OUGD602: Module Evaluation

PPP felt a lot more intense this year, not just personal branding but external engagement briefs, work placements and networking throughout the whole year. The areas I got the most out of was external engagement. Hyperloop allowed me to understand what a professional pitch was like which was invaluable, it was also impressive to see how much work we could produce in such a short space of time. Though I do have some regrets about the DBA brief, I felt that I spent so much time mocking things up and drawing concept art that I worked as an illustrator instead of a designer. I understand that people assume I will be taking on the illustrative based work with it being one of my specialisms however, I have used illustration a lot and especially in group projects it seems to be the only job I am assigned. This means I loose out on the experience of acting as a designer in group work which is something I want to do more. Also the work load was very unbalanced- I had to step in and help out on a lot of elements that weren't assigned to me. Of course I did them for the sake of a deadline and the team, though I do think how much more we could've accomplished if everyone had been working at the same pace. 

One area of PPP I have thoroughly enjoyed is the work placements. I am currently involved in two placements working as a print technician and it's quite a freeing feeling to be in a creative environment without the intensity of a deadline. That being said, I didn't enjoy my first placement as a teaching assistant but if anything it helped me figure out what I didn't want to do- which is just as important as knowing what you do want to do. Being surrounded by creatives, some who do it as a hobby, some as a career has been really inspiring. I have enjoyed interacting with professionals and getting a sense of what the world is like outside of education, this is true of both my work placements and the visiting professionals- a few of whom I have made a valuable connection with. 

Over this year I have started attending more networking events including creative networks evenings, a dribbble meet up, a print open day and exhibition opening nights. I have spoken to so many people and it's wonderful to hear stories and get advice. Hearing all the varying stories makes me feel more confident in my own practice- there is no one way to make it, create a business or run a studio. I feel as though there will be a niche for me to fit in somewhere and I'm more confident I'm heading in the right direction. 

I finally created a personal brand I like, which is a plus to the whole year. I think in the previous two years I had been so determined to get a 'designer' brand or an 'illustrator' brand or apply branding elements to myself that I didn't necessarily need- I just felt as though I needed them. This year actually considering what I do and don't need has been invaluable. I created and paid for a website last year that I didn't use once, I produced postcards and stationary which I never used. This year I kept it simple and only produced what I believe I will use- cards, mailers, CV, all on a brand that can function for all my career needs. For now my digital presence will remain as a linked in and a behance, until I need a website it would be a waste of time and money to produce one. 

If I were to repeat this module I would focus a lot more on work placements. Although I am enjoying the placements I am currently doing and intend to do a great many more over the next 6-12 months I feel as though I could've gained more valuable experience from graphic design or illustration studios which is so crucial for my CV and future career. However I believe I was so confused as to what I wanted to do at the start of the year I wouldn't have known what kinds of design studios I want to work with so it's taken a lot of searching and understanding to get to the point I am at now- where I know what I want to do next and where I want to apply for. I would also spend more time on Hyperloop and make sure I got in on the design side of the project instead of being stuck as the illustrator. I would also want to take more of a commanding role or at least nominate a project manager. It is a curse to work with friends because no one wants to upset anyone else- if we had established a project manager, someone to take control of who does what and keep the team on track, we could've been a lot more productive.

OUGD602: External Engagement Report

From my external engagement this year I have not only gained a sense of what I'm doing next but I have actively set up the path I need to start following. From my work placements I have continued placements into the summer. From my portfolio reviews I have plenty of work to develop, things to make and briefs to extend. From my external briefs such as Triptych and Hyperloop I have an idea of how industry works and a plan for a future business. And from my networking events I have a list of new connections to contact about future possibilities. Because of the work in PPP I now have a clear direction; not of where I'm going to be in 5 years but what I'm going to start doing straight after our final hand in.

I have been able to develop the specialisms I love and I now have the avenues and experience to start pursuing them, and a versatile brand I can adapt to each subject as I see fit. Although I don't have a fully developed brand it has the potential to grow with me. PPP has given me the chance to start exploring what I want to do after university, and because of this I am no longer terrified to graduate. Thanks to all of the engagement I certainly feel a lot more confident and experienced in tackling new challenges, from hanging an exhibition to entering a new studio environment.  

