As part of my PDP submission, I was asked to interview a professional practitioner of my choice. I chose Craig Oldham as he came to my college to do a Democratic Lecture which I found really inspiring and interesting. The success of his lecture also encouraged me to buy his democratic lecture book which does not disappoint. If you want straight to the point, honest advice then this is the book for you. I decided to email Craig as he is a genuine and honest person who was once in my position and is very willing to give advice to students like myself.
1. What or who has been the biggest influence on your career so far?
I don’t think it’s been one person or thing but rather a multitude of amazing people and changes in life. Falmouth College of Arts was a massive life changing thing for me and I owe that a lot.
2. What you do consider to be the most important quality of a prospective junior designer?
Work ethic and attitude. If you want to do good work and you work hard to do it, then you can achieve anything.
3. In your opinion, what’s the hardest thing about the design industry?
That it’s an industry, a business. But it’s a business where many rules either are upside-down or don’t apply, so it’s hard to combine that with usual business structures.
4. What do you love the most about your job?
The variety and access it gives me to things in which I can learn about.
5. What one piece of advice would you give to a new graduate looking for a job?
Work hard. Say what you mean, mean what you say. And never ask for permission.
Since my previous reflective PDP post from last year, I feel I have improved and learnt a lot this semester not only about myself as a designer but also myself as a person. I feel that I design has now become a part of my everyday life and not just on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday when I am required to be in uni. I am now always looking at other peoples work and going on design websites and blogs to gain more creative knowledge. Another way that will help me to do this is by reading however, I feel that I don’t do enough of this at the moment. One of my aims over then summer is to start reading more design related books, magazines and blog posts as this will definitely help me to gain more knowledge of design and the industry. I feel that I have also let my blog go a lot, I haven’t made half as many posts this year as I feel that I should of done. I aim to get back on top of this and begin to post my research, ideas, experiences and opinions again and get my blog up to a standard I am proud of.
When entering into level 6, I hope to push my work even further and take on board what I have learnt in level 5. I want to make the most of every brief I complete as I feel that sometimes if I don’t like the sound of it or it is not as interesting as something else then I tend to push it to one side and focus on something, which I find more interesting. I also hope to use the print room a lot more in level 6 and experiment with my work. I want to be proud of every piece of work I produce in level 6 and finish it to a high enough standard for my portfolio, which I also hope to continue adding to.
As this point in my life I feel it is time for me to grab as many opportunities as I can with both hands and enjoy as well as learn from them. 2013 so far has been a big challenge for me and certain things that I’ve been through have made me realise that life is precious and you should make the most of it. Although my fears of the industry are trying to hold me back, I am now more determined than ever to make the most of what’s left of my education as it will be all over in about a year. I aim to work harder than I have ever worked before and make the most of my time. I hope to gain work placements as they are crucial and extremely valuable and nothing that anybody tells you about the industry can compare to you actually being in it and experiencing it first hand. Portfolio reviews are also another important thing on my list, as feedback from other creatives will help me to grow as a designer and improve my skills.
When it comes to fears about the future, I am pretty much scared of everything. As I have gone from school to college and then straight on to university, I don’t really know what its like to be out of education. When I graduate, it will be a big step for me to go out into the world and get a full time job. This is something that is quite daunting for someone like myself as it poses so many threats and makes you question whether you are actually capable of doing it. However, as well as being extremely scared, I am also excited to see what the future brings for me! Lets hope 2013/14 is a great year.
Sheena’s Letterpress Studio
London
Whilst on a trip to London this year, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to visit a letterpress studio. Before going, I had never really done letterpress before. I remember in college using some of the letters with an ink pad and stamping them on the paper myself but I’d never actually used a letterpress or knew how to set up the type. Upon arriving, Sheena the lovely lady who owns the studio welcomed us with open arms. Her knowledge of typography and letterpress is outstanding and she was so happy and willing to pass it all on to us. We split off into groups and Sheena taught us how to set our type using the letters and packing them out so they wouldn’t fall apart. After each setting our names, Sheena then showed us how to set them up and ink them using the letterpress. She then told us that her machine was the only one of its kind left in the UK and even let us press our own type, which was amazing! Visiting Sheena’s studio was such a wonderful and one of a kind experience, it brought back my love for typography and the handmade. I then started to think about the history of type and how newspapers used to be printed like this with people setting the type for each page. Imagine if they spelt just one word wrong, there was no backspace button like we all have on our gadgets nowadays, the whole page would of had to be set again. A letterpress is such a wonderful machine that can produce such beautiful work and I hope that in the future I get the chance to use one again, maybe I could even go back and visit Sheena in her studio again.
