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.

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!

Kemistry Gallery: Roger That!

While in London, I also nipped across to Shoreditch to Kemistry Gallery. I'd heard about a typographic exhibition that was being held there, titled "Roger That!", based upon the phonetic spelling alphabet, developed by The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The work had been created by EatSleepWork/Play, Inventory Studio and Julia. It seemed such an intriguing concept to me; I am very much interested in experimental and exploratory typography, so I was really looking forward to it. 


After getting lost for a while I discovered the gallery, which was a tiny unit down a lovely little cobbled street. I was a little disappointed that it was so small, but the exhibition itself was so charming that I soon overcame my disappointment. Spread across 3 of the walls was a narrative, broken up by the letters of the alphabet, printed on A3 sheets in 2 colours only. Each of the posters portrayed the phonetic spelling of each letter, some in an obvious way, some in more abstract ways. It was a really lovely representation, and certainly brought a smile to my face. It was a great approach to marry a narrative with the phonetic spellings, as it made the experience more interesting and I loved the witty and imaginative tone to their work. It has definitely given me the desire to create work that has more character and fun to it. Here are a coupleof my favourite letters:

C - Charlie > Charlie Chaplin. 

E - Echo > The story of Echo the Greek nymph

Wim Crouwel: 'A Graphic Odyssey' at London's Design Museum

I'd been hearing about this exhibition for a while on Twitter and via various blogs, so I knew I had to take a trip down to London this Easter so to not miss out.

As I walked across Tower Bridge (which is a breath-taking experience in itself), I could see the Design Museum, with Wim Crouwel's recognisable identity design emblazoned across the exterior walls in the distance, and my excitement grew rapidly.  I've sadly not yet been able to visit the Design Museum, despite it showcasing many amazing design exhibitions in the past, so I was really looking forward to my visit.

The Dutch designer has had a prolific career, and this is evident as soon as you stepped into the exhibition space. I was totally overwhelmed with the size of the display, and the amount of work that was being showcased. Crouwel is regarded as one of the 20th century's leading designers, and you can see why when viewing his work. I was really taken aback with how much he had produced; from posters to brochures, and typefaces to calendars, it really was an inspiring collection of formats and designs. I was particularly drawn to the far wall, which showcased some of the identity designs he had produced, as they were all such simple - yet impressively clever - pieces of design. It surprised me that I was drawn to this particular area of his work, as I really struggle when trying to create identity designs. For some reason, it isn't my strong point, but definitely something I want to push myself into doing more often.

Another area of work that I was really excited by was the work he produced for Stedelijk museum, Amsterdam (with Total Design). He helped create a series of really beautiful posters and brochures, which blew me away. Their bold use of colour and type was expertly considered, helping to produce some incredibly striking pieces of design.

I felt completely in my element while at the exhibition, I probably spent over an hour studying his work and making notes and sketches. I even felt inspired to start generating ideas for one of my projects. It was a really great experience, and has made me want to try and see more exhibitions when I have the chance.

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). 

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.

Design is so simple, that's why it is so complicated.

 - I couldn't have put this better myself. The above quote is from American designer Paul Rand, best known for his corporate logo designs. I've been looking at his work during my latest project, as he has produced some wonderful book layouts - many of which are designed for children - that are so aesthetically beautiful that I feel they should be aimed at older ages also. Here's a selection of my favourites:

Reasons to be Cheerful

...the Life and Work of Barney Bubbles.

Paul Gorman, journalist, author and owner of fashion label The Look Presents, came to talk to us about Barney Bubbles; the radical graphic designer of the 70s and 80s. Although radical and highly acclaimed, Bubbles was an incredibly private individual; never signing his work or attending interviews. In fact Bubbles, whose name is actually Colin Fulcher, only ever gave one interview throughout his whole career - and poignantly only 2 years to the date before his death in 1983 - to The Face magazine, and provided them only with a collaged portrait (below) rather than a photo in order to maintain his anonymity. His career was not really recorded of celebrated until long after his death, and much of his work is still being identified.

Bubbles embraced messiness; his work and concepts influenced many designers, for instance Peter Saville. He is most renowned for his distinctive contribution to the graphic design associated with the British independent music scene.

I've admired the work of Barney Bubbles for a long time now, however I did not realise the vast array he had produced - or even the fact that he wanted to remain away from the public eye. I'm not sure what my opinion is of his choice to remain private, but I do feel that it was a shame he couldn't step forward and take credit for the amazing work he had produced. It is true to say he was a very troubled man; he suffered from depression and long-term financial problems, which eventually led to him taking his own life. I think it is significant to mention that his death occurred just 2 months before the introduction of the Apple Mac computer - Bubbles worked entirely by hand and rigidly stuck to using grids, despite his work being quite "messy". However by the time his death, design styles had changed - there was less of a need for his quirky style, which led to rejection from some clients. This definitely contributed to him wanting to end his life long before it could have been celebrated. I think this is quite a poignant thing; I would hate to find myself becoming less and less popular due to the changing of styles. I feel it is important to remain open and not too close-minded with the way that you approach your work; but also maintaining those elements that are recognisable to you. In the current age of the digital and ever-evolving technologies and design techniques, this is a really difficult skill to hold on to, and something that I will need to refine when leaving university and taking on work in the outside world.

BIG BANG.

The Universe is a beautifully designed and crafted book by Amanda Mocci. The book is broken down into 5 parts: Introduction, Big Bang, Galaxies & Nebulae, The Stars, and Asteroids & Comets. Each section is separated by the accordion fold spine, which expands to symbolise our Universe in constant expansion. 

I've been very fond of book binding since I took a series of workshops in it earlier this year, and I think this is a really interesting way to display her idea. The design and art direction of the book is also so simple yet imaginative, I really love this piece of work.

Film Season Posters

These are my final designs for my art house film season "CONTRA". The season celebrates the work of Julian Schnabel, who has spent his life pushing the limits of painting and crossing artistic boundaries as an award-winning film maker. 

Basquiat (1997)

Before Night Falls (2000)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

Miral (2010)