OUGD602: Robot Food Portfolio Review

I had a portfolio review with Robot Food, and I was terrified going into it. It was very awkward to begin with as we sat in silence for what felt like an age- I don't think it was explained to us that we talk through our work and then they review so I had to ask a few awkward questions about exactly what I needed to do.

That aside once we got into it they gave me some great, not so great and disappointing feedback. Starting with the bad news first, they disregarded all of my illustrative work, understandably so however. They said they couldn't comment on any of it if it didn't have a structured brief and so I was a little disappointed that they couldn't even give an opinion on any of it. I feel as a designer I can still comment on other disciplines, so I was a little confused as to why they couldn't express an opinion.

They did suggest however, if I wanted to show off my illustrations then perhaps I could make a little book for interviewers to flick through whilst I'm talking through my portfolio- showing both talents but keeping them separate.

The better feedback came with some of my other works, they really liked my freakonomics cover and suggested ways in which I could tailor my portfolio for different studios. They also advised on how I could improve certain pages (e.g. instead of having 3 photos of one product, just have one massive photo so they can see it in better detail.)

They both mentioned telling a story. Including more information on the brief so people can fully get an understanding of how I got to my response. This could be images relating to the topic of the brief or even sketches and development work.

The meeting was an incredibly useful and unnerving experience. I love that I now know where to go and how to develop, I hate that it's going to take a large amount of time, precision and care to get there.

OUGD602: Triptych- Evaluation

Triptych has been a fairly enjoyable and open ended brief. It's been simple and rather easy, a nice change of pace from a lot of the extended practice briefs I have worked on. Whilst generating ideas and developing it I took the brief as a representation of me, my personality and my design and I think it's why I found it so enjoyable. From illustrative styles which I love to my own imperfect hand rendered type which I haven't been able to use for a fair few years and even displaying a rather obscure quote purely as a joke to myself, this whole brief has been calm and informed by no one else but me. A slightly self absorbed and cathartic brief I'll agree, but one I felt I needed to do, simply so I could design something with joy and no complications.

Extending it into textiles was also just for myself. It's something I have wanted to do and have only now found a good reason to do it. Also it's good practice to understand basic costs involved in making cushions if I ever wanted to make a business like I presented in second year where I would make and sell prints and soft furnishings (which I definitely do). So as an exercise into how I may want to set up and run a business, it was beneficial. 

OUGD602: My Manifesto

I did initially write one of these at the beginning of the year, I kept coming back to it, adding to it and changing things so much that it changed completely. I decided to write it again here, at the end of the year, with a reflection on everything I've learnt and just how much I've changed. So here's my thirteen point manifesto/mantra and everything I currently believe in. I'm sure it'll change again by this time next year, that's a good thing though.

Make things you love. 

Don't be afraid to compromise. 

Don't be afraid to speak your mind and stand up for yourself. 

Be prepared for plans to fall apart. 

Make sure you allow twice as long for any creative process than you think you'll need. 

Do something that you care about. 

Don't try to change your life and then fit yourself into it, just grow as you and your life will fit around you. 

Be opinionated. 

Be ballsy. 

Take a night if something isn't working, see it with new eyes. 

Don't be jealous, be inspired. 

Don't be afraid to cry. 

Don't be afraid to laugh either.

OUGD602: PPP Presentation

I will go on the record and say when I gave this presentation I was not in the right frame of mind. I had lost the presidential election the night before and felt very lost. That coupled with having to give a presentation about my future, my plans and what I'm going to do after university threw me. I barely got through the presentation as all the plans I had, had fell apart the night before.

However I will adjust the notes to what I had wanted to say for this presentation, which I unfortunately didn't manage to say at the time, mainly because I was so dumb struck.

Slide One

Brief introduction about me, what I enjoy and what interests I have in design: branding, print, illustration.

Slide Two

Level Four- I had no idea what graphic design even was. Put a lot of pressure on myself to get it perfect, didn't make anything I liked.

Slide Three

Level Five- Beginning to get to grips with software and what Graphic Design actually is. Began making work I enjoyed and pushing away from pure illustrative responses.