LOVE Creative
Studio visit
In March of this year I went on a studio visit to a design agency in Manchester known as LOVE creative. Upon entering the studio I found myself surrounded by interesting work and objects which immediately grabbed my attention. We were greeted by Steve and Patrick who took us into a big room full of about 20 chairs and each one was different to the next, which I thought was quite fun and quirky. The guys then showed us a brief slideshow of some of the work they did at LOVE all of which was extremely impressive. One particular piece of work I thought was incredibly brilliant was where LOVE had been asked to raise awareness for the Dinosaur exhibition at the Museum of Science & Industry. Not only had they created a poster to inform people about the exhibition, the guys at LOVE had also created numerous other things to go with it. Firstly was a lost poster for a dinosaur which was posted around town. They also staged a dinosaur attack on a car complete with beware signs and a private reg! As well as that, LOVE had put a lost ad in a local newspaper for their missing dinosaur. And finally they created a label for ‘Dino Chum’ dinosaur food. I thought this was a very entertaining and amusing way to raise awareness for the exhibition. LOVE went completely wild creating all the extras to communicate the Dinosaur exhibition to the public, they pushed past the barriers of conventional design and the outcome speaks for itself really: exceptional! The studio visit to LOVE has taught me a lot more than I thought it would. After being given a brief, most design students will go on to produce exactly what has been asked of them, myself included. However, now after seeing the work of LOVE and being able to speak to some of the creatives who work there, I have learnt that to make a brief more fun and exciting not only for myself but also for the client and intended audience I should widen my thinking of it and expand on what I have been asked to do. In the tough industry that all design students hope to thrive in nowadays it is important to go above and beyond what is expected and show people that you are able to bring something new and exciting to the table.
(Source: lovecreative.com)
The First Cut Exhibition
Manchester Art Gallery
Back in January, I visited the Manchester Art Gallery as part of a brief for Context and while I was there I was lucky enough to see the amazing ‘The First Cut’ exhibition. The exhibition featured the work of 31 international artists who cut, sculpt and manipulate paper into beautiful works of art. Usually when you visit an art gallery, not all but quite a lot of the work is hung in a lovely frame on the wall but it was really refreshing to see these wonderful works of art created only using paper hanging from the ceiling, on the floor, in boxes and stuck to the walls. As I walked into the gallery, I didn’t know where to look or where to go first as it was so different and unlike any exhibition I had been to before. The room had a really creative and positive atmosphere and you could tell by the looks on their faces that every single person in the room was enjoying the experience and appreciating the art around them. I particularly liked the work of Tom Gallant. He had created these beautiful cut outs of birds which were hung on the walls in frames. They were so intricate and looked incredibly time consuming. I was totally amazed by them, there was so much detail most of which was tiny. I must have stood and admired them for ages but they were just so stunning. Although I feel that paper craft is something I wouldn’t necessarily do because I haven’t got much patience, The First Cut exhibition has made me realise that sometimes you have to be patient with your work in order for you to create something amazing, it doesn’t just happen overnight. I will remember this going into level 6 as I feel that patience is one of my downfalls, I like to see results straight away.
Designs of the Year 2013
Design Museum, London
Whist on a trip to London in March, I visited the Designs of the Year 2013 exhibition at the Design museum. Also known as ‘The Oscars of the design world’, Designs of the Year showcases the most innovative, imaginative and inspiring designs from around the world over the past year. There are seven different categories which each design can be placed into: Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Transport and Product.
Overall, I found the exhibition extremely remarkable and inspiring. It was great to see that so many of the designs such as ‘Magic Arms’ – designed for children suffering from musculoskeletal disabilities who need upper body support and the ‘Morph Folding Wheel’ – designed to enable the wheels on a wheelchair to be folded flat and stored in small compartments, tackled peoples ‘needs’ rather than ‘desires’.
