New beginnings

I apologise for how long it has been since my last post on here, but things have gotten a little hectic recently. At the start of this month I packed all my belongings up and made my way back to Manchester, after gaining a position as a graphic designer working at a multimedia design studio called Spoken-Image. I have to be completely honest and say I was massively surprised at how quickly I managed to find a real-life-full-time-paid-job-in-the-city after graduating... I was doubting myself greatly at ever being able to find work that wasn't either a. for free, b. required "1 years industry experience" (UGH) or c. freelance (N.B. freelance is fine - if you can get it. Sadly, things had slowed down dramatically for me by the end of the summer, sigh). You'll be aware that it's a really tough time for graduates of all disciplines currently, and I am so thankful that I have been successful in my hunt for work post university, in a relatively small amount of time.

I'm really excited to be back in the city I love and studied in for the past three years, but it is certainly odd being back and knowing very few people this time round (not to mention early starts everyday, and no student discount anymore...) but I was lucky to find a fantastic house with some lovely housemates, so all is well. 

The team at Spoken-Image have been so accommodating of me in the past few weeks and I love the atmosphere in the studio. Despite being massively helpful and co-operative, they have really pushed me to working on some big briefs, and now I am getting more and more projects that I am completing by myself. This has been great for my confidence! It's also brilliant to be able to complete design work that is for a real-life client, and not just something my university has set me. So far I've done a lot of work for one of the studio's biggest clients - The Historic Royal Palaces (The Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Kew Palace and the Banqueting House). It's been really interesting working to strict brand guidelines, and seeing how a brief develops from conception to presentation for such a large organisation. There is a lot to consider, but it's been a fantastic way to tighten up my skills to suit a professional creative environment.

The most exciting, if a little daunting, part of my job so far has been the responsibility I've been given to re-design the studio's website. The company have been around for 35 years now, so understandably have a lot to do, but their own website seems to have been pushed aside for a bit too long and doesn't really do justice to the brilliant work they want to showcase. I have been given the opportunity to now to inject a bit more life into the site, the brief being to "have fun". I love this sort of task, there's no great pressure on me (other than from myself) so I'm really looking forward to seeing everything fall into place. We've had some exciting ideas about page layouts and show-reel animations, and things are getting really interesting. I'm really chuffed with what I have created so far, but more so pleased that I am able to extend my skills range into web design and animation. These are areas I shied massively away from at uni, so it's great to be able to develop them now. I will keep you all updated on how it goes, and the finished article - hopefully this side of Christmas. 

So yes, it's been really busy lately, but all very positive. I hope to keep you updated more in the next few months, but this could come in the form of another account - I will be writing from Spoken-Image's blog and twitter in the near future, so will cross between the two accounts when I can.

Phew.

Freelancing it.

I recently got contacted by a florists based in Manchester, Verdure Floral Design, asking me if I could help them out with some design work they needed doing. I have to admit, we initially began our communications while drunk on a night out, but the less said about that the better; I was just very lucky to be in the right place (a bar) at the right time (about 2 in the morning). After this encounter with Adi - the director of the company - I wasn't completely sure if I would hear from them again, but fortunately a few days later he contacted me and was really positive about wanting to work with me.

The brief was quite short notice; to re-design their business cards and produce a flyer to be situated against their floral display at  the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show that was being held this week. A fairly simple task, but I really enjoyed communicating with Adi and Kai (the managing director) in order to fulfill what they wanted. What's even better is that they were so happy with how I responded to their requirements, that they've asked me to continue working on more projects with them. There's a lot they want me to do, and I'm chuffed to be able to continue working freelance while I hunt for more permanent jobs. Keep your eyes out for more from me and Verdure! Below are some images of what I have already done.

Visit Verdure Floral Design's site (soon to be updated by myself) to check out what they do: www.verdure.co.uk

Getting myself noticed...

Well after all the excitement of my degree show, things have certainly died down a little, but now is the time to do something to get myself noticed. I'm proud to say I'll be graduating with a First Class Honours degree on the 22nd July - which I am over the moon about - but now it's time for me to crack down to the difficult and daunting task of finding work.

It's safe to say, that given the time of year, agencies and studios across the country will be inundated with design graduates trying to do exactly the same as me; gain experience with them - or even better a paid job,  but how can you guarantee you'll be noticed? The answer is, you can't, but you can definitely make it easier for yourself by approaching them in the right way. I discovered this helpful site, that gives a brilliant checklist of actions to take when applying for work - http://yoo-hoo.org/  - definitely things to be considered for sure!

