Enterprise Lecture5 Notes.

Progress Tutorial with Lorraine.

BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN	LEVEL	05
Name  KIRSTY FRUIN	Date  25/10/11

PROGRESS TUTORIAL 1

ATTENDANCE – evaluate your attendance and identify any issues that may have affected your ability to be in and on time.	Comments I have attended all the timetabled sessions I should have. I could possibly utilize any non timetabled studio time better, however, living quite far away from college now means I have to take the traveling distance into consideration.
	Insufficient	Satisfactory	Good	Very good	Excellent
ISSUES TO BE DISCUSSED //How to ensure I fully adhere to each of the marked components on each brief in order to achieve the best mark possible. //Are any obvious learning outcomes which I do not seem to be fulfilling?
BLOGS. Evaluate your use of the course Blogs. When documenting, recording and evaluating your work, interests and progress	Comments I need to work on building up my PPD blog, I need to remember to blog any crit feedback I receive on there when doing so on my design practice blog. I also need to build up an archive of design studios, business cards and design work that interest me; I have an awful lot bookmarked on my mac but not blogged as I did not feel they fitted in with my current work (but now know I can blog these onto my  PPD blog). Other than that, I feel I use my blogs considerably well on a day to day basis to ensure that I do not fall behind with my blogging.
	Insufficient	Satisfactory	Good	Very good	Excellent
CURRENT PROGRESS Evaluate the strengths and areas for improvement in your current progress in Level 05 of the programme	Comments My punctuality has ben particularly good on the course so far.  I feel I am beginning to work on ensuring my designs have a concept behind them which is relevant to the task in hand rather than my designs being purely fictional. I have realised it may take me a while to build this concept, however, I produce better designs in doing so. I think my concept building has also already improved, as this was an area of the design process I have struggled with since GCSE stage. I need to explore more design ideas and consider variety before focusing in on one. I need to ensure I remain organized with my all my briefs and work set from workshops as I can envisage how easy it would be to get behind on work if I were to let this slip. I will continue to do so by making regular to do lists and time plans.
	Insufficient	Satisfactory	Good	Very good	Excellent

Student

Staff

ACTION PLAN
Action – Identify specific actions that you intend to take in order to improve or consolidate your current progress	Deadline	Completed
Continue to produce effective time plans and ‘to do lists’ on a regular basis.
Stay longer in college in order to utilise the studio time and college resources available to me.
Produce more primary research.
Write up my notes from contextual studies and enterprise to see if it helps me consolidate my learning.
Ensure my PPD blog is kept up to date and blog any design interest I have on there too.

Frame.

...what a great little video to promote the traditional use of the letterpress.

Time Planning 21/10.

I've got a few days until my progress tutorial and quite a few tasks I want to get done before, so I decided to produced a little plan in order to structure my time.

Enterprise... How will I promote myself?

//Get their attention


To do this I will create business cards which used print based methods to convey what I like in print (emboss, gold foiling, UV spot varnish etc.)

These can be distributed at any art related events or left in places with a spark of creativity such a galleries, art cafes, craft fairs etc.

In addition to this, I already run a blog of my current practice upon the graphic design course at Leeds College of Art, however, I will run a blog (tumblr) in which I blog any design of interest to me. This will enable creative professionals to see the type of design I am interesting in and whether it fits into their ethos. I have set up an account but need to follow this up further and blog regularly.

I could also make a album on Facebook which contains images of my design practice, as after all you never know what connections any of your friends have, or I could make a whole account dedicated to my work.

//Build Their Interest

Following on from this, I could create my very own website to showcase my work; this could be linked to my information section on my Facebook and Tumblr homepage and added onto my business cards as a point of reference.  My website could contain images of my recent work, a mission statement and contact information. Allowing the website to remain simple and low key for now will provide people with the essential information but not make it too hard to manage.
I could also enter my work to be exhibited in various places; for example I recently saw a cafe back at home was asking for artists to exhibit their work, there are also a few independent shops and hairdressers around Leeds which I have noticed exhibiting artwork around their stores.

Approaching these place to enquire about exhibiting my work would be a great technique to showcase my work as you never know who may see it and take an interest in it. I would of course have to consider who would be likely to view my work and in what context (I think some thought provoking screen prints could work for shops and cafes).
Posting my work onto a platform such as Behance, where there is a network of creatives, would be another great way to get my foot in the door; a link to my website could also be linked to my Behance profile as a reference point.

