LOVE

For the past few weeks a few friends in our class have been using the facilities in Love, a creative agency based in the heart of the Northern Quarter. The idea was for a group of students to work on their final major projects but in a professional environment. So as I knew they were going to be there for a few weeks I thought it was a good link to be able to get my portfolio seen, after a bit of nagging on both ends, Steve very kindly took 20 minutes out of his busy schedule to look through my work and have a chat about my portfolio. I felt a bit guilty, as I knew he had lots on and everyone had pretty much asked him to see me at some stage, but I guess if you don’t try, you don’t get! I’m not sure if it started particularly well, I was very conscious of the time and felt I skimmed over the first two projects a bit quickly. My portfolio wasn’t in the right order either, which was a major foe par but I had been told about the slot to see him a few hours earlier so I explained I had just grabbed my portfolio and dashed out of the house, so he didn’t seem too put off.

The first project was the ‘Ritz’ redesign, he was really interested by the ‘Christmas snowflake’ idea and felt the two other flavours could have a stronger idea to them potentially. He said they worked well on the shelf to stand out against their competitors and look good visually but they feel weaker compared to the idea behind the Christmas edition. He felt it was good to show brand extension and he liked the extended name of ‘Bitz’ but felt the pack design didn’t link up to the initial redesign enough to tie them together as the same brand, saying they almost looked rushed compared to the main packs. I understand this as I feel the look of the ‘Bitz’ packs is missing something. I know I will be changing the logo and I definitely think something additional can be done to link them better with the initial boxes. He liked the tear, which emulates a bite-mark but said that could even be bigger to highlight it more.

Next I showed him the Helvetica Neue editorial spread and the V&A end sting. He though the editorial spread was good but struggled to say anything more about it because it is what it is. I have had this before and agree but still asked him whether it should still be a part of the folio and he said yes because it shows understanding and visually looks good. He said a similar thing about the end sting but felt it probably didn’t need to be in there. He liked the flicker book and said that the design was neat and looked great but in terms of selling a big idea that it again was pretty self-explanatory and could maybe be passed up.

We talked through the 7x7 book but I was aware that Mike had already shown him this project so I very briefly skimmed over the details of the brief again. He really liked the design of the book and said it had a really nice flow to it. In terms of the poster he talked about ways I can give the poster an idea without changing the design too much and suggested using the circle and cross as a focus point. The point he was making I think is if there’s not necessarily an idea there: create one!

We talked lots about the Ted Baker brief; he feels I need to find a way to sum the brief up in one sentence, even if it is creating a different title for the brief, saying it’s about making it work for the portfolio and he’s right. The Ted Baker project always throws up a problem in explaining it and although the visual aid helps, maybe changing the title of the project could help it further. He was really interested in the packaging of the shoe tins and said he would really like to see how this develops further such as the inside of the tin box, how would they be contained etc, which is very much do-able then he said he would prefer to see more of the in-store concepts and felt the app was un-needed. He took an opposite opinion to the obsession of showing digital in a portfolio and the new craze of that is showing an app. He liked the idea of visualising the shoe on your own feet but then felt I could do more interesting things with the Tea theme. He even suggested a brief such as Twinning’s creating a range of shoes that would be sold in Ted Baker, which I thought was quite an interesting idea. There is definitely more work to be done on this project, I will probably keep in the app because I think it does have a nice idea in which is practical and clever.

The last project was the London Pasta festival and he really liked the idea saying it had a bit of work to be done on it but was a really strong image, suggesting I drop the plate and typography almost and focus solely on that graphic of the river, and look to create other London landmarks out of pasta, we then discussed some other ideas/options I had for it and a bit of my final major project and he said if I wanted any feedback or help with my last project to give him a shout.

He said he thought I had quite a strong portfolio and there were some really nice ideas in there with a good understanding for print. His best suggestion was making sure I tailor my portfolio when going to agencies and to do my homework on what kind of work they do and how they work. I think Steve’s approach was very honest and he wasn’t afraid to tell me when something wasn’t working and why, so there’s lots for me to think about.

True North

( Source | www.thisistruenorth.co.uk)

I had a visit set up for True North today, a contact I made through my placement in London. I was looking forward to it following my meeting at TBWA. I felt a lot happier with the way my portfolio sat and was curious to see what advice I could get to really push it. I saw Matt who has been with company for 9 years and he was great, really friendly and easy to get along with. We had a chat about my placement and the guy who put us both in contact, but also about 3rd year, which was good as a starting point. We quickly dived into my portfolio and what was really great from the start is how much detail he was looking at the project in, and really getting to grips with what the project's were about.

