ambitions within the graphic design area (music industry, retail, publishing, education etc.) and focus on identifying:-

• • •

What skills you have and how they relate to the needs of your client group? What skills are needed and what skills do you want to develop?

What are your professional/creative aims and how do they relate to the needs of the client group?

It is essential that you make references to the ʻ4 Psʼ which formed the core learning of your first Enterprise Lecture. This is an exercise in applying that theory – it is not appropriate to write about the theory itself. Demonstrate your understanding of it by actually using it.

DELIVERABLES

The results of your research should be posted to your Enterprise blog. and summarised by a 250 word statement/evaluation. You should aim to illustrate your opinions with relevant examples of contemporary design practice.

A List of Clients I am interested in:

Music

Retail - Technology

Publishing - Magazines, Brochures, Annual Reports

Theater - Programs, Posters, Billboards

Fashion - Billboards, Magazines

Government - Campaigns, Voting, Elections

Food - Packaging

Online Marketing

Hospitality - Hotels, Restaurants

Environment

Charities 

Campaigns

Marketing

Entertainment - Movies, DVDs, Posters

Branding

Exhibition