I could also begin to compete for work by entering my designs into live competition briefs, this way I will be able to build up a portfolio of work which is live and relevant to the world.

//Convince Them

The mission statement I include on my website will inform the viewer of the type of design I am interested in (print based media) and the type of designer I see myself as.  From this, the viewer can decide whether they think I will be able to produce the design they require and if I fit their needs. Any work experience I gain can be listed on my website and any live briefs I enter, as this demonstrates I am a practising designer, and any outcomes of those live briefs too. I could also post a link to my Tumblr account, as this will show the viewer what my design interests are; giving them knowledge of my influences and the type of work I aspire to produce.

//Make the offer irresistible

When I am approached by someone to design for them, I am going to need to ensure that the offer I make will make them want commission me to produce the designs for them. Therefore, I need to ensure I get the correct pricing for the job (not too high, but not too low that they think the work I produce will be awful!). I could also offer to produce a few ideas/sketches of designs before they agree to work with me (I will need to ensure I watermark these before sending any designs to anybody ...it's a dog eat dog world out there!!). If I do not feel I can produce the work they require, I could recommend anybody that I knew could; this way the client will realise I am genuine and hopefully come back to me should they ever need any design work that I produce in the future or recommend me to others.

//Close the sale

In order to ensure that the client comes to me and doesn't decide to go to someone else, I will need to ensure that they are happy with the service I am providing them. If there is anything I can add to make the service more suitable for the client, such as a website design as well as business cards, then this could suggested; taking into consideration the increased cost, of course. As well as this, I should ask the client if there is anything in the service I am providing which they feel is lacking; this way I can ensure the client will be happy with the final result I produce. It will be extremely beneficial to do this  before I begin designing rather than after I have completed the work. In providing this extensive client centred service, it will hopefully lead onto the client recommending me to others.

//Reinforce myself


After completing the work I should provide an after sales service; something as simple as a quick phone call to see if everything is okay will ensure that I stay fresh in their heads and that they receive that right impression of me. This could lead onto them recommending me to other people due to the service I provide, supplying me with further mouth-to-mouth promotion.

WHAT IS GOOD//Concept Crit Feedback.

...this was my first piece of feedback from my group after my concept pitch. It is very positive and the only negative criticism is one which I actually flagged up myself as a result of presenting my boards; the lack of a clear definitive target audience. 

...these are the feedback sheets from the two sets of pairs who viewed my work. They are also both positive with some relevant suggestions as to where to take my concept from here.

All in all, I feel it was beneficial for me to have taken that time yesterday evening to reconsider my concept in order to make it more of a live issue relevant to the world today, although it may mean I know have a load of research to be crackin' on with! Best get to it....

Enterprise Lecture4 Notes.

RE:Time Planning.

I sat down to do work today and realised my time plan I produced last week was too vague and I had not  completed many of the tasks I had set myself, so I set about a producing a new plan with more realistic tasks within a more realistic timeframe. I also broke my day down to morning, afternoon and evening in an attempt to make this easier.

Business Card Designs.

I am taken to this design due to the way in which the information stands out from the embossed background...serving its purpose and highlighting the important information.

BLank.

I'll have a studio like this, yes please!!!!! &the work they produce isn't half bad either! Blank.

Enterprise ...Where are they? How will they find me?

As  I am wanting to work for a small creative studio somewhere I do not yet know where the clients I receive will be located, as this will inevitable depend entirely on where I end up working and the clients the company itself receives. However, as far as employers are concerned, I do not wish to live in central London as the hustle and bustle of the everyday London life is just not for me. Nevertheless, I think if the right job came up for me and happened to be in London then I would, of course, consider the opportunity as it would be foolish not to. I think would ideally like to remain up in the north of the country as from what I have experienced, there is a great creative buzz about it with lots of small independent studios working closely together to produce unique work; it is just getting my foot in the door to begin the networking process within these companies. It would also be cheaper for me to live up in the north of the country as costs up here are generally lower than down south.

Potential employers (the majority of small studios) use the internet to promote themselves and this is an platform in which they are given the opportunity to produce a website in which they can inform potential clients of their mission statement and provide them with examples of their style of work and current projects they are working on. From this, a client can then choose whether they wish to contact the design company, using the contact information also provided. Behance is also a common platform in which studios promote themselves to potential cliental; this is a great platform for creative companies as it allows you categorise your work so it can easily be found. Also, Behance is comprised of a range of creative work from both individuals so it provides the basis for networking. As for the work produced by the employer for the cliental, this can range from paper based documents, to banners or web design; yet again all depending on what the client wants and the brief in hand. Consequently, it is important that I become educated on all aspects of design as I do not yet know what will be required of me.

