portfolio

Here are a few pages from my PDF portfolio, enjoy.

letters

These are my covering and speculative letters respectively.

c.v. design

Here is the newest of the new of what I have to offer. Hot off the presses and raring to go.

The styling for the c.v. is reminiscent of the piece I produced in the second year. However, I have refined it to make it easier to read and I re-designed the logo as The previous one had run its course.

Front

Back

Complexing Utopias

This was a weird one! I'm still not entirely sure what was going on in this presentation. It wasn't for lack of trying either. A graduate of the course and her Venezuelan colleague came to talk to us about what they did.

They had decided that a standard design job was just not right for them, it was soon after this I got lost. The theme of the talk was taking graphic design and spreading it over a further field, expanding its purpose and use and the people who use it. Also there was a suggestion of getting everyone (non designers included) involved with the process as that would lead to more varied ideas and suggestions. Not a bad idea. However, where I got confused was when they spoke about one of their concepts. It involved taking a complex idea and simplifying it. Sounds good so far. The next part is where my mind really began to dribble out of my ear. You take your lovely simplified idea and expand it out to more people, thereby confusing the issue again. I am assured that they knew exactly what they were talking about, I did not. Unfortunately, the fact that the presentation was nearly inaudible did not help proceedings either.

Louisa Cameron

This talk I found, surprisingly, interesting. I say surprisingly because I know I want to be a designer when I leave uni and this talk was all about jobs within the creative industry that isn't design. Some of the roles jumped out as they were involved in the process of the design but not necessarily in the designing capacity. Roles like project management and art direction. These jobs allow the person to have direct influence on what comes in and goes out of the studio, how the briefs are treated and making sure that all the boxes are ticked. Additionally, there is the client side. The people who work in this area are responsible for getting clients in and selling ideas, for someone that loves the sound of his own voice it sounds pretty good.

As helpful and insightful as this talk was I still feel that being an actual designer is still the way to go for me. I don't think I can give that one up just yet.

Olwen Mosely - Costing

Costing is essential to the success of a project, and your bank balance. This talk showed the importance of accurate and fair costing for projects.

Key points:

- Friends and family are a no-go. Someone will only end up getting hurt and disappointed, it isn't worth it.

- Costing is based on the amount of time you will spend on a project, how much over heads are and how much you need to live. Doing a job is pointless if you don't benefit from it. Never work for free!

- Never undercut other designer's prices intentionally. This will only bring the cost for other designers down and, essentially, run the industry into the ground.

- There is an element of risk to each new project, more so with new clients. Ask up front what the budget is. If it isn't enough walk away. Consider swapping services as a form of payment. Can they help you in any way?

- Bare in mind that outsourcing is always a possibility and you must budget for that within the price.

This talk contained many other points that are invaluable for any freelancer. One of the big points to this talk was, never be afraid to talk about money. you are providing a service that the client needs at the end of the day.

Andrew Fice

This was a particularly pleasant talk as Andrew Fice, a graduate of the course, showed us that you can make it as a designer as long as you are willing to put the hours in. He had a strong portfolio and recommended the importance of sketches.

Points from the talk:

- Beginning a career...Work experience is king when starting out. Get as much as possible to stand you in the best stead. Experience is important and offering your services for a couple of weeks can lead to more.Also don't just send out portfolios and hope for a reply. Chase up on it. Phone and make sure they got your work. Try to talk to the director, even if that does mean posing as a paper supply company.

- Interviews...Employers want to know that your work and ideas are good but also want to make sure you fit in with everyone and the way in which they work. Show sketches in your portfolio as they show development of ideas and a knowledge of how to get your ideas on paper (even if you cant draw).

- On the job...Be prepared to work over the odds! Expect long days and sleepless nights. If work needs to be done, it needs to be done. Be a team player and don't leave anyone else with the brunt, be willing to help.

Daivd Worthington

This was not the first time that we have been given a talk by David, in fact we were given the same talk twice. Even so they helped quite substantially. Mostly because of the reassurance he provided. The main message, "don't worry, it will all work out". It is phenomenally pleasing to hear that as jobs are so limited now.


David has an impressive resumé and has led an extremely exciting life through his design career, racking up a lot of air miles. It is nice to know that you aren't always just put down as a designer and can really make a difference and people will notice. Another key point of the talk was that things will almost always go wrong, so for these circumstances make sure you have insurance and a back up plan.

