Portfolio talk with Andy Lodge

I had probably the most helpful talk about my portfolio today. Andy Lodge gave me some really valuable advice, and in detail about every image and how each brief should be displayed. Simple things about telling a narrative of my projects, because the concepts don't fully show through. He was impressed with the work, but just thought the layout and style of photography was lacking in displaying the work in the most appropriate way, so this is something that i am defiantly going to have to re-vsisit.

I think what was helpful as well, was the fact that he explained to me how i need to push my briefs, in particular the buttercream one. And i have had the same point made by both Ben and Chris. So from this i think i will expand it, and show it more in-depth. I don't have to completely re-visit it but just push it so that it becomes a viable project that can showcase my skills in creating something quite innovative, but it also having a function.

Andy also pointed me towards possibly investigating a placement at Thompson's Brand Partners, he thinks that it would be a good opportunity for me to get a better understanding of branding, and they are really supportive.

Fashion Student

I got contacted by a fashion student today to help brand her FMP. I am planning on meeting up with her to discuss ideas and where she wants to go from here.

Manual Creative

// Manual Creative

Thoughtful Design & Art Direction

Manual is a graphic design and branding consultancy based in San Francisco.
Our approach is tailored to every project and is always grounded in clarity, simplicity,
and beautifully crafted design.

Our clients are as varied as our interests – from small businesses and niche brands, through
to international corporations. We apply the same level of focus and creativity regardless of project
scale or client location. Working with Manual provides a fresh perspective. We deliver ideas that
connect with audiences. Ideas that are different, exciting, and relevant.

What we do:
Specializations: branding and corporate identity; art direction; packaging; printed matter; web;
illustration; signage and exhibitions.

Portfolio Surgery Ben Haworth - Beautiful Meme

I had a really helpful portfolio surgery with Ben Haworth today from Beautiful Meme. It was exciting to be able to speak to someone from the industry that i am really interested in, they work across a variety of branding briefs and i think play to the strength of versatility.
Ben really helped, making it clear that i needed to tell a narrative with my story and so that it became more obvious what my concepts were about. Ben was very complimentary and helped me focus on what i was lacking, such as i needed to showcase my editorial designs, something that isn't as high end as i produce.
He also told me to explore more briefs, especially the cupcake one. Apparently i need to try and show more with the briefs, just to show the concepts more thoroughly.

I also managed to send through my dissertation questions to my him, and he suggested the idea of a placement at the end of the year, which is really exciting.

BKW & CO

"BKW&Co is a forward-thinking design office near Boulder, Colorado that produces integrated creative solutions. Our lovely clients include non-profits, schools, fashion brands, skincare companies, world renowned musicians, medical companies, photographers, galleries, labels, jewelers, fellow creative companies, etc. We offer graphic design, programming, installation, video and more for print, web and screen."


I like the variety of work that BKW & Co produce, the pure difference between briefs provides a wide variety of medias to work across. They focus on what the content is, and the client and then look at how they can bring that together in the most appropriate way. I feel this is defiantly something more that i need to incorporate into my design process. 

Build

// BUILD

Build produces some thoroughly interesting design work that uses print techniques to enhance their work and design. The work is thoroughly thought and produced to a very high spec, the layout and style of each work is something that i want to try and achieve myself. There is a range in what work there is from identity to promotion, and i want to encompass this. I particularly like the attention to detail, its something that i will endeavour to bring into the print finishes that i will apply to my designs.

Collective Approach

// Collective Approach


"Collective Approach is a creative agency.
We help clients of all sizes connect
with their audience, through thoughtful
and well crafted communications."

"Collective Approach is a design consultancy specialising in branding, graphic design, art direction and online.

Modern design briefs require an ability to provide answers which communicate successfully, regardless of the medium. Through our experience and expertise we have learned to do this.

Our approach is ideas led, this helps us to create visually exciting and relevant solutions to every project. With a strong emphasis on detail and craft we create original pieces of work which stand the test of time."

Collective Approach has a wide variety of clients, but they focus on delivering a personal design approach to each brief. Each brief is tackled in a different way, yet the quality stays the same though out. I am particularly interested in the way that the work is produced. Each branding brief has attention to detail in some small matter or other and i think that this approach is really interesting, making the briefs individual and different. This is what i want to achieve with my briefs. Versatility but held together by quality.