We started with the Ritz project, which I think he really understood that our main concept was to push the unique shape of the cracker and to have packaging that draws your attention and sets itself apart on the shelf. We talked through the project and the choices we had made regarding the logo/pack designs he said really positive things about the way we were thinking and how we had applied it saying that it was brave to design something so graphic for that type of product and it would definitely be eye catching on the shelf. He talked about having the three flavours all next to each other and keeping the christmas editions as separate elements on a new page. In terms of the Bitz, I talked about previous comments made about the size of the logo and we discussed ways that could be altered to make it have a slightly different look.

We talked through the helvetica brief and we talked about how it was important to be able to use typography in a creative way and he believed the layout showed great understanding of not only the typeface but also in the structure. He thought it was difficult to arrange type in the way I had done so with a range of different column sizes and vertical and horizontal blocks of text. I think the brief almost speaks for itself in terms of what it aims to achieve, but he mentioned it would be nice to see other examples of editorial work or maybe even some of the poster designs that we had done around the same time.

(Source | www.thedrum.co.uk)

We talked quite a bit about the V&A end sting, as he was really looking into the detail of every project, he actually made me feel really passionate about the idea again! The initial concept was to keep the elegance of the V&A logo and to bring it together in a way that mimicked the symmetry that designer Alan Fletcher had created. Matt really picked up on this and really highlighted the fact that it had been kept elegant and clean and said he could imagine this on a website or after an advert, easily. He appreciated the difficulty of trying to express something within a 5 second window but for the fact I could have gone in any direction, he thought I'd chosen something that really epitomised what the V&A Museum is all about. I then decided to talk to him about my thoughts on taking it out of my portfolio and the reasons that I didn't know whether it was needed/didn't have enough to say about it . He seemed to think it was a great little project that did show an understanding of design and working with a big identity but also keeping something neat and simplistic. At the same time he pointed out that I should only keep it in if I felt confident about it and the idea. I guess up until now I've lost a bit of passion about it but after talking to Matt or rather hearing him talk about it to me, It's definitely made me relook at it and actually realise that there is a good idea in there and it shows if anything else that I know how to apply design over not just print based artifacts.

We moved onto the 7x7book and talked through the process of working with other people and the importance of having a live brief to give you a real understanding of real deadlines and what's actually required. However he really felt that the book and poster didn't connect as well as they could do and he said he could tell the book wasn't printed to the same quality all the way through and as a result of that looked almost like it could look amazing - but doesn't. He thought it was a great way to show an experience but as design work, he had seen more in my portfolio that would suggest I didn't need to include it. There's definitely lots in that that I agree with. I still struggle with the quality of the book, even though plenty of designers have said they hardly realised the printing mistakes, it still makes me highlight the experience side of the project instead of the design side. I find myself almost ignoring the design elements of the book because I find it easier.

(Source | www.effectivedesign.org.uk)

Ted Baker was the next brief and again I was trailing my all new mood board to introduce the concept and idea. He was really into the concept and thought the packaging was really strong. He liked the quirky elements of the patterns and the tea theme and thought there was real legs in the in-store/window display arrangements. but felt I could definitely show more elements over more boards. With showing inside the tins to show how the shoes would sit and possibly some other forms of promotional items, like store bags, direct mail etc. This has really made me think of how to extend the project. All the elements are there it's just a case of bringing them together to show how I can apply the idea over different things. Matt really made a point of showing as much as possible of how an idea can work over different platforms and I think I could definitely show more of this for the project. He loved the idea behind the app and thought it was presented clear and well. He thought the app icon page was maybe a little unnecessary as one or two elegant designs would suffice and he wasn't sure whether the changeable interface was even possible.

He also gave me great advice how to improve the layout of the project, he thought the idea of an introductory page with visual stimuli was great but could be arranged in a better way toi really explain my train of thought. (Ted Baker + Tea = Tea Baker) Using this as a way of explaining how I got to that fusion, then really giving the project breathing space by then having the identity 'Tea Baker' on its own page then feeding that into the packaging, instore concepts and then the app. He believes this would make presenting the project a lot easier and it would create suspense and build momentum to the flow of the presentation. I couldn't agree more with that. I have always been conscious of how many pages you should have per project and he explained that sometimes a project needs space and why not, if it's something your proud of you should want to spread it out. He also thinks it would allow the audience to really consume the designs without me having to explain the concept, logo and designs all in one go. This I think would help with me talking less and letting the designer really soak up the project.

The last project was the london pasta festival, which was one of the pieces that was sent over to Matt previous to him getting in touch. Similarly to Craig Oldham, this was the brief that really caught his attention and made him want to see me. He said it was the simplicity in the idea and with a bit of tweaking it would be there as a really strong identity. He suggested getting rid of the logo designs on the side of the page and focussing on the concept - giving me some ideas on how to push that, branching out on the pasta festival idea. We spoke about how it would be good to then see how that would work over stationary, bags, side of a van etc. He said it would show my ability to take an identity and visualise it across different platforms. As my final major project has taken a different route I want to retain this idea and develop it because I think it is strong and has potential.

