New Idea

After sending in my proforma to Sue and then discussing my idea with the class I found that for my final project I was not happy with continuing with the design and creation of Alex's business identity.

People mentioned that doing this sort of job is fine on the side, however for my final piece for me to show off my talents it would not allow me to push myself to then created something that I would be proud of to show to everyone. Therefore I have decided to change my idea to something else, which will then spark my creative to do something that is mentally and visually stimulating.

Sue did mention about a project that is to promote the Sussex Downs College Library and iLearn. Which she did mention before but because I was so keen to do this business promotion that I didn't think anything of it, however I did come up with a few ideas in my head.
So I therefore went back to Sue to see if it was still ok for me to do this project, which she then got me in contact with the Learning Centres Co-ordinator, Denice Penrose, where I was able to arrange a meeting with her to discuss what she wanted me to do, and what she wanted to get out of this.

Mich and Si from Liquid Light

Background:


Si - is a web designer and has been working for Liquid Light for about 4 years.
Mich - is a web designer and has been for about 10 years, she started with Liquid Light about 5 years ago and has been there ever since.


Most of the business that Liquid Light gets has been through word of mouth, they have only just recently set up a blog for the designers to post what they are thinking about and what they might be learning about at the time.


The Foot in the Door

• Get as much experience as you can, whether that be via friends, community groups, online communities or freelance anything to build up your portfolio.


• NO ONE will hire you if you have NO experience.


• Portfolio counts for everything. CV is worth doing to get noticed, so lay out your CV in an imaginative and creative way. Get their attention.


• Example - One guy sent in a box of chocolates with his CV, which then got passed around the office, and at one time everyone was talking about where they got the chocolates from.


• Work you way up - start at the bottom, even if that means just getting coffee or something.


• Know your value (don't work for peanuts, and don't sell your self short; as people will ask why so cheap?)


• Standard Freelance rates are between £20-40 per hour.


• Keep your ear to the ground (this industry moves fast, especially the website business) - Read blogs/Look at other websites/Be inquisitive.


• Know your limitations of new technologies - especially with web design - you don't want to say you can do something and then can't.


• Get an understanding of the technical side of things - so you can be more employable, and you are not just a designer.


• For web design you need to know CSS/HTML/JQuery.

Suggested Blogs to look at for updated technologies:

• Smashing Magazine


• CSS web gallery - Site Inspire/Best CSS Gallery

Their process of a job:

• They first receive a bried from the client. (Get a specific and structure brief, which is out lined right at the very beginning with the client).


• Get everything in writing and signed off by both the designers and the client(s).


• They make up mood boards to show the client.


• Design Wireframes and Site Mapping so that they know exactly what they need to do.


• UX testing - which is in house.


• Build the website (coding)


• AB testing/CMS (Content Management System)

The Reality

• You will need to compromise at times to get the jobs which will be your 'bread and butter'.


• Develop a thick skin - everyone won't be nice!


• Learn how to manage expectations (i.e. Control you clients)


• Learn how to define boundries (i.e. when to put your foot down)


• Learn how to network - GLUG (open meeting)


• Be passionate about what you do!


• Remember this is a business (you can't always do what you want to do!)


• Work hard. Rewards will come.

The Portfolio

• Personal Sites - make them clean and simple.


• Behance - This is a portfolio site (social interaction is built in)


• Physical vs Digital - print outs are quite good to view designs in context


• Moo Cards - site for business cards.

Social Media

• Think before you broadcast your thoughts, especially if you are being negative about someone else's work.


• Be positive and constructive


• Learn things - try and learn at leats 1 new thing everyday.


• Go to Dribbble, Flickr, Twitter, Pinterest and Behance for inspiration.


• Also look at Computer Arts (which is a magazine) and Creative Review Blog (Sometimes have open competitions for anyone to enter).

Keep the Fires Burning

• Have interests which are outside of your job - make sure you keep those interests up as they can inspire you in your job.


• Diversity in life leads to a healthy imagination - don't limit your imagination.


• If you are working hard on one project and hit a wall go away do something else, so that you can have some fresh eyes when you go back to it.


• Do what you love.


• Always remember that you are designing for the end user not yourself (usability is key!)


• Find your niche (jack of all trades, maste of none). It is always good to have a speciality.

Recommended Sites For Hosting and Domain Names:

• Ratspace


• Media Temple


• 123 Reg

This meeting with Mich and Si was really useful because it was from a designers point of view, and they have been in our position and they demonstrate to us what we can achieve. The whole experience was helpful especially if I was to go into that side of the industry.

