Need to do some planning..

Just sat down at my desk and realised that I have soooo much work to do.


So I decided that instead of stressing about it and starting to do something then ending up starting something else, I decided that I needed an action plan for the rest of the week. 
Here it is then:


Tonight (31/1):

1. Watch film on The Postman Always Rings Twice.
2. Make notes on themes and ideas.
3. Research relationship between China and USA.
4. Write a brief for the project.

Tuesday (1/1):

1. Attend Lecture at 10.
2. Research sources mentioned in Essay Brief.
3. Consider ideas for Essay.
4. Make an essay plan.

Wednesday (2/1):

1. Attend Add+Vantage Module lecture.
2. Create some artwork for Book Cover.
3. More research on individual pages for website.

Thursday (3/1):

1. At some point during the day, attend meeting set up.
2. Analyse book cover designs in sketch book and think about improvements.
3. Start to create artwork for design of website pages.

Friday (4/1)

1. Start to write introduction to essay.
2. Attend computer workshop in afternoon.

Home for the weekend!

Hopefully, now that I have set out what I want to do for the rest of the week, I will not be tempted to jump between projects. The days have set projects to do which should hopefully allow me to focus. I think this will be beneficial later in life, learning how to goal set is an important skill to have and I like developing it with everyday tasks.

AWF Volunteering

Today I went to a lecture that I signed up for about volunteering in Tenerife, Africa or Bolivia.
When I signed up to the lecture, I thought i'd just go along and see what it was all about - To say i'd been. However, when I got there and started listening to what people are doing out there already. Now I am seriously considering going.


The lecture discussed what kinds of projects we would undertake, me being a Graphic Design student, there would be opportunities to work on live projects that would be reproduced and used in other campaigns. For example, a project about designing a campaign to advertise Tenerife's Whale Watching Company as Carbon Neutral. This would then try to persuade other countries to change the way they are working. Designing campaigns impacts the tourists immediately and makes them think about being carbon neutral. The project also carries out research into the Whale and Dolphin population, in the past, the research has been useful in providing reasons how an incident in the world has affected the animals. For example, when the US warfare were testing, it stopped the population of Beach Whales visiting Tenerife - this has an impact on tourists to the local area.


I think the best part about this project (a part from the hot weather) is the fact that we can actually do any work we want. Design our own projects and work on them with guidance for them to be produced for people to see.


The other optional country is Bolivia, my parents would definitely not let me go to Africa but the opportunities there seem amazing. At the moment, they are building a Creative Centre for children in a village so that children can learn about creating music, art and computers. The people volunteering would be able to teach the children which would be an amazing experience as living in the UK it is so hard to get experience with working with children. Plus, in Africa the children are so enthusiastic about learning which would make the experience feel more rewarding. Not only would it make them happy about themselves, it would further their education making the futures better.


This experience would be an amazing opportunity, and would definitely make me a better person as well as enhancing my CV. It would be a good experience that I could use to my advantage in the future, referring to it when considering new designs or concepts. I think that if I went to Africa and did the experience there, I would appreciate things that I have more - It would change me as a person more.


Tenerife would be just as good though, just got to explore the options and see if I can afford the whole experience. The project team want someone positive with new and interesting ideas - We will see!

Today I joined Twitter..

only because everyone else was doing it, I felt the need to see what was going on as everybody raves about it. That shouldn't be an excuse to join in with something, but I felt like I was being left behind if I didn't.


So I decided to follow the design and arts people to see what would happen and within minutes they were tweeting interesting websites, portfolios and thoughts that really got me thinking. Definitely think I am going to start using this as more of a resource for up to date design. I think it's more of a modern way of keeping in the know of design that is going to fit in with my lifestyle (living on the computer). Good discovery made - by following the crowd.

Saatchi & Saatchi - A closer look

After watching the video in my Add+Vantage video, I decided to look at the company that designed the campaign, Saatchi & Saatchi. 


On their first page, they have snapshots of campaigns they have designed recently. The first one is the T-mobile 'Welcome Home' advert which is, in my opinion, one of the most new and creative ideas for the last few years. I watched the advert launch for this (as it played whilst I was waiting for X Factor to come back on), I can just remember sitting there thinking, wow, that is so weird but absolutely brilliant. Since then the shortened version has played but it has always stuck in my head! That night, there were so many posts of Facebook about it - People were curious, which is what an advertising campaign needs.