The approach I've taken is to produce a document, that will not only contain my CV, but will act as a mini portfolio too. I wanted to make sure it won't be missed, so I've bound it with varying Dayglo card covers, which although slightly blinding, look pretty darn striking, I must say. Here are some images; I'll be sending these off to varying well-researched agencies / studios that I would love to meet, let alone gain some experience with. If anything, they will help spread my name around my local design companies, and will hopefully help direct me to something exciting. Watch this space.

On Your Marks...

Our long-awaited degree show finally opened on Friday night, and I have to say, it was a fantastic evening. Hundreds came to view the work on display - including my own - and plenty of beer and wine was consumed in the process. I was really surprised at the turn out, and excited to see what responses we would get towards our work. 

I was really fortunate to have my work positioned in a brilliant place; right next to the bar, and visible from the corridor on which our show was being held. It was so good to see so many people there and watch them try and decipher what my A1 poster* was saying, needless to say there were a lot of confused and curious faces! My piece is a poster presenting a typeface I have developed, titled AlephBeth. The typeface represents the evolution of our alphabet, and predicts the next generation of written language. Cue cheesy photo of myself next to my work....

So far I've had some awesome feedback about my work; particularly from Ian Anderson of The Designers Republic, and Creative Times; who should be featuring my work in the near future. Also, most of my business cards have been snapped up too, so fingers crossed something good will come out of that as well. Keep your eyes peeled for updates / links soon. 

I just want to say a massive thank you to John McPartland, Kenneth Moore and the tutors for branding and curating such a fabulous show. Check out the website here; www.onyourmarks2011.com and do pay us a visit, we are open until Weds 22nd June, 4th Floor Chatham building, MMU. I also want to say how brilliant an experience uni has been! I'm seriously going to miss the place, and the Design and Art Direction course; it's definitely the end of an era... but also the beginning of something amazing hopefully.

*Poster Definition: "We must explore the dynamic of the typographic engine in a way that steps away from the strictures of our conventional alphabets."

I'm back!

Hey folks,

Sorry it's been a very long time since my last post. I had to shut my blog down for a while during the busy deadline period, but I am back now and aim to carry on blogging despite now being finished with Uni. I've had an amazing few years, and have learnt so much. It's a pretty daunting time right now; waiting for results, planning the degree show and then being out in the big wide world! Scary.

For those who can make it to Manchester, our degree show starts on the 17th June, at 5pm. This is the private viewing, with drinks and snacks and lots of chats. It will be running until Weds 22 June, so please do try and have a visit. My work will be there, along with everyone else from the course, and I have to admit, there is some cracking stuff on display! For updates and more info about the show, please follow @OnYourMarks2011 on Twitter, or visit www.onyourmarks2011.com !

So to keep this post interesting, here are some images of what I've been doing for the past few weeks, enjoy:

All Tropic Competition Entry

So here's the design I've entered into All Tropical's latest competition. Based upon one of the nation's favourite ice lollies, 'Like we did last Summer' evokes happy, sunny memories of the seaside, ice cream vans and days out. Please vote for me so I have a chance at wining their brilliant prize (£150, plus the t-shirts printed and sold online)! 


Follow the link here: http://www.alltropical.co.uk/live_html/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=691:rate-qlike-we-did-last-summerq&catid=6:latest-designs-for-vote&Itemid=34

Thanks!

All Tropical

My blog (this thing right here) was selected as All Tropical's favourite blog of the week! Really humbled that they  found it and were impressed by what I have to say. They gave me a lovely write-up:


"Another blog from an All Tropical Member. Gemma is studying Design and Art Direction at Manchester School of Art. There is a lot of interest here for up and coming designers and fans of visual art more generally. Gemma is a brilliant writer and it is very refreshing to see a blog that somebody has put so much care and attention into."


 Thanks guys!

All Tropical is a platform for designers to promote their work by entering designs to be screen-printed on t-shirts. What's more is that there's the opportunity to win £150, as well as your t-shirts being printed and sold if your design is picked as the favourite of the week. Check out what they do here.

I've recently entered a design into their latest competition, to produce an idea based upon your representation of Summer. I will post some images of my design once the voting is open on the 27th April. Keep your eyes peeled!

Hand drawn type

Experimenting with some hand drawn lettering, wanting a more crafted aesthetic for my latest project, (but also because I've wanted to be able to enjoy the sunshine and unfortunately the glare on my screen has limited me from creating anything digital...)