One design that was quite humorous and made me smile was the ‘Liquiglide Ketchup Bottle’ designed by Dave Smith and Varanasi Research Group MIT. This is a ketchup bottle, which is coated on the inside with LiquiGlide to make it super slippery. LiquiGlide is a non-toxic, edible yet tasteless substance, which can be applied to the inside of a bottle to prevent the condiments from sticking to places that can’t be reached. I thought this was a great design because as silly as it sounds, it can be so annoying when you have to vigorously shake and smack the bottle to get the last bit of ketchup out yet by designing something as simple as LiquiGlide, this can be prevented.
One of my favourite designs was the ‘Free Universal Construction Kit’ designed by Free Art and Technology Lab and Sy-Lab. As a child I remember how frustrating it was to have to tidy up one set of toys before getting another out and not being able to play with them all at the same time. The Universal Construction Kit is a matrix of nearly 80 adapter bricks that enables you to use as many of the ten* popular children’s construction toys as you want, all at the same time. By allowing all these toys to be joined together, the designers of the kit are encouraging and enabling radical constructive play between toys, which have never been compatible with each other before. As well as this it is also giving children more opportunities to be creative with their play. I definitely wish someone had thought of this when I was a kid, it would have shut me and my brothers up for hours.
* Lego, Duplo, Fischertechnik, Gears! Gears! Gears!, K’Nex, Krinkles (Bristle Blocks), Lincoln Logs, Tinkertoys, Zome and Zoob.
Whilst visiting London I am definitely glad I had the oppourtunity to visit the ‘Designs of the Year’ exhibition as it as opened my eyes as to who, what, where and when people design for and also what can be classed as ‘design’. I would highly recommend this inspirational exhibition to anyone interested in design and the creative industry and would undoubtedly visit it again next year if I had the chance.
(Source: designmuseum.org)
The Design Student Handbook
Your definitive guide to breaking into the industry
I first came across The Design Student Handbook at the beginning of the year when our tutor handed us a photocopy of one of the pages about portfolio tips. After reading through the sheet, I found it to be really useful advice and decided to buy myself a copy.
The Design Student Handbook is the first in a six part series of practical manuals designed by Computer Arts magazine. It brings you everything you need to know to get the most out of your course and give you a head start when you graduate.
I have found The Design Student Handbook to be packed full of great advice, professional tips and insights into the industry. As I am not a massive reader of books, I found it to be really helpful that it’s in the style of a magazine as it is more manageable and easy to flick through. It is divided into eight parts, each of which can be read in any order you choose depending on what kind of advice or guidance you need. I have found the ‘Self Promo for Students’ part particularly helpful at the moment as I am currently in the process of putting my portfolio together and there are many difficult decisions to make. It has some handy tips on portfolio advice, getting yourself out there and digital promo.
The Design Student Handbook is a great magazine for any design student and a must have at only £7.99. Not only is it packed full of invaluable advice but it is also beautifully designed as well, I am definitely going to look out for the rest of the collection!
Personal
I believe I have evolved as both a person and a designer over the past year. I now realise the importance of doing lots of research into things as it enables me to broaden my knowledge and understanding of things. Design is now a part of my everyday life and not just on the days when I attend university. I believe my strengths are my attendance and willingness to learn. I have never had a day off because I would miss out on so much important information. My biggest weaknesses are my organisation and time keeping skills. I feel that I need to plan ahead more and take time out to complete work on my days off so I am not having to panic and rush work before it comes to the deadline.
Professional
My professional approach has developed a lot since being in the first year. In the summer holidays, I put myself forward for some voluntary work which was great in helping me experience what it is like to work for a client and complete a brief outside of university. As well as that, live briefs within uni have also helped to improve my professional approach. When completing a brief that is actually going to be seen by a client, it drives me to want to succeed and work harder as I have someone to impress other that my tutors. In the future I aim to be able to produce more work for clients and get my work out there for people to see. I am also going to look into doing some work experience to further develop myself as a designer and get a feel for what it is like to work in a real design environment. In my opinion the word ‘professional’ means being skillful, organised and confident about your work as well as being open to criticism as it is important to realise that you can’t please everyone and sometimes people wont like what your doing.
