OUGD502 - Module evaluation
To begin my end of module evaluation with my aims from PPP in first year and how I've built on them in second year. Upon finishing PPP last year I set the aim of improving my online presence which would allow me to connect with the professional world more. And towards the end of last year and throughout this year I have increased my online presence through my design only Instagram account. From this I have been able to present my day to practice only and offer a scope into my work, but it also offers a way of communication which has lent itself to studio brief 02.
Throughout the module we were encouraged to seek out new ways of contacting professionals for studio brief 02 and although I did find success through email, Instagram was mainly used to put my foot in the door. Through my account I can message practitioners in a more laid back manner and allow them to know a little bit more about me by checking my feed out. To touch more upon studio brief 02 itself, which has taught me a lot since it being briefed. At first I was eager to contact my favourite studios without taking into consideration their time but also what I want to gain from the creative report. I reevaluated my aims to think more about what concerns I have about industry, and thought about how I could solve these issues through the help of practitioners. In the end the report was a success in my opinion as I identified Leeds graduates who have been in the same shoes as me to help ease concerns about industry.
As ever for PPP we had to have an end of year presentation talking about our evolving practice. I informed my peers of my current whereabouts and my involvement with industry. But I feel one of main improvements this year has been due to PPP because of presentations. Throughout the module we had the opportunity to have practice presentations that would help us be prepared for the end of module presentation. As i've learnt this year that selling your idea from talking about it and presenting it goes along way, therefore the improvement in presentations has been a big impact on my practice.
To move onto my involvement outside of university this year, Ive attended a number of events but non more inspiring than Michael C Places talk at Glug. The influential designer gave an insight into his journey to this point and it was real eye opener for me. He talked about the reality of graphic design, from the days he was at The Designers Republic to almost burning out and hating design. He also talked a lot about being 'obsessed with design' and I feel since this talk and other moments in the year it has encouraged me to be more immersed in graphic design.
To move forward into third year I have highlighted a number of aims such as more collaborations as in second year my collaborative project for D&AD was the most beneficial brief for me, therefore I want to continue this way of working. Another aim would be more face to face contact with professionals but aims which have developed due to briefs in PPP this year. In the interview the practitioners informed me of things that have changed since them graduating. And one frequent answer was adapting process to someone else's idea, as in industry you normally work to someone else's ideas. Therefore next year I aim to work to maybe a collaborators idea as it only prepare me for industry.
Monday 8 May 2017
Sunday 7 May 2017
OUGD502 - Studio brief 01 - Lecture In Progress
Only recently Lecture in Progress has set up which is an online resource offering advice about and insight into working in the creative industry. It was set up by the founder of ItsNiceThat, Will Hudson as he had an aim is to inspire, inform and empower emerging talent with information and first-hand accounts of the day-to-day workings of the creative world.
By focusing on the people, projects and places that make the industry thrive, the platform is an amazingly inspiring website for anyone in creative education. As soon as I found out about the website I jumped on it as it gives an insight into the industry like no other platform does. It bridges the gap between education and work which is one worry of mine, so by looking at journals, feeds, videos and the directory every week it eases concerns about the industry for me.
The website has one aim but explains everything from the huge range of jobs that exist, to how people got into the industry and how much they are paid, right through to how a project comes together and taking a look into the studios and workplaces in which they happen. And one feature of the blog had me interested for sure, as they have an in depth article on Studio Build who are a huge inspiration of mine.
Ive read numerous articles and interviews on Michael and Nicky Place but this time Lecture in Progress has an over arching article on Build but also individual insights with Ellie Polston the other graphic designer alongside Michael and the marketing manager Elena Dransfield. The most useful for me for sure is the one on Ellie who graduated from Leeds Beckett in 2015 and it focuses on interning, life as a designer and why leaving home turned out to be the best move.
Its inspiring to see how she landed her current job at Build as previously she was the sole graphic designer at The Tetley. This comes with a certain level of freedom and responsibility as I found out in my creative presence interview as I interviewed the current designer at The Tetley, Joey Barritt. The job proved to be a real advantage because she had real-life examples of marketing campaigns in her portfolio that were solely her own and this shows that she wasn't simply just art working somebody else’s ideas. I find this especially useful as it gives a thought for third year and maybe jobs to pursue once I graduate and how they will benefit my portfolio. Ellie only graduated two years ago and now she is working at Build, so I think it shows you that the ability to execute your own ideas in a real life campaign goes along way.
