Amy Berriman

3D projection Samsung advertising.

2010-11-11T07:42:00.000-08:00

Great 3D projection. A way of advertising in an exciting and economical way.

Mouse v's Mouse trap

2010-04-15T14:59:00.000-07:00

A lovely simple concept that has been created with great execution.

Mr Singh’s Bangras

2010-04-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

Daljit Singh is the multi award winning creative director and founder of 'Digit', one of the world’s longest established digital agencies has recently launched his own brand of Indian sausages called Mr Singh’s Bangras. This here is the advertising imagery for them. I think the idea is simple and gets straight to the point.

Storm Thorgerson

2010-04-15T14:31:00.001-07:00

The creativity and imagination produced by Storm Thorgerson’s album covers is expansive. A back catalogue of fantastic, mainly photographic covers from the pre-photoshop era champion true ingenuity rather than pixel trickery. A huge amount of work all under one roof, and the screen print version of the classic Dark Side of The Moon oversized cover is a real bonus. Pictured is one of my favourite prints from the show, 'Back Catalogue, Pink Floyd'.

This piece of photography is just mesmerizing and beautifully created. I like Thorgerson's style and final products as they are all inspirational pieces of work.

Rethink Communications - video

2010-04-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

A very creative animation using a money counter from 'Rethink Communications' to help promote Icograda Design Week In Vancouver. I like the way they have experimented with the money counter. Its unique and has a great outcome.

Pink Terror

2010-04-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

Pink Terror Hawking from mike barzman on Vimeo.

'Pink Terror' is a film by Mike Barzman and Christian Swegal. The film consists of 172 seconds of suspense and anticipation made possible by a super slow-mo camera and some equally well chosen maneuvers. A nice video that is well created and well directed.

Mike Rigby V's Louise Vormitdaag report

2010-04-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

Within our institution we get several practitioners coming in to give lectures about their work and to give advice about the design industry. These lectures are all different and I think it is refreshing to see how other designers have entered the design industry in which I will be entering soon. I have decided to compare two of the practitioners’ lectures, and compare how their experiences with the design industry vary, and also compare the way they presented in general.

The two practitioners I have decided to analyse are Mike Rigby previously at ‘True North’ and now currently working in Australia at ‘Interbrand’, and Louise Vormitdaag from ‘Container Plus’. They both have had very different approaches to getting jobs within the design industry and both I feel gave really interesting lectures.

Louise Vormitdaag one of the founders of ‘Container plus’ came in to talk to us about her company and the journey she has been on with the company. While at University studying Graphic Design, Louise was involved in a collaborative brief with a fellow student Nicola. It was this brief they noticed they worked well as a partnership. On graduating both Louise and Nicola did not know what they wanted to do, so they decided to join their skills together. Though Louise and Nicola both studied Graphic Design, they decided to explore an illustrative freelancing path. They created a website with both of their portfolios on, and even created a joint physical Portfolio. On these portfolio visits they would take the other persons work along with them and discuss their work as a unit. They were good friends and were both as committed as each other, they both respected each other in everything they did.

This differs from the way Mike reacted after graduating, he concentrated on arranging work placements with design agencies he liked and wanted to work for. Mike did a six month placement at Imagination and then did a placement at The Chase. He explained that placements speed your working process up and allows you to see how a design agency differs from your classroom working. He also said that these placements allow you to work on real live projects and you can gain contacts by networking and going on nights out.

It is these placements and his determination and enthusiasm of design that landed Mike his first job at The Chase. He explained that starting on a low wage is not all that bad, Mike started on 13k and left only a couple of years later on 23k. Mike described design as interesting, challenging, and that no two jobs are the same. He loves being able to attend photoshoots, meet with clients, interact with different people in the industry. All together creating a piece of design that in the end of the day speaks to the audience in a way you want it to.

One of his first projects he was involved in was for an underlay for carpet. This brand outsold the actual carpet at the company for the next 2 years in which shows what good design can do to sales.

Since he graduated in 2002 Mike has been employed by The Chase, Landor, Moon, Pentagram, Mark Studio and has recently been offered the job as Creative Director at Interbrand in Australia.

So while Mike collected various experiences in different placements, Louise went freelance. Luckily for her one of her first projects for Selfridges was very successful and bought a lot more work to them. The project was a competition brief to design a window display. Her and Nicola once again worked together and their idea was to draw directly onto the display so the drawings and designing of the whole thing was also a performance. People could gather around and watch the pair create their masterpiece. Though they worked collaboratively together on this they also worked along side fashion designers – who designed special uniforms for them, and Make up artists – who did their make up to go with the style of the window display.

This work they did for Selfridges brought a lot more work their way. In 2005 Volkswagen had a car launch for their new Volkswagen Fox. Taking over a hotel and they got different designers to create various styles and designs in each of the rooms. Louise and Nicola had 4 rooms to design. Their idea was to use playing cards; each room showing a different suit. Volkswagen was so impressed with their designs they then asked them if they could create an instillation around one of their cars.

After several successful jobs both Nicola and Louise decided that together as collaboration the company was too small. So they decided to widen the company with a photographer and two younger illustrators. This was good for the time being but soon cracks began to emerge. She talked about the fact that having five people working together was hard considering that everyone had to communicate, they all had different levels of commitment and various experience.

Expanding the company also meant more responsibility. Unlike before where it was just she and her friend working in a studio, this company was now a unit. They all had to do a certain amount of work. This put strain on their private lives and also meant that they did not have the freedom they wanted. Mike on the other hand decided once he had worked a few years in different studios and gained experience in these places that he would go travelling.

Overall I enjoyed both lectures, though both practitioners had a different experience after they graduated from University. Both had a clear presentation and talked about their work clearly and you could tell they were both enthusiastic about design. I think Mike’s talk was influential; he made me think about working abroad more and widening my skills as a designer. I myself have been involved in a placement and will hopefully be able to arrange more in the future. I think Louise was lucky to be as successful as she was within the time. After graduating myself this year I think that Mike’s route into the industry would be the best for me.

Mike Greer - Copywriter

2010-04-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

Today Mike Greer a freelance Copywriter came into the college to talk to us about his experiences in design and also to talk about getting jobs after graduation.

Mike himself studied Graphic design as a student and after finishing his course in Blackburn moved on to 'The School of Communication Arts' in London. This was a year long course. After the course Mike talked about how he would contact agencies week in week out showing them work, asking for work and trying to arrange work placements.

All his hard work paid off when Mike finally got a job. He explained how your first job may not be as glamorous as you would like but at least its a job. Its a place to start, a place to develop as a designer.

Mike currently working as a freelance designer is in connection with several design agencies, such as, The chase, Love Creative, and McCan Erickson. Yet he explained that he works all over the country on different jobs at different times.

Talking about how hard it is to get yourself into the industry, Mike explained that we should have regular contact with design agencies. He said to contact them at least every week, whether it is to show work, ask for briefs or even ask for placements.

A brilliant portfolio is only half of what is needed, its motivation and enthusiasm.

Exposure Design agency

2010-04-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

'Exposure' is a creative design agency working in London that works with brands to generate good solid ideas. They believe in sparking conversations. Conversations that are shared. With offices in New York, San Francisco and London they work across a wide range of media and disciplines to deliver great performance.

One of their projects was for Cadbury’s they wanted to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Maynards Wine Gums brand and they were tasked with making this happen. Bringing the iconic ‘Hootsmon’ back, this integrated campaign has led to the brand seeing a real resurgence within the Cadbury business and with consumers.

