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