OUGD602 - Module Evaluation

Thanks to the ppp module this year and my engagement with the creative industries, I now feel like I have a direct focus for once I graduate. Prior to entering third year, my goal was to shape a direction in terms of studios I want to align myself with. So to achieve this I knew I had to test the waters with placements/internships, and thanks to my experiences throughout the year I now feel more determined to strive for the career I want. One of the driving forces behind my determination was my time at Founded. Which gave me an itch for industry, as I felt at ease and not displaced while I was there. Additionally, the studio culture of Founded is something I enjoyed more than say my time at Unit 44 last summer. The experience there taught me a lot for what to expect in industry, such as being consistent and simply fitting in.

Another benefit of doing a placement was it giving me a reality check of where I want to be based next year. Working at Founded would be great but the guys stressed to me that maybe the best place for me to be once graduating is Leeds or Manchester. As Newcastle just doesn't have a creative community like these two cities do. Prior to this advice my head was sort of in the clouds in terms of where I wanted to be. It helped me narrow down my options and ultimately being more realistic, but also more driven.

One contrast in PPP this year I think is the change of quality over quantity. Over the last two years at university I've learnt to engage with the creative industries. So now it is just second nature to me, but this year i've realised the engagment is paying off and its actually having a profound impact on my practice. Whether this be reaching out to studios, getting feedback from leading professionals or creating a identity for myself. It has all helped shape the designer I am today.

One huge benefit of ppp this year but also ppp across the three years, is it giving me the confidence to apply myself to anything. If I think back across the three years, the amount i've learnt is crazy. But confidence is at the heart of it all. To have confidence in my opinion, my design, my presenting, my ideas; makes it all worth while. With this confidence I feel like I can go out into the world of work in the right direction, and thanks to ppp the groundwork has been made.

OUGD602 - The Brand Identity submission

I recently submitted some work I did for a level 6 photographer to The Brand Identity. The Brand Identity is a platform that brings together the best graphic design work from around the world. And by submitting with The Brand Identity, I could stand a chance of promoting my work directly to my audience. The work I submitted I feel is relevant and appropriate for the feed and I'm overly happy with what I produced for this live brief. Hopefully I'll hear back from them soon but if not, then nothing is lost and I'll continue submitting work to blogs to get my work out there.

The selection of work submitted 

OUGD602 - Secret 7 submission

I submitted a piece of work to this years Secret 7 exhibition, portraying the song 'I'm Not Down' by The Clash.

OUGD602 - Manchester School of Art film poster

I was recently asked to create a series of promotional film posters for a final year production from a team at Manchester School of Art. The film is titled 'The Shirt Off My Back' and is a dark story based on a working class woman working two jobs, and struggling to get herself and her sons through day to day life. My responses is influenced by independent art film posters which are normally stripped back with type and image. Additionally, I wanted to show the gloomy story of this film through the stills provided. So solely focused on ways of bringing these to the forefront of the posters.

OUGD602 - My plans

Thanks to this years PPP module and work placements I feel like I have more of a direction for once I finish university. I've highlighted three cities which I will look for work in, the three being in no particular order are Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle. I selected these three for numerous reasons both personal and professional. Additionally, throughout the year I have been tweaking a list of studios I will be contacting once I finish. The list includes:

• Mark Studio (Manchester)
• Field design (Manchester)
• b and w studio (Leeds)
• Wonderstuff (Newcastle)
• Build (Leeds)
• Everything is my design (Newcastle)
• Fieldwork (Manchester)
• The Northern Block  (Newcastle)
• studio enar (Manchester)
• refold (Manchester)
• split design (Leeds)
• thompson brand partners (Leeds)
• altogether  (Newcastle)
• Rabbit Hole (Leeds)

I will reach out to these studios for internships and see where I end up, but I have already been in contact with a few so I will contact them first. 

OUGD602 - Personal identity stationary

In print my identity exists in the form of business cards, creative cv, letterhead and a invoice. I chose these deliverables as they are the most relevant to my practice and aren't obsolete factors, but small additions that make a huge difference.