Overall sales saw an uplift of 13% compared to the year before and in the Grocery sector there was a significant increase of 42% year on year. This promotion and these results have elevated this dated and low ranking brand within Cadbury’s to become a priority brand for 2010.

Design Friendship agency

2010-04-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

'Design Friendship' a design agency based in London. Founded by Natasha Shah and Chris Hilton, it is well just that, a friendship born through a love of design. Nat & Chris met while working together in 2003 and have been friends ever since. With nearly 15 years experience on projects that stretch from corporate identities to album covers, as well as Pan European campaigns for some of the worlds biggest youth brands, Nat & Chris have been there, done that and bought the graphic t-shirt. A few years on, and Nat & Chris wanted to do things a little differently, so in 2007 the dream that was Design Friendship finally became a reality.

One of their projects was for 'Red Bull Cola' launch. The brief was to create and produce an engaging interactive sampling tool. Beautifully handmade, the show cases contain the 17 key/natural ingredients that make up the Red Bull Cola taste.

Logorama

2010-04-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

Logorama created by Francois Alaux and Herve de Crece. Winning Best Animated Short Oscar the entire film is great to watch. Using all different Logo's to create a film, I think this idea is very imaginative and the final product is very humorous. I enjoyed the watch a lot.

Nando's Crisps

2010-04-14T04:26:00.000-07:00

'Love Creative' have recently created the packaging for Nando's new range of Peri-Peri potato chips. They had to create something that communicates both their premium taste and fiery nature. I think these designs do that, and they relate to the style of Nando's as well.

Sea Cider

2010-04-14T04:15:00.000-07:00

As part of our ongoing relationship with local companies, 'I Love Dust' produced the packaging for local cider company Hearts Cider makers. I like the unique illustrations that as a set work together, they are eye catching and very different to other products like this.

Puma - Redesigning shoebox

2010-04-14T03:51:00.000-07:00

'Puma' has partnered with The Fuse Project to completely redesign the packaging for their shoes. A team spent 21 months studying different boxes and packaging schemes, searching for the most efficient, sustainable way to get shoes to consumers. They finally came to the solution of foregoing a box altogether, and instead using a special bag and a cardboard sheet. Find out more about this great project here.

Creative promotional video to go with the great design as well.

Julien Vallée

2010-04-13T06:54:00.000-07:00

'Julien Vallée' a graphic designer based in Montréal, Canada. He does a lot of work for the Music Industry. His work includes art direction, motion graphic, print design, art installation and video.

His unique style comes across in the work created. Its modern and very experimental, he seems to push the boundaries in his work and it shows.

He was also part of a workshop directed by Stefan Sagmeister that took place in Percé, Gaspésie. The workshop consisted of typographic exploration based on personnal maxims of things we have learned in our life so far. (See pictures below)

Here a picture of Stefan Sagmeister himself. With the words saying Creativity soon. Sagmeister uses himself in a lot of his work, some say its a way of advertising himself. Or maybe its him just using the raw materials around him?

INSTABILITY SHAPES CREATIVITY.

D8 Design Agency - Feedback

2010-04-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

'D8 Design' are a group of like-minded people who enjoy working together. They think about, and design across several formats including print, interiors, web, multimedia, advertising and most others you could mention. They enjoy their work and it shows in their work.

With studios in both Glasgow and Birmingham they create design over many disciplines. As an agency I think having the ability to work on many platforms is constructive and also beneficial.

I contacted D8 Design with my portfolio and Keith Dodds replied giving me valuable feedback on my work. (See below)

Zip Design

2010-04-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

'Zip Design' agency based in London. Zip is a multidisciplinary design studio with 13 years experience working across a wide range of sectors from the music industry to the UN (United Nations). They provide creative solutions across all media; offering art direction, graphic design, brand development, iPhone apps, web design, web development, web banners, motion graphics, illustration and project management.

Their recent clients include, The united Nations, DELL, Universal Records, and Cream, to mention a few. I came across their studio when I seen the Chemical Brothers- We are the night video. Zip Design created the animations while it was directed by Marcus Lyall. I love the originality of the animation and how it differs from normal music videos.

Untitled from marcus lyall on Vimeo.

Another piece of there work that I liked from their web site was the Calander for UNFPA the Y-PEER Manual.

I like the relationship between illustration against the content. I think it makes it look fresh, modern and it looks creative. Which is something this agency produces in everything they do.

Stop Motion Film - Snask

2010-04-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

SNASK from Mike Crozier on Vimeo.

While looking at 'FormFiftyFive' I came across this Stop motion film created by 21yr old Micheal Crozier, while interning at Stockholm-based 'Snask'.

The film was written, shot and edited by Michael without the use of special effects or stopmotion software. The film features 1846 photos used in conjunction with one another to create a smooth and exciting piece of design.

Haiti posters

2010-04-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

While on the Creative Review Blog I came across these Haiti posters. (See below) each one has its own way of representing what happened on the 12th of January this year. The posters are to create awareness and to help aid the thousands of people that were affected by the disaster.

Pentagram's Harry Pearce and Justus Oehler have just contributed these designs to the Haiti Poster Project.

I really like the posters as a set, and think in their own way show the effects of the earthquake in a visually pleasing way.

Students in the recession

2010-04-07T05:58:00.000-07:00

Being a student about to graduate at times where the economy is not at its best is quite daunting. I feel that having a regular and respectable communication with a variety of designers or agencies is something that is considered necessary in the economic crisis we are in at the moment - as we will be wanting to find jobs when the summer comes, and at the moment there is just not so many jobs out there.

The economy goes through various cycles. One of which is the recession. It is noticed when the prices start to increase, the living standard starts to reduce, unemployment rises, and businesses stop expanding. The recession is defined as a considerable decrease in the economic activity across a country, lasting longer than a few months. The recession is evident in the growth of real gross national product, industrial production, wholesale-retail trade, personal income, and employment. With employment at a low and businesses under pressure financially getting jobs and even work is difficult for designers. This is because when companies say they need to save a certain amount of money, the easiest immediate place to get it is marketing. It is unspent and uncommitted. Many marketers will contend that you should not cut marketing budgets during a recession, but given the brutality and unpredictability of an economic downturn, the reality is that you may be forced to do so.

‘McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 companies covering 16 different Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) industries from 1980 through 1985. The results showed that business-to-business firms that maintained or increased their advertising expenditures during the 1981-1982 recession averaged significantly higher sales growth. By 1985, sales of companies that were aggressive recession advertisers had risen 256% over those that didn't keep up their advertising.’ (Boucher, 2008, http://ezinearticles.com)

Despite this evidence companies do feel the need to cut budgets, which in turn affects designers. Although companies are cutting their costs, when they need work being done they still expect work to be created to that same standard as before. Hence more work for designers with less reward. This along with employment levels at a low means that young graduate designers are finding it increasingly more difficult to get a job. Design agencies therefore, when employing, are looking for a designer with a vocabulary of different disciplines. Having this variety in your work process means you are more versatile and can work on numerous jobs.