A still of the T-mobile advert - 'Welcome Home'

I think the most brilliant aspect of it, is that it is so different and we would never expect it in an airport (although some would hope they could have a massive welcome home like that when they arrive!)

It reassures us that there will always be adventurous new ideas coming out, it just takes a bit of time and the right people to create it. There is still hope for it all!

Sagatiba!

Today in my Add+Vantage module, "They Don't Bite! How To Work With Creatives", we got an insight to how the advertising agency handle jobs they are given.


The company in the film were Saatchi & Saatchi who were designing a campaign to get the Brazilian drink, Sagatiba, popular in the European Market. The brief stated that the client did not want a cliche on the advertisement, they wanted a fresh new idea incorporating the idea of a sideways 'S' as a symbol of bringing people together. 


The first ideas that the 'creatives' put together worked around the idea of the 'S', but did not include Brazil as much as the client would have liked. They were told straight that the client wanted to better idea. The 'creatives' made a comment to the camera that ideas do get shot down, but that is life and you have to move on and forget about your 'baby' (In this class, we refer to our work as a baby as we've created it). I think this was definitely the best advice they could give, people get very protective over their ideas which can often control their own criticisms about the work. As a designer, I have to recognise the importance of separating our emotional connections from the work... Otherwise no work would be done due to worrying!


The 'creatives' then came up with another idea using the iconic Jesus statue in Brazil, which was liked by the client. The idea appealed to the target market and was instantly recognisable. However, after they'd photographed the the scenes and edited them, someone pointed out that the icon was in fact a cliche in itself. Maybe we cannot get away from the instant image that a cliche offers? Maybe we need to learn to embrace the idea of presenting other countries in different ways?

Crowd surfing. Similar smile to Mona Lisa on the face, resembling statue with
arms out, also feels welcoming- Ideal concept for a drinking advertisement. 

Same sort of image as the one above, half smile with shadow across half the
face like statue. Arms open with Sao Paulo in the background. When this
photograph was first presented, I was expecting the background to look more
lively as that is what we expect of Brazil - This photograph looks more of the
landscape than the atmosphere - Getting away from the cliche.

Watching this film has been perfect for me, as one of the modules at the moment is re-designing a book cover to appeal to the Chinese Market. 


My initial thoughts for this project is that Chinese people would not appreciate a cliche, a book cover with chinese fans and chopsticks would not appeal to them directly, but allow people from different countries to instantly recognise the Chinese theme.

Recording for the Presentation Video

Today, as our lecture was cancelled, me and my group decided to take the opportunity to film our presentation video explaining important information that would be included in our website. This included everything from the content, to the design, to the homepage.

Some of the group did not feel comfortable with being in the video themselves, so we decided that Lego people would be a good representation for us and we could talk in the background about the work. It allows people to feel comfortable about the work and present themselves better because they feel confident. 

Here are some photographs of the Lego people in action at the train station:

Think these will be fun stills for the video presentation.

PDP Day

PDP made me realise how much more needs to go into this Personal Development Plan than just my thoughts and my gingerbread house! I need to be writing more about my future and how things my work and other things I am doing will help me to achieve my goals. I thought about the way I was documenting my PDP and whether or not it was the most suitable option. I tried to use pebble pad but I ended up confusing myself with tags and blogs and thoughts. Then I tried uploading some photographs and the whole thing sort of collapsed. So in the end I thought it would just be best to return to my blog, correct things that have happened so far and start doing things properly.


So first things first. What I want to happen after graduating University:

• Possibly use connections with second year placement to get another placement or a job.
• If this did not work out, I would look for an internship to gain some experience and kudos for my CV.
• At the time of this sort of work, I would look for some Freelance work.
• Get a full-time job at an agency, meaning regular work and income.
• Look for promotions and other opportunities on a regular basis.
• Go to New York, experience first hand everything. Also visit some other countries with design influences. For example Paris and Rome - I want to see everything.

