OUGD602 - SP-AN Newcastle

Recently I attended Google's design and technology conference SP-AN, and each year the event is normally hosted in big metropolises such as Tokyo or L.A but this year Google decided to visit three cities where art and industry intersect in new and intriguing ways. And I wad lucky enough to venture back home to Newcastle to see one of them, for this particular event Google teamed up with ItsNiceThat to spend the day exploring the city’s rich creative tech scene through a series of inspiring conversations and a hands-on workshop. 

The evening began with a introductory talk from managing director of ItsNiceThat, Alex Bec who introduced  ItsNiceThat's involvement with the event and why they helped bring SP-AN to Newcastle but to move onto the talks which aimed to raise the questions of the intersecting of design, art, science and technology. None were better than the first talk of the evening, Ed Carter. His work creates context-specific, musical compositions and interdisciplinary artworks, with a focus on process and the translation of shared architectonic principles across art forms. 

At times during his talk my mind was baffled as he talked about architecture and our environment having such an effect on the way we live our lives, and how he looks at structures and shapes in a slightly musical way. Nevertheless I made a connection between his work and my context of practice research, as my research aims to  touch critically on the the label of 'postmodernism' in electronic music, but my main concern is to suggest that electronic music represents ’noise’ in an aesthetic, identity and experience form. Ed visually represents rhythm within structures so I couldn't not relate this to potential context of practice practical ideas.

Another aspect of the night that influenced my thoughts about context of practice were projected visuals mapped on the conference halls side walls. The visuals depicted a journey through Newcastle which interprets the city both thorough ambient city sound and airborne microscopic pollution in ways that cant necessarily be seen. Again it was inspiring to see how sound can potentially be visualised but this time through 3D abstract shapes and not architecture like Ed specialises in.

Although I gained valuable potential research for context of practice, it wasn't the highlight of the night for me. It was a fellow geordie, Jimmy Turrell who stole the show for me due to his natural charisma and confidence while presenting. I was familiar with Jimmy's work prior to the event as I researched his font FS Erskin for a project last year. And luckily enough he touched upon his influences and process for designing it in the talk, and I found it rather impelling that he looked at retro kids games to influence the design. 

OUGD602 - Unit 44 internship

Towards the end of the second year I applied for a three month internship back in Newcastle working at Unit 44, a three man cross disciplinary studio who curate exhibitions, food events, nightclub events, as well as numerous commissions for the cultural sector in Newcastle but also worldwide. And after visiting them for a interview back in May, I was offered the role to work alongside them for the summer duration.

During the interview they couldn't stress enough that this internship was unlike others in which I'd have to fetch coffees and pick up from the printers. Sticking to their word within the first day I was introduced to all the current briefs and assigned briefs of my own to work on. They really allowed to be a part of the briefs and to see the process behind each one, whether that be working on little amends on menus to window designs and concepts for events. 

I always the knew that working here would entitle a mix of work each day as the studio was set up from overlapping backgrounds, like contemporary printmaking, street murals and paintings. Nevertheless this is one of the reasons I applied because working for a studio that covers so much at this stage of my practice, would only benefit me as it'll help me realise what I want to focus more on. Working the three months at Unit 44 also taught me to have the willingness and an open mind to do whatever job is thrown my way, which led to improvement in decision making as each brief required different timescales and development.

When compared to university when you normally have a number of months on each brief and you are aloud a buffer zone to collate research and ideas. In comparison to the internship at times I had to think quick and deliver something within a morning, and by doing it has enabled me to realise what to cut out of my process of working while at university. Other things I learnt, which I don't necessarily do at all is asset building. Normally I discard assets during a brief but during my time at Unit 44 I was encouraged to build assets as they help piece work together when time isn't on your side. Another learning curve and a piece of advise from the guys at the studio was to not get bogged down on the fine details at first but to focus on the raw idea. As at times I would jump straight into the Adode suite, when maybe I should have took time to collect my thoughts and sketch ideas down. 

During my time their I worked on a handful of projects but Ive decided to include some of the ones which I had creative lead on and the biggest project of the summer which was 'Lets travel the world' which was a international street food festival hosted by the studio. 

To the left is a event poster for one of Apartment Groups event spaces. The group is one the studio biggest and frequent clients so a majority of time would be spent working on work for them such as event posters, menus, supergraphics and business cards. But this event poster is one I had most fun doing as it allowed me to be more DIY with the design as it was promoting a Libertines afterparty. 

To the right is a concept proposal for another one of the studios food and drink events, Newcastle Upon Wine. I was tasked to work on the identity to propose to the venue partner for the event, the aim of the this event poster was to get the venue partners excited by showing them visuals. Luckily enough they were and the event is scheduled in for early December.

Another one for the Apartment Group was window designs for the club 'House of Smith', they wanted something clean and fresh but still aligning with the current brand. I designed many variations then presented the final ideas mocked up to the client, they approved the above design but are now awaiting a new club night brand to promote as a part of the design.

And lastly the biggest and most time consuming brief I worked on, 'Lets travel the world' which was a three day food festival at Sage Gateshead in September. The food festival required numerous little and large things ranging from wristbands, guides, banners, social media graphics, flyers etc.

Overall I really enjoyed my time at Unit 44 and now that Ive got one internship under my belt, I feel as though I am shaping a direction in which I know which studios I'd like to work with. Although I throughly enjoyed working their and have been welcomed back next year, I think a branding and creative studio would suit me best as its more design led unlike at Unit 44 as at times it had a clear marketing focus.