A discipline that is known to help advertise yourself as a designer is having the ability to write about their own work. There are many designers that have this ability like Stephan Sagmeister. He is one designer that is very good at documenting his work. Whether in books, through talks or through interviews he has this natural ability to speak about his idea's and processes in a way that only advertises him more as a designer. The ‘Thought of the Week’ is a regular posting-place for the visual and verbal observations of London design consultancy Johnson Banks. He documents his work while researching and critically evaluating other work. His inspirational posts have become well recognised in the industry. It has become apparent to me that most highly regarded designers are in addition respectable writers. Just like the Johnson Banks consultancy, I update this my own personal blog, as it is an opportunity to record my ideas and show my influences in design. Furthermore I have been recording distinctive and some monotonous findings or accounts in a diary. While doing so it has allowed me to use the diary and blog as a resource that can be used to help in future design generation.

Recording such details in my blog and diary within the past year has benefited me as a student designer. It has helped me record my influences and document my own work so that design agencies and other designers can look at what work I am creating and what work and ideas are influencing me. I feel this benefits my communication with professional practitioners, therefore profiting my chances of work placements and other jobs.

End of year show Pitch

2010-03-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

We recently as a year of all pathways from Graphic Deisgn to Illustration, Motion Graphics and Textiles were asked to Pitch an idea for a theme that could run for out end of year show exhibition. The brief was to come up with a unique idea to get the people in the industry to come and see our work. Previously the year before the group had the idea of taking the exhibition to the industry. The way they did that was with a Big Red Bus. They parked this bus outside Design agencies and invited them to come down and view the work on their doorstep.

A great idea? Something that was unique and different. Now the tutors want us to pitch idea's that are different yet in the same way brings the exhibition to the agencies.

Things to think about, this year there are a lot more students in the whole year group, meaning you would need more space than a bus. Another thing is that we don't want to copy last years idea we want this to be our own unique exhibition. And hopefully it will be...

Crescent Lodge Portfolio visit

2010-03-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

Another visit myself and Hayley organised while in London was to a design agency called 'Crescent Lodge' They are an independent design consultancy with studios in East London and the West Country. They are a close-knit group comprising designers, illustrators, photographers and a writer, supported by technical and project-planning specialists. Arriving at the studio we entered a lift that took us both automatically to the studio. Andrew Collier one of the designers met with us both on arrival. Once again we shared our portfolio and showed work of our own and that in which we collaborated.

Andrew explained while I went through my work that I had a good range of ideas, and that he could tell that was something that was pushed at our place of education. He also liked the way we pushed ourselves in all the work we do, like designing a website to go with an advert, or creating animations etc. All these little skills are a benefit to ourselves. Commenting on our presentation skills he said that we looked passionate and enthusiastic about our work.

Once again the questions arose about our future, he explained that he could also see us working in Advertising as our work does show a degree of advertising in it. Andrew was really helpful and said if that is something we wanted to look into he could give us contacts of people he knew in the Advertising industry. We thought this was really nice of him, and also very helpful. As we was leaving Andrew took our contact details down so we can stay in touch and he also gave us some books of the work created from the company, these were really nice. (See below)

Give up Art and Picture Portfolio vists

2010-03-12T11:54:00.000-08:00

While in London Myself and a fellow student Hayley, organised several visits to design agencies. Our first visit was with Stuart from 'Give Up Art' a studio that started in 2006, they have over 25 years of experience in the design, publishing and advertising. They work for a range of clients in the music, publishing, advertising and broadcasting sectors.

Stuart the founder of Give Up Art also arranged that Tim Harwood a designer from 'Picture' sat in with us on the visit. As we had been in contact with both and they were friends. Picture was set up in 2005 by 3 people from the design industry, it started off as a specialist design practice that focused on brand and digital work but has evolved and now their work spreads along print, TV and motion graphics also.

To make things easier myself and Hayley put our work together in one portfolio, the idea being I would show my work then together we could speak about our collaborative work, then Hayley could show her work.

I started by describing techniques involved in the work I had created, and explained the briefs that I had been working on. While looking at my work both Stuart and Tim commented that my work showed a variety of ideas. They both liked the 'Teepay' work I was involved in with Thoughtful. Commenting on the finished logo's that was produced and also the other items such as the packaging which they said only complimented the design. They both also like my Editorial work, where I had used sparklers to create imagery for my magazine.

Once I had shown my work I then moved onto the work I had created with Hayley. Together we showed four projects. Three of them projects were based on Motion Graphics or film. The other was the BBC project we had been involved in. We explained how this was live brief and told them about our pitching process. They said this is valuable experience and it is great that we have done it as it shows our passion for Design. Stuart liked this piece of working, explaining that the graphics were bright and eye catching and the whole idea was great. Tim was more intrigued with the motion graphics we had produced, as that is his field. He liked our E4 work and especially liked the idea of using it as a campaign.

After seeing my work and the work created with my fellow student, Stuart explained that he thought our work was influenced with a hint of advertising. This is something that together we had not really thought about. They both questioned what we was planning to do once we graduated and we told them that we weren't sure at the moment. One thing that they both agreed on was that our work had great ideas, and they also commented on the way we presented our work saying we were confident and passionate about the work we showed.

I think having both Stuart and Tim giving advice at the same time was inspiring as they work on different areas of design and have different influences and different opinions on work. They both gave great feedback on our work and also helped us realize our potential in the advertising industry.

John Wigham

2010-03-10T04:56:00.000-08:00

I contacted John Wigham from the agency 'Design Friendship' to try and arrange to meet with him in London. Unfortunately he was unable to meet with me but asked me to send over some work and he would look at it and send me some feedback.

London Trip

2010-03-10T02:23:00.000-08:00

On the 1st of March I went to London for a couple of days so that I could experience how working in London differs from Manchester. While in London we were told that we had to go visit at least one Graphic design studio to show them our portfolios. We also had other visits and meeting with designers planned for us via our tutors.

The trip was very influential and made me recognise the potential of working in London once I graduate. I have always has the idea to work there but seeing companies and meeting several designers has inspired me to think of moving to london some time in the future.

Treat Studios - Contact

2010-02-16T05:17:00.000-08:00

I contacted Treat Studios about my E4 project, at the time it was within its first developments and needed a lot of work. But I wanted to see if the idea could work. Matt got back to me and explained that he thought the animation was far to slow and that I needed to add more content to the animations. Which I intended to do. I valued Matt's feedback and took this in to account when developing my project even more.

I want design agency

2010-02-05T04:37:00.000-08:00

I want is a design studio based in london. Working in a range of different media's and also excelling in creativity. I really like the style and layout of the Scripts album (seen below) So I wanted to find out who designed the cd covers, I found that I want design agency. The work on their website all looks really interesting. The way they use different media's and bring them together creates dynamic and unique imagery. Though it is only a small design agency I feel the work they produce is a credit to the amount of time and effort they must put in.

This is the album covers for the Scripts that originally brought me to find the company. I think the reason I like that is because they are very obscure and unusual.

This is a magazine spread for the second annual East Festival. The six day festival is a celebration championing the best of East London food, performance, history, art, film and fashion. They designed and art directed the entire project.

Honda - Stop Frame

2010-02-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

I came across this stop frame animation while looking on 'Motionographer' Created by Kris Moyes. I think the idea is great and the footage is well put together and very well planned.

Patrick Da Cunha- work.

2010-02-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

Patrick Da Cunha works in areas ranging from print to motion design. I came across his work on on 'Motionographer'. I like the way he works in all different media, whether it is in motion graphics, 3D, or traditional print based design.

This piece created for 'tic tacs' is really good, and i love the thinking behind it. I like all the individual pieces that have been sculptured to go inside the box.

