Extended Practice - Evaluation

This year in extended practice I have learnt a lot. I have completed eleven separate briefs that have allowed me to gain professional experience ready for the industry ahead. PPP as a module has effected the briefs which I have decided to do. I realised through the placements that I have done that focussing on one area of design can be good as it can make you extremely appropriate for certain jobs, however I have tried to demonstrate my ability to work in all areas I have tried to show that I can make websites, Design for web, design for print, animate and I ask willing to try and perfect new things. I believe that from visiting studios like Maraid this comes across as having a strong passion for design and a keen eye for detail. From the briefs that I have completed I have learnt many new skills from animating in after effects to screen printing gradients I have thoroughly enjoyed this year of work and the outcomes have provided me with a diverse portfolio. Creative Networks was counted as two of the eleven completed briefs, one brief was the execution of three events where I worked collaboratively with the group and the other brief was one were I lead the group to design an event for esteemed Graphic Designer Jonathan Barnbrook. One of the collaborative briefs done with the group was done poorly a lack of organisation lead the group to having no printed posters for the event. This mistake taught us as a group that communication is paramount. Other live briefs showed that working with clients can be difficult, Irax as a company was great to work for however getting paid and dealing with changes to designs constantly taught me that non design professionals struggle to understand just how much work goes into each design which can be frustrating however this is the sort of experience needed to do well in the Graphic Design industry.

PPP - Module Evaluation

This year has been the most benaficial year of PPP, I have done two different placements that have proved to increase my professionalism, my organisation and my workflow. The first was at Manchester based company Irax where I worked as an in house designer, here I worked as if I was an employee and worked eight hour shifts for two weeks. During which, I learnt to speak to the employees around me with a professional manner and discuss creative ideas with them, This way I kept the company happy whilst not developing an idea to much. This was a very efficient way of working and the company was left with the design files ready to code, they were very happy with the work I did and I was also pleased with the opportunity they gave as the experience was vital to me becoming a professional designer. The second placment taught me that everything I learnt from the first one wasn't necessarily true as professional liaising was completely different at Maraid. Maraid taught me how to web code and for that I am extremely grateful as I am now earning money as a web developer. Maraid also taught me that being laid back kind and always willing to help will be extremely beneficial in the industry. Hyperloop, a brief set by DBA was one of the most important briefs I have done this year, it forced us as a group of five to delegate tasks, to work as a team and to think further about professional communication. Myself and Ashley prepared the presentation two nights before practicing 5 times each night and then a further 5 times before we actually went into the room to present to the members of DBA. I believe that without this practice the group would not have won, Although our ideas were strong the actual presentation of the work was more important as the members of DBA were potentially looking for students they can work with. Winning this brief increased my design confidence drastically and planning to do a placement at Thomson Brand Partners is only going to benefit my career.

Design Strategy - Presentation

I thought I'd brake Ice with the class by talking about something unrelated to Graphic Design so I quickly chatted about my new cat.

Next I talked briefly about my first placement and how it effected my Graphic Design practice. Working With Irax taught me what it would be like to be a freelance designer and what it would be like to work in house as a web designer. 

I then talked about my interests other than web design with specifics in music and creating typefaces. This was one of my most enjoyable briefs, it changed my opinion towards creating typefaces as I found this process very therapeutic and rewarding.

I then talked about Creative Networks and although it has taken up a lot of unnecessary time it has probably been the most valuable experience I have had this year. Learning to communicate with Leeds College of Art's HR and meet tight deadlines that clashed with other project deadlines taught me to prioritise and stay calm under preasure.

I then talked about other experiences such as helping others with design projects and although it is not my project, actually getting involved with somebody else's work process taught me that everyone works differently and that you can learn new design tactics from anyone.

My D&AD submission was then talked about, I tried to create a concept that worked but also create a project out of cardboard that would appeal to Lord Whitney and their approach to design. They often make parts of their work out of cardboard so I wanted to demonstrate my ability to work with the medium.

Next I talked about Hyperloop and how the project really increased my ability to work in a team, Having won the brief my confidence in my designs increased greatly and my strategy slightly changed as I have now gained a placement at Thomson Brand Partners after I finish university.

I then talked about lord whitney and how they were a studio I admire and would love to work for. 

