PPP3: Portfolio Surgery

I have my first portfolio surgery today with Andy before I go on my studio visits. This was a good opportunity to get my portfolio looked at before I go on my studio visits so that I am taking my best work with me.

Printed Portfolio

I took both printed A3 sheets as well as my digital version of the portfolio so that Andy could see the extra sections and information pages I have in the digital versions.

Feedback from Portfolio Surgery

The feedback I got for my portfolio was mainly positive, with Andy listening as I was talking through my work and asking him questions in regards to my portfolio

Referencing my briefs, I was told that I should use a different image of my Zephyr bottles showing the back of the packaging as well as the front. I was told to add a layout to my Chester Zoo publication and if I didn't feel comfortable using it then just take it out entirely. For my National Trust brief, I have been told to swap my images around with the closed hamper as the first image, open hamper as the second image and then have a 3 image layout of the app with annotation describing the sections, functionality and structure works. Lastly, the RENEW brand needs some more time spending on it to make it stronger. The font choices on the logo need changing and I was told to make it more photographic so it has more realism.

For my text on the portfolio, I have been told to strip it down to the bare necessities by presenting it a bullet point style without actually using bullet points so that the information is split up and clearer to read.

In regards to some closing general feedback, I was told that it might be an idea to tailor my portfolio to fit in with the company that I am sending it to. It was also suggested that I take a few physical examples of my work, in particular my newspaper so that, instead of just seeing it as a picture, they get to have a look through it. Also, I was told to keep practising my layouts, maybe using a tester layout first before committing to anything digitally so that I can work it out visually and feel more confident with them.

In response to the feedback that I got, I decided to change my portfolio so that it is much more tailored to the comments that were made. I got rid of two of the briefs that I had originally out into the portfolio based on the feedback that I was given, the Chester Zoo publication and RENEW.

Text Layout Change

Text Layout Stripped Down

I was told to strip down my text to the bare necessities which would be achieved through splitting up the text information into what the brief was, the concept of the work and the target audience. This would make the information quicker to access. From this, I then stripped the information down to be as minimal as possible. I did this for each brief.

Changed Layout for National Trust 

From Andy's advice, I took the existing layout for the National Trust brief and changed it, moving the closed hamper first, the open one second and having the app laid out horizontally on a third page with some text at the bottom describing the app itself and how it works.

Changed Images for Zephyr

Again from Andy's advice, I changed some of the images for the Zephyr brief so that it includes an image of the back of the bottles as well. This just opens out the layout much more and is much more professional.

Re-Photographed Work

The final change I made was by re-photographing my Swell Brief as the previous photographs didn't look professional enough or showcase the work itself well.

Overall, I am very happy with the current new layout and presentation of my briefs as it is more condensed, over-arching and focused down. It was good that I was able to sit down with someone and go through my portfolio because it felt like a practice run for my studio visits as well as being able to get some perspective as to how I can present my work fluidly.

PPP3: Correspondence with Fieldwork Studio

At the beginning of the year, I had emailed Fieldwork with the portfolio I had done at the time. I looked into sending my portfolio again and found that Eve Warren from last years graduating year now works there. John had mentioned about using these contacts and connections to the college to I decided to contact Eve to see if there was a way in which I could contact them directly.

Correspondence with Eve and e-mail to Loz at Fieldwork

I felt that it was really good to correspond with Eve because she gave me an insight into a life after LCA and I was able to ask her about her experience with getting placements and her job. I felt that, because she had been in this position last year, she really understood what it was like at this point in the course. Also, she gave me a direct email address that I could use to contact Loz Ives, the owner of Fieldwork which was a great connection that I could use.

Correspondence with Fieldwork

I managed to get a reply from Loz Ives that I am not able to do a placement but I can still go over to the studio and talk through my portfolio with them. Just getting a studio visit at this point is great experience for me as well as getting response and reflections on my portfolio. We have organised for me to visit the studio on the 2nd of April at 11am which will allow me to work on the feedback from the previous studio visits towards my portfolio before going.

Extended Practice Student- Led Crit

This student-led Crit was run by just a small group of us as we felt that we get the best quality feedback from just a small group of people being fully engaged within the Crit.

We went around the table and discussed the problems or indecisions that we had with the projects that we were currently working on and asked questions of the group in relating to the feedback that we specifically wanted.

Idea Development for YCN 

The main thing that I asked about for my crit was the idea that I have for the YCN Save the Children brief. I had briefly spoken to Amber in a progress tutorial about my idea but I wanted some feedback from my peers as well.