This is his designs for 'MTV' I really like the unique and unusual illustrations he has created. Bringing in the colour just makes it more visually pleasing.

You can check out more of the work on his website.. Click here

TreatStudios

2010-01-17T12:46:00.000-08:00

TreatStudios are a collective of illustrators and animators working in London. They have recently created the promo for the new series of 'Skins' for channel 4. I like how they use illustration and manipulate that with animation. (See below)

Lego Website Video

2010-01-14T15:57:00.000-08:00

This is a video is to advertise the launch of the new 'Lego' advert.

I love the techniques used to create this short film.

Using both real footage alongside stop frame animation.

Lego Click film; agency: Pereira & O'Dell; Prod co: MJZ; Director: Blue Source.

Evian Advert

2010-01-14T15:34:00.000-08:00

Though I feel this advert is creative and very eye catching I do feel that it is wrong showing young innocent babies in such a way. The adverts tag line is 'Lets observe the effects of Evian on your body' with it then showing young babies roller skating and dancing in the street. I think in a controversial way the advert stands out, whether you like it or not it definitely sticks in you mind.

Twinings 2010 advert

2010-01-14T15:14:00.000-08:00

The new 2010 Twinings advert. Once again they the advert is very creative and carefully planned. I like there artistic approach to their advertising. I would love to approach such a vast project myself as I feel the end results could be inspiring.

TreatStudios- Email

2010-01-10T14:43:00.000-08:00

While writing my Journal I emailed several companies to get their views on collaborative work and becoming inter-disciplinary (being skilled in multiple areas) Treatstudios emailed me back with some interesting points which I was able to use for my research.

Twinings advert

2010-01-10T08:09:00.000-08:00

The Twinings Speciality Teas range advert, I really like this advert due to its uniqueness. I respect the time and effort that must have gone into the planning and production of this sequence.

Louise Vormitdaag - Container plus

2010-01-08T10:18:00.000-08:00

On November 5^th Louise Vormitdaag one of the founders of ‘Container plus’ came in to talk to us about her company and the journey she has been on with the company. Yet also to give us soon to be graduates advice on what to do when we graduate.

Container plus is a multidisciplinary art and design collective specialising in playfully creating multifaceted fantasy worlds across a multitude of 2D and 3D platforms. They combine illustration, photography, set design, animation and performing elements to form a 360-degree experience.

They also devote time to personal and experimental projects, which enabled them to explore techniques and develop new ideas, which then influence and inspire their commercial work.

The company is now 7 years old, starting in with two good friends Louise and Nicola who studied Graphic design alongside each other at university. While at University they were involved in a collaborative brief, they noticed the worked well as a partnership while doing this brief. On graduating both Louise and Nicola didn’t know what they wanted to do, so they decided to join their skills together. They created a website with both of their portfolios on. Even on portfolio visits they would take the other persons work along with them. They were good friends and were both as committed as each other, they both respected each other in everything they did.

One of the first projects the pair worked on was for Selfridges, it was to design a window display. They worked together and their idea was to draw directly onto the display so the drawings and designing of the whole thing was also a performance. People could gather around and watch the pair create their masterpiece. Though they worked collaboratively together on this they also worked along side fashion designers – who designed special uniforms for them, and Make up artists – who did their make up to go with the style of the window display.

Both Nicola and Louise began to learn more and more from each other as the work came in. If one would get stuck they would pass it to the other to have a go. Passing it to a fro they were able to create a new look of work.

In 2005 Volkswagen had a car launch for their new Volkswagen Fox. They took over a hotel and got different designers to create various styles and designs in each of the rooms. Louise and Nicola had 4 rooms to design. Their idea was to use playing cards. Each room showing a different suit. They worked along side builders, fabric designers, furniture designers and prop buyers. Each and everyone was significant in the design of each room. Volkswagen was so impressed with their designs they then asked them if they could create an instillation around one of their cars.

While working on other briefs Louise and Nicola had realised that they may need to expand the company. They decided to widen the company with a photographer and two younger illustrators. This was good for the time being but soon cracks began to emerge. Having 5 people working together was hard considering that everyone had to communicate, they all had different levels of commitment and various experience. They found it too difficult making a decision on work, ‘too many cooks spoiled the broth.’

After a year the two younger illustrators left leaving just the three others at Container Plus. Louise explains how she feels that this is now a good unit to work with. She feels that the commitment level of each involved is the same and that they all understand each other and the way they work.

Other work they have been apart of includes:

Sony’s consumer brochure, where they created a prop set and manipulated the images Sony items. This job involved set design, prop buying, Illustration and production.

The Assembly, where they were commissioned to create a website. Here they used set design then animated this to work for the website. Illustration was used and lots of photography. The end result was really good; they feel that to push an idea to an extreme you have to collaborate with people who are more experienced in them areas.

Some last details and advice she gave us was on ‘How to collaborate?’

· Test people first before committing to a long-term collaboration.

· Make sure they are reliable.

· Make sure there is the same level of commitment within the team.

· Sort out any money issues before the money becomes an issue.

· There is never room for big egos.

· Don’t bring personal issues into the work place.

I found this talk very influential, as I have on the last couple of briefs been working collaboratively. I have also been writing my journal on how multidisciplinary design can be a benefit to a designer or a company.

Mike Rigby talk

2009-12-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

Mike Rigby, a designer from 'True North' came into college to give a lecture on his work and time spent since graduating himself. He graduated in 2002 and since then has been employed by The Chase, Landor, Moon, Pentagram, Mark Studio and has recently been offered the job as Creative Director at Interbrand in Australia.

Mike explained that to him design is interesting, challenging, and that no two jobs are the same. Being able to attend photoshoots, meet with clients, interact with different people in the industry. All together creating a piece of design that in the end of the day speaks to the audience in a way you want it to.

Mike did a 6 month placement at Imagination and then did a placement at The Chase. He says placements speed your working process up. You get to work on real live projects and you can gain contacts by networking and going on nights out.

Also starting on a low wage isn't all that bad, Mike started on 13k and left only a couple of years later on 23k. His first project he was involved in was for an underlay for carpet. This brand outsold the actual carpet at the company for the next 2 years which shows what good design can do to sales.

Mike told us about his travels around the world and advised us all to do the same. He explained how whilst traveling he worked at several places on placement and even got a few jobs on the way. Currently working at True North Mike will soon leave start his new job with Interbrand.

Overall I think Mikes talk was influential, he made me think about working abroad more and widening my skills as a designer.

BBC Pitch

2009-12-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

The BBC recently asked two colleges, my own College Stockport and also Oldham College to take part in a project with them called Connect Create. The project was to create two booklets for the staff moving from London and also other regions to the new Media City in Salford Quays. These two booklets had to show that the new Media City will be an exciting and creative place which will be the heart of BBC North.

We were each given the brief and was told that we were able to work on the brief with up to 2 other students. I worked with another student Hayley. We wanted to make the booklets bright and cheerful. They needed to be legible yet creative. Our idea came from the saying, "Every cloud has a silver lining." We used the BBC weather symbols combined them with imagery linked to weather and the surrounding areas of Manchester and Salford in which they will be moving to.

As the brief said we should consider up and coming technology we decided to link up the booklet to further information using a QR Code. A QR Code is a matrix code or two-dimensional bar code. The "QR" is derived from "Quick Response", as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed. QR codes store addresses, URLs and other information that can appear in magazines, business cards, on signs and buses, etc. The code is scanned using a device such as a mobile phone.