Also they taught us that even though when you find your perfect job, you are always learning whether that be a new technique or even a new technology to make your work better and up-to-date with the times.

I would say the most helpful parts of the talk was the bit about CV and the way to stand out in front of a crowd, so to speak.

Research into competitors

Alex's business covers a wide range of different areas of landscaping, from land to water, for example lakes and ponds.

Here are 4 different competitors that cover the different areas:

Aqua Landscape Design:
http://www.aqualandscapedesign.co.uk/
This company is mainly based on water landscaping and water features.
The website is quite busy on first glance, the buttons are not obvious and I found them by rolling over the words, they are however a lighter shade of green so they do stand out from the background.
The colour scheme, the light blue with the green is quite calmly and pleasing to the eye, and really maps out what the company does, the green for the gardening/landscaping side of things and then the light blue for the water side of things, also the amount of these colours used gives an indication to what the company does as well.

Lakes and Ponds by PHB Contractors Ltd
http://www.lakes-ponds.co.uk/
With this website, it is completely different to the previous website, because the site is very minimalistic, with only 2 sections, the header and the body. The header has the buttons/links and the company name within it, the buttons are easy to find and are clearly mapped out.
On the home page there is a changing image above the fold, demonstrating what the company can do, and when you go below the fold there is a clearly laid out set of articles which are the most important to the company, and they all have specific headers as well. Lastly, there is an enquiry form at the bottom, with also what the company have done recently, with a photo gallery of everything they have done.
This website as a whole is nice presented and you are able to find the information that you need to then get an idea of how this company works and operates.

Groundwork
http://www.groundwork.org.uk/
This site is very visually interesting to look at, it is not busy and very clearly laid out. Everything has a place, but they do all mould together very well.
It looks like they are some sort of charity, helping schools and communities have better grounds etc.
There are loads of links that people can look at, which in a way can really put you off, however in this case they have marked out their main objectives in each section so that if people are looking for a specific thing then they can find it using their drop-down list of links from the buttons.
The images and colours work because they seem quite urban and give off a vibe that they don't mind getting their hands dirty.

K.P.H Groundworks Ltd
http://www.kphdrainageltd.co.uk/
When I first found this website I immediately saw a problem, where all of the buttons are they seems to have butted up close together, which I am sure should not be the case, there maybe a problem with the CSS or that the site is not built to be seen on a laptop.
Despite that the simple style of the website allows for me to find out all of the information about the company that I would need if I was to use them.
The colour scheme however I feel that for this doesn't work as well, for some reason having a different shades of blue and then a blue to white gradient in the background seems quite amature and for this sort of company does not work.

Idea for Project

For this most exciting project, I have found a client called Alex Richardson, and he would like me to design and create:

• A multi-page website


• Leaflets


• Business cards


• A Facebook Page (which then links to the website)

With the help of the client, I will also be coming up with a name for the company, as of yet there isn't one. At the moment, he has been trading under his own name, and he would like a company name that will describe what he does in only a few words.

Background on the Company/Alex:

As a whole the company specialises in constructing and maintaining Lakes, Ponds as well as general Landscaping jobs. He also does groundworks (such as drainage and landscaping etc), earthmoving and forestry work too. When it comes to lakes and ponds, he builds new ones, de-silts old ones and rebuilds broken ones.
His main clientele consists of people with big houses, farms and estates, and nearly all of his jobs are from private clients, not businesses, however, the occasional business work does come up.
So after being told all of this, the main target audience are middle-upper class people who are asset rich and have money in the bank to spend.The scales of jobs that he works on are mainly big jobs; however they can range from being 1 weeklong to 4-6 months long on any one job.

Oli (Studio Makgill)

Oli studied graphic design and then started doing interships in London for about 1 year.
Then went to Studio Makgill to do an internship and ended up getting a full time job and has been there ever since (for about 4 years now). He mentioned that he learnt his printing techniques on the job and NOT at university.

Job 1

British Crafst (materials) Book:
(Naturalis Works - Oliver Spencer)

This took a couple of months to come up with ideas for this client. Once they had finalised some of their ideas, they then chose 3/4 to show to the client to then have the client choose which one they would like to use.
They used photography (Photographer being Steven Fisher) within a film to show off the details of the products. Within this short film, as well as other films, they demonstrate their ideas and concepts, which are then used through blogs and London Fashion week (Oliver Spencer).

'The Devil is in the Detail' This is a good quote.

From a film (Naturalis Works #1 (of 3)) - Which a behind the scenes of a fashion designer, they make a coat first then sort out the details after - moving things around using different colours etc.