The design of the business card is simple with the logotype centralised on the front. While on the back it includes my name, my practice (graphic design, phone number, email, and website. For the contact details it is set in Space Mono which acts as my secondary typeface in certain situations throughout my identity. It is used for the body copy on my website so it was necessary to include Space Mono again in print to create a coherent identity.

I experimented with a number of stocks for the business card, but chose G.F Smith Nomad Grey Smooth 290gsm for the final card. The stock is almost duplexed as it has two separate textures and colours each side of the card. I like this small detail which creates interaction with the user of the card.

The creative cv gives an insight into my practice along with giving information on my experience and skills. When designing the cv I didn't approach it aiming to stand out from the design of the cv. A majority of cv's are just visual fluff, I wanted the information to take centre stage rather than having pie charts telling someone my skills on Adobe softwares. The cv includes my logotype left aligned then a small bio set in Moderat below that. I then have two columns for information which allow flexibility for additions.

I found it necessary to also include a invoice to form a part of my stationary. Although, I am not aiming to seek freelance work after university, I still found it relevant to have one at hand just in case work comes in. The design of the invoice follows a similar template to the cv with the mix of Moderat and Space Mono.

OUGD602 - Professional email

One huge factor to consider for standing out from the crowd is having a professional and appropriate email to use when contacting practitioners. Its a simple step to take but by having one you instantly come across more professional and are more likely to catch an employers eye. Therefore, I made it a necessity to have a professional email linked to my domain (tomdixondesign.com). Using G Suite I set up the email address 'hello@tomdixondesign.com' which enables me to have a G suite business account.

OUGD602 - Logotype in practice

To test the logotype I used it across all my professional online presences such as Behance, Instagram and Linkedin. For the time being this is to just represent myself more professionally and to create consistency throughout my branding and online presence. However, in the near future I aim to have a a headshot of myself on social media sites. This is to create more of a personal connection rather than a logotype solely representing me.

OUGD602 - Personal identity alteration

Following feedback I felt changes needed to be made to the logotype. One issue which I've had to bear in mind when considering my identity is my namesake who is also a designer, a very famous designer. Tom Dixon, OBE is a British designer and is currently the creative director of the brand 'Tom Dixon' who specialise in Lighting, Furniture and Accessories. When I approached my identity I knew that I had be cautious of not linking myself to his identity, I cast the name association aside. In turn focusing on my own identity, however in the scope of a designer my identity bears too much similarity to his. Both are simple logotypes with geometric sans which simply link my identity to his. Feedback on this issue has been mixed, with peers believing that I should 'own it' and not worry about having a similar logo. For some people they were unfamiliar with the famous designer so felt no reason to change mine. Nevertheless, I had to imagine my identity in the eyes of who I will be contacting and studios I want to align myself too. Without doubt everyone in the creative industries knows who Tom Dixon is, so they'll instantly link my identity to his.

Therefore, I needed a way of showcasing myself as Tom Dixon but stepping away from my namesake. Initial ideas were to include my middle name or to run with Thomas Dixon, but I don't go by Thomas and my middle name would create a longwinded name. In the end after discussion with peers and tutors I decided upon going by 't.dixon' with Tom Dixon being on the back of my card in body copy for example. Its a simple change but one that I hope will make a huge difference when establishing myself in the creative industries.

OUGD602 - PPP Presentation

OUGD602 - Left Bank Opera Festival 2018 submission

I recently submitted to a live brief which required me to create a promotional image for the Left Bank Opera Festival presented by The Northern Opera Group. The festival this year is focused on Asian opera and is concerned with showing the tension between east and west opera. The three productions on show will be Raymond Yiu’s ‘The Original Chinese Conjuror’, Gustav Holst’s ‘Savitri’ and Camille Saint-Saens’ ‘The Yellow Princess’. My response to the brief aims to showcase key factors derived from certain plays while celebrating characteristics of Asian opera which contrast heavily to western opera.