We took this idea and showed how adding a QR code onto the booklet allowed those who wanted to try something different and use up and coming technology instead of a standard booklet. This code could be linked to a video, maps, or even a web site show various information. With the booklets we also added other little items that would help with the move, and hopefully make the relocation a little easier and more enjoyable.

Box Creative - Portfolio Visit.

2009-11-21T06:30:00.000-08:00

Once again in New York I visited another company called 'Box Creative', its based in Manhattan and is innovation, interactive, and artist-driven. The company is only small and their studio is very stylish and fully equipped with top of the range technology. The two designers who set up the business are twins Joe and Andy, who had studied together through college and decided to set up business. Whilst there we spoke to them about our portfolios, design in New York and ideas of which we were working on at present.

They liked the way we had our portfolio's presented and said that they had never seen a portfolio presented in that way. They explained that students in New York usually show their work through the web, through online portfolio's, and that they rarely see students at their studio. While going through my portfolio they picked out pieces in which they liked. One thing I noticed was that they seem to like the work I had created with type. They explained had never been taught in detail about type layout. It was more the imagery and graphics side they learnt.

One piece that seem to catch their interest the most was the work I was involved in while on placement with Thoughtful. They liked the work done for the 'Liverpool Tate Gallery - Colour Chart' Where we had created QR codes that linked up to video's and websites. They had never seen a QR code before and was very interested in how it worked. I explained about how easy it was to set up and they seemed intrigued.

Overall I felt the visit went really well, and the guys were more than helpful with their feedback. They told us to keep in touch. They also told us that we should develop our skills, and learn how to create websites through html. This they explained would make us much more employable when we graduate.

Stefan Sagmeister email

2009-11-20T13:41:00.000-08:00

When trying to arrange portfolio visits for New York I decided to contact Stefan Sagmeister, to see if there was any chance of seeing him. I was surprised to get an email back so soon, unfortunately he was unable to se me. But i appreciated that he had the time to contact me back.

Dress Code - New York Portfolio

2009-11-20T05:47:00.000-08:00

When in New York I went to visit a design agency 'Dress code'. I came across their company while on the 'Grain Edit' website, and really liked the work they had created for MTV. The company is run by two guys called Dan and Andre. Their work has been recognized by many awards, they have appeared in lots of magazines, coffee table books and even 3 museums. They met while studying graphic design at California College of the Arts. From there they went on to work for different companies including MTV, before setting up there own studio. Dress code offers a complete set of services - Branding & Design, Motion Graphics & Direction, Strategy & Naming, Web Production & Development.

I arranged the visit and me and a fellow student went to meet Dan a co-founder of the company. The studio was nice and had a friendly environment. First of all he liked the way myself and my fellow friend both presented the work - within a box, clean and with a nice layout. I went through my portfolio and talked about each project. He gave me some good advice. He told me that within my second year my work had developed a lot more and that I should just show them pieces of work.

He explained that he would like to have seen me push boundaries within my work. Especially within my type. He said that pushing these boundaries and experimenting more with my work would take it to another level. He also encouraged me to get involved in other media's as it would be a benefit to my practice.

Over all I think his feedback was very helpful and I appreciate the time he spent to look through our portfolio's. They also gave us a copy of their book 'Never sleep' Which was very nice of them.

IWANT Design - Contact

2009-11-14T05:35:00.000-08:00

I contacted john Gilsenan from 'IWANT Design' to try organise a visit with them in London. Unfortunately he was unable but asked me to send over some work for him to crit.

Mike Carter - Orchard Creative Recruitment

2009-11-14T03:00:00.000-08:00

On the 5th November Mike Carter from 'Orchard Creative Recruitment' came in to the college to give us a lecture on how to get a job, how the create a CV's and how to prepare portfolios. There is large competition for young graduates who are trying to find a job, with an average of 49,198 students graduating with an Art and Design degree each year.

Therefore, being prepared is a necessary making sure you have a well constructed CV and an updated portfolio is key. he explained to us that making contacts in the industry now is also necessary. As when we all graduate so do all the other institutions, so they will be doing the same, so it is best to get a head start.

He talked about some key skills will only help you get a job they are; to be enthusiastic, you must be determination, commited and be organised. Obviously talent is key but personality is important too. If you have a good personality and nice to be around, then you are more likely to fit into their team.

Overall I thought the lecture was good and informative. Mike did several activities with us to get us interacting with the lecture. Which I thought was good and made the lecture more enjoyable.

David Segwick - 999

2009-11-02T15:07:00.000-08:00

On Thursday 29th of October David Sedwick Graphic designer working for 999 in Manchester, came in to talk to us about his working practice and how he got into the industry. He also wanted to give us advice on how we should tackle the industry once graduating, and on finding a job.

David Sedwick who studied Graphic design in university explained that for him a diary or a log book is a key way of keeping contacts, collecting ideas and researching on what design agencies are doing. I think this is a good idea to record information for use at a later date. He also told us to research design agencies before going to visit them as this makes you look interested in their work and company as a whole.

David while in university had a few placements which helped him decide what kind of agency he would like to work for. After Graduating he got a job with 'Love Creative' in manchester. Unfortunately after 2 years he was made redundant and decided to work as a freelancer. He never gave up and soon found himself another job with 'RACE' a design agency. From there he moved on to other little jobs working alone as a freelancer and for other agencies. Till he got his job at '999' in Manchester. He still works here now but is soul aim is to finally work on his own for himself.

I enjoyed the talk by Dave Sedwick as he helped us think of ways to get noticed and he told is its not as hard as it seems to get a job you just need to be organised and to be enthusiastic.

Critical Journal.

2009-09-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

Is the skill of critically analysing my work against the work and ideas of other contemporary or historic designers. The aim of my journal will be to research and interpret the benefits of being inter-disciplinary. This means having multiple skills in different disciplines. I have always been influenced with motion graphics and film based design. Yet I have always been involved in the tradition print based design. In the last couple of briefs I have been involved in I have tried to explore my briefs in all different media's. Whether it be Animation, Interaction on Flash, web design, or film based. While doing so I have picked up on new skills that I wish to explore in more depth. I will record my ideas and see if learning these skills benefits me as a designer...

Now Wash Your Hands.

2009-09-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

I am currently working on a new brief which is to show the importance of cleaning your hands. Its an advertising campaign to sell the Anti-bacterial hand gel by Carex. I am working with a fellow student on this campaign, we did not want to create a campaign based on hands, even though the brief is 'Now wash your hands.'

Here are some initial ideas for the brief.

This idea comes from the bottle, 100 applications per bottle. What we did was go round ad take photos of things used publicly used everyday. We then created a collage them together to create an image.

Colour Chart Exhibition

2009-09-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

On the 14th of August I went to the Liverpool Tate Gallery to see the 'Colour Chart Exhibition'. While On placement with 'Thoughtful' we were all involved in the promotion work for this exhibition. the exhibition contains work from artists such as Ellsworth kelly, Damien Hurst, Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richer and many many more...

I really liked the work created by Jim Lambie, with the use of tape he creates great visual flooring patterns (as seen above). The precision and time that it takes shows in these masterpieces.

I also thought the piece created by Jon Dibbets - Car Colours 1970 stood out in the exhibition for me. I liked how it was different and unique from anything else. Each picture is of a car from the 1970's, each car also represents a different colour. This way of showing colour was very different and abstract from the rest.