XML excercise

XML is a code highly reminiscent of CSS as both are used to style text and images that are placed within tags. Using this method for commercial design could be incredibly time saving, as all things that are tagged will automatically have a style attached to it. This would probably be most beneficial for direct mail campaigns and large scale layouts, catalogues for example.

Process

Original document

This shows how you can individually map tags to styles. Alternatively, if the tags and styles share exactly the same name then you can choose map by name instead.

This image shows the mapped tags. When you highlight text you can see what tag and therefore what style that is linked to allowing quick and easy changes.

This shows the paragraph styles pallette. From here you can make changes to the style of the tagged (style name) text.

These are the final, adjusted documents, excuse the design.

dissertation feedback

This was a difficult period. The dreaded dissertation results. Needless to say my knees were a quivering and my palms were most definitely sweaty! So, this is what I got.

Tutor Comment:

Good attempt to apply phenomenology to the study of skateboarding. Partial and somewhat limited use of Merleau-Ponty - this would have further opened-up the topic.


A good problematisation of the fusion of boarding and phenomenology; argues for experiential themes and identifies sociological elements.
Over-reliant on Brymer

A few more illustrations would be welcome.

Not bad so far. What did I get?


A 2.1! Yes! I'm happy

brief 5 - the big idea

Whimsical! A not so spontaneous outburst there. This brief saw us being given a selection of words, of which we had to choose a solitary one and then develop an outcome with that word as its basis. Confused yet? So, out of my list of words the only one I had any excitement about was whimsical. Therefore, I ran with that.

Researching the word whimsical is surprisingly difficult, you don't tend to get many enjoyable result. You get several web sites that offer the definition and then countless businesses that have named themselves whimsical (insert business type here). As a tip, if you are in the same situation and you do Google 'whimsical' expecting mountains of bizarre and enthralling creations think again. The main saviour of this researching slump was Twitter. I found bucket fulls of weird and wacky web sites, blogs, videos and creations. One of which being yarn bombing, check it out, it's crazy.

After my research came the research presentation, where I exhibited what I had found. One necessary part to the presentation was to identify a loose target audience. It was this that, pretty much, gave me my concept. An audience I felt would be enjoyable was serious people who lack any form of whimsy. From this came the concept of taking these mundane individuals and making them come across as full of whimsy.

The outcome was to be based on the situation you find yourself in when you have a pen and a picture of a celebrity (or anyone for that matter) and you doodle over their face, blacking out teeth, adding devil horns and the such. From this sprouted the idea of fridge magnets, in the same vain as magnetic poetry and letters. I felt this concept was strong as it presented whimsy in a couple of ways. Firstly, taking boring objects (fridge, photos of boring people) and making them whimsical. Secondly, you encourage whimsy within yourself as you are using your imagination to create something bizarre and oddly beautiful. At this point I was under the illusion that the magnets alone didn't have enough context. To rectify this I created postcards, that would be put with the magnets, to explain what the magnets were for. Additionally, I made a box to house all of the elements. This box is intentionally meant to seem mundane because the content inside should speak for itself and explode to life. Consider a Pandora's box of whimsy.

I am very pleased with how it came out in the end. I feel that the quality is there, the idea is strong and, as childish as it is, they are very fun to play with.

brief 4 - ssp

The student set project was, for me, one of the more challenging. It was a struggle to pin point a concept from such vagueness. The idea with this brief is that we could pretty much do anything, pick a topic we were passionate about and go for it. After some contemplation and soul searching I decided that I hate papyrus (the typeface). I have always loathed its overuse and misuse, it is honestly the go to font for anyone without a remote clue.

Having identified the main problem with papyrus, it has no real personality and looks severely dated, it was decided that I would create a book which would instill the personalities of celebrities into papyrus in an attempt to make it more exciting and usable. I was pleased with the concept but, unfortunately, not with the execution. Due to time restrictions and not getting the concept until the last minute the book appears rushed. Well, see what you think.

Module Feedback

brief 3 - competitions

As the title suggest this module centered around competition briefs. The briefs were courtesy of Penguin and Puffin book cover designs, YCN and D&AD.

Penguin and Puffin

100 Years of Solitude and James and the Giant Peach comprised the subjects of the brief for Penguin and Puffin respectively. The Penguin brief provided the most challenging in this group as I had never encountered the novel before. However, I tried my best to learn about the story. How well that worked is anyone's guess. Anyway, to provide a solution I focused on an aspect of the book that intrigued me the most. A part where thousands of workers are massacred and thrown into the sea, after which the area where the book is set battles with torrential rain and flooding.

