Final Major Project

Final images for my FMP, these will feature on the design boards for our Bournemouth and London Exhibitions. Really pleased with the final outcome and feel it was  well rounded and executed project, has definitely been the most enjoyable for me. Look forward to working on more live briefs.

Pica Pica Magazine Competition

Below is my design for the magazine art competition. Sadly I was not the winner but feel it is a strong piece of work, that I will be adding to my portfolio.

We were limited to two colours: Silver, Blue (& Black).

The front and back art work had to be different measurements with a 3mm bleed.

Had to convey the message of magpies, sew, knit, hand-made, felt and craft.

Front Cover

…………………………

Back Cover

Friends of Forest Holme Newsletter

Looking back this has probably been the one of the most successful live briefs I have undertaken. Really enjoyed working on it as Debra was a very helpful client. Working on identities epically ones that are in need of a new look can be very rewarding! I feel the logo has been a success and although we did this for free it will be a great addition to my portfolio.

Professional Project (Inspiration/Practitioners)

This will be key to developing my ideas and pushing forward the project to the highest standard. I will need to compare my work to other practitioners and self-reflect. I have started off by gathering material and generally researching book design, brochure design, Typography and corporate identities.

Designers:

Stefan Sagmeister

Vince Frost

Crush Designs

Non-Format

Books:

Typographic Systems

Things I have learnt in my life so far.

Contemporary Graphic Design

Business Cards 2

Masters of Design Corporate Brochures

Emma Barette Talk (Aquent)

Below are some key notes taken from the talk:

-  Aquent are the largest creative recruitment in the UK.

Design Weekly is great for find work/agencies if your a designer.

Start to think about your chosen area of Design –> What do you specialize in?

If you are interested in working for a particular magazine you can usually find the art director/designer in the first few pages.

> IMPORTANT < Stand out with your design work! (They were recently sent a custom set of colour pencils with each of their names engraved)

- The arts council ,commercial work (live briefs) –> Linkedin –> Commercial Networking

C.V Prep:

- Take your time!

- C.V layouts say a lot about you i.e Arial, 12pt, boring layout isn’t giving them the impression your CREATIVE!

- Attention to detail is everything

- 1 page for a graduate (No more than 2 anyone reading will get bored!)

- Keep it professional (spell check!)

Portfolio:

Every piece of work in your portfolio must tell a story. If you can’t explain it then don’t have it in your portfolio as it will water it down.

- What did the client want?

- How did you impliement it?

- How you did you design it?

>IMPORTANT< Open with a strong piece of work (something your passionate about and can go into detail)

Close with a strong piece! Practice presenting your portfolio (best way is to present it to someone who doesn’t have a clue about design)

Never just have a logo! Show your various ideas and what it looked like before. Show how it can be implemented across various mediums.

Always research the company/designer before an interview. You may have something in common sports, hobbies..etc?

Professional Project (the idea..)

Having met up and spoke with Matt Desmier it turned out he has had this idea for a while now and has been looking for someone to get it off the ground. Sounds like a really exciting and possibly rewarding project to take on. Took a few notes from the meeting and below is a quick brief I have written myself, if I want to undertake this I would have to transfer this to a learning agreement.

On reflection I feel that this project would not only make a really good piece for my portfolio but also help me progress to my chosen career as a Graphic Designer.

Brief Outline:

To re-position Poole Quay as a Popular, Fashionable and Affordable eating experience by creating its own identity. The quay itself is currently a semi-popular eating destination but the area itself is rather motionless compared to the Bournemouth. The competition of the restaurants would be replaced with a general eating experience each one have their own benefits, whether it be affordable, fashionable or fresh.

Possible Outcome:

Want to keep this quite open, initial thoughts are creating an identity and small book/brochure.

Anna Steinberg Talk

Freelance Illustrator and AOI member Anna Steinberg gave a talk on becoming a freelance Illustrator. Found the talk very helpful even though I had previously been to her last one. Gave me a new view of becoming an Illustrator and certainly more positive than previous Illustrator talks. She went through the process of getting the job, undertaking it, sending it and finally getting paid. Is quite complicated but if you follow the process it can be very rewarding. Being a Graphic Designer and Illustrator I now feel slightly more positive about the Illustration industry as a whole.