As a whole I thought the exhibition was really good an different to usual exhibitions. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend it everyone as it appeals to all ages.

Today...

2009-08-14T01:55:00.001-07:00

Today I am going to Liverpool to exhibit the Liverpool Tate gallery's summer exhibition, 'Colour Chart'. I am excited to see this as I was on placement with Thoughtful at the time of them working on the promotion work for this exhibition. I will write up about what I thought of it when I get back..

Creamfields Magazine

2009-08-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

I was looking on the Creamfields website when I came across the new Creamfields Online Magazine. I thought this idea of creating an internet based document was really good. But it wasn't till I went onto the link when I realised how much work and effort was put into this idea. With simple touches like when your mouse runs near the end of a page it will flick up as if you were turning the page. There is also the option of changing the background behind the magazine.

Short film

2009-07-31T05:20:00.000-07:00

flight patterns from Charlie McCarthy on Vimeo.

While looking at Creative Review I saw this short film. Michigan-based filmmaker Charlie McCarthy shot 156 photographs of insects flying around a street light, each at a four second exposure. He then put them together at 12 frames per second to create a great short movie...

Creative Review blog.

2009-06-23T06:16:00.000-07:00

As I have previously posted, Creative Review have been very interested in the project I have been apart of for the past six months. The Thoughtful 6 Project. They have recently put some information about the project on their blog. Click here to have a look.

Last week

2009-06-22T02:11:00.001-07:00

Monday morning, and today is the beginning of the last week on placement with Thoughtful. It been a stressful 6 months with a lot of work completed and a lot of experience gained. Friday will be the official last day, but we may be involved in little projects over the summer with clients we have been working with. A lot of work to do before then though...

Creative Review

2009-05-21T02:57:00.000-07:00

As mentioned before Creative Review has took interest into the Thoughtful six project that I am currently apart of. In this months issue (June 2009) we have been mentioned. We have also been mentioned on their website, I would like to thank everyone at Creative Review for all their time and effort, especially Mark Sinclair.

Thoughtful Summary

2009-05-19T06:57:00.001-07:00

Working for Thoughtful for the past 5 months has really developed me as a student. I think having the opportunity to be part of something like this project has brought a lot out of me that I didn’t even think I could do myself.

I remember the first day Thoughtful came into the college. They gave a lecture to all Graphic design students; it wasn’t like usual agency lecture in which they didn’t just come in to talk about their work. They told us all about placements and how important they are, and that the competition in the industry is so fierce. They also talked about portfolios and how you need to make a good impression with these. I found this talk very interesting and unbeknown to us all in the second year it came apparent that James Corazzo our tutor had organised this project to take place. The second year students were all told about the project and what it would entail, I remember thinking this sounds like a great opportunity. I wanted to be apart of it.

Thoughtful came in every Thursday and worked with us on our first brief of the second year, which was the editorial brief. This time they spent with us allowed them to see the potential in us, and what we were like a people not just designers. After 3 months of them working with us and us showing them our work they had to make a decision of who would be part of the Thoughtful six. I personally didn’t think I had done enough to get on but I was shocked and happy that I made it onto the project.

We started back on the 8^th of January, a lot earlier than the rest of our fellow classmates. Straight away we were thrown into the deep end so to speak, in which we were all split up to work on pitches for Creamfields and Liverpool Tate gallery. This was daunting but it showed us how the next six months were going to be. I was partnered with Lauren and we were asked to do the re-pitch for Creamfields. This was very exciting for me, as I like going to different festivals. Unfortunately we came second on that pitch, but on the other hand the work we were involved in for the Liverpool Tate gallery did win. Thoughtful also had other work already on at the time so we were briefed with what their ideas were and asked to contribute.

Being involve with multiple projects at a time does take a lot of organisation and attention, I think this is definitely one thing I have approved on while working on the placement.

For me a highlight that stands out from the last six months is when we went to visit Howies to show them our ideas generation on Teepay. We all went down to a small village where Howies is based in Wales called Cardigan. It took a lot of travelling but meeting all the people at Howies and seeing how they worked was really good. They also really liked our ideas and told us to press on with the designs. Being involved in a presentation like that was a learning curve, it was clear that preparation is key. Learning from the way Thoughtful create and construct presentations has helped me create my own presentations, for both the first year Graphics students, and also for my Critical studies presentation. Such skills I learnt is that of ‘Keynote’ a programme I had never used before. It is such a nice programme to use for presentations and it makes things easy but look great.

Learning new programmes like this has just been a small part of the knowledge I have gained, another programme I was introduced to was ‘Vienna’ a RSS feed. This stores multiple blogs in one easy accessible area. It simply makes reading blogs a lot easier and keeps you updates constantly with new work from design agencies. To be honest I had never really seen the need to troll through countless web pages to read such blogs but since being introduced to this programme I find it really interesting to go and look at different things.

Another highlight was D&AD coming up to Stockport to film us as part of a short film they will show at ‘New Blood’. It was exciting to know that such an organisation, as D&AD wanting to film us and get involved was great. Also being in next months ‘Creative Review’ is also very exciting and The ‘Times Education Supplement’. Such things like this I didn’t even dream about happening to me.

It feels weird to think that we will be going back into our third year of our degree as the way we have been working is at such a fast pace. But this will surely only be a benefit to us. I hope that the placement will show how much it has helped me next year when it comes to our degree show.

Its really hard to summarise such a project, there is countless amount of things I have been involved in and been apart of. Things that I have learnt and shared with others, its been a great 5 months and hopefully the last month will be just as good.

Engaging with Thoughtful Design agency

2009-05-15T03:09:00.000-07:00

As we are working day in day out with Thoughtful, we are constantly learning and experiencing how a design agency works within the studio. Learning new processes and helpful tricks that aid our design. These small factors add up and it is clear that Thoughtful have really helped us grow as students and foremost designers.

One thing I have learned while working with Thoughtful design agency is the actual design time on briefs is so short when put into context with all the other work that is needed to be done. Whether it be meeting clients, awaiting feedback, contacting photographers, etc. It’s made me realise that you need to work fast but efficiently and work to the clients needs.

Being apart of this project has meant that I have had to adhere to these factors. As we have been involved in big projects, we have had to share responsibility and work as a team to make sure we don’t let ourselves down and more importantly that we don’t let Thoughtful down. As previously talked about I was asked to arrange a photo shoot with a photographer called Lawrence. I learnt that organising your time in key, with that you need to know when your design time limit is, because time really does equal money.

I think the fact Thoughtful trusted us to arrange such an important factor for them and the client shows how they have seen us grow and mature therefore trusting us more each and everyday with more responsibility. But with more responsibility comes more work and Thoughtful hasn’t only showed us an insight into how an agency works but has involved us in every set, from talking to suppliers, pitching to clients, even sorting out VAT receipts. All these factors will aid me for when I finish my degree and go out to find myself a job. The word soft skills has often been used in the studio, these skills such as punctuality, presenting yourself in a professional matter, being polite and having the enthusiasm to learn are all key ingredients to helping get that first job. Yes a good portfolio and a good body of work shows you can design, but an employer also needs to know that you can work in their team, and that can also relate to clients also. They are looking for a good worker, but someone they can relate to also.