Matt then went back through each project and told me ways to improve the portfolio his suggestion was to break up my big projects to flow over as many pages as they needed. E.g. the Ritz project he suggested that the old logo and new logo should be on the first page then the 3 boxes on the second with the Christmas editions after on their own page with the brand extension last. This allows me to get my explanation out of the concept and idea then not have to over talk as they look at the packaging and how I have applied that concept. This feels like it would work really well for Ritz, Ted Baker and Pasta Festival (once it has been developed) He strongly suggested taking out the 7x7 book as it felt weak in comparison to the other projects. As I feel more confident about the V&A end sting I am definitely considering this, although I do like having tactile things in my portfolio - the book might not be the right answer. He gave me lots of really helpful ways of allowing the portfolio to flow and I felt I got some really genuine feedback from him, which is not always something that transpires out of portfolio visits. He said he was looking forward to how the portfolio has changed for the next time I see him so all hands on deck with making it as good as possible.

TBWA - Manchester

(Source | www.tbwamanchester.com)

Previous to my visit at TBWA I had received some tough feedback on my work so I was a little nervous about how it was going to go, but I had made quite a few changes to some of the projects and felt that the portfolio as a whole had a better consistency to it. So very much mixed feeling before I got there. Their building is right around the corner from my house in Didsbury and right next door to my old playgroup in an wonderfully renovated church. The agency had a brilliant buzz to it, really spacious but with all the character of the church still in tact. I met with Grace and another colleague called Richard. We spent a large amount of time talking about where I was up to, so covering the course, we talked about my placement and what I want to do when I finish. We then got onto the subject of what is expected of students when they leave University and how important they feel having some basic digital knowledge is. Suggesting that if I get an online website set up or experiment with that it would show a basic understanding of what is considered a necessary area now. I really agree with this although I wouldn't really know where to start but it's definitely something that will only be beneficial so definitely before the end of the year I would like to get some help setting it up! They also talked about how important Photoshop skills are, this is a bit scary because I don't feel too confident with photoshop, I know the basics but no where near to a decent level, and this is the 2nd time very recently that Photoshop has been highlighted as the 'one to know' However saying that, they both didn't expect juniors to be the finished article and said it was as much about picking things up but good technical skills definitely helped. Most of my portfolio visits seem to start in the same way with a big chat about design or something regarding my experiences with the course or industry and I think this really helps settle into the visit. It's always a bit daunting just turning up and showing a stranger your work, so most of the time the chat is a great way to suss each other out and get rid of nerves.

We then dived into the portfolio with my Ritz project at the beginning. I made the decision of taking out the new shots of the new packs that we sent off for the competition mainly because I didn't feel they were as strong as the set of three (original, cheese and snowflake) and I knew straight away I had made the right decision as I felt more confident talking about it. They both really liked the redesign and thought the brand extension was a great way to see how we can push an idea. They did pick up on the fact the 'Bitz' logo didnt match up with the logo on the pack, which is something that needs addressing. They felt the packs looked really clean and professional though and that was good to hear because I have been toying with changing them.

We looked at the Helvetica Neue and the V&A end sting after and these were two that I felt unsure about after some feedback that poised them as generic university projects, however the editorial spread received great comments with them, they said it was clear to see that I really understood the best way to utilize the typeface and thought the structure was spot on. The V&A end sting went down well also but I'm not sure what place it has in the portfolio. I like the fact that it has the flick book to accompany it as it gives them something tactile to look at but I struggle with what to say about it, because it is what it is. I'm not sure whether that's ok and maybe it doesn't need to have a big explanation. I would love to have all the sketched up ideas that went along because I feel the idea's there would be better to talk through.

We talked through the 7x7 brief and they thought it was great to have some experience dealing with different teams of people and a great way to gauge the realistic turn around time for printers etc, they liked the layout of the book and the two colour flow of the book, but felt the poster could have incorporated some of the 7x7 graphics of the front cover as they felt like two separate elements and the circle didn't tie it together enough.

(Source | www.tbwamanchester.com)

The Ted Baker brief was the one I was most unsure about talking through. The concept is a bit out of the box and up until now it had been always a bit of a chore, so I decided to throw together a mood board to introduce the project a bit better with visuals that fed straight into our ideas and the way we approached the brief. This worked really well I felt I could talk about the concept much easier and it felt as if they understood it straight away too. They thought the project really highlighted the quirky nature and detail in their clothes/shoes in a way that made them the focus - which they admitted they had never realised before. They felt the app could really work as it taps into a consumers needs and they felt visualising the shoes was a nice touch.