Job 2

Exhibition - Made in Birmingham (to celebrate an exhibition from the 1800's)

• Handed over a huge archive of Birmingham by Birmingham Council.


• Used a similar type and an awkward hand quality (industrial).


• Used photos from the archive to come up with a concept design for the exhibition.


• They used Standard 8, which is a company based in Lewes, to help with the exhibition.


• Used a variety of serif typefaces to create a feel of the victorian era.


• Used flood coating to cover the pape in a different colour completely for the booklet for the exhibition - like an adjustment layer.


• They made a bench by using stensils and typefaces.


• The font for the exhibition they worked on to make and sell. The font is called Central Avenue - had to modernise it so it wasn't associated completely with the Made in Birmingham Exhibition.

Job 3

The Lollipop Shoppe - sells furniture

• They used a cut-out to match with the hand made feel of the company.


• They made Illustrations, and Anthony Burrell made notebook illustrations, which were a silk screen style.


• Used laser to cut out stencils.


• Used multiple typefaces for the branding of the company.

www.thelollipopshoppe.co.uk (Website of the company)

Job 4

Bench 10 - to raise awareness. Based in Spitalfields in London.

• Got designers to redesign benches and used a map that people could go round and find them which then led back to the Lollipop Shoppe.


• Made posters for 'Celebrating 50 years of Brasil'

Tips

• Value of design


• Creative freedom


• Strffonore video - printing process


• Send a short email with your work attached - only about 3/4 pieces of your best work.


• Also send a link to your portfolio site.


• Let your work speak for itself


• Maybe completely redesign portfolio including project of your own briefs (quick turn around projects).

Brief - Independent Project

This module is intended to test your ability to work independently. The successful synthesis of all modules delivered throughout the course promotes the ability for self-directed study. One substantial assignment brief is set, typically eight-weeks in duration, giving scope for interpretation using the underlying themes of the course as described in the course rationale.

By this point in the course, you have experienced sustained practical and theoretical elements of study and become progressively used to self-initiated work. It is expected that you have achieved a personal balance of all of the separate course elements and combined these into a personal visual language that can be applied to a given brief reflecting an expression of individual interests, beliefs and opinions. As the course progresses, more of the nature and content of work produced is your responsibility.

The ability of you to cope with this responsibility is tested by this module. It is not the final assessment tool of the course but it is a useful guide to demonstrate how much you are capable of tackling independently a set of given constraints. You are encouraged to follow relevant individual paths, and to develop high-level skills and test progress against your own criteria. You will have access to tutor guidance throughout the duration of this module, though the nature of this is fundamentally different to what might be expected at the beginning of the course and certainly in comparison to FDA Level. Discussions with tutors are primarily conducted with reference to concepts, the architecture of proposed projects and possible research contexts.

The Brief:

The Brief (general description of the course work requirements)
Students are asked to choose one of the quotes as a starting point, or to do an independent project totally of their own choice, and formulate a brief, indicating possible avenues they may wish to explore.

This is registered with the Course Leader and constitutes ‘Part One – Proposal’ form (300 words + reading list), which must include a reading list submitted by you.

‘Part Two – Project Review’ (500 words) is submitted by the students at the end of the module. This review document is self-evaluative in nature and is intended as a tool for you to review the final projects’ intentions and conclusions, alongside all research work and the final project execution.

Both forms are included in the assessment criteria for this module.
Please choose from one of the following options:

1. “It is a truism to day that we live in a “remix culture.” Today, many of cultural and lifestyle arenas - music, fashion, design, art, web applications, user created media, food - are governed by remixes, fusions, collages, or mash-ups. If post-modernism defined 1980s, remix definitely dominates 2000s, and it will probably continue to rule the next decade as well.Manovich, Lev. What comes after Remix?

2. “We live in a world where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning.” Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation

3. “To practice space is thus to repeat the joyful and silent experience of childhood; it is, in a place, to be other and to move toward the other...Kandinsky dreamed of: 'a great city built according to all the rules of architecture and then suddenly shaken by a force that defies all calculation.” Michel de Certeau, The Practice of Everyday Life

4. “...Fan fiction is a way of the culture repairing the damage done in a system where contemporary myths are owned by corporations instead of owned by the folk.” Henry Jenkins

5. “This is the postmodern desert inhabited by people who are, in effect, consuming themselves in the form of images and abstractions through which their desires, sense of identity, and memories are replicated and then sold back to them as products” Larry McCaffrey

6. “Do stuff. be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration's shove or society's kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It's all about paying attention. attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. stay eager.” Susan Sontag

7. “By the late twentieth century, our time, a mythic time, we are all chimeras, theorized and fabricated hybrids of machine and organism; in short, we are cyborgs.” Donna J. Haraway

8. A project of your choice (you may want to use a different quote as a starting point, or it could be something completely different).