Of course, nothing goes to plan so this will probably not work out. Maybe something better will happen or it will just go up in flames. I won't exactly know but the best thing I can do is prepare for it.
How I feel like I've prepared for this life plan already:

• Undertaking a degree in Graphic Design.
• Furthering my A-Level study by attending school trips to London and Barcelona.
• Getting Critique for past Modules.
• Doing a PDP diary!

Looking at what I've achieved already, I think that if I had asked myself that question at the beginning of the year I wouldn't have that much to answer it. I feel better off now asking myself this, I feel at the right stage to answer it.

Later on in the PDP day we did an activity involving an A3 sheet of paper and sticky notes. 

There were clear instructions about how to go about analysing important events that happen and ensure that we are doing PDP properly. I feel like with previous events I described what was happening and did a little reflection, but didn't fully examine everything properly. There were also other events that I hadn't thought of which other people mentioned in the group. In the next few posts I will post these events and some photographs. I will also properly analyse these and make sure the reflection is done properly.

Received the Marks from my Typography Module..

On Friday I received the marks from my Typography Module.
I got 64, which I was very pleased about considering the last score of 56.


I think the reason for the improvement in my grade was because of the last reflection, I wasn't interested in making my sketchbook pretty or how the designs would look to the people marking it. I was more interested in the final idea and developing it.


In A-Level Art, I was always praised for the presentation of my sketchbook, how neatly I presented my work and how neat the annotations were at the side of it. If the pages were not right to me, I would rip it out and start it again. I think this was down to a bad encounter I had with my Art teacher about my sketchbook and how much work needed to be done a week. I think this has pressured me to ensure my sketchbook is neat and up to my standards.


Anyway, I hope to be getting past this and start to focus more energy on the final idea, because at the end of the day the client isn't going to be bothered about how neat my sketchbook is!

Collections

In a lecture I had last year, we were told that Graphic Designers should have collections, lots of collections to be inspired by. After considering which collections I could begin or continue, I decided to look on the internet for ideas.


After looking at a few websites and seeing what they had to offer I found myself thinking, I actually collect this or how easy would that be to collect. It made me realise that we can have collections without even realising, simple things were on the list like recipes and photographs. 


Everyone is a collector in their own way, which makes us all creative.

Problem Solving... The Reality

This Christmas I decided to make a gingerbread house.


I found a recipe online and made a hugeeee double batch to make this house, I was really excited to make it and decorate it.


The pieces were baked correctly, I made them the right size and made sure they fit together perfectly. But when it came to decorating it and fixing it together it turned out to be a bit of a disaster..


This is how the house should have looked:

I came to a problem with the roof, I had watched a video on how to construct it but it just didn't work. Instead of throwing the house across the room like I felt like doing, I decided to just calm down and think of a way to fix it so it still looked nice enough to eat.

Here is the final piece... With a few smarties missing off the roof:

Although it looks like a bomb shelter, I feel glad that I was able to 

assess the situation and give the poor gingerbread house a roof. 

In the end, icing sugar can fix everything!

Better luck next year?

Origami Furniture!

If you can't think of anything to get for Christmas:

Amazing.

I actually want this for Christmas now, the only origami that I do is paper swans. Furniture would definitely be a step up!

New Black Swan Posters

Today I came across these posters for Black Swan, the new film starring Natalie Portman playing a ballerina in competition. The advert for the film seems intense and thrilling, even the way it's filmed suggests this. At first glance, it reminds me of Russian constructivism from the shapes and colours used. The posters were designed by the London based company, LaBoca incorporating different themes of the film. It reminds me of the design matrix we learned about a couple of months ago, merging different aspects of the film together into one coherent design.

The first poster (above) combines the ideas of the gracefulness the swans wings and the ballerina's arms. The colours contrast this grace and make it seem more sinister, The Black Swan is meant to be an elegant dance and these film posters are portraying it as a sinister film about competition. The matching eyes of the swan an the ballerina almost add an extra fear factor to the film. 

This poster used a profile silhouette of a girl with a swan overlaid on the top. The image has been cleverly used as a mask for the white silhouette with the swan's eye used as the girl's eye too. Yet again making it seem more sinister.