The final project was the London Pasta festival. This makes its return after some absence, I guess I felt as if the project showed a nice idea and eventually I will be showing my final major project, which will be a follow on from this idea so it felt it was time. I also felt like I needed another project in and this felt by the end of showing the work that it was the right amount of projects. They liked the idea and really like the logo idea's in particular the type arranged around the circle as if it was the knife and fork but said the overall simplicity was what really made it interesting.

We rounded up by me enquiring how to make my portfolio interview ready. I think I am at a stage now where feedback is always welcomed but I now need to know specifics about how to make my collection of work communicate better and worthy of a job. They suggested to tailer my portfolio and said to set myself a small project that maybe stressed certain area's such as for their agency they would expect to see a bit more editorial work so maybe redesigning and fold out leaflet or publication. Mainly just know the company your going to and tailor your work for them. Do your research. I think this is really important and at the same time sometimes you have no idea what is going to go down well and not. I feel I could have shown lots of work from my 2nd year with the water brief newspaper spreads and even my designed typeface and specimen sheets and they would have really enjoyed to see that where as other places it would have been slightly lost. They suggested to keep rough work with me for interviews as it shows my process of thinking which is something I do anyway, so that was a comfort.

Generally I think I'm back at a stage where I feel areas of my portfolio are working well. I am keen to get some initial final major project ideas in there to see what feedback I can get and maybe see where that steers me. They both said they would be interested for me to come in and do a small placement in the summer when I finish and just keep them updated so I intend on sending over some of my fmp to get feedback and hopefully return with something digital at the end of my degree to impress them.

The Chase - Manchester

Source | www.thechase.co.uk

Last year I got a bit trigger happy doing portfolio visits and During my little feedback spree in London I visited The Chase where I got some really great advice on how to get the best out of my portfolio and also how to make the content relevant. I decided therefore to get in contact with The Chase in Manchester, as I thought it would be great to see how they compared and also to see how the reaction to my work differed, a year on. My visit was with Lise, who has been at the company well over 20 years and is only the second visit which I have had a woman look at my work, which was a nice change.

Coincidentally Lise and another colleague had been into Stockport the day early working with the Illustration students. Looking through their work and talking about how they work with Illustrators, this was great as it gave us a topic to start talking about straight away. It felt really comfortable talking to Lise and we talked lots about the Illustration course and our merge in the final year, that then spread onto talking about the structure of the Stockport course in general comparing that to Bristol (my previous uni) and the course she studied at MMU. We ended up nattering away for ages just about what we both perceived to be the best ways of being taught design, this was all taking place in the waiting area, where they have sofa's and tables and chairs and when Lise arrived she just joined me on one of the tables, which at first felt as if I was

a bit exposed because it was a little bit echoey and very quiet but in the end was fine!

Source | www.thechase.co.uk

We talked through my projects and it wasn't so much a break down of each project more a general talk about how and why I had chosen certain outcomes. She really liked the idea behind the Ritz and Ted Baker brief saying the Ted Baker pages needed a little more imagery to help the explanation of the project, which I know is something I have needed to address for a while. The Helvetica Neue editorial spread again went down well. I guess it's the project that has lasted the longest in my portfolio and I have got to the stage where I am starting to question whether it should still be in there - mainly because it's a 1st year project but whether that matters or not I don't know. It still seems to be well accepted and I think its the best project that shows my understanding of type, maybe because I am so used to talk about it, it almost seems dated! She thought the end sting was a nice touch and making it into a flicker book was a great way to be able to show it visually. We had a good laugh about the 7x7 book as she had obviously seen and heard a lot from her previous day with our illustration students. She recognised the challenge that we faced working with not only other creatives but also class mates. She didn't feel the printing quality of the book hindered the

way it looked too much but understood how that would have effected certain individuals and maybe how we reflect on the overall project. I definitely feel at a stage where I can enjoy talking about the book and actually like it as piece of work. (Took long enough)

Before I came in for my visit I had mentioned that I was going on a placement so Lise, really kindly gave me lots of advice and generally just let me feel a bit more at ease about the whole thing. She talked through what they expected from the students they get in and the bottom line seemed to be enthusiasm and the willingness to learn and get involved. I talked to her about my worries and my reservations about the length of time I was there and the fact I was going to be paid but she just said not to worry and to be myself and try and get involved as much as poss. It was great to hear that from someone of her stature and experience because it's easy to get carried away and over think the situation ahead but her little pep talk was great and exactly what I needed. We also spoke about me spending abit of time at The Chase at some point which would be brilliant. We obviously realised with me being away for 4 weeks of my major project that it wouldn't be till the summer but I am going to try and fit it in just after we hand our work in and before our end of year show. The visit was great if more for the things that we spoke about and the topics we covered, rather than direct feedback on my projects. I think it's helped my confidence with the way I communicate with creatives and I feel I'm starting to build a nice range of contacts.