More...

punctuation marks

Here are some illustrations I have produced for my latest project. They need a lot more development yet, but looking forward to where this project is heading. I've been looking at punctuation and grammatical errors (as it is one of my biggest pet peeves) and a way in which I can help people to overcome their mistakes in a light-hearted way. NB: I am aware that I too can make mistakes, I'm sure you'll find some on this blog!

Graphic Design and the Dotted Line, Russell Hancock

Lecture and Portfolio Discussion.

Russell Hancock is a freelance graphic designer, who came to talk to us about his experiences in the industry, but more importantly about what to expect / how to set up as a freelance designer when leaving university. I was really interested to hear what he had to say about this, as so far this is an area we haven't yet covered while on the course.

Before becoming a freelance designer, Russell worked in a collective called "Soup" that he set up with friends from university. They gained a series of small-name clients, which gained him experience, but his most influential work was the publication they produced for free titled "From Carn to Cove". It was this that gained Russell more work. Although the majority of the work Soup created was small-scale and for free, Russell told us to be very wary of clients expecting free work. Although good "for exposure" this is often just a way of taking advantage of your skills for free.

After a while at home, Russell gained a job at Empire design agency, who create many of the movie posters that we see advertising films today, but sadly lost out to a permanent position there (much to his disgust) and then worked for ASHA (Arthur Steen Horne Adamson) where he found it to be a bit of a pyramid-shaped business and his opinion didn't matter. Despite this, he got to work on some brilliant projects and gained a lot more experience.

Russell's biggest job to date however, happened a lot out of luck - he saw that his local old art-deco cinema was becoming more and more dilapidated, so he wanted to improve it, and try to get the owners to re-open it. He and a friend helped to decorate the exterior of the building for free and he produced a petition to open up the cinema again. The cinema was bought by a new owner and is in the process of being renovated and restored. The owners also have plans to create a franchise, and now Russell has the opportunity to create the branding for a whole series of cinemas.

In terms of freelance, Russell gave us a lot of really helpful hints:

- Get money upfront and a signature
- Be sure of your opinions, but rememeber... it is just an opinion
- Demand respect, but all in all keep learning
- Assess free work carefull
- Act professionally
- Remember people, and be remembered
- Sometimes clients are bad(!)
- Don't be afraid to talk about payments / salary
- Be organised
- Digital portfolios are a MUST

These may seem like common sense, but can be so easily overlooked, so it was really helpful to have someone drill them into us.

I also spent some time talking through my work and portfolio with Russell, which was really helpful. He gave us even more tips on how to create and present a successful portfolio, be it in paper or digital format. I was really pleased that when talking through mine he was very impressed with what I had to show. My portfolio has always been one of those "hazy" areas, where I've never been too sure how to present my work best. I've had quite a lot of contradicting opinions on it so far, mostly less positive from my tutors because they want me to push my presentation further, yet a lot more positive responses from others. I'm a little bit confused at the moment, but I think I want to develop it more as it is a little... generic. Here is an example:

Open publication - Free publishing - More graphic design

ready to bind

So the book, or "visual journal", I have been slaving over for the past week is finally ready to be completed. It will be perfect bound with a hardback cover, fingers crossed all goes well once I'm in the book-binding studio.

Visual Journal 2

Visual Journal

Diving against vivid woodlands looks static. Time is the image of unchanged motion. 

Marina sat in the library then discovered the future message: approach changes confidently and create desire. Rigid graphic images took over and vanity was there. Reflections across chaos built revolution and hand-written rebellion was ablaze. 

Nature celebrated a hidden underground environment. The end is nothing was whispered The final plan was once credible but can it be trusted? 

Personal texts and numbers are metaphors and ahead of the times. Ghost towns, troubles and the sound of the rejected were being discovered.

Focus was on reason but stayed lack-luster. Fear captured imagination as dystopia took control. Sounds, texture and information is all based on assumptions from a select audience.

April beauty holds eye and the direction. Moving can change communication but optophobia will influence.

Mutant propaganda orders a clear structured movement to promote change.

The boundaries of seeing bleed with the spirit of perspective. Poetic translation touches the subverted and creates pixies that enjoy the horror.

Maps do not exist above the water but directions are clear.

*NB: This is a visual journal of my time during my third year at MMU. Not all of the imagery used in the collages is from my own work. Some are representations/small sections of other work that I have viewed/been influenced by while on my Design and Art Direction course. I will gladly remove them if this causes issues. Each piece used will be referenced in my final outcome (these are just developments). 