The poster above is instantly visually appealing, the almost black silhouette of the swan provides a frame for the ballerina image. The two images together almost reflect the beautiful shapes that are made, how graceful they are. This is then contrasted by the typography used at the bottom of the poster, the kerning of the letters adds a harshness to the already harsh, heavy style. The spacing between the letters also allows room for the starring roles to be placed in between. I think this is a nice design feature that makes the viewer have to look closer to read the information which is always a good thing because it adds interest. 

I like the way that all of the posters look different but look like they belong to the same film.

Wondering what more I could have done?

Just having a bit of reflection this evening over the last project. Overall I achieved 56, the pass rate is 40 which meant that I received 16 marks over. However, I was feeling very down about this after learning the marks everyone else achieved. It started to make me think my work wasn't good enough.


Now, after reflecting on the effort and amount of work I produced, I think I can say that I could have put more effort in. I am in no way doubting the amount of time I spent on the work as I spent most evenings and afternoons doing the work. I am doubting the distractions and effort into doing the in between work as well as the final presentations.


The final presentations were no way near my standards, well saying that in the past a project tended to last months, not days. The projects in the first 6 weeks have really opened up my eyes to what university work is going to be like. Maybe I didn't realise how much work was expected and the quality of work that would be produced. At A-levels you concentrate on your own work and occasionally see other people's but you had your own task or project to work on so there was no method of comparison? At University we're competing against everyone because that is what it is going to be like when I graduate, 100 people from my course are going to be looking for jobs. That added to the 100 other universities there are with Graphic Design students graduating. Definitely going to have to learn to stand out!


Anyway, back to the project, I feel like I have wasted a lot of time ensuring that all the in between work was up to scratch - Spending too much time thinking about other ideas to build up the presentation of work, or coming up with the idea and filling in all the work in between. The second project helped me to realise it's more about the final outcomes of the projects as there was not as much pressure put on producing sketchbooks. This helped me to focus more on improving the final design without doing unnecessary tests or work to make it seem like more.


Definitely learned a lesson here, I need to start thinking about the later stages of design, the final outcome because at the end of the day that is what actually matters to the client. They are not going to care about how much blood sweat and tears you've put into all the initial ideas and the presentation of the research is not going to matter if they think you haven't put enough effort into the final presentation. So from now on I'm going to start doing what everyone else seems to be doing and thinking about the final idea from the word go, because that's how it will develop better.

Technical Workshop - Last before Christmas!

Today was the hand-in for the Typography Module, I feel pleased it's out of the way now before Christmas and hope that everything is alright with it. Looking round at other people's work made me a bit apprehensive but what can I do now? Learn for next time I suppose!


The technical workshop today was about book covers. I've never really taken the time to look at book covers, except those womany ones that I read on holiday where they have a picture of the story on the front with some simple font. Not really inspiring but its a good read!


So today after looking at bookcoverarchive.com I was slightly more inspired to make a book cover. I have to admit though, I did struggle. I was sat there thinking 'I can't do this' getting frustrated with myself just staring at the scene. But then a bit of experimentation lead me to the idea of purposely overlapping the text so the word 'Outsider' was actually on the outside.


Here is the final book cover, well after about half an hour of doing it. I couldn't really find an appropriate place for the author title so as a last minute decision I had to place it at the bottom:

The colours of the book cover along with the font makes it look spooky, which was the genre I was going for since I haven't heard of the book before. The 'Outsider' title looks like a gate for the 'The', blocking it from the outside world, the long looking font also creates this feeling of a gate. So overall, I think some parts of the design are successful and others probably need a bit of work.

Interpreting is a pain :(

I've now found that people do interpret things in different ways, just like last week when in our group project we all came up for ideas about the project that were literal. For instance my idea was interesting facts about the spine and other animals. When in fact the brief wants a more creative feel to the website, this did not stand out to me when I first read it but when someone explains to you the idea around it, it makes sense and then you just feel stupid for not realising it.


Had a lecture on Monday about this as well, whilst Phil was explaining something he suddenly shouted. After everyone had their mini-heart attack he explained that we'd probably remember that instead of what he'd been saying in the lecture. So it made me think that although I'd interpreted the brief wrong, it's understandable to do that because at first that was the only way I was thinking.


It's alright to get things wrong, just move on and forget about it.