Also in the article she discusses what skills she's picked up since graduating but another useful piece of advice I would take from this would be her suggestion to intern as much as you can as internships not only teach you invaluable technical and creative skills but also make it clear what kind of studio you are best suited to. And also to not take on projects purely for financial gain, and to ask yourself whether it would be an asset to your portfolio.
Only recently Lecture in Progress has set up which is an online resource offering advice about and insight into working in the creative industry. It was set up by the founder of ItsNiceThat, Will Hudson as he had an aim is to inspire, inform and empower emerging talent with information and first-hand accounts of the day-to-day workings of the creative world.
By focusing on the people, projects and places that make the industry thrive, the platform is an amazingly inspiring website for anyone in creative education. As soon as I found out about the website I jumped on it as it gives an insight into the industry like no other platform does. It bridges the gap between education and work which is one worry of mine, so by looking at journals, feeds, videos and the directory every week it eases concerns about the industry for me.
The website has one aim but explains everything from the huge range of jobs that exist, to how people got into the industry and how much they are paid, right through to how a project comes together and taking a look into the studios and workplaces in which they happen. And one feature of the blog had me interested for sure, as they have an in depth article on Studio Build who are a huge inspiration of mine.
Ive read numerous articles and interviews on Michael and Nicky Place but this time Lecture in Progress has an over arching article on Build but also individual insights with Ellie Polston the other graphic designer alongside Michael and the marketing manager Elena Dransfield. The most useful for me for sure is the one on Ellie who graduated from Leeds Beckett in 2015 and it focuses on interning, life as a designer and why leaving home turned out to be the best move.
Its inspiring to see how she landed her current job at Build as previously she was the sole graphic designer at The Tetley. This comes with a certain level of freedom and responsibility as I found out in my creative presence interview as I interviewed the current designer at The Tetley, Joey Barritt. The job proved to be a real advantage because she had real-life examples of marketing campaigns in her portfolio that were solely her own and this shows that she wasn't simply just art working somebody else’s ideas. I find this especially useful as it gives a thought for third year and maybe jobs to pursue once I graduate and how they will benefit my portfolio. Ellie only graduated two years ago and now she is working at Build, so I think it shows you that the ability to execute your own ideas in a real life campaign goes along way.
Also in the article she discusses what skills she's picked up since graduating but another useful piece of advice I would take from this would be her suggestion to intern as much as you can as internships not only teach you invaluable technical and creative skills but also make it clear what kind of studio you are best suited to. And also to not take on projects purely for financial gain, and to ask yourself whether it would be an asset to your portfolio.
OUGD502 - Studio brief 01 - Art of Modern Beer opening night
I recently attended the opening night of Art of Modern Beer which is a collaboration between Superfreindz and Colours May Vary for the Leeds Indie Food Fest. The exhibition aims to celebrate the art of the beer bottle with artwork from independent breweries such as Cloudwater, North, Beavertown and my personal favourite brewery for its visual output, Omnipollo.
It was a really nice to enjoy a cold beer in sun basked exhibition space, while admiring the beer related graphic design and illustration on show. With designers and artists such as DR.ME, Aliyah Hussain, Karl Grandin and Kasper Ledet all exhibiting work in this exhibition that shouts out to any beer/design fan. And on a personal note what I got from this exhibition other than the free beer, was finding out new and cool breweries such as Toøl, but also eventually discovering the designer who designs Omnipollo's bottles.
Ive always been curious to who creates the weird and wonderful illustrations for the Swedish brewery. And I discovered the brewery about a year ago and I will confess I did buy a bottle solely because of the design, as many designers do I assume. Now I know that purchase was down to Karl Grandin who is illustrator based in Stockholm and from further research finding out he actually runs the brewery along with Henok Fentie.
I would describe his style as minimal psychedelic as each bottle has a surreal ambiguous message. And as I looked more into the brewery after the exhibition, I was fascinated to find out the brewery is nomadic. As they conceive the recipes at home and travel to different breweries across the globe to craft the ales.
The Omnipollo at Kuvva Gallery in Amsterdam, 2014.
Thinking back on the exhibition and what I really enjoyed about it, is that today many exhibitions use free beer to entice people to come along to the opening night. And this time around I found something rather satisfying about drinking beer while talking and taking in the work on show. It made for a really good experience, and one in which I could take further with research about certain brewers and artists.
I recently attended the opening night of Art of Modern Beer which is a collaboration between Superfreindz and Colours May Vary for the Leeds Indie Food Fest. The exhibition aims to celebrate the art of the beer bottle with artwork from independent breweries such as Cloudwater, North, Beavertown and my personal favourite brewery for its visual output, Omnipollo.