Final Posters

September:
October:
November:

Crit Comments

After showing my posters to the class, the mentioned a few changes that I needed to change to make my posters even more.

There were things that they liked:

• The colours (worked well on the black background, stood out)


• The font (nice and simple, easy to read)


• They worked well as a campaign as they were all consistant.

And things that needed changing:

• I was told that having the slanty text for 'Saturday' did not work, and would look a lot better straight and centred.


• Have the logo on the bottom left hand-side of the poster, and make it smaller, as it doesn't have to be so prominent.


• Make the font of 'Sessions' thicker, so that it easier to see.


• Make body font thicker, to make it stand out more and easier to read from a far.

Process for Posters

To create the smokey effect I had to look for a way of doing it using Photoshop and tutorials. Instead of finding a tutorial I found this link:

http://qbrushes.net/photoshop-abstract-brushes/21-smoke-brush-set/

which is a link to download free brushes for Photoshop, they happen to be a set of smoke brushes, which for this idea worked out perfectly.

I had to find images that would fit in with the concept of a club scene, and so I didn't limit myself to the typical all girl campaign I wanted to find a male or 2 that would fit in. I found 3 images that I made sure was not copyrighted, as it would be for a real advertising campaign, and copyright is a major factor into this type of work.

The first 2 posters were simple, one male and one female, however I struggled with the 3rd, and so as a tester I tried using the Ministry of Sound logo. I showed this to a few people in the class, and found I would need to try something else. I then thought of having someone breakdancing, and I ended up finding an image of a man doing a one handed handstand, which ended up being perfect for this 3 month campaign.

All of the testers I printed out so that I could see how they would work with the colours and black background, before I carried on with the idea, therefore all of the print outs are in my sketchbook.

The font for my main header (Saturday) I chose a font that would enhance my design. Unfortunately, I had left it too late to create my own, therefore I went to DaFont.com to find one, and the one that I found was called CLUB, this was a free font that had no restrictions of use on it. I only chose this font for the 'Saturday' part because it would make more impact on the viewer, and then have a contrasting 'Sessions' font, which will then tie is the body text, and make everything consistant.

I then used a very simple font for the 'Sessions' and body text, and I really like the elegance and simplicity of Helvetica Neue.

I showed what I had done to Chris and a few other people, at first I had my text in seperate blocks and butted up to the edges of the posters, they suggested making the text fit around the image in the centre, creating some sort of a border, which ended up making the posters look ten times better then having just blocks of text. It makes them look funky and more interesting to look at.

Here are the 2 versions, one with the blocks of text and one with the text around the centre image.

Jonty Sharples (Albion London)

Jonty is the Director of User experience at Albion in London, which is an advertising agency.

Albion advertises for companies like Skype, Betfair and Innocents, they have also help start up other companies such as wonga.com (entrepreneurs - single people ideas).

As well as sub-companies of bigger companies (intrepreneurs) such as giff gaff which is part of O2. The advert that Albion came up with was where a lot of chickens were being unlocked from their captives.

And some other clients that Albion have worked for are Barclays Wealth and Tobias & Tobias.

Background on Jonty

He started designing at Bid D, and the most important thing that he learnt was that making mistakes is the most important way to learn.

Jonty gave us a way of thinking about how to have a balanced work life, the T-Shape

The T would have gaps where we will need to learn more to fill it. The more it is filled, the more you have learnt.

UX unicorn - allowing to design and then code a prototype (This is the most ideal type of person to be, as your skill range is wider then just a designer).

Advice from Jonty about getting a job/internship:

Be as honest as possible with your CV
Everyone knows everyone, so do not lie ALWAYS BE HONEST!!

He then went through 3 questions that he would ask to an intern:

1. What do you Love?


2. What do you do best?


3. What do you see yourself doing in 18 months time?

Each of these I would have to think about, because I am not sure on what I would like to do.

He suggested that we should push the boundaries, which will then help us discover what we would love to do.

Also we should get our head around the industry we have chosen.

He then went around the room asking these 3 questions, when he got to me I answered that I love working with people mostly, and that is really what I do best. To these answers his response was that the type of job I should go for is Project Management!

I found that his meeting with us was really helpful because it gave me a thought of what kind of job I could possibly do. Also because he is a designer it shows what persistence in doing what you love can do to your job prospects.