Inspiration!

http://jessicawalsh.com/

Inspiration!

http://www.tomburns.co.uk/

Inspiration!

http://justcreativedesign.com/portfolio/

PPRD 2 GOODBYE!

Blogging!

PPRD hand in today thought I would reflect on the use of a blog.

This year I have been using the blog as a platform to express my thoughts and processes through out 2nd year of visual communication.

I'm not one for keeping track of the days especially in the form of a day to diary, but must say this idea of keeping a blog is very useful. Not only has the blog allowed me to keep on top of deadlines, it has made me more critical during and after projects.

I have gone from despising a blog last year because it pointed out my insecurities design-wise, to this year actually finding it quite refreshing, even finding my self looking forward to my sundays evenings where I have my marathon blog sessions.

I hope to continue with my blog posts after hand in today so that it can be kept up to date.

My blog will be particularly useful as I progress in to the professional project, as time planning and development will be key factors in creating a well constructed project. Other areas of design that i will post on my blog for this project would be research and inspiration websites and sources in books magazines. I will document these things in a blog and go back to them if necessary.

With regards to next year I assume we will be doing PPRD 3, where a blog will become an integral part of my third year learning. I may decide to divide various blogs in to the different sections we cover for example one for the theory, one for design based projects and maybe a third blog for reflection.

Inspiration!

Here is a website that I hope will help me in my Professional Project!

www.lovelypackage.com

PPRD!

The hand in for PPRD 2 is in Monday...

I have just been gathering all my paper based development and updating my blog ready for the hand in. I've also been looking over the unit hand book and there are some things that I need to make sure I hand in for the requirements section.

I have listed some points below:

* Up to date blog

* Paper-based file of progression

* Assessment sheets+evaluations

* Live brief and supporting work

* Competition brief development

* Portfolio presentation

* Learning agreement

* Link to website

* C.V

* Theory unit

Professional Project!

So I finally have a working title for my professional project, and have written my learning agreement which I am fairly happy about. The project will involve me rebranding the company Jersey diary and repackaging some of the products I have rebranded in to a health and beauty range; much like the products you see in the shops across the country today.

This way I can explore advertising and and it's persuasion on society.

Visible signs!

This book will own me for the next couple of weeks because it will be the main source of research for the professional project and my essay for theory based unit. I will be exploring the semiotics of design and I think this book will help me progress in the projects.

Sign up here!

So after the talk with Emma, my blog post contained some key links to design forums and job sites. I have decided to sign up to linkedIn and Designweek

LinkedIn because it will give me a better understanding as to what jobs are out there and also the right area of design to pursue after I graduate. The other is designweek this site is a great source for finding out what is hot in design this week!

C.V pointers

C.V

• Take your time
• Handle type and space
• Addition to detail, spelling, grammar etc.
• Make it concise, two pages is a limit.
• Do not mix quirky with creative.
• Leave out unnecessary details.
• Keep it simple.

Aquent Recruitment!

Emma Barrette form Aquent recruitment who are one of the biggest recruitment agenecies in London and have clients ranging from Apple and HSBC - Disney.

The company act as a middle man for the design jobs in the Uk, in other words when designers apply for a position they would apply through aquent first.

Today Emma went through some examples of c.v's and portfolios, and some key guidelines when creating and presenting my work, the do and don't of presenting.

The Arts Council

(Linkedin) Network for design

Pages of the PdF should contain:

Alternative images/workings and roughs and the final piece.

This talk was great to learn about the design industry at the top end and what it takes to work for a leading agency. I presented my proposal for today, a portfolio in the style of a PDF A3 ready for Emma to view and critique!

Anna Steinberg (AOI)

Yesterday we had a lecture form a member of the 'Association of Illustrators'. the talk was all about self promotion as a freelance illustrator. There was particular focus on the step by step process of finding work. For example:

* Contact Art director of magazine/newspaper or publication

* Send letter email wait for reply.

* Contact with client emails Phone calls.

* Description/theme timescale, Paymount

* Price for commission

* Price for the work could be determined by the distribution/copy-write

* Invoice end of job

Invoice table below

Date of commission / Details / Invoice / Total Recieved / Date recieved /

Anna Steinberg Web folio

http://www.annasteinberg.co.uk/

Animal Farm!

It has nearly been a week since the event animal farm and I was just looking on the website to find some photos of the event to put on my blog. Looking through the various stages of the event from the afternoon to the night-time, seems like there was a lot of people coming down to have a gander.

Regardless of whether the event smashed the profit margin or not i think some real positives can be taken out of it, like the hours of effort and organization put in to the night to make it a success. I suppose we should give ourselves a pat on the back for creating the prints, because with out them there would be no event.

On another note it was quite refreshing to see my own work hanging up, I have not had my work up in a public space for people to view or bid on before. these small steps all come under the idea of promoting my self as a designer!

To do list!

Really Busy week this week got so much to do before friday.

* ABC dreamweaver finish online c.v.

* Anna's session need a focused idea on semiotics.

(For Mon)

* Wednesday Anna Coming in for illustration lecture.

* Thursday designer coming in to see portfolios on PDF.

* Friday, Learning agreement handed in. £!@!$!

Professional Project!

So have been thinking about a new idea for my project after the presentation disaster last week. After having a tutorial with Sally about my area of study, we came to the conclusion that I should explore the ways in which advertising can make people believe or consume anything no matter how how ridiculous.