It was a really nice to enjoy a cold beer in sun basked exhibition space, while admiring the beer related graphic design and illustration on show. With designers and artists such as DR.ME, Aliyah Hussain, Karl Grandin and Kasper Ledet all exhibiting work in this exhibition that shouts out to any beer/design fan. And on a personal note what I got from this exhibition other than the free beer, was finding out new and cool breweries such as Toøl, but also eventually discovering the designer who designs Omnipollo's bottles.
Ive always been curious to who creates the weird and wonderful illustrations for the Swedish brewery. And I discovered the brewery about a year ago and I will confess I did buy a bottle solely because of the design, as many designers do I assume. Now I know that purchase was down to Karl Grandin who is illustrator based in Stockholm and from further research finding out he actually runs the brewery along with Henok Fentie.
I would describe his style as minimal psychedelic as each bottle has a surreal ambiguous message. And as I looked more into the brewery after the exhibition, I was fascinated to find out the brewery is nomadic. As they conceive the recipes at home and travel to different breweries across the globe to craft the ales.
The Omnipollo at Kuvva Gallery in Amsterdam, 2014.
Thinking back on the exhibition and what I really enjoyed about it, is that today many exhibitions use free beer to entice people to come along to the opening night. And this time around I found something rather satisfying about drinking beer while talking and taking in the work on show. It made for a really good experience, and one in which I could take further with research about certain brewers and artists.
OUGD502 - Studio brief 01 - Real Review meets magCulture
I recently listened to one of the latest magCulture meets on Jack Self, editor of Real Review and art director Rory McGrath of OK-RM. magCulture meets are great hour long talks from the magculture shop in London, with practitioners from their respective backgrounds giving insights into contemporary publishing and publications. I try to listen to them as often as possible but the latest addition particularly attracted me. Its because Real Review for the last year I'd say has caught my eye, with its unorthodox form and its fascinating cover art.
The talk goes into depth about what the quarterly published magazine is all about and I was rather surprised yet intrigued by the content which is all about exploring what it means to live today through engaging analysis, evaluation and enquiry. As the talk went on Jack describes the form of writing as under-appreciated and more a review of ideas and disciplines, that allows the reader to look back to allow them to look forward.
Therefore after listening to the talk I wanted to almost review what I learnt from this insightful talk about OK-RM design input and how Real Review functions but also how it interacts with audiences.
To start with the design of the magazine and the input OK-RM have in this project. I often wonder what its like for a design studio to step in and depict a book or magazine, in the same way the creator thinks about their content. In the talk Rory from OK-RM talks about how they came into the project from a different scope but aimed to echo the foundations of the magazine. I think this scope is defiantly reflected as the editorial and overall creative direction of the publication has a certain OK-RM aesthetic to it. But for me the form of the publication is more effective than the aesthetic and its interesting to see why the magazine is made like it is.
In the talk they delve into why the magazine is unique in its small size which I thought was an aesthetic choice but its down to budget and time. The smaller size allows less wastage in production and the paper used is amazingly 50gsm. However the paper choice has a reasoning behind it, as the low gsm means the publication is impractical after only a number months. Jack and Rory stated that the magazine is only meant to serve a purpose for a certain time period, then the next issue comes out. I found this really cool as today, independent books and publications are more cherished objects as people take pride in their printed matter. However Real Review doesn't aim to be a beautiful piece of tangible design that people cherish on a bookshelf, but a review that is dispensable.
As many independent magazines almost function like books now I wondered what other function Real Review may offer as its dispensable. Jack states that print allows people to do what they like and without anyone knowing. And this is to do with online newspapers and ebooks and how people constantly know what your up to via social media. I personally liked this point as it gave another perspective to the role of print in design, which is an aspect I consider a part of my practice.
I recently listened to one of the latest magCulture meets on Jack Self, editor of Real Review and art director Rory McGrath of OK-RM. magCulture meets are great hour long talks from the magculture shop in London, with practitioners from their respective backgrounds giving insights into contemporary publishing and publications. I try to listen to them as often as possible but the latest addition particularly attracted me. Its because Real Review for the last year I'd say has caught my eye, with its unorthodox form and its fascinating cover art.
The talk goes into depth about what the quarterly published magazine is all about and I was rather surprised yet intrigued by the content which is all about exploring what it means to live today through engaging analysis, evaluation and enquiry. As the talk went on Jack describes the form of writing as under-appreciated and more a review of ideas and disciplines, that allows the reader to look back to allow them to look forward.