I wanted to know if I was justified in answering the brief in the way that I was in the sense that I am not using the branding guidelines provided at all. Those in the crit felt that my idea was very strong and it was a different approach to answering the brief backed up by the research undertaken and provided by Save the Children.

Initial Character Development

Also, I showed the characters that I had started developing at this point and asked about where I should go with them. The group stated that the father and son needed development as they don't come across as friendly, relatable or believable which I agreed with and asked for their opinion in what I could improve on. They said that I needed to get rid of the beard and change the hair of the boy so that they are softer and less serious or cold.

In regards to my Kitty Collateral brief, I asked about the colour scheme that I had selected as I wanted to know that it was appropriate, I was worried that, because it is mainly beige and neutral colours, it would come across as boring or too pale. The feedback I got was that it was about right as it was warm, inviting and, most importantly, homely as well as being a reminder of the cats fur coating.

This crit came at a good time because I needed this reassurance and reference in order to build on my briefs and continue to develop them which the feedback that I have got has really helped in allowing me to move forward.

PPP3: Correspondance with Tonik Studio

This afternoon, I got a reply to one of my emails correspondents from Tonik Design Studio in Sheffield

Original Email

Reply from Original Email

The email is from Joe Morris, a designer at Tonik, saying that they liked my work and were happy for me to visit in the next few weeks. This is a great opportunity to get to know about working in a design studio, something that I feel I would like to do in the future. Also, he seems like a really friendly person and quite approachable from his email so I feel this would be great to be able to talk to someone like this about being a designer in industry.

I am incredibly excited about this and I decided to reply to the email straight away as I feel that this would be a great opportunity to get involved with.

Correspondence with Tonik Studio

We have arranged for me to go to visit the studio on the 20th March at 11am, two days after the United by Design visit. I felt that by having them very close to each other, I would be able to make a comparison between the two studios in regards to how they work and the culture of their studios.

PPP3: Manifesto Presentation for Second Semester

We have been asked to produce a 5 minute presentation based on where we are currently up to within the year and how we have changed.

I feel like I have changed quite a bit since the beginning of the year so I felt like I should use the previous presentation and show what has and hasn't changed for me. Since I have recently changed and developed my brand identity again, something that has developed and grown, I have decided to use that as the basis of my presentation visual.

I decided that I should reflect on what I had said at the beginning of the year and what is different now.

Manifesto Then and Now

At the beginning, my manifesto was split into two parts and quite vague in regards to what my practice is like. I didn't know what I was or in what direction I was doing into. At this point, my manifesto is very concise and to the point as well as reflective of the style that I have developed so far during third year. I feel more confident in this description because it is still quite open into how I work and what I produce whilst at the same time being direct and reflective of how I have grown.

I decided that I should reflect on the aims that I wanted to achieve at the beginning of the year.

Development Then and Now

At the beginning of the year, I wanted to find my visual identity and graphic style as I had really been struggling with the quality of my work which didn't help my confidence. Also, I had found second year very bad for me so I had wanted a much more fun and engaging year. Not only this but I had a list of things I wanted to improve within my design, such as working on layout and editorial as well as trying some production methods and different audiences to design for. I feel like some of these aspects I have started to improve on, especially my design style and layouts of design boards thereby slowly bettering myself as a designer.

In regards to placements and visits, I have not had that much success so far but I want to show that I have been trying to contact places and getting involved with networking among other studios.

For my briefs for the year, a lot of them I have decided not to do but I haven't decided on what i would like to do them as I want to see the feedback that I get from portfolio surgeries in regards to if there is any type of work that I should include so that I can tailor those briefs to that. For example, Oli at Split Design suggested some more digital work and this opens it up for me to do something specifically for this media.

Finally, I decided to include a short list of what I would like to achieve or have done before the end of the year so that I feel more accomplished and more ready for 'the real world'.

In regards to the presentation itself, I felt that it clarified a lot of the areas that I have been working on this year, in particular my brand identity and the contacting of studios that I have started doing recently. Also, I think it really touches on what Ive noticed about my own practice and how much I've changed this year as I've realised that I have developed so much more in regards to my own personal style of design and my approach to it.

I felt that the presentation itself went well and I discussed all of the points that needed to be covered.

PPP3: Correspondance with United by Design Studio

This morning, I got a reply to one of my email correspondents from United by Design studios in York.