I believe that engaging with Thoughtful everyday has benefited us all, I think in the past week that has been shown. With a stressful week, having being told last Wednesday that our portfolio’s had to be created and handed in for marking on the following Friday afternoon, and also a critical studies presentation on the Wednesday before we had a lot of work to do. Thoughtful decided to help us with both projects, and we were all able to produce great work. Personally I was shocked at the fact I managed to do both. I think if I had been given this challenge before this project I wouldn’t of been able to cope with the pressure of having to create both within a week.

So yes Thoughtful has given us knowledge that we can use in the future but they have also given us their time, to help us, to listen and to explain things that us students don’t usually learn in university. Altogether a great project, and I am grateful to be apart of it.

Portfolio just after printing.

Teepay Photoshoot

2009-05-07T06:12:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday Chris and I went down to Laurence Hudghton’s photography studio to shoot the teepay artwork for Howies. For the past few months we have been working on the technique behind the logo, which is constructed from cake toppings (hundreds and thousands, chocolate balls and candy strips) and now that’s its perfected the next stage was to shoot the artwork to prepare it for print and the web.

Thoughtful have been pushing us to get more involved in the whole process and to give us more authority. With this in mind they suggested two photographers and asked us to organize it. The photo shoot needed to be completed in time to send the finalized logos down to the client by the Friday and we began calling round on the Monday, so time was short. After a few phone calls the decision was made for us because one photographer was busy and so we set the date for Thursday morning.

The rest of Monday afternoon was spent preparing the paper for the sprinkles to be applied to it – which involved using vinyl to create a sticky surface for the sprinkles to adhere to. Tuesday was then spent applying the first layer of cake toppings which was a painstaking process of literally placing the sprinkles into the correct places and ensuring no light coloured ones were present (we discovered that when lighter colours were included they made the type look distorted). On Wednesday we needed to finish the artwork and so the final layer of sprinkles was applied and the sprinkles adjusted to ensure they represented the typeface accurately. This was all packed away ready to be transported to the photography studio the next day.

Unfortunately upon arrival to the studio some of the artwork had been damaged and so we had to divide up the tasks so that one was setting up the lighting for the shoot leaving the other to repair and add any finishing touches to the artwork. We wanted the shots to be perfectly overhead and well lit to correctly represent the cake toppings but also to have a bleached out background – this was something Laurence set up and after a few test shots we agreed was working. As the morning went on we moved through the images we needed shot, fixing and perfecting each before it went under the camera until by around noon we had everything completed.

The experience has hammered home a few key phrases. Organization really is key - we found that once everything was properly organized the day went smoothly and we had much better results. Time is money – because we knew exactly how much the photographer costs every moment needs to be well spent, the pressure from this could really ruin the day which brings us back to been well organized! Lastly transport/delivery of the artworkis so very important and of course it links in with been properly organized and not wasting time or money during the actual shoot.

Reflecting back on the experience and the difference between the ‘real world’ and the college environment has led us to a few conclusions. Due to the pressure of a real client and a real deadline the whole experience can be far more stressful leaving no time for mistakes. The quality of the hardware available at photographer’s studios can vastly improve the work, but of course it needs a skilled photographer to use properly, which left our knowledge lagging behind somewhat.

This is the final 'Teepay' logo that was created.

Thoughtful Six Presentation

2009-05-07T04:19:00.000-07:00

The Thoughtful Six was asked to do a presentation to the first year BA Graphics. James Corazzo informed us and I was appointed the job of creating the presentation and organising the script for the others. I had created small presentations previously for college but this was totally different. Apart from the fact the presentation was a lot longer than any I had done before, I also used 'Keynote' instead of the usual 'Powerpoint'. This was a challenge for myself also as I had never used this software before.

The Presentation itself was talking about the Thoughtful Six project and how it is different to other placements, and the benefits with this placement.

Thoughtful helped in finding facts on the harsh competition of design agencies, and getting jobs or placements after placements. There is around 13,000 designs agencies around Britain, this sounds a lot but when put into perspective with the amount of students graduating each year, this being around 60,000 students. This shows how important it is to get your name out there and keep in touch with design agencies. Placements and portfolio visits are essential in getting your name out there, whether it be for a week or if you lucky even longer.

I think the benefits of our placement is that its for 6 months which is a long time compared to other placements but also because the agency 'Thoughtful' moved into the college and set up a completely new studio in which we all helped to create. I think this helped with the working atmosphere, as it didn't feel like we were intruding on Thoughtful's space. Its all of our space. We work as a unit, we help one another and share our ideas.

The presentation went really well, and the first years were very interested in what we had to say. I think having to create the presentation myself helped me as I have learnt many skills on how best to present.

Sprintcam V3 HD

2009-04-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

I-Movix SprintCam v3 NAB 2009 showreel from David Coiffier on Vimeo.

Sprintcam V3 unveiled this week at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas. It’s an ultra-slow-motion video camera, allowing up to 1000 frames per second, producing footage 40 times slower than reality - in HD. Amazing! I especially like the jelly at the end, it seems to stay off ground for a very long time?

Paint

2009-04-30T02:53:00.000-07:00

The Unfinished Swan - Tech Demo 9/2008 from Ian Dallas on Vimeo.

I really like this video animation. very clever with no use of color it is still very eye catching.

Pet shop boys - integral

2009-04-27T04:15:00.000-07:00

While looking into the use of QR codes with the work I am currently involved in with the Thoughtful 6 project, I was told to look at the Pet Shop Boys video - Integral by new creative group the Rumpus Room has conceived and created a sinister mix of surveillance type footage and information technology. In this video they used pixelated images on a white sheet that related to the footage in the background, but also has the chance to mix things up and create a visually pleasing video. Now the interesting thing is that while mixing things up they throw in a few QR codes, which apparently when paused and used will link to another video or information. Very clever.

Logo idents.

2009-04-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

While working on a brief for the creative industries with the Thoughtful 6 I was asked to animate our logo that we had created. I was looking for inspiration and found this website that shows a range of different Idents all working next to each other. Click here to see.

N-A-M

2009-04-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

This is the IDN front cover created by graphic design company NAM I saw their work while reading the IDN magazine. Their work is very exciting and unique.

2009-04-03T06:02:00.000-07:00

A brilliant short animation on the life of New York, created by Andy and Carolyn London. I found this via Motionographer.

Sound Poster

2009-03-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

This is a set of posters that are made out of materials that when touched in the right way, create a sound that relates to what the poster is about. Very clever!

BA Moving Image course.

2009-03-23T03:43:00.000-07:00

As part of the Thoughtful 6 we were asked if we would like to attend a week course on film and production in Liverpool. This course allowed us to broaden our skills by learning a few basics in the Moving Image Industry. Our brief for the week was to create a Moving image between 30 seconds to 3 minutes long. We all got training on the camera's and taught a few little tricks that we could include in our film. We shot all our films on HDV cameras, as shown below.

The film I created was on ducks, as the surrounding area had to big ponds where several ducks lived. This was just inspiration that lead me to create my film. I decided to create a funny short film on the way ducks act with their surroundings. All the footage that we filmed was all digitalized and edited through Final Cut Pro and then put into After Effects to add other little elements that could aid our films. Here is the film I created..

I found this week very influential, and I think it was good to experience a new area of work, and see how it could be used in our own work. It gave us a good idea of how to produce a film in good quality, and how to edit a film. I would like to thank Thoughtful and Liverpool Innovation Park for allowing us to take part in this course.

Puma Advert

2009-03-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

This is the new Puma lift advert, Using a white room and to people they create a visually pleasing viral.