JPMH Portfolio Visit

My second portfolio visit in London was at JPMH, an agency I found out about through a friend of mine I used to live with in Bristol. His brother was one of the starting members of the agency. The portfolio side of the visit went pretty quickly with no real indication of how to push the projects further, which was a bit of a shame, I wasn't really sure what was the best thing to do in that situation as most of the visits I have all stemmed around the work. The comments that I received were more on what would be expected in a portfolio for an interview, and in particular the need for digital work, which is something that has cropped up again and again. I'm pleased that I have started looking at how to integrate the digital aspect of projects with the Ted Baker brief but will definitely try and set up something online before I finish the course.

We had a really interesting chat about his choice to move to London and how difficult he found it to get a job at first (especially not living in London at the time) he found companies didn't think he was willing to commit to the job until he did, which is now something I have to consider if I am serious about working in London when I finish. He also spoke to me about what their junior designer does and what is expected of him at his level, which was useful. He said that they try and keep him as connected with the bigger jobs as much as possible and give him tough tasks to manage but will allow slightly longer on briefs.

I think initially I was a bit disappointed with the way the visit went because I didn't really receive much direct feedback but in fact some of the things he was talking to me about in terms of his path from graduating to getting a job was really helpful and learning about how JPMH operate as an agency was really interesting.

jpmh showreel from Motion Graphics JPMH on Vimeo.

Springetts Portfolio Visit

The first portfolio visit I had in London was with Jon Vallance and a colleague of his at Springetts. I was put in contact with Jon after he got in touch with one of our tutors: as he happened to be an ex-student. I knew initially that they were looking for students/graduates for a series of placements, which for the first time in a while made me really nervous about showing them my work. I guess it felt like something was at steak. In the exchange of emails he had asked me to take along some development work to show the process of my ideas, which I had never been asked before so I had a rummage around and thankfully had still kept everything from first/second year.

We had a brief chat at the beginning about the course and where Jon had studied which instantly got rid of the nerves I began talking through my projects (trying as best as possible to hold back and not talk too much – although I’m not sure how successful I was) they both asked lots of questions as i went through each brief.

The briefs that stuck out were the Ritz, book and pasta festival. The Ritz was a great talking point as it's not only an ongoing project but also works with a redesign of a brand. They really liked my approach using the shape as the key focus of the idea and thought the colour palate worked really well and was vibrant and fresh. They told me not to get too bogged down with information on and around the box and said at this stage it was really nice to see it as it is. We discussed lots of other ways I could take the project with regards to my special edition idea so not only concentrating on a Christmas edition but maybe an easter edition or summer edition to keep the brand fresh and interesting. This I thought could be a nice idea to integrate into a campaign running alongside the boxes aswell.

It was really interesting to hear their opinions of the book, they didn't seem to think the quality of it was hindered by the printing and actually really liked it. We talked lots about the experience and how it was all beneficial. They thought the link between the book and the poster was nice and noticed the detail in the circle on the poster to mimic the screen printed style.

We had a good chat about the pasta festival brief and they both highlighted ways I could really have fun with the project and really use the pasta as the source of more london landmarks in a similar way, even suggesting making a book out of it so steering away from the packaging aspect of it.

I showed them the Helvetica editorial spread and the Font Struct specimen sheet. They were both really positive about the layout aspect of the designs and liked the concept behind the typeface. What they found more beneficial was actually looking through all my early scamps of the editorial brief and seeing where my idea's began and where I then chose to take them. We then spoke alot about the importance of being able to see where the ideas come from and not just the final product and it's something more and more agencies are looking for so its something to bear in mind for further visits.

Towards the end of the visit they asked me what my opinion on placements was and whether I would be interested in doing a 4 week one there. I explained that although it would cut into my final year and I would have to check it over with my tutors, I still felt 4 weeks experience was something that could only help me get a job at the end and if it hinders my mark slightly then that's something I would have to sacrifice. I have to wait to hear from them about if I can definitely do it as they need to double check the amount of people they already have but fingers crossed I will get it because it seems like it would be a really good opportunity to open a few doors, especially in London.

Source: All pics (www.springetts.co.uk)

Design By Day - Portfolio Visit

Source: www.designbyday.co.uk)

Earlier this week I went on a portfolio visit to a small creative agency in Manchester called Design By Day. I had initially tried to arrange a visit towards the end of last year but due to busyness at both ends we were never able to settle on a date. The whole idea of going to Design By Day was born out of an idea that me and a friend on the Moving image course had about receiving feedback from practitioners in different areas. We both felt that as design practices are collaborating more and more it would be a good idea to check out somewhere that does just that. Design By Day consists of just two young designers, Angela and Louise who graduated from Salford University not too many moons ago and use Angela's expertise in moving image with Louise's background in print and love for branding to base the foundations of a wonderful little agency!