Therefore after listening to the talk I wanted to almost review what I learnt from this insightful talk about OK-RM design input and how Real Review functions but also how it interacts with audiences.
To start with the design of the magazine and the input OK-RM have in this project. I often wonder what its like for a design studio to step in and depict a book or magazine, in the same way the creator thinks about their content. In the talk Rory from OK-RM talks about how they came into the project from a different scope but aimed to echo the foundations of the magazine. I think this scope is defiantly reflected as the editorial and overall creative direction of the publication has a certain OK-RM aesthetic to it. But for me the form of the publication is more effective than the aesthetic and its interesting to see why the magazine is made like it is.
In the talk they delve into why the magazine is unique in its small size which I thought was an aesthetic choice but its down to budget and time. The smaller size allows less wastage in production and the paper used is amazingly 50gsm. However the paper choice has a reasoning behind it, as the low gsm means the publication is impractical after only a number months. Jack and Rory stated that the magazine is only meant to serve a purpose for a certain time period, then the next issue comes out. I found this really cool as today, independent books and publications are more cherished objects as people take pride in their printed matter. However Real Review doesn't aim to be a beautiful piece of tangible design that people cherish on a bookshelf, but a review that is dispensable.
As many independent magazines almost function like books now I wondered what other function Real Review may offer as its dispensable. Jack states that print allows people to do what they like and without anyone knowing. And this is to do with online newspapers and ebooks and how people constantly know what your up to via social media. I personally liked this point as it gave another perspective to the role of print in design, which is an aspect I consider a part of my practice.
Saturday 6 May 2017
OUGD502 - Studio brief 01 - Unit 44 internship application
Over the last few weeks Ive been considering my plans for the summer and whether or not to stay in Leeds or back home in Newcastle. And as I discussed in my presentation I potentially may have a placement lined up at Decide in Newcastle, but as its not certain yet I've had more thought about whether or not to pursue other options.
Only within the last week I come across an internship from Unit 44 in Newcastle. I'm more than familiar with them as they cover a broad spectrum of disciplines up in the north east. As they host art exhibitions, food events, nightclub events, as well as numerous commissions for the cultural sector in Newcastle but also worldwide. Its a real mix from what I've seen from the outside as it was born from overlapping professional business backgrounds colliding via mutual appreciation of contemporary printmaking, street murals and paintings.
Working as an intern at a studio that covers so much would benefit me at this stage of my practice, as to this point I'm not entirely sure what I want to specialize with. Therefore I jumped on this opportunity and gave the studio an email regarding the internship.
In the email I aimed to keep it short and sweet but also laid back and now its just whether or not they get back in touch regarding the internship.
Tuesday 2 May 2017
OUGD502 - Studio brief 03 - Lifes a pitch development
During the process of thinking about our collective before and after the life's a pitch presentation, myself and Luke kept developing ideas for the blog and the potential it may have. Ideas such as a curated playlist on the blog, that is constantly evolving based on our current music interests. A number of blogs have playlists but they are so accustomed to their blog, that they are unique in their own right. Myself and Luke both have varied taste in music so the playlist would be very non-linear yet unique to us.
The opportunity to expand the blog to exist within an environment has also been discussed as we have took advantage of having Andy the librarian (Owner of Colours May Vary) working within the same building as us. Luke briefly ran the idea past him and wondered if the exhibition space would be available for an exhibition. Andy was more than helpful and informed us that the space is available in December and free of charge.
Having the opportunity to host and exhibit our own exhibition gives the collective a real determination and goal to work towards I believe. And this allows us to further the collective as a part of university, as we have floated the idea of including this as one of our self identified briefs for third year. We could work on the branding of the blog and the exhibition itself as a brief so this also gives us more determination to continue our ideas.
But until then we need to continue developing the idea for the blog and find a suitable name for it, but I'm sure that will come in time. We have the entire summer to work on this and will hopefully have it ready for once were back in September.
During the process of thinking about our collective before and after the life's a pitch presentation, myself and Luke kept developing ideas for the blog and the potential it may have. Ideas such as a curated playlist on the blog, that is constantly evolving based on our current music interests. A number of blogs have playlists but they are so accustomed to their blog, that they are unique in their own right. Myself and Luke both have varied taste in music so the playlist would be very non-linear yet unique to us.