Aero Advert

2009-03-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

This new Aero Advert is just brilliant. How they have shown the lightness of an Aero chocolate bar within a simple idea.

Thoughtful Six

2009-03-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

Two months into the project, a lot of work on board. Pitches here, there and everywhere. Things are looking good. Studio is complete and the work keeps coming in. Heres a small video I created of our studio...

Troyt Coburn - Photographer

2009-03-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

Troyt Coburn a Photographer. I saw his work while looking through the the internet. I really like his style, especially with this shot. Great use of photography and manipulation.

Cadburys advert

2009-01-23T03:03:00.000-08:00

This is the new advert for Cadburys chocolate, it shows to children waiting to get a photo taken but as the photographer leaves the room to take a phone call the children express there joys and do a dance with their eyebrows. Its a very strange looking quirky advert, that will catch on.

Thoughtful six

2009-01-22T03:05:00.000-08:00

At Stockport College where I study, they decided to arrange a work experience for 6 months based with a design company 'Thoughtful' .

There idea was to come in every thursday and work with the whole of the second year Graphic design group. They did this until December in which they then had to decided what six people they would want to work with them for the remainder of the year. They would be working on the top floor of Stockport College. This will be the new Thoughtful studio. This idea is unheard of within Colleges and universities, it is a first.

I was lucky to be chosen as one of the thoughtful six, and i am now currently working alongside them on many briefs, seeing how design companies such as Thoughtful work and do there pitches. I think the experience will be amazing and it will help us all when we leave university to get a job.

Something to make you smile

2009-01-22T02:37:00.000-08:00

by Rex The Dog, directed by Geoffroy De Crecy, production company: Partizan.

This is a stop motion animation that i saw on the creative review blog. I love this kind of animation. Sure cheered me up!

Augmented reality

2009-01-12T05:32:00.000-08:00

I was shown this ad by Thoughtful design agency, that Mini Cooper have created it is unbelievable how they have managed to create this. Basically they have created an ad that could go onto the back of magazines. This then when put in front of a web cam on the desired website shows a 3D model on the cooper on the page. This design technique is defiantly something for the future.

Cameron Moll

2008-12-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

I was browsing through the website I love typography when I saw this piece of work by Cameron Moll. The whole image is created purely by type. I think this work is amazing, how such detail can be created.

http://cameronmoll.bigcartel.com/products

Elective 2 - Animation

2008-12-16T03:51:00.000-08:00

This is the Final copy for our Elective 2 Animation Brief. The Brief was to create the opening title sequence, also including a bumper for adverts and the end credits. We created our work using After effects,by making a mask to template a car we were able to place and organize our chosen clips in the windows. The idea worked out well, it was difficult in some areas to get all videos starting and finishing in desired places. but we managed it.

Fudge

2008-12-11T13:07:00.000-08:00

Gavin Bates from Fudge the Graphic design company based in Manchester came in to talk to us about his journey as a Graphic designer. He spoke about what he did as he left college and what he learnt on the way. He explained how he moved to london and worked there after completing a university degree there. He then moved back up to Manchester and started work at Fudge.

The talk itself was based on his work development on a brief from england squash and racket ball. He went through his stages of design and his way of thinking. He also talked about how he pitched his ideas to the board and the problems he faced.

Dan Ingham and Steve Owen

2008-12-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

Dan Ingham and Steve Owen came n on Friday the 28th of November, they had graduated from Stockport College about a year or so ago in the summer of 2007. They talked to us about the experiences they have bin through to get to where they are today. They spoke about the differences from College to the real working environment.

They first of all talked about how at College they made the most of their resources and most of all had fun while doing so. They also talked about their work experiences and meeting potential employers. They gave us tips on how to prepare and what to expect, I found this very helpful.

Electives 2- Animation.

2008-11-25T07:34:00.000-08:00

Animation my second chosen elective, I am currently still working on this project. At this moment in time we have bin learning the different techniques we can use on the program after effects. With these skills we will then have to create a title sequence for our own chosen documentary within small teams. I am working with my friend Hayley and we have chose to redesign the top gear title sequence. This is the work we have produced so far...

Electives 1- Concept studies.

2008-11-25T07:21:00.000-08:00

This year in university we were asked to pick two electives that we would do until christmas. I chose Concept studies and Animation. In concept studies our brief was to make your own brief. This was very challenging. I decided that i would invent something useless, like the work of Chindogu. They invent useless items that never get commercialized they just get made once and then get published in books. My idea was to create an item but instead of just putting it in a book I would create an advertisement campaign for my invention.

It was extremely had to think of things to invent even though i wanted it to be useless. I eventually decided to go for a spider capture idea.

Grant Gilbert

2008-11-25T07:10:00.000-08:00

On Friday the 21st November Grant Gilbert, of Double G Studios, came in to give us a lecture on his work and how from a National Diploma Graphics at Stockport College he has got to the position he is in today.

The work he had bin involved in and created himself was amazing. I especially liked the work he did on channel 4 music. With the neon lights in the dark and using dancers etc..

Barcleona

2008-11-25T06:53:00.000-08:00

With University we went to Barcelona to see the culture and design life style in a different environment. It was a great experience, and I found it was very inspiring to see how different the culture and lifestyle is over there. While we were there we was asked to document our trip using video's and also through photography.

While in Barcelona I went to the Miro Museum. I had never really looked and appreciated his work. But when looking at his work I found it was very influential. Seeing the large sculptures and other such work other than the normal conventional paintings we see everyday, really go my attention.

Truth

2008-11-25T05:44:00.001-08:00

On the 6th November the design agency Truth came in to speak to us and show us there work. They talked about how they got to where they are today, what inspired them to leave the big companies they were involved in and how they coped with the pressures of the free lance design.

This was a piece of work they had been working on, it was the re-branding of the decorating company Fat hog. The work they created was at first frowned upon, but after some consideration Fat Hog decided it was the right thing and it would be the right move for the company. The reason it was frowned upon was that it did not show that it was paint and decoration based. But it was eye catching so it didn't need to.

I liked the work and style of how Truth work as a company. I found there work inspiring, and was thankful for their time and effort to come in and speak to us.

Magazine Brief

2008-11-20T04:03:00.000-08:00

My first brief returning to University was a Magazine project. We were given three different magazine's that we could choose from, two of the magazines are already published magazines and the other would be a brand new magazine that u design from scratch. This meant you would have to find articles that you think were relevant to the style and culture of the magazine. I chose the idea of creating a magazine from new, it was called TED Magazine. My idea was that the Magazine was all about ideas and thinking, so I decided to base the whole magazine upon a notepad theme.

The article I chose was all about ideas generation, about finding that flash of inspiration, your eureka moment. I played with some different ideas of showing imagery related to this and the direction I went with is using sparklers to create images. I did this by using a low shutter speed camera, it was very difficult but the images created were visually eye catching.

Typography brief's

2008-11-20T03:42:00.000-08:00

Following the Manchester Literature Festival project, we developed the idea on to creating a type book that we can use as a group. Each student was given certain page numbers, and were told to create visually pleasing yet still legible designs for a double page spread. Once again we were restricted to using our set typeface, making this project more of a challenge.

2008-11-20T03:34:00.000-08:00

This is a piece of work i created in my first year of University, the brief was to create a poster for Manchester Literature Festival using only typographical imagery. I was given one font to use for this brief, that was Sabon. I found it difficult to be so restricted with using only type but more importantly just the typeface Sabon.