Matt and I were greeted by Louise at the door and guided through Islington Mill, which I had heard about before but never realised how much actually went on inside. The studio was quite small but really homely, with ephemera littering the walls and quirky props dangling from the celling. We had a little chat to begin with about the course and where we were both up to. Then we began looking through my portfolio first. Angela arrived just as I was starting.

Source: (www.designbyday.co.uk)

It was the first time talking about a few of the projects i.e. Ritz and 7x7 Book, so that was a little different They both seemed to really like the packaging ideas for Ritz and we spoke abit about how the packaging can sometimes sell the product on its own. Louise made a really valid comparison to when Hovis redesigned the outside of their bread packs to just beans, she said that instantly put her off buying it even though she knew the product was good. They both said they would have been interested to see the 'play on scale' example as they said it sounded really interesting. So I think I will try and sort that out for the next visit. The 7x7 book was a bg talking point too as they really liked the book and the poster and found it really interesting how we had over come so many problems and worked with a range of different people. They said having a real brief often taught you more about the way you work and making mistakes was a key part of becoming a designer.

As I have stripped down my portfolio to only 5 projects it felt strange that it was over a lot quicker than I expected. They really liked the Helvetica Neue double page spread and actually commented more on the book cover than other people usually do, which was nice as I often forget it exists. The V&A end sting also went down well with them both enjoying being able to see the storyboard come to life through the flip book. They agreed that the 'London Pasta Festival' idea needed pushing further but really like the simplistic idea and the use of Italian restaurants around the river to form the plate, even suggesting it could form as a map. One thing that was suggested was to try and place the idea onto some packaging and see how that would work.

I was then able to sit and listen to Matt talk about his work which was fantastic, it made me really pleased that I decided to go with someone on another pathway apposed to someone else from Graphics. Not only to see his work but to listen to what advice they were giving him. After that we sat and casually chatted to them and another one of their friends that was currently in her final year at Salford for a good hour. Other projects we had done cropped up in conversation such as the Door(way) and Water brief and also other students that had previously been to see them. It was great to feel completely comfortable talking about our interests and how we felt the course was going and what we want when we finish.

DBD Showreel 2010 from Design By Day on Vimeo.

Music

Over the past few weeks I have been pestering Craig Oldham to take a look at my work and was pretty chuffed when he invited me to Music to have a look at my portfolio. Again I was pretty nervous about going as I regard the work both Music and Craig have done to be pretty amazing! Because Craig is pretty much the easiest person to get on with we had a decent chat about what I had been up to, where about I was up to in the course which was good, he is familiar with the college and has seen many previous students from years above which was a talking point when we spoke about a few projects. I began talking through my projects and we stopped to chat about the various ideas and design decisions etc. He picked out the Helvetica brief and Pasta festival from the PDF I sent him as the reason why he'd asked me to come in and spoke highly of the decisions i had made when creating the Helvetica Neue spread, saying I had really captured the typeface at its strengths with the grid, colour, layout etc. We skimmed past the T-shirt designs and he later said they don't say alot about me as a designer and if I'm honest I struggle talking about them as enthusiastically as other projects so i think I will probably take them out! A new addition to my portfolio is the V&A end sting (well the story board and flick book) Craig seemed to enjoy playing with the flicker book and said it was nice to have in my portfolio, We spoke at length about the photography project and the 'unfolding' idea, I realised I had put the wrong image of one of the leaflets in (major foepar) but he like the idea of folding something back to reveal information and we talked about other ways to push the idea such as making the poster interactive or looking at other things that naturally fold in the environment! He liked the specimen sheet and said although it didn't say anything personal about me as a designer that the typeface was interesting and the choice of colours and layout brought the best out of the type. We had abit of a chat about the Door(way) brief and he really liked the attention to detail and the photographs of the box and said visually it looked great. He was abit wary of its relevance in my portfolio from a graphic point of view. The Pasta festival was a great opportunity to get some advice in where to direct the project, we spoke about how it could work in a graphic sense but then also how to give it an organic feel. He suggested strongly that i end the portfolio with that project as it is a great talking point as it is an ongoing project. He suggested removing the plate from the poster and just having the spaghetti river shape to exist on its own to really engage its audience and making them stop and think. He thought it was best not to over complicate the logo and thought removing the circle and shape of the river all together was the best solution and to just have the logo as just type. I liked the idea of simplifying the poster to force the audience to think more about it! The final piece i showed him was the Water brief which he really liked and was interested to know about how i had reached the final outcome. we also spoke about other ways to develop the project and other suggestions how to show the contrast in the opinions from each society, he thought the nature of the brief had restricted me in the length i could go with the final piece.