OUGD602 - Personal identity logotype ideas

From the off I wanted my identity to be a simple logotype which represents my style in subtle open manner. I generally lean towards sans serif typefaces with a geometric form when choosing typefaces to represent myself in presentations etc. Additionally, I consider using contemporary typefaces a key factor of my practice as I like to characterise work solely through the personality of a typeface. Therefore, when thinking about typefaces to represent me I wanted something niche. Something simple yet has distinctive features which can distinguish me amongst others. I whittled down sans serif options to Polar and Moderat, two geometric typefaces which are relatively similar in form but have some different characteristics such as the arm and apex.

Polar is a neutral and expressive typeface with characters such as A,R,P and N giving it dynamic contrast. It can be suitable for small and large scaled type so can be perfect for a logotype. The second option is Moderat, a contemporary sans serif typeface characterised by a combination of geometric shapes and some edgy accents. 

As I want to communicate myself as a humble and versatile designer, I thought of ways of communicating this through the typeface. The versatility is covered through the use of a geometric sans serif typeface. While for communicating humbleness, I decided to set the characters all in lowercase to come across more neutral and less shouty. The use of the full stop in between forename  and surname creates distinction.

From the options I decided upon Moderat by TIGHTYPE, as I feel the typeface can be utilised across more platforms and retain its style. Additionally, it can be used for logotype and body copy but I sensed Polar is too stylised for body copy, while Moderat is more neutral.

I purchased the desktop typeface from TIGHTYPE in regular size, therefore I am able to use the typeface at my own will. From here for additional development I kerned the type to be more compact  and increased the stroke width by 1pt to make it more unreserved.

OUGD602 - Personal identity inspiration

To allow me to think about ways in which to present myself, I looked at studios and designers I admire and ones I consider similar to my style and practice. From doing this it made me think how my identity can position me in industry and how it can be applied across multiple platforms.

Of what I looked at they are mainly type based logotypes characterised by geometric sans serif typefaces. Subtle and simple with no frills, yet very effective and no doubt will be high impact across both print and digital. 

OUGD602 - Initial personal identity ideas

Initial thoughts about identity are that I want it to be stripped back and consistent across both print and digital outcomes. However, I am approaching the identity with the backbone already designed which is my website. Therefore, the core of the identity and stationary will be heavily informed by the site and whatever I create for the identity must work well with the style of the site. In terms visuals at this early stage, I'm leaning towards a simple logotype to represent myself as I don't want to overdo my identity, as I believe designers shouldn't have a elaborate identity pinning them down to a particular style. Instead I think they should be simple and open, and this is what I aim to achieve.
I want to communicate myself as a humble and versatile designer, and this will be accomplished not only through design but also tone of voice and how I verbally present myself.

OUGD602 - Website update

Following feedback from Michael Place and a piece of advice I remember from Oshiro from The Elephant room during Creative Convos, I have decided to make a small addition to my website. Although receiving feedback and gaining advice have pushed me to make this change, I have been meaning to create a space for my unseen work for some time now. A platform for old work, work in progress and basically odds and ends of projects that don't see the light of day.

So to get onto what pushed me to do this. When Michael reviewed my site, he must have went onto the Instagram link to see my work on their. He remarked that I had some really interesting pieces on my Instagram and should find a way of including them somehow. Addtionally, when The Elephant Room gave us a talk back in February, Oshiro brought up about people hiding interesting work when they should let it shine. And a majority of the time the hidden work is more engaging than the perceived better portfolio pieces.

At first I though of creating a Tumblr, which would be separate to my site and would allow me to upload work like a scrapbook. However, I decided I may as well include it within my site but not as a major project/case study. Instead labelling it 'Miscellaneous' and adding random pieces in a completely different composition to the rest of the site to give an impression that it's a side thing rather than a polished piece. Almost like a sketchbook that'll allow people to see my personal work but in a more professional manner.