In order to promote myself to potential clients and employers I will need to inform them of my interests (editorial design, packaging and promotion), my skills (inDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator),  the type of work I am capable of producing (portfolio) and contact information (telephone number, email address, website link).  This can be done through business cards (paper based media) and a website (digital media).  My ability to do this will depend on the amount of money I have to spend on producing my business cards. I will have to get them professionally printed on good quality stock if I want them to successfully promote me and my work as they will ultimately say a lot about me and the designs I produce. Technology will also be in factor involved in deciding whether this can be achieved or not as I will require the skills to produce a website.

Example

'Why Not Smile' is a graphic design 'workshop' based in New York. If I were to gain some work experience here I would obviously have to take into consideration flight costs, then once I'm there accommodation costs and everyday expenses such as: food and travelling.

...this is the information continually displayed on the top of each web page. I have chosen this company because they have a focus on printed matter which is one of the areas of design which I am particularly fond of. 

They suggest you contact them by sending them a pdf format portfolio to the email address provided. However, considering they also provide their land address and are a graphic design company, it may be to my advantage, to send them something print based that I have designed myself in addition to the pdf portfolio. In doing this, I am showing that I understand what the company is about and am seriously interested in print based matter. 'Why Not Smile' also provides you with their telephone number, so it may not be a bad idea to approach them by dropping them a little call to tell them that I will be sending my pdf portfolio and something a little extra in the post. Hopefully, this will enable them to see my true interest and dedication I posses already. If I do not hear anything back, I could then drop them a quick email of something quite random (like John said 'a picture of a cat crying!') to get their attention and make them realise that I am still interested. All in all, by taking this approach I am differentiating myself from the others and making myself be known to them; even if it is too much and they do not like my work. At the end of the day, these people are creative professionals so why not have a little fun with them rather than just sending a boring pdf file by email. 

WHAT IS GOOD.. Wrap It Up Crit

Today we had a crit of our packaging designs we had created; in groups of 5 we critted each others work giving our peers written feedback.

This is the feedback I received...

I thought this feedback very fair and after seeing other peoples work in the class I also came up with my own list of how I could improve my designs.

To do list....

We got told today that we had a little time this week to get on and catch up with things we need to do ...I had so much small tasks that need to be done that I made a list of them then wrote a plan for the week.

...let's hope I stick to it!!!!

Enterprise Lecture3 Notes.

Enterprise... Who am I? Who are they?

Graphic Design Client Groups


//Music
//Leisure
//Tourism
//Retail
//Marketing
//Food/Catering
//Health/Medical
//Education
//Editorial
//Publishing
//TV/Film
//Digital Media
//Promotion/Sales
//Charity
//Social

The client group which best represents my current ambitions within in graphic design is publishing and editorial. I have so much appreciation for a publication which has been thoughtfully put together; especially when taking into consideration print processes in order to craft a crisp piece of design.
I enjoy working with type, layout and colour considerably. All these elements can be brought together and utilised to their maximum potential within a publication in order to produce a beautifully crafted piece of design.

In order to produce a successful publication it is most important to be aware of the print processes available to you, knowledge of how to use type in order to effectively convey your message and the application of colour in relation to the impact it will have upon your design. I think I currently have small knowledge of all of these subject areas, however, these skills definitely need to be expanded upon if am going to succeed in producing effective publishing and editorial design. This is occurring through the frequent workshops I am attending on a weekly basis within the course programme; I am definitely learning an awful lot from these sessions, all of which is aiding my development as a graphic designer. In relation to these specific workshops, I feel I need to improve to software skills in order to be able to produce the work I am wanting to. I think and hope this will slowly come together once I begin to work on my designs within each software.

My professional aim is to work for a creative company in a small studio buzzing with enthusiasm and talent; therefore pricing would be dependent upon the company I am working for. I do not feel I would work particularly well solely as a freelance designer due to my need for feedback in order to improve my work and me liking to be around like-minded people who can input and provide me with fresh inspiration. However, I would like to do some freelance work and consequently will be producing my own business cards for anyone interested in my designs to pick up and contact me from. I am open to living either abroad or here in the U.K, I think it would depend entirely on the job opportunities that arise.

Enterprise Lecture2 Notes.

Calculating the cost of living....