A few things he said as an overall was that the portfolio was presented well and that having ideas and being able to communicate them was the most important thing they look for, both of which he felt i could do. He picked up on a few things like the boarder around the story board but pointed out that niggling at them meant he had little other complaints with the work which was great. he said if anything i had a few too many projects in the portfolio which was always better than having too little! we spoke about the ones worth getting rid of and at the end said he would see how much work they have on over the summer and try and get me in the studio, which is amazing. Overall the place was great, the studio is very creative. i spent a few moments looking through their book they have made called "Stuff we really like" which had a bunch of stuff in it that i really liked! Craig was great and it was brilliant to hear his thoughts on my work!

The Chase - London

My final portfolio visit in London was at The Chase, an opportunity that came about from my tutor Guy putting me in contact with Chris. I was extremely nervous about going to the chase, due to its stature as a design agency and was pleased i'd had a few visits under my belt to give me abit of practice and confidence before i went. When i arrived we had a brief talk about the corse at Stockport, how it was run and how it compares to other corses. He asked me how i had arrived at the want to do design and where my interests stemmed from.

Going through my portfolio he let me talk through each brief whilst he asked me questions then at the end gave me his overall opinion. He really liked the editorial double page spread using Helvetica Neue, although he said he didn't consider himself an expert on typography he understood good use of layout and structure. We talked alot about the inclusion of the Howies t-shirts, Chris felt they were a weak feature of the portfolio and should be removed. This was quite interesting as i have had relatively positive feedback about the t-shirts however there isn't much to say about them, which sometimes is okay when the idea sells itself. Chris suggested to only include t-shirt designs if the idea was really amazing. Chris really liked the idea behind the photography brief and the title 'Unfolding' he said the wall behind is unnecessary as he understand how the poster would exist. He definitely said the typeface lets the piece down so after many people saying the same thing its something i intent to change.

He seemed quite interested in the Door(way) project and really liked how we came to the decision of cutting down the door, he did however feel as a designer it was a personal project so almost unable to comment on it. He thought it was good to have in the portfolio as i spoke very enthusiastically about the project and suggested having one page with just the open cube and the second page with a blow up of the inside of the cube to show the detail.

When i showed him the typeface i created, again he pointed out his lack of typography knowledge but really liked the design, the idea behind it and things i had been looking at to get inspiration, he then talked about a similar project he did at uni and how to further develop the idea onto a product. My final project was the Water brief, he thought the brief was a little unrealistic to what you would expect in industry but thought the way i chose to communicate my research was great. He asked me lots of questions about how i reached the outcome and my decisions along the way and what i would change etc. Again he highlighted it as quite a personal project yet the story behind it is nice.

After we had looked through all my work we had a chat about the portfolio as a whole and he suggested to have 5 key areas such as layout, advertising, idea based etc and said that he would have rather seen more slides of certain projects over things like the t-shirt brief which was interesting. e.g he suggested to spread the editorial and front cover over two pages instead of just the one.

Considering they were very busy chris spent over an hour talking with me which i was really appreciative of, and was the perfect end to a great few days in London.

Steel

As i was heading down to London i thought it was a great opportunity to go back to where i did my placement in October to STEEL the digital design agency and get some feedback. I was probably more nervous about returning back there as i had spent time in and around the members of the team so expected some very honest feedback. I knew I was having a meeting with Nick Bennet before i went who is one of the partners of the company and head of the creative studio. Upon arrival Nick informed me he was giving me a formal interview which certainly put a twist on what i was expecting and the outcome was actually brilliant.We sat in one of the interview room which was quite surreal and he began by asking me why i had chosen to come to STEEL, what the appeal was. What was great about the way Nick approached the meeting was he not only asked me 'interview-style' questions but also guided me through why certain questions are important. E.g to make sure you have researched into what the company is, how it operates, its clients etc. We had quite a lengthy chat before i even opened my portfolio about the industry, where i'd like my career to go, pinpointing what we believe Graphic design to actually be etc, it was great.