Original Email Correspondence

Response from United by Design

The email is from Owen, the managing director, saying that they liked that I had been looking at their work and were happy for me to go on a visit sometime next month. Also, he said I could bring a printed portfolio and creative CV to get some feedback and discuss my work with him. This is an invaluable opportunity to get some professional feedback and discussion about my work and about working in a design studio, something that I feel I would like to do in the future.

I am incredibly excited about this and I decided to reply to the email straight away as I feel that this would be a great opportunity to get involved with.

Response to Owen at United by Design

Correspondence with Lucy at United by Design

I tried to keep my emails as professional as possible in tone replying to Owen and messaging Lucy to organise a day for me to visit. I wanted to show my enthusiasm by replying as soon as possible.

I managed to organise to visit the studio on the 18th March at 10am. I am so excited that I have managed to organise a visit to United by Design. I feel like it is going to be a worthwhile experience where I can get a lot from it and it will help seeing a design studio in action as well as getting some advice in regards to my future plans.

PPP3: Contacting Studios

Following from the re-design of my brand identity again, and now that I have re-designed my portfolio to a much better quality, I decided that it was time for me to try and contact studios as I felt that I had a much better chance then the previous attempt I made. 

Research Studios List

I started researching an array of different studios that have different attributes that I feel I could learn from. Also, I made sure to not just look in Leeds but to look in a much wider area geographically so I wasn't just stuck to one area and was more focused on the work of the studio itself.

RAW Design Studio- (http://www.weareraw.co.uk)

'Channel 4 Breakfast Club Brand' by RAW
RAW 'Channel 4 Breakfast Club Brand' [Internet] Available from http://www.weareraw.co.uk/work/channel-4-breakfast-club-brand (Accessed 9th February 2015)

'Let's Talk Turkey Campaign' by RAW
RAW 'Let's Talk Turkey' [Internet] Available from http://www.weareraw.co.uk/work/lets-talk-turkey (Accessed 9th February 2015)

RAW is a creative agency in Manchester whose work I liked as it was very similar to the style that I work in, with illustrations and story-narrative being prevalent within the work. I felt a real connection as it made me think that my style of work could be implemented and used in the professional realm so I knew that I wanted to contact them.

MARK Design Studio- (http://markstudio.co.uk) 

'Manchester Literature Festival 2013' by MARK
MARK 'Manchester Literature Festival 2013' [Internet] Available from http://markstudio.co.uk/mlf-2013/ (Accessed 9th February 2015)

'Virgin Unite/ Virgin Mobile' by MARK
MARK 'Virgin Unite/ Virgin Mobile'  [Internet] Available from http://markstudio.co.uk/virgin-donate/ (Accessed 9th February 2015)

MARK is an independent design branding studio in Manchester who have worked with a large array of clients on a range of varying projects. However, campaigns seem to be a main focus of the studio and its great to see how they apply a brand to a large variant of different media which I felt would e something that would improve my own practice to learn how they do this.

United By Design- (http://www.unitedbydesign.co.uk) and (https://www.facebook.com/unitedbydesign)

Website and Facebook Profile for United By Design

I found United by Design in York as I had seen some bottle designs that they had produced and wanted to find out more about the studio, however, when I went onto their website there wasn't any case studies or work that I could see close up. I decided to see if there was a blog they had so I could see their work in progress which there wasn't, but I did manage to find their Facebook profile which had an array of images of work they have done. Not only this but it was like a record of the studio culture which I found to be really fascinating and the fact they seem very open about it makes the studio come across as a lovely environment to be in. The environment of a design studio is defiantly something I would like to find for myself so they would be a good place to message.

The Engine Room- (http://engineroomdesign.com)

'Spotty Otter' by The Engine Room
The Engine Room 'Spotty Otter' [Internet] Available from http://engineroomdesign.com/case-studies/spotty-otter (Accessed 10th February 2015)

'Interfix' by The Engine Room
The Engine Room 'Intermix' [Internet] Available from http://engineroomdesign.com/case-studies/interfix (Accessed 10th February 2015)

The Engine Room is a small studio in my hometown of Huddersfield and I felt that they gave a great example of when design is produced for the more corporate side of business. I don't have much experience of corporate branding and I feel that this would be great to see how branding is different to how I tend to produce brand identities. Not only this, but it was nice to see a local business from my hometown doing well for itself and, because it is not in a city, it would make for a different perspective on the design industry.