The opportunity to expand the blog to exist within an environment has also been discussed as we have took advantage of having Andy the librarian (Owner of Colours May Vary) working within the same building as us. Luke briefly ran the idea past him and wondered if the exhibition space would be available for an exhibition. Andy was more than helpful and informed us that the space is available in December and free of charge.
Having the opportunity to host and exhibit our own exhibition gives the collective a real determination and goal to work towards I believe. And this allows us to further the collective as a part of university, as we have floated the idea of including this as one of our self identified briefs for third year. We could work on the branding of the blog and the exhibition itself as a brief so this also gives us more determination to continue our ideas.
But until then we need to continue developing the idea for the blog and find a suitable name for it, but I'm sure that will come in time. We have the entire summer to work on this and will hopefully have it ready for once were back in September.
OUGD502 - Studio brief 01 - Updating Behance
As I highlighted in my presentation for this year I will be spending time over the summer updating my Behance. To this date I only have a select number of projects up on the platform but I have numerous pieces of work to upload. And i'd rather spend time during the summer furthering the work by improving on how to present it online, as I have the time to do so unlike during term time. Furthermore once third year arrives i'll have an online portfolio with up to date work to showcase, but it will also push my online presence which is an aim.
As I highlighted in my presentation for this year I will be spending time over the summer updating my Behance. To this date I only have a select number of projects up on the platform but I have numerous pieces of work to upload. And i'd rather spend time during the summer furthering the work by improving on how to present it online, as I have the time to do so unlike during term time. Furthermore once third year arrives i'll have an online portfolio with up to date work to showcase, but it will also push my online presence which is an aim.
OUGD502 - Studio brief 03 - Life's a pitch research
Looking at similar blogs and collectives that we like made us think more about the potential of our blog being niche. Hawlin, Kiosk feed, Ligature.ch, Collate, Visuelle and many personal blogs from studios and practitioners such as Catalogue and Joshia Craven are all are great examples of blogs we enjoy but we looked at them to seek what we could change in our approach to our blog.
Kiosk feed is full of weird and wonderful visuals and is always rotating its content which makes it current and reliable, but it only exist as a blog who don't exactly credit the work. The need to credit work is essential for a blog as it allows people to further discover new work and artists. In contrast to Kiosk feed is Catalogues blog which goes into so much more depth. It offers references, news and research which makes this blog more personal, as it gives an insight into the studio which is based in New York and Leeds. The blog also has two parts, Articles and Daily and this is what separates it from other blogs as it has the feel of a day to day visual blog but offers a scope into the creative industries in articles.
Looking at similar blogs and collectives that we like made us think more about the potential of our blog being niche. Hawlin, Kiosk feed, Ligature.ch, Collate, Visuelle and many personal blogs from studios and practitioners such as Catalogue and Joshia Craven are all are great examples of blogs we enjoy but we looked at them to seek what we could change in our approach to our blog.
Kiosk feed is full of weird and wonderful visuals and is always rotating its content which makes it current and reliable, but it only exist as a blog who don't exactly credit the work. The need to credit work is essential for a blog as it allows people to further discover new work and artists. In contrast to Kiosk feed is Catalogues blog which goes into so much more depth. It offers references, news and research which makes this blog more personal, as it gives an insight into the studio which is based in New York and Leeds. The blog also has two parts, Articles and Daily and this is what separates it from other blogs as it has the feel of a day to day visual blog but offers a scope into the creative industries in articles.
OUGD502 - Studio brief 01 - Copy of presentation
My presentation for this year reflected on my experiences and responses to the PPP and Responsive modules but I also reflected on myself as a learner. Furthermore what I have experienced over the past nine months and how they have affected my current aims and ambitions. In the presentation I also identified creative concerns, personal aims and professional ambitions I intend to explore further over the Summer and during Level 6 of the course. In my opinion I feel as though the presentation was a success as I was confident before presenting in front of my peers, and I feel this is down to continued presentation practice in the prior weeks to the presentation. In terms of the content I presented I hope it best represented me best and my peers understood my practice at this stage.
My presentation for this year reflected on my experiences and responses to the PPP and Responsive modules but I also reflected on myself as a learner. Furthermore what I have experienced over the past nine months and how they have affected my current aims and ambitions. In the presentation I also identified creative concerns, personal aims and professional ambitions I intend to explore further over the Summer and during Level 6 of the course. In my opinion I feel as though the presentation was a success as I was confident before presenting in front of my peers, and I feel this is down to continued presentation practice in the prior weeks to the presentation. In terms of the content I presented I hope it best represented me best and my peers understood my practice at this stage.
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