 

OUGD602 - Website design

Towards the back end of 2017 we were tasked with creating our own website to form the backbone of our personal identity. Having a website today is the first impression many of the times so I approached this task seriously as I literally wanted the site to be the backbone of my identity, with me designing the site long before I would consider any of my personal identity. For the task we were informed of the many hosting sites available, and after experimenting with a few and budgeting the cost of each I decided to use Cargo Collective to host my site. I chose it as I felt it was fairly easy to use after some messing around with, but also the site gave me the chance to create a blank template for my site. This was important for me as I didn't want to use a stock template and look like thousands of other creatives out there. Being able to put my own touch on the site was crucial, and through Cargo Collective I was able to reflect my own style through the site design.

From the off I had an idea of what I wanted my site to look like, simple, functional, characterised through type and use of symbols if possible. However, I knew the work come first as I didn't want to overshadow my work with elaborate design. I looked at some of my favourite studios and designers sites for inspiration but in truth, my site naturally developed once I spent a few hours or so on Cargo. I messed around with numerous layouts but felt the simplest compositions worked best. Another beneficial aspect of Cargo was also it having many web fonts already installed. This saved me to hassle of buying web fonts and coding them through CSS. And luckily Space Mono, my favourite typeface was installed so I felt it was necessary to use this, as it represents me but also helps the simplistic layout of the site stand out.

EXAMPLES OF SITE ARE MOST UPDATED VERSION/ DIFFERS TO ORIGINAL

https://tomdixondesign.com/

Homepage
I wanted all my work on the homepage so its allows the viewer to jump straight into my work. On the masthead it includes my logotype, about and contact. Once you scroll down you can access all the work, with a thumbnail image left aligned with the project name, category and learn more all situated below the thumbnail. You can access the full project through either clicking the image of 'Learn more'. At the bottom of the page you'll find a footer with my email address and number which gives the viewer a quicker way to reach me. The white space on the site really gives it a structured feel I believe, it also helps the left aligned thumbnails stand out within the site.

About page
The about page again is simple and uses white space to create a structured feel. The page is stylised by a duotone image of myself (Temporary) and all my relevant details and how to contact me. It includes a basic bio (Needs developed) and other little touches such as giving links to my Spotify and Instagram which makes the experience a lot more personal but also gives the viewer a broader image and perception of me as a person and a designer.

Project pages
The project pages are high impact with the work covering the entire page at once. Once choosing a project the viewer is shown a introduction of the project which cover what?, how? and why? then from here they are able to scroll through the work which is all in landscape image form. At the bottom of the page is a navigation which can either link the viewer back to the homepage or to the next project.

 

One necessity of the site was that it was responsive with both desktop and phone devices. From constant tweaking here and there Ive been able to create a cohesive site that is functional on all devices.

OUGD602 - 27 Club submission & event

I recently submitted to the 27 Club, an exhibition celebrating the myth of popular musicians, artists, or actors who died at age twenty-seven. My responses for exhibition focused on a legendary German nightclub which is named after the infamous dapper-dressed bluesman, Robert Johnson. Whose hedonistic ways and satanic pact made him the father of rock 'n' roll's long relationship with the dark side, Robert Johnson the club has plenty of that self-same ribald attitude. Each of my responses explore the visual culture of Robert Johnson, whether that be through black letter typography, location or the unique lemon shaped drink tokens which you can find in the club. I was lucky enough to selected for the event but even more luckier to have all four of my submissions exhibited, much to my surprise. The exhibition itself was great with plenty of amazing work on show, but even more impressive was the event organisation and curation by two second year graphics students.

OUGD602 - Open House Featuring DR.ME & Nanna Guldbæk

I attended an Open House event featuring DR.ME & Nanna Guldbæk at Northern Monk Brewery. The talks were concerned with whether or not you can cash in and not sell out.