Finally I briefly talked about my plan for the rest of the year whilst mentioning my plans for the future. I aimed to do a placement at Maraid which I did and I aimed to visit Lord Whitney which I also did but they never let me in the building. My plan for a years time is to have a graphic design job in any area, I like the idea of letting life take me somewhere to start off with and for me to aim higher once I am in the industry.

Creative CV

Looking at other Creative CVs set the tone, no more word documents. It is clear that designers should let their world be influenced by design and effective communication all the time and that a CV should be no exception.

It seemed odd however that some examples of CVs included graphs showing how good they are at certain areas of graphic design. Whilst I understand that it may help an employer give a well suited role, it seems unnecessary and could come across as gimmicky.

Here you can see the CV that I have created in response to looking at other examples online. I have took influence from the first example and added a picture of myself. I have tried to minimise information as I imagine Employers to be quite busy and would require information as quick as possible.

Self branding

Research

This website uses a very complimentary colour scheme and every part of the site is full bleed colour which makes the website an experience. This is something I want to incorporate into my self branding especially on the website.

As you can see from the previous three images it is important to make websites responsive both lengthways and vertically this is because even though users can scroll the initial landing page needs to look consistent for brand continuety.

These business cards have great connotations of value and engage viewers due to their materials 

Idea generation

Bracket was the branding of a studio and due to this studio no longer

existing new personal branding for myself was needed. Ideas to try

and reflect what’s different about me like my over average height

were thought of and executed however from the research on search

engine results served ice cold seemed like the most appropriate

name to be found easily.

Development business cards

Experimenting with Ice

From the idea of served ice cold came the concept of ice and freezing.

Here some silicon moulds have been made out of wooden letters

to reflect this concept and to also make myself stand out and look

different.

Responsive Website

The ice idea was soon dropped when it came to making the website

as the ice proved to be incredibly hard to photograph instead a simpler

approach and close consideration to user experience was executed.

Here the colour is based of ice with a contrasting but complimentary

pink that reflects the colour of a flavoured ice cream.

Here the site has been coded to be responsive both vertically and

horizontally. It is a one page site but the about and contact sections

are full bleed on any device or screen creating the illusion of different

site pages.

Final Images

Here the business cards take a very similar blue from the website

with silver foil to increase value and also link to the concept of

ice. The tag-line “want something cool get it served ice cold” was

changed to “graphic design served ice cold” to again relate back to

ice and make myself as a designer stand out.

BAILGATE

Research

Research for this brief started looking at obvious religious symbolism like the cross and the bible. A design that influenced this brief was the simple logo for the “museum of the Bible” this logo is simple and friendly and the simple action of turning a “B” on its side created a subtle yet effective symbol for a bible. Simple clean illustrations were also researched when thinking of the Sunday school, this was to try and capture its friendly connotations. Script hand rendered typography was also found to give friendly connotations.

Development

Bailgate church needed a logo that reflected the Christian religion, ideas of making the “B” a bible like the logo researched was thought about. Putting the logo on a hill like the stereotypical image of a cross on a hill was thought of but the main idea was simply moving the crossbar of the “T” down to make a cross shape. This made the logo give subtle connotations of a church and religion. The colour thought of was green as the Christian religions 7 days of creation came to mind. Creation is best represented in colour as green as it symbolises the land that Christ made. 

Two of the ideas were developed, the hill idea and the cross. The cross was stronger and gave better connotations of a church and religion so this idea was developed the most. The blue colour was another colour that represented the seas that were made in the 7 days of creation and the white gave connotations of purity. When it came to the sub brand influence the colour would follow the main brand colour, this meant that typography was the only concern. Script lower-case type suited the friendliness and eventually a script typeface was chosen that fit with the main font and also lead the brand in a less neutral and more friendly direction. 

Final Ideas

These ideas meet the requirments set out at the start. The lowered crossbar of the letter “T” connotes the christian religion and subtley yet obviously gives the viewer the impression that this logo is for a church. The script font used for the sub brand “influence” connotes friendliness and shows afun side of the brand, targeting the younger target audience of the church.

Evaluation

This brief was set by a client who wanted to give her church group and sunday school a design flair, she left the brief completely open to myself and let me interpret it how I wish. This brief was great opportunity to practice working for a client. The graphics created for this brief reflect the christian religion and hold connotations of creation which came from the classical tale of the christian belief that the world was created in seven days. The brief was a success as it met all the aims and requirments unfortunately the client didn't want to pay for the graphics so the actual graphics never got used. Regardless of this the brief was executed professionally and provided good experience with handling clients.