Designer Visitor's NOTES

Over the last few weeks we've had some designer's come in and talk to us about how they got to where they are today and what sort of work they do / have done in the past. They gave us some excellent advice....

PLUG IN MEDIA:

• An agency based in Brighton
• Mainly web, games and interactive projects
• Add more personal creative projects to portfolio
• PRELOADED - Brighton competitor
• Look at portfolio's of design companies you want to work for - Take projects you particularly like to interviews
• Tweet more
• Make a personal creative blog
• Show the work you love in interviews - Talk about why it's 'cool'
• Talk about why the company will benefit from you working there
• Have an understanding for more than one area but eventually specialize and be 'super good' at it

JONTY SHARPLES:

• UX Design direction at ALBION LONDON
• Gifford Gaff
• Wonga
• Skype
• Bet fair - Front room
• Live Ebay adverts
• Campaign magazine
• Albion London - West Coast & Cell
• Giff Gaff: Sim free chickens!
• Tobias & Tobias
• Top 3 interview must have answers: What do you love doing most? What do you do best? What do you want to be doing in 18 months time?
• 'Dont forget the bigger picture'
• Be open and honest with your CV
• Push the best skills you have, forget the rest
• Advice for print work: Get to know; Printers, Charities, Start Ups
• WORK FOR FREE
• Do LOTS of personal projects
• AOI - Association of Illustrators
• Julie Harrison - Paper Cuts
• Do free illustrations for magazines
• CV: 1 single side of A4
• Portfolio: PDF: 3 pieces of work with little description
• Twitter
• Flicker

STUDIO MAKGILL:

• Steven Fisher - Photographer
• MADE IN BIRMINGHAM: 'Central AVenue' typeface - rec-created Victorian font. Victorian flourishes yet contemporary, flood coated paper booklets
• THE LOLLIPOP SHOPPE - Branding & Identity design. Typeface: Wanted to create a physical thing, as the furniture they sell. White embossed foil cards, laser cut signs with plain white paper behind, Anthony Burrel Notebooks, all advertising for Lollipop Shoppe in magazines
• BENCH !): Re-design of chairs for Spitalfields Design Week. They created floor vinyls, leaflets & Panel info
• BRASILIA
• Strathmore paper video
• A YEAR AND A HALF OF INTERNSHIPS!
• To approach companies: List of favourite design studios, short email, small PDF of work, 2 or 3 pieces of work max, let the work talk for itself
• What they look for in interns: Ideas & thinking behind your work, 'good understanding of good design'
• He started his portfolio from scratch after uni
• Do more personal projects of things you love
• Be fast paced - Don't be to precious with your work - GET IT DONE
• Red up and study print - Improve your knowledge of paper and colour
• G F SMITH - Printers - Order samples!

I found Ollie very inspiring and helpful. I absolutely loved his work and getting to see all the samples he brought us. It really made a difference to be able to touch and feel the end products instead of just seeing it all on screen. He definitely pushed me even more towards design for print. I just think such beautiful work can be achieved and it really inspired me to go for it in our independent projects. I spoke to him about internships and he seemed fairly interested so I will definitely be emailing him my portfolio once I have finished our independent projects to see if I am lucky enough to get some experience in their studio which would be fantastic!

Evaluation

Here is my final Illustration complete with Little White Lies masthead...

It's a little fuzzy shown on blogger, the one uploaded to D &A D was pretty perfect!

Overall, I am very proud of this... Although it isn't what I wanted (in my head) I think it works well. When I came up with this idea, I was very excited, I think it's a great concept and thought I would dive straight into it without much difficulty... However, this wasn't the case! I soon realised that I found drawing a lot harder than I thought, having not really drawn much since high school (well, people at least). It took a lot of practice, tracing paper and layers to make this work. I've used halftone dot effect for the colour which I think really brings it to life as a real comic book.

I like how the masthead sits as though it is swinging from the sun and is not directly centred, old comic books weren't perfect and this stays in line with that.

The type in the top left hand corner finishes it off perfectly, I think that people who have seen the movie will really appreciate it, even if it is a little cheesy... it is a comic! WHOOSH!

Work in Progress....

After a lot of sketching I eventually came up up with this pencil drawing. I used tracing paper and built the design up by hand using layered paper.

I scanned in the drawings and drew over the outline in Illustrator with various different brushes. I did this in layers going over and over with different strokes...


I experimented with halftone colour dots to get the old comic book CMYK dot feel, I really like the results...

I roughly sketched how I wanted the text and again scanned that in. I drew over this with the pen tool and found a spot on Miami Drive Pink that works really well...

Portfolio...

Today we reviewed our online portfolio's in class. Mine needs updating, I haven't put any work on there since the middle of our second year, and I'm not to keen on the overall design. I like it's simplicity but everyone suggested either removing the grid or making it a lot more subtle, which I agree with. I like the portfolio being on the home page, there is no need to move around much, its right there for the viewer to see...

Once the user clicks on a box on the portfolio/home page they are directed to another page with all that clients work flowing one after the other. I have decided that I will narrow the work that I put on my portfolio site down to my favourite/best pieces and keep another blog for all my work together...

I want to keep the text box on the left column... With a brief description of what the work on the particular page is for, but with very short, simple text like the design.