The event was hosted by Thompson partners who I was unaware of before the talk so it was good to see a new event in Leeds. After the event I looked more into Thompson partners are they are headed up by people who have the kind of passion and experience that inspires confidence to entrust them with their most valuable business possession - their brand. Although the event was about whether or not you can cash in and not sell out, it did also have an attention on beer. Not only because it was hosted at Northern Monk Brewery but also because the set of speakers both work with breweries. Hearing about the process of beer packaging is always something I'm interested in so this made the talks more approachable for me.

First speaker of the night was Nanna Guldbæk from Norwegian brewery Lervig. Nanna who is Danish is Lervig's graphic designer but she's also still a student studying industrial design. She introduced us to Lervig as a brewery and how she arrived there as a graphic designer, then she talked through the processes she undertakes when designing labels for the brewery. The most interesting aspect of the talk was when Nanna spoke about the backlash surrounding one of her designs, for the beer named Sex Robot. The design can be conceived as insensitive by some people but Nanna related this to the theme of night but telling us that she has to align her morales and beliefs to the ones of the brewery. She is representative of the brewery on a whole and not just responsible for the beer labels she's designed but the ones before her time at Lervig. This isn't selling out but she insisted that she has to focus on her own things too such as studies, to make sure she doesn't sell out.

The second talk of the night was from DR.ME who related the theme of the night to doing self initiated work and their experience of graduating from university and not wanting a 9-5 job straight away. They believe getting used to money can stifle creativity and the drive to create work you want to create. This look on it is interesting and luckily for DR.ME they are able to create work they want to such as collage for a ranged list of clients.

OUGD602 - Website & portfolio feedback from Michael C Place

A few months back when I was conducting research for my dissertation I decided it'd be relevant to contact Studio Build to ask Michael Place some questions regarding my dissertation. I believed Michael would prove a piece of invaluable research as he has worked with music labels and artists for the vast majority of his career, so it related heavily with my dissertation which looked at the role of graphic design in the electronic music industry. However, to cut a long story short Elena the studio manager who I contacted was more than happy to help but informed me that the studio was incredibly busy so it may take some time Michael to help. Sadly Michael was unable to help me before the deadline but through continued correspondence with Elena I managed to get a website and portfolio review from Michael.

To receive feedback from Michael was very encouraging and motivational as he seemed impressed with both my website and work. The issues that he mentioned are ones I was fully aware of and in the process of changing so the negatives were also encouraging I suppose. From the feedback I'm defiantly going to take everything on board and make changed accordingly. Finally, it was also very encouraging for Elena to ask me to keep them updated with my portfolio in the future.

OUGD602 - Founded internship

To reflect on my two weeks at Founded which were two very valuable and insightful weeks, which in turn have given me an itch for the industry I want pursue a career in. The small team of five welcomed me in and I felt I was well suited within the first couple of days, with me being introduced to live briefs from the off. In total I worked across five briefs with clients including Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The National Trust, with me being trusted to apply myself to anything which I appreciated massively.

From my time at Founded I can take away a number of things both positive and negative but ones that stood out to me, I made sure to make a note of. Therefore, the list below documents my learnings while at Founded.

• During second year we were encouraged to think more about product, range and distribution but it wasn't until my time at Founded that made me realise about how important the range of an idea is. Anthony the creative director was tirelessly giving feedback and insight regarding this, and made it clear that a client only sees what is presented to them. Its the designers job to make them look past this, and extend the idea past say a poster and make it into merchandise. This not only benefits the project by extending it but also gives the studio more to work with in terms of outcome and budget.
• When receiving feedback on a small brief I did for The Spanish Gallery which is the largest collection of Spanish art outside of Spain. The team made me think through the clients eye, and that clients cant relate to the same styles and tastes as you. Therefore, its key to present the idea first rather than the style. Clients can easily reject a style but struggle to reject an idea as they can relate the to core of an idea rather than a style.
• Being in the working environment I got to experience the politics of the design industry and the competitiveness of it. For example, the studio manager explained to me one of the reasons the studio decides to keep a low profile. Although they intend to update the site with work as it been a while since they have. They are reluctant to do so though, as in the past they've found other studios approaching Founded's clients due to the new work being considered 'good'. I was surprised by this as I think if the work is considered 'good' by the client and Founded, then other studios approaching the client shouldn't stand a chance. However, the studio manager made it clear it happens too often and instead Founded prefer to keep work under wraps.
• Other little things regarding the politics of the design industry were offering brand guidelines to clients as a mechanism to ward other studios and agencies away from the client. The guidelines act as a authorship for studios and give trust between the two parties involved.