Slide Four

Level Six- Understanding of graphic design though (at the time) no idea of my specialism, however now I have come to embrace that. Branding is my strong point but with a return to illustration and print making, open ended briefs suit me best, however love the challenge of branding- like making a graphic design portrait of a company/product/service that I enjoy a lot more.

Slide Five

If I won the election. A years experience in a job showing managerial experience, events organising and useful skills with continued access to college facilities. In meantime find freelance work, develop portfolio and start applying for jobs before graduates.

Slide Six

If I lost the election. Move back to boyfriend's parents for financial stability and spend a year gaining experience through work placements and internships. Apply to jobs as soon as possible. Start getting into more print making, set up small business making and selling prints online. Maintain part time job for funds, save for mortgage/life and work towards a career I love.

Slide Seven

Work experience is none existant at present. Two weeks in a college as a teaching assistant allowed me to see that I don't want to be a teacher. Plans to gain work placements in a variety of different settings not just Graphics, illustration, print making, test the water and see what's out there. Studios I want to get placements in, TigerPrint, Something More, Mercht, Awesome Merch, perhaps more as I come across them.

Slide Eight

The Future. Unclear. I planned the last four years of my life and now it's time to come up with a new plan but allow for some time to think, experiment and have fun. Four intense structured years needs a break and some gaps of 'what next' so unknown for the next 1-3 years. In five years however I would like a job doing what I love- creating. Be it graphic design, illustration, print making, running a business or even writing, filming and editing, just want to be working towards it. Hopefully with a house. 

As long as I stick to my manifesto and my core beliefs- Make things you love. Don't be afraid to compromise. Don't be afraid to speak your mind and stand up for yourself. Be prepared for plans to fall apart. Make sure you allow twice as long for any creative process than you think you'll need. Do something that you care about. Don't try to change your life and then fit yourself into it, just grow as you and your life will fit around you. Be opinionated. Be ballsy. Take a night if something isn't working, see it with new eyes. Don't be jealous, be inspired. Don't be afraid to cry. Don't be afraid to laugh either.

Slide Nine

Thank you

OUGD602: Work Placement- West Yorkshire Print Workshop

I've started a placement at the West Yorkshire Print Workshop in Mirfield. This placement, like with my LCA workshop placement will continue long after I graduate, however so far I've been four times and I thoroughly enjoy helping out there. I have assisted on open days and have had a chance to meet all the technicians and various artists who rent studio space there.

Most of my jobs consist of technician roles and a variety of odd jobs, printing, organising, promotion etc. It's such a wonderful space to be in as everyone you talk to is creative and keen to talk about art and design and their practice so it's a wonderful place to get inspired. My hopes are to continue here and perhaps help push the struggling charity to new heights with meet ups and better advertised festivals. It certainly is in a lovely location and in a gorgeous historical building so theres so much potential. Hopefully it will also act as my creative base where I can pay an annual fee to use their facilities.

OUGD602: Presidential Campaign- Campaigning and Hustings

I chose to nominate myself for the role of student president- a full time paid position at the university. For the campaign side of things I used extended practice as a way to properly research, produce and develop campaign materials, however there was more than fulfilling a graphic design brief for this role- there was also a lot of external engagement involved. 

I spent a solid week campaigning- putting myself out there and travelling from studio to studio and across canteens talking to students about my manifesto and what I aim to if elected. I handed out sweets as a way to engage with people, and overall the responses were positive. I kept a facebook page up to date with goings on and where I was, though I can't say many people outside of my course followed it.

I also had to engage in a hustings- where I answered questions posed by the SU about what I would do in the role. I'm not going to lie, there were more of us on the panel than people turning up- so the SU is in dire need of promotion, but it was still an interesting experience to be a part of. Any self esteem issues I may have had went on hold for a week and I slowly got used to (though not completely) engaging with strangers.

OUGD602: Work Placement- Print Technician

I recently started a work placement at Leeds College of Art in the evening print workshops helping out as a technician. The print world is one that I am keen to get more experience in- as in, what jobs are there in the print world? So finding out what it is to be a technician and host a print workshop is incredibly useful. In this environment the two weeks teaching placement I had proves useful, it's all the benefits of running and organising a session without the downside of having students who don't care- everyone in these workshops are engaged and interested. 