We covered the problem a vehicle when I decided that it may be nice to explore packaging, this kind of packaging would represent the typical advertising we see today.

Some other ideas included finding something more close to home that could be rebranded. One example I had was Channel Island Milk and the the fact you can't get it in the mainland. If there was away of re-branding/re-packaging the milk as something completely new, perhaps having essence of the milk in to a beauty product and make people think it has health benefits.

One example of this persuasive advertising would be the anti-aging wrinkle cream which states the cream can stop wrinkles that appear 20 years later, these claims are ridiculous but people buy in to it. Another example is a story of people in Ireland canning air and selling it to America.

Presentation for Professional Project!

We had our individual presentations for our final project on thursday, and as you know I wasn't very happy about the prospect of having to present my idea.

We spent the whole day listening ti the other students and their ideas and by the time it came to my pitch I was pretty sure it was going to be a disaster.

On reflection my idea had some interesting points and I was taking a deep and meaningful perspective. The problem was I didn't have an outcome or a vehicle to move the project forward. I was trying to focus on advertising and it's manipulation on society, but it is clear that this issue is very broad. Time to go away and rethink the idea, along them lines.

Thankyou!

This illustration I created this week for the cover of a thank you card for a one of my uncle in Ireland. Took me a couple of days and it has significant meaning behind the design, which I won't go on about it, but it represents the shop our family owned generations ago. I have put my website address on the back of the card just incase people are curious, this is also my way of getting my work noticed.

learning not agreed!

So we had an email yesterday saying that there will be a presentation on thursday regarding out professional projects our ideas thus far.

* 3 minute presentation.

* You are asked to project an A4 landscape PDF that clearly details the following:

Statement of intent (a brief description of what you intend to create)

* Field of study (the area of design you wish to investigate, you may demonstrate this by showing similar work and projects by other designers )

* Audience (an overview of the audience you wish to communicate to, and how you intend to do this)

Easy right!

Found out yesterday, Birthday today, presentation Tomorrow!

I really don't know what I am going to present, I have an idea of what I want to create but it has huge gaps, where explanations are missing. presenting will consist mainly of talking and no visual aids, and I will probably be torn apart about my idea.

I have already voiced my opinion to the tutors, who will reply saying is in the timetable!, which it was but we all make mistakes right!? Regardless of whether I am unorganized or it was late notice, I am not prepared.

D&AD Last minute

Yesterday Andy and my self had another meeting about D&AD following the tutorial I had with Neil the other day. Because Andy wasn't there I explained that the ides we had this far were not directly answering the brief and. For example we had an idea of creating of promoting a company which was away from traditional means of advertising, i.e a poster or web banner,and we were right to think that way.

The problem with our postcard and key ring idea is that they were ideas that didn't fit in with the whole spare time issue. The brief asks for you to promote last minute as a a site where you can book more good stuff in your spare time. So now we know that we need to find out when people are most susceptible to the offers and promotions. Capturing these spontaneous moments are key to a successful project.

We have another idea that pretty much meets the requirements and will update when it has progressed.

I have more pressing issues at hand.

Cv

When we were creating our websites I asked for my c.v I handed in months ago for some feedback. The copy was one I found last minute from a file on my laptop called general c.v. Well it was basic and black and white, but still had all my relevant details like education which was up to date and work experience from the summer.

The feed back was simply the words "Boring" which was a fair comment to be honest, we will call it constructive criticism.

So this week of all weeks to start re-designing my c.v, and D&AD crying for attention! What did I do?

Here is the new and the old, its not perfect yet but this is how I want it to kind of look like, Can u tell I like shapes.

.

MADD Update

Here is the final logos I chose to present tho the MADD team the other week, I sent them off via email and am yet to hear some feed back. It has been over a week and looking through James and and Claire's blog, they seem to have taken charge of the job, which is cool, it would be nice know what the team thought after all that time spent.

Time to move on I think!

PPRD Presentation!

Last Friday we had a presentation for our PPRD unit thus far. Just like acrit for a practical unit we were asked to present any work completed for this unit, we had 3 minutes to go through each project and describe our thoughts what we gained form each of our projects. Taking on board what Kit said about being more reflective than descriptive in my explanations, this was key to the presentations.

In terms of the content I had a varied amount of work including a small christmas card brief to a couple of identity projects for the arts and events course at the aucb.

When reflecting open these projects and explaining the relationship between the clients and designers needs, I didn't really have a lot to say because there wasn't a lot to be honest the christmas card brief was passed down to Jo, then given to me with simple requirements of keeping it Marine themed and festive.

The identity briefs form arts and events again very little contact with the first, created a letterhead and it was fine and that was it!

The most recent brief for and event in March was to design a company logo whcih would then follow on to an event logo and other promotional jobs for the event, possibly flyers and posters. As this project is in motion it means the feed back hasn't been returned as of yet. I will post when it does.

The presentation its self went ok, at least i had some jobs to talk about for the 3 minutes, also there is nothing wrong with a bit of comedy when presenting as long as I get my point across. One nice thing that happened after when we were discussing peoples work, I was told that I had a strong body of work which was refreshing to know.

I have realized that a lot of the exercises that we are doing this year are really getting us to think not only as designers but about how we really want our work to be perceived. Presentation and communication skills are key for me, and something I will be trying to master over the next year.