I can document plenty more things I learnt but I feel putting the new ways of thinking and doing into action would be more beneficiary to PPP. But to conclude on my time at Founded with talking about the one project I enjoyed the most which was an identity for YSP's new restaurant opening in June. To briefly sum what YSP were after was a sub brand to distinguish the new and more classier restaurant to the other food and drink options at the park. The restaurant will be located in a new gallery which is on site of a former sandstone quarry and YSP plan to have a Nordic and natural aesthetic throughout the restaurant. Therefore, it was my job to create a sub brand that aligned with YSP yet had its own identity and meaning. My responses look into the sandstone quarry, the topography of the area and Nordic colour palettes. I was told to get the raw idea down then apply it to as many outcomes to test the strength and range of the idea, and from this testing the idea impressed the team enough for them to package my idea and set it off to YSP for feedback. Some of the research and outcomes can be seen below.

The guys at Founded felt I did well in my two weeks and ticked the biggest box of simply fitting in well with the team. They encouraged me to stay in touch and if I ever need any help/guidance/feedback than they are more than happy to help. We also discussed my future and where I see myself upon graduating, they informed me that at this moment in time if they were to hire then it'd be a senior designer but that if a junior role ever came up then i'd be up for consideration. They also encouraged me to maybe stay in Leeds after graduation as more opportunities are arising in Leeds to say Newcastle. 

OUGD602 - Career track Tuesdays - Networking

I recently attended a career track Tuesday event focused on Networking. The main reason I chose to attend this particular session is because I go to events whenever I can but always struggle to find a way of breaking into a clique of people. This is one of the biggest problems for me, as a vast majority of the time familiar groups stay together at events. Nevertheless, I hoped attending this session would give insight into ways of tackling this.

The session covered why networking is important, where to network, conversation topics, body langauge and following up and my notes from the session can be seen below:

• Reach out your own sector to make new connections
• Distinguishing yourself on social media
• Set goals for events and do research
• Make Linkedin more personal

The session was really hands on, which I preferred as we were forced into situations that'd be the norm at any other networking events. As a group we had to pretend we were attending an event and the goal was to make five connections in 15 minutes, and from the pointers the instructor gave us it made the task a lot less scary. It opened my eyes to how crucial body language can be in these situations and how it can the main issue for many people.

OUGD602 - Evolution Print visit

The classes visit to Evolution print in Sheffield was a highly beneficial day out of studies, as we had a real insight into a printing facility. From the moment we stood in the door we felt welcome, and I got a genuine impression the staff at Evolution didn't see us as students, but as clients. Prior to the visit I had a understanding of printing and processes involved, but this visit covered everything from costs, quantities and limitations. With Tom Winter, the customer care manager carefully taking us around the space giving the pros and cons for every service they offer. I managed to have a quick chat with Tom, towards the end of the visit regarding a project of mine in which I'm thinking of using newsprint. He was more than helpful giving me estimates and advice, and handing me his business card if I had any further questions regarding the project. We were also welcome to help ourselves to the vast range of creative work they've printed which are spares. From the selection I took, it goes to show the quality of work and range of work they are capable of doing at Evolution, so they are definitely somewhere to consider using in the future. Another thing that caught my eye during the visit was Evolutions identity which I had a distinct feeling was designed by Ian Anderson. The overall aesthetic and the fact they are based in Sheffield made me assume this until I was proven correct. The identity really impressed me as its clear Evolution have a real desire to create work for creative minds, through their contemporary identity.