Another bonus work a placement in print workshops is the ability to get reacquainted with print techniques I haven't practiced in a while- such as mono and lino print, so it's been really interested for me in a number of ways. The placement will extend after final hand in, but so far it's been very interesting and I look forwards to carrying it on. 

OUGD602: Talks with a Designer

When I first began constructing my portfolio I had no clue what professionals would be looking for and so I spent an evening with a friend and professional designer going through agency portfolios with her outlining what most places were looking for.

She showed me a few examples and talked about adding renders to demonstrate photoshop skills and sketches to demonstrate the ability to draw as well as showing development of an idea. She also showed me different graphic design agencies to look into for when I graduate and outlined what I would need to do to get into each agency and how they could help me find a design job.

The evening proved very helpful, it was incredibly useful to have a professional at hand who I could ask questions too in a more casual and relaxed manner. I took plenty of notes and hope to apply her advice in the months to come.

OUGD602: Leeds Print Festival- Talks

As a part of Leeds Print Festival there was a day of talks with professionals with a passion for print came and gave talks about various subjects. 

Ian Anderson was the first up, he mostly spoke about his studio and the work they produce commenting on the practice of screen printing being 'too perfect' now. He said that if you wanted something to be spot on you would digitally print it, but slowly screen is becoming similar. I can't say I agree with him completely but I could see where he was coming from.

The second guest was Danny Leigh, who spoke passionately about film posters and the history of the film poster along with a great number of examples. It was an incredibly interesting talk, possibly my favourite of the day. Because he is not a designer he relied on audience opinion when it came to decoding different designs which made for a very interactive and interesting discussion. 

Alan Kitching was the last speaker and he spent a generous amount of time promoting his book, which felt more comedic than salesman like. His talk through letterpress and how he's implemented it in his many designs was incredibly captivating, it certain gave insight to how you can push design even through one niche form of print. 

The talks were very insightful and enjoyable, I was glad that I attended them and they gave me lots of new ideas to take forwards in the future.

OUGD602: Leeds Dribbble Meetup

Dribbble is a site described as a 'Show and Tell' for designers. 

I only heard about it late into this year and was invited to come along to Leeds first dribbble meet up to network with other designers, illustrators and coders and make a few contacts. There were also guest speakers talking through their practice. 

It was a really interesting evening, I spent most of my time talking to a freelance web designer named Craig, who patiently answered all my questions about freelance work, how to get into it and the benefits of freelance over studio. I also made a few extra contacts with the speakers- a man from a company named Mercht gave a talk about what they do and how they do it. It appears they are mostly product makers who print up things, however they use screen printing and traditional print techniques alongside digital ones so it will certainly be worth emailing him asking about potential work placements or even work over the summer.

But the most important thing I gained out of this evening was an invite to dribbble. You can just sign up, you have to be invited and from talking to a few people (including Sam, who hosted the event) I was able to guarantee my invite to dribbble, one which I will take up once I'm out of deadline mania. So good networking event, look forwards to more in the future.

OUGD602: Work Placement- Teaching Assistant

Over the course of the summer I got a funny notion into my head 'I am not going to be able to be a designer, I will have to find s backup plan' and for some reason that back up plan was a design teacher. 'Oh it must be so rewarding and the kids will love all the experience I have and hang on my every word as a cool uni student'.

So I decided to try it out as a work placement- 2 weeks in Leeds City College Graphic Design class. I had previously gone to Leeds City College and knew the teachers and staff already so it was fairly easy to bag the gig. The first two weeks were induction weeks where I ran and hosted workshop sessions. I created a session on magazine covers and layouts with both first and second years, a workshop on bookbinding with the first years and a workshop on competitions with the second years getting them to look at and create designs for secret 7.

I really enjoyed planning workshops and coming up with ideas for the sessions, however I loathed the sessions themselves. No one cared, and I know this should be obvious but 16-17 year olds are incredibly annoying and difficult. It was hard to get their attention, to get them through the workshops, to get them to follow schedule or even care about the subject matter.