The Individual Agency- (https://theindividualagency.com) and (https://weareindividual.wordpress.com)

'TIA Develop Tollington' by The Individual Agency
The Individual Agency 'TIA Develop Tollington' [Internet] Available from https://weareindividual.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/tia-develop-tollington-2/ (Accessed 10th February 2015)

'Taylor Hughes Brand Development' by The Individual Agency
The Individual Agency 'Taylor Hughes Brand Development' [Internet] Available from https://weareindividual.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/taylor-hughes/ (Accessed 10th February 2015)

The Individual Agency is a small Leeds design studio who do a lot of digital branding work. Again, I found that they were a studio that I couldn't access their work so I decided to see if they had a blog and it turned out that they had an old blog from a few years ago that I could have a look at. It turned out that they had originally been from Huddersfield and even did the brand identity for my old hairdressers so I felt that this would be great to talk about in regards to how they started as a business and how they have progressed.

The Chase- (http://www.thechase.co.uk)

'Royal Mail Collectibles' by The Chase
The Chase 'Royal Mail Collectables' [Internet] Available from http://www.thechase.co.uk/casestudy/royal-mail-collectibles/ (Accessed 10th February 2015)

'Merseystride Campaign' by The Chase
The Chase 'Merseystride Campaign' [Internet] Available from http://www.thechase.co.uk/casestudy/merseystride-home/ (Accessed 10th February 2015)

The Chase is a creative consultancy that primarily works within branding and has offices in Manchester, Preston and London. I felt that the work for The Chase was very highly presented and professionally produced with a strong following and I felt that it would be good to see what it would be like to visit a larger studio with a global clientele and how the studio runs.

FOKE- (http://www.fokestudio.co.uk)

'Hophurst Brewery' by FOKE
FOKE 'Hophurst Brewery' [Internet] Available from http://www.fokestudio.co.uk/hophurst-brewery.html (Accessed 13th February 2015)

'The Bavarian' by FOKE
FOKE 'The Bavarian' [Internet] Available from http://www.fokestudio.co.uk/the-bavarian.html (Accessed 13th February 2015)

FOKE is a small independent studio of one in Manchester who do a lot of illustrative branding work, producing large amounts of collateral which is very reflective to how I work and what I produce as I love to produce brands with large scaler printed work. Based on this, I felt that this would be a good match for me and my design work and the style that I work in. Plus, it would be interesting to see how a freelance designer works in regards to business, giving me a different insight into studio life.

Contacting Studios

Following on from this research, I decided to send an email to each of these places to see whether I could get the opportunity to visit their studios. I made sure to include a more personal aspect of each email by talking about the work I had seen for each studio to show the research that I had undertaken.

Alongside these studios, I messaged some studios that I didn't do the previous time that I had researched into contactable studios (see blog post), including Split. Tonik and Eleven Design.

Contacting Professionals

Quite a few of the emails didn't get any reply but I did get a reply from United by Design (see Blog Post), Tonik (See Blog Post), Split Design, FOLK Design, Engine Room, The Individual Agency and MARK.

Correspondance with Split Design

Oli at Split Design replied to my message saying that they didn't have the time for me to come and visit their studio but he looked at my portfolio and said it had some very good work in it. He also gave me some advice saying that it would be a good idea to have some more digital based work within my portfolio so that there is a bit more variety. I felt that this was some valuable information and feedback to get and I can see his point so I think it might be an idea to try and write a new brief that I can react to this information and make some work in response to his comments. I sent him a reply thanking him for his input as he had took the time to look at my work and give me such credible feedback and how I would love to contact him again when I have more to add to my portfolio.

FOLK Design Reply

I got a reply back from Martin Higgins at FOLK Design saying that it wouldn't be possible as it is just him working independently. This is a bit disappointing because I would have liked to have seen what it would be like to see an independent person working as a freelancer. I know that I think it would be best for me to work in a studio but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't look at seeing what it is like working freelance day to day either.

Engine Room Reply

I got a reply back from The Engine Room saying that I would not be able to come for either a visit or a placement and, instead, I would be put on a list of contacts for when they organise there next local events. This is a shame that I wasn't able to get anywhere with it as it would have been great to see a studio that is local to me and how they work.

The Individual Agency Reply

I got a reply from Michelle Edgar- Parsons at The Individual Agency who said that they are currently too busy for me to visit them but to keep in touch. It was a very nice reply and I am very tempted to message them back at the end of the semester to see whether they would have time for me then.

RAW Reply

Quite a while after I sent the initial correspondence, I finally got a reply from Jane Bowyer at RAW who unfortunately couldn't accommodate for me to visit which is a shame because I really liked their work and felt that my own style and approach would fit in really well with theirs.