The week began with Dines from Studio Blup who are a London based agency who help brands 'connect with their future customers through culturally relevant design' I checked the studios work out prior to the talk and the 'remix of brands' was very apparent in their overall aesthetic and it visually creates a sense of the current I believe.
From the off Dines presented himself as all round positive guy which really made the talk engaging for me. He informed us of his humble beginnings of working from his bedroom to now working with Nike, Adidas and Lacoste to name a few. However, Dines made it clear he didn't want to sugar coat the industry and emphasised how hard its been over the last ten years to get where he is now. The talk was centred around the hacks of the design industry, and he took us through the different steps he's taken to get where he is today. One occurrent theme was to set goals, as Dines discussed how he used to look up to certain people in university but once he graduated he thought of ways he could become that certain person. This was achieved and is still in play today, by having goals and setting achievable stages to fulfil them. Other useful notes I took from the talk were:
- Omnipresent / Dines talked about being omnipresent which is to be widely or constantly encountered and widespread. This benefits gaining clients but also knowing what clients want exactly. If your encountering a variety of culture on a day to day basis then your output will definitely reflect this.
- .com / He talked about making yourself more professional by simply having a more professional mannered email. As he receives hundreds emails per week but dismisses them due to a unprofessional email. This is a simple thing but one that can have a huge impact one ones practice once graduating.
- Make yourself a mini studio / He encouraged us to take jobs then worry about it later, and act as a mini studio undertaking a variety of work your not necessarily great at.
- Process / What I especially liked about Dines presentation is that he showed us a short process video of how created a piece of work for Soccerbible. Before he showed us the video, the work was still and looked rather intricate and daunting to create. I often dismiss myself for creating work similar to Blup's, but once he showed us the process and the steps he takes which are simple and are a matter of a few effects on photoshop. This encouraged me to maybe try this style out more and push my photoshop skills.
The second day of Creative Convos was with Rose Nordin, who is currently a freelance graphic designer and illustrator based in London with a particular interest in self publishing and DIY culture. Rose went through her last few years in the industry and informed us of residencies which have been such a helpful hand so far in her practice. Prior to the talk I didn't really know much about residencies so it was beneficial to learn more about how they can let you create work of your own. At this moment in time residencies isn't something i'd consider as I'd rather work in a studio. But for the rest of the class I know a few people would definitely consider this as they have interests in publishing and creating zines as Rose does. Notes from the talk:
- Consider the relationship of the medium / Rose wanted to highlight the importance of showcasing mediums and the best ways of doing this. Say if something is physical then really consider the best way to show this, rather than jumping on digital mockups.
On the third day we had a visit from Chris and Eve from Leeds bases studio Robot Food. The studio mainly focuses on product packaging, food branding, food package design and new product development which shone through the presentation. Although, I have no interest at this moment in time in packaging I still enjoyed the talk, especially the discussion of project disrupt. I looked into the project when it was released a few months back and had a number of queries about it. The talk presented a great opportunity for me to learn more and to see whether or not the project was successful. Project Disrupt in a nutshell was a shake up of five days to create three brands to get excited about. I was concerned whether or not the project was a success and to see if any brands have approached Robot Food looking for something similar. Furthermore, to see if the project has improved other elements like teamwork and idea generation.
Chris and Eve talked a lot about the benefits of stepping away from client work for a short while which can also be done through personal work. However, since doing Project Disrupt the studio haven't been contacted for more work similar but I'm sure brands will come in time as the studio showcased how exciting and disruptive packaging can be.
The Elephant Room joined us on Thursday, to give us an insight into their relatively new agency and discuss advertising today. I really enjoyed this talk as both Will and Shannie were humble and passionate about what they do. They both went into detail about how they ended up where they are today, and although it was mainly advertising focused it still showed the ups and downs of the industry. Notes from the talk:
- About potential, not experience / I liked the encouraging words surrounding potential as they both stressed that employers should hire on potential and not experience some times.
- Creating a role right for you / To land in a perfect role right after uni is considered lucky. The perfect role may take years but you have to create the role right for you.
- Don't disregard the little things / They spoke of interviewing graduates and how people often disregard the more creative work. I myself often neglect odds and ends of projects therefore Will and Shannie made me think of ways of presenting this work that is cast outside.
- Never assume your audience is stupid
On the final day of Creative Convos we had Abraham Asefaw from The Pop Up Agency. The agency is all about about driving change by forming dedicated, intensely focused teams for short periods of time. What struck me from Abraham was his confidence in talking about something that is often swept under the carpet in the creative industries, and that is money. He informed us of how much his agency charge for 48 hours and exactly why. What I got from this, is to charge a flat fee which gives confidence to clients and allows them to value your service more. Say if your work was good but you charged low, it doesn't exactly put you across in the best light. Abrahams overall presentational skills and attitude were inspiring as he left me with confidence and inspiration when leaving university.
No comments:
Post a Comment