Every project i showed Nick he asked me a multitude of questions, he wanted to understand how and why i had made certain design decisions, this was good for me as its the first time i have really had to justify every single detail, which he seemed really happy with the way i could explain things. He picked up again on the strong use of layout shown throughout the portfolio and also the editorial and font specimen sheet. He really liked the idea behind the photography brief yet felt the typography completely undersold the piece, suggesting the typography needed to have the same impact that helvetica neue had on the editorial pages, where the titles was powerful but didn't disturb the background. He absolutely loved the Door(way) brief, he thought the idea, concept, hands on approach were all really great and added something different to my portfolio. He then delved into lots of questions about how i work individually and within a team, giving me scenarios and problems to solve on the spot. which again was great practice for me to start answering those types of questions but also a great confidence boost to realise he agreed with my answers. We had a lengthy discussion on how to improve the pasta festival project, he was hesitant that the idea was becoming too graphical and was keene to get an organic feel back in to the poster, otherwise he absolutely loved the idea. He said that i should definitely include the pictures of the real pasta on the plate for further interviews as it really communicates the idea.Finally we came to the water brief and again he asked me lots of questions and was quite impressed with the outcome and decisions i had made about certain elements of the newspapers. The only unfortunate aspect was the writing in each of the newspapers didn't match the style of the front covers, which is something that has cropped up when speaking to people about them, this was something unavoidable at the time as the front covers were completely a last minute addition to the pieces but is definitely something worth considering if i return back to the project to retouch it.

Overall Nick was brilliant, he acted in a really professional manner, kept me on my toes by asking me some tough questions which really put me on the spot, i think this was a great way to approach it for me as it was completely different to the other visits i had had. A piece of advise he gave me was to try and include something digital in my portfolio by the time i leave or set up a professional website to use instead of my blog, which is something i am definitely considering.

Very Studio

After walking back and forth past this pub for about 10 minutes I gave the studio a quick ring to see where they'd hidden it and it turns out its just above the pub!! I had the visit with Richard and we sat downstairs in the pub, which was abit surreal. We had a brief chat about what i had been up to, what sort of thing we had been doing so far this year etc. Rich was dead down to earth so I found it pretty easy to chat to him. Initially i went through my portfolio explaining each brief and how i had tackled each project then at the end he gave me feedback. On the whole i felt it was really positive, he commented on the attention to detail and layout that ran throughout the portfolio and was pleased with the small amount of explanation used. He suggested over the next year to define the order of the portfolio better and to maybe think about introductory pages before the Water and Door(way) brief. He really liked the pasta festival idea and we had a good chat about how that project can be taken further looking at creating Italian landmarks and making them out of pasta then putting them against a London backdrop. The only other thing he mentioned was maybe reducing the Water brief down to two slides instead on three as it was better to communicate it in that way.

Overall he gave me some great advise. We had a great chat about living in London and the benefits he has had as a designer moving to the capital. He happened to be on the same corse as Craig Oldham and know James from Thoughtful too so we had abit of a chat about them and the degree at Stockport too.

Pat Carroll

During my time doing Visual Communication in Art Foundation. I was fortunate to be taught by Pat Carroll, who was a member of Central Station Design Agency which was the face of factory records and the music scene that Manchester controlled. I have begun to contact quite a few agencies and am preparing to leave the 'Stockport College nest' so before i do i thought it would be a good idea to utilize the talent around and get as much practice in as possible so i arranged to see Pat to show him my work.

Showing Pat my work was a great idea. He talked through every project with me asking me exactly what my trains of thought were and how i approached each project. We spoke lots about how my pasta festival brief can be furthered and the importance of making the logo work at logo size! He really liked the diversity in projects i had and thought that i communicated the ideas behind the projects really well which has given me a massive confidence boost. What was really interesting was he picked up on the 'Perspective' photography project that i was abit unsure of after my first meeting with Chris, he said the second idea was alot more interesting and i was more enthusiastic about the 'unfolding' idea so this reconfirmed to me that it was better out than in.

Thoughtful

After the presentation from Chris and Stuart from Thoughtful I stayed in touch and arranged a portfolio visit with Chris. As this was going to be the first time I showed my work to someone who wasn't directly involved with Uni I was understandably a bit nervous, however as soon as i got into the studio i felt quite comfortable in the surroundings and with Chris.He suggested I talk through each project then at the end he would then go through and give me feedback. I felt quite confident talking through the projects. It was refreshing telling a new person about the briefs we had and why I chose certain outcomes. I quickly realised from talking about the projects in that environment that there were one or two that weren't as strong as the others and that i didn't enjoy talking about as much.

Chris then went through each project and gave me some great feedback. He suggested ways i could improve the layout of a few of the pages, such as having a few more pictures of the inside of my 3D box and maybe having a large picture on A3 of the full box. He advised me of how to make a few projects stand out more. What i found really helpful is he highlighted the project i began to have doubts about when i was talking about it and he talked me through why he believed it was the weaker of two ideas and i should leave it out. This was great as i agreed with him on most of his points.

Overall the experience was a real pleasure and it left me feeling confident that the ideas in my projects were good and that i didn't have as much to worry about as i had thought.