Critical
I am extremely critical of my own work and tend to worry what other people will think. I feel I need to pull away from this and learn that it is not only ok but also good to go a bit crazy sometimes. As well as being critical about my own work I have also started to share my opinions and give constructive criticism to my peers about their own work. I feel that I now engage more in group discussions and share my thoughts and ideas a lot more than I would of this time last year. I believe I need to gain confidence in trying out new ideas and mediums within my design work as I feel that this will help me a lot in the future.
Three aims for 2013
Throughout the rest of level 5 I aim to push the boundaries and step outside of my comfort zone when it comes to my design work, I want to be able to forget about what people will think of me and just do whatever I want no matter what it is. I also hope to continue to broaden my knowledge within the design industry. Buy more books, read more critical texts, attend lectures and events and also enter competitions. All these will help me to develop my skills as a designer. Finally, I aim to further develop my portfolio by doing work for clients and finding some work experience with a design company.
Design Issue
Why do companies change their logo?
It was just the other day that I logged onto my eBay account only to find that they have completely changed their logo from being something quite fun and playful to something very simple and precise. My immediate reaction to this was “oh my god what have they done!”
The big change to eBay’s logo then made me question why huge companies like themselves feel the need to make such a vast change to their logo which is recognised all over the world. But changing the logo design of a company doesn’t change the company itself, it only changes the logo.
Sometimes, changing the logo can be a problem for the company as people can assume that if the logo has changed, the company has also changed when in fact this is not the case. This can then cause a loss of business as some people don’t like change and will go looking elsewhere if they think an established business has made such a radical change.
On the other hand, changing the logo can benefit a company as the one they started out with wasn’t good in the first place. Logos tend to express who the company is and what they are about. Logos like this will grow in time and gain a good reputation when people become familiar with their logo and learn of the excellence of the company.
Many large companies also feel they need to change something to attract a new, younger crowd but at the same time keep the older crowd they already have. They sometimes go as far as carrying out surveys and polls as they want to get the change 100% right. This can be hugely beneficial as it can increase sales and profits for the company.
Going back to eBay’s new logo… In my opinion, I thought eBay’s original logo represented everything that the company is about but I now realise that i’m wrong: it represents everything that eBay WAS about 17 years ago when they first started. The bright colours and use of shape and sizing of the text showed that eBay used to be a website where different people go to auction all kinds of stuff to people all over the world. The new, simplified logo made no sense to me but after thinking about it I then realised the reasons why eBay had decided to make such a massive change. Afterall, eBay has grown immensely since it was first created in 1995. It still remains an online auction website and marketplace but has now also become a business and shopping website where companies such as Schuh, Office and Adidas all sell their products through eBay. eBay have now realised that they are continuously growing as a company and want to create a much more professional and sophisticated look for the website as it is now being used a by huge, successful companies from all around the world.
“Seventeen years ago, eBay created a new way for people to buy and sell. Since that time we’ve enabled millions of people to launch their own businesses, and helped change the way the world shops for things they need and love. We’re pleased to introduce our refreshed logo. It reflects who we are today - a global online marketplace that offers a cleaner, more contemporary and consistent experience.”
- Quoted from eBay’s announcement page.
(Source: logodesignlove.com)
Out of all the post I have made regarding practitioners and design groups that inspire me, I haven’t really got a favourite. That sounds bad but you don’t have to have a favourite for everything. Each one is unique and amazing in their own ways and I aspire to be like every single one of them in some way or another.
I aspire to be as successful and creative as Seb Lester. His typography work is so beautiful and eye catching. His designs are well thought out and so precise and his work is known all over the world.
I find it really inspiring that Go Media started out in someones bedroom. Even though it took them 7 years to be able to afford to hire other designers it was all worth it in the end. Go Media reminds me to never give up on what I am doing and where I want to go with my life. It may take longer than i’d hope but they are a great example of hard work paying off. They have produced work for Coca Cola and Nike and if I was ever given the opportunity to design for a company that big during my career I would grab it with both hands.
I like the way Alfalfa studio still remain small and entrepreneurial. They show that its not just the big, well known studios that get the ‘good’ design jobs, smaller studios can be just as successful if not more. They remind me that I don’t have to be part of some big pupular, established company to have a successful career and it is possible to even have my own small studio one day. Who knows I may expand and be part of the big ones.
I think that every practitioner or design studio I come across throughout my life will inspire me in some way or another and if they don’t then there is something wrong. Everyone should be able to inspire at least one other person in some way.