Hello Again...

It's been a while since my last post, I am afraid I have been a bit lazy with my blog lately. It's been a very busy last month or so, with my mid-term hand in, dissertation hand in and various new projects underway, but from this point on wards I promise I will try and keep up to date with everything that goes on!

So, yes, to fill you in, last month was a stressful one. All of the projects I have completed since September (Summer project, Static, Fleurons, M&S brief, Johnny Hardstaff workshop) had to be handed in for my interim assessment. It was a horrible time finishing everything over Christmas - I encountered too many problems along the way - but it seems that it was worth it as I am really pleased to say I managed to gain a decent first class grade for my work. This has definitely made me realise that I perhaps need to believe a bit more in myself! Let's hope I continue to do well for my final term... scary.

I also managed to complete my dissertation, called "To Have and To Hold: What is the Future of Print in a Digital World?" I really enjoyed exploring this topic, and discovered so much from it which has definitely renewed my love and passion for printed matter. I want to also say thank you to those of you who participated in the study I set up to help me research the topic - 90 people took part and everyone's responses were brilliant and helped me massively! So thank you again!

I'm just cracking into a new brief, which I have set myself. It's a little hazy at the minute if I am completely honest, and I am struggling a little to get into it but fingers crossed once I pick up the pace a bit it will be an interesting one. I want to explore Avant Garde page design, or design in general. A lot of my inspirations come from the early 20th century European Avant Gard designers, for instance El Lissitzky, Kurt Schwitters, A M Cassandre etc. and I often try to incorporate elements of their aesthetic into my own work. But the whole purpose behind what they stood for was to produce work that was different; pushing the boundaries against the norms of society. There are many artists today who try to achieve the same thing, which I don't deny can often be shocking and controversial, but when this philosophy was first explored it was completely radical and new. Can the same thing be achieved in our modern society, or is it less relevant today? It is a mammoth idea to explore, and I am not sure if I will actually achieve the answer or not! More on this later I think.

Edit.

A little zine I have produced to display some of the work that myself and Nina McNamara created during our  placement at Flux last year.

I HAVE [A] PLAN

Over Christmas, I worked on a live brief set by YCN. The brief was for Marks and Spencer, in which I had to "create a visual identity for our Plan A campaign and develop campaign elements to bring your identity to life." This was a bit of a change for me; I don't often pick 'campaign' or 'branding' project briefs, as it is an area I am not so comfortable with, but I wanted to try something different as a challenge and to add more variation to my overall portfolio.

M&S's 'launched Plan A in January 2007 – ‘committing to change 100 things over 5 years, because we’ve only got one world and time is running out.’ Three years on, we have made good progress against our five Plan A pillars: Climate Change, Waste, Natural resources, Fair partner and Health and Wellbeing – achieving 62 of the original 100 Plan A commitments. So, in March 2010, we unveiled and expanded a more demanding Plan A, setting out 80 new commitments for the next five years and our ambition to become the world’s most sustainable major retailer by 2015.'

I really struggled with the brief. I found it difficult to get the ball rolling, and I feel that I spent far too long worrying about branding "Plan A" than I did actually promoting it. Because of this, I was really pushed for time when it came developing my format. I chose to create an identity for the plan, as the existing logo didn't seem to stand out from the rest of M&S's branding, and I felt it wasn't memorable enough. Working with the idea of the plan having "5 pillars of change" I created a design that incorporated 5 triangles and reflected the shape of a letter A. I then used the tagline "I have [A] Plan" in order to draw the customers in. 

I chose to create a concertina book, featuring postcards that can be placed around the home as a reminder of what the plan is about. The booklet explained 5 ways for each of the 5 pillars of improving the way we live and becoming involved with M&S's campaign. I was quite pleased with the aesthetic of the piece, and even created a magnetic backing so that it could be placed in the home on fridges, for instance. I also created a set of stickers to work alongside the booklet, which can be placed around the home or in the car, to act as a reminder of the plan to the customer. 

However, during my review, John (my tutor) and I both agreed that it seemed a little clumsy; the booklet opened awkwardly and I am aware that it is not my best piece of design. With this considered though, John felt that it was a really nice attempt and that in the future I should perhaps stick to briefs that are more suitable to my style and interests - which couldn't have been a more welcomed piece of advice if I tried! I am relieved to have finished this brief, it's a shame I didn't get into it more.