'This is pointless! Why the f%@* are we doing this? It doesn't even matter!' etc etc

It was very down heartening especially as I put a lot of effort into what I did, and it really put me off the idea of teaching. I can see how it could be rewarding, and there were some tasks where I saw how creative and funny certain students could be, but unfortunately I don't posses the confidence or self esteem to bash heads with stubborn teenagers.

For all that I put down the experience, it certainly was an experience. I did learn, at the very least, that teaching is something I do not want to do. I also learnt how to organise and run a session, even with stubborn 16 year olds in it and that part I enjoyed.

OUGD602: My Brand- Evaluation

My personal branding has been very fragmented throughout this year, not only because I started it at the very beginning and only got back to it mid April but also because I didn't know what I needed it for. I have been uncertain about where I'm going after university and so have spent most of my PPP external engagement finding out exactly what I want to do once I graduate, it was only up to last month that I realised I needed to produce a brand that kept my options open.

I love print making, graphic design and illustration, it seems a shame to have to bundle everything I have into one box and potentially cut myself out from a career in the other two disciplines so I've done my best to create branding that can apply to all three. I made sure my brand, be it in the layout, the pattern or the print packs demonstrates all of my skills in each of these subjects. This along with the adaptable print pack mailer means I can pursue all of these options and adjust little bits to suit what I am applying for.

It was for this reason that I chose not to produce a website. Right now I don't know what I would use a website for, be it an online store for prints or to promote myself as a graphic designer or illustrator and I didn't want to simply create an online portfolio when I already have a behance (and soon a dribbble) for that and I didn't want to use it for an online CV when I already have a linked in for that, perhaps in a couple of months when I have the time and space to consider my online presence that I will produce a website with hopefully as much adaptability as the rest of my branding- but currently it isn't needed and a waste of subscription money. I did have a website last year and paid for it, but I didn't use it or update it and it got little to no traffic so I have learnt not to have something just because you feel you should or because everyone else has one. 

Returning to the branding- I am pleased with it. I think I've successfully built on personal branding each year to finally produce something I am proud of and I feel represents me best. First year was a fumble, second year I got the look but the layout was atrocious and finally this year I am getting there. (Note I say getting there, I don't think I'll ever be fully done with updating my brand). But as of yet this is the closest I've gotten to producing branding material that not only suits me, but that is relevant to what I need from personal branding and hopefully it will go on to get me some work in the near future. 

OUGD602: My Brand- Final Designs

Online Presence

Linked In

Behance

OUGD602: My Brand- Application

For my CV and cards I used the pattern as the back and kept the front clear just for text. The contrast of busy design in comparison to minimal layout works really well and balances the whole design out.

My font of choice was univers- I like the impact it has in all caps whilst at the same time still being subtle and well balanced in lower case. There's also a lot of different typefaces within Univers so it's a strong font family to use for many different situations.

For the business cards I kept the layout simple, relying on the pattern to create the excitement. I didn't want to do too much to the design so as the ruin and muddle up the message so simple laid out text worked best in this situation.

Previous Icons

I had previously created a CV at the start of the year and used little icons to display my practical and software skills. Although I wanted to change the layout and some of points from my previous design I still really liked these icons- especially now that they worked well with the style and design of the pattern so I made a few changes to them to use on my new CV layout.

The print packs were the easiest to implement the design onto, all that it needed was the pattern on both sides. I chose to create a band to keep the whole thing secure and gave the whole pack a title 'Rosalyn's Creative Collection'. This name suits the multipurpose nature of the print packs and doesn't particularly tie it to illustration, print or graphic design meaning I don't have to change the name for each specific use.

OUGD602: My Brand- Development

I pawed through a lot of my sketch books and selected different sketches I had created through the year. I then photographed them and drew over them in illustrator. Instead of using the pen tool I used the brush tool in order to retain that sketchy and hand drawn look. From here I created a pattern tile and repeated it multiple times. I chose to thicken up the lines to make the sketches stand out more, however I had to reign it in slight so as not to loose detail. The final result looks almost like someone doodling on the front cover of a book- this free and fun style of scribbling is what I wanted to achieve, it's how I feel about my practice. I don't take it too seriously and there is a strong sense of me in everything I do.