James and the Giant Peach was much more fun to do as I already had a knowledge of the story. For this outcome I wanted to stay away from the cliché of actually having a peach on the cover. Instead I applied a typographic style to represent the peach. Additionally, I hinted at the friends James gains in the story (insects) with shadows on the lettering. Seagulls are also seen to be carrying the different elements as reference to the narrative.

YCN

The brief I chose from the YCN selection was for Whyte and Mackay and their brand of whiskey liqueur, Glayva. I enjoyed this brief, especially the tasting session we had as a group. I had never seen this product before let alone tasted it so I felt that I could help to bring it to the target market the brand desired. The concept focused around the meaning of Glayva (very good) and how people say very good. The campaign consisted of posters, billboards and beer mats. 

D&AD

Out of the options provided I chose the Arjowiggins brief. The task was to create a viral campaign that would promote the company's blank sheet project to designers the world over. My concept was to create a range of videos based around a designer that showed him generating ideas in unconventional ways using a single blank sheet of paper.

 

Module Feedback

brief 1 - real world

This brief was interesting, if not slightly bizarre and confusing. The brief was centered around Cardiff Airport (which even resulted in a class trip...how very primary school). The project was enjoyable after arriving at a suitable concept, however getting to that point was quite difficult.

The class was split into groups to begin with. Then we were provided with the brief...ish. It was difficult to ascertain what exactly we were meant to be designing, regardless we soldiered on and realised that it was all about the customer experience.

Our final concept was to provide users with an abstract view of Wales using a house style comprising of intricate triangular patterns, authentic materials and immersive interactive aspects. For final visuals we created renders of key areas of the arrivals process and created a model to show how the refurbished arrivals lounge would look.

The culmination of the project was a 20 minute presentation with your group in front of our peers, lecturers, all of the design agency mentors we were assigned as well as representatives from the airport itself.

The best part about this brief, personally, was meeting our group's mentor Alex from Burning Red. They are an excellent and friendly little company from the bay area.

 

Module feedback

views on sustainability

Sustainability is a common buzz-word these days. Every designer and their mother now claims to be a sustainable designer. Do not get me wrong, being a considerate, respectful and sustainable designer is something everyone in this industry should strive towards. I simply feel that countless agencies and freelancers use the word as a means of getting clients in through the doors.

This industry, which we love so very dearly, is by definition one of consumption. We consume paper, ink, electricity and coffee (this final one might not be as important some would suggest, but definitely essential). It is our responsibility to reduce the amount we use and, more than anything, waste. Vastly, the only thing preventing these changes is laziness. For some reason it is easier to just put another piece of paper in the printer than to reuse a previously used piece, paper does tend to have to sides to use. Recycling also plays leading role in the practice of sustainability and it is possibly the easiest part for any individual to take responsibility over. Take your waste paper, put it in the recycling bin and you're done! Well, you are at least on your way.

In this day and age, it is simple to become more sustainable. Advances in technology alone help by reducing power consumption as well as providing more innovative printing processes. On the subject of printing, there a numerous professional printers that specialise and mainly cater for sustainable practices. Choosing paper stock endorsed by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), having presses that can cope with vegetable based oils, even turning away designs that are too ink heavy. All of these factors make being considerate that bit easier.

However, the dichotomy of the situation is that some projects cannot be entirely sustainably achieved. Specialised briefs can mean creating something beautiful and remarkable but at an environmental cost. I feel the way that we should all view this topic is to strive for the best, do as much as you possibly can to make a difference and a change (the smallest things can make a big difference). And one more thing, I don't think people should be able to bound the term sustainability about as a marketing term.

work placement review

Brand Union

After being awarded a bursary placement at Brand Union during my second year my reaction was happiness and excitement, kind of obvious really. It was the first work placement I had ever done, which was ever so slightly worrying. Additionally, it was in London; and as many people who know me understand, I am not a big fan of London. Regardless of this I was still excited, the part that calmed my nerves more than meeting the lovely people who worked there was the knowledge that my friend Jon was going with me.

Arriving

We arrived in London, put our things in our hostel room (traveller tip: do not spend two weeks in a hostel, seriously), had some food then decided to find out where we needed to be the next morning. No problems so far. Until we got lost trying to find the place of course. This is all part and parcel of the experience however and it all ended with a soothing beer, no complaints there.

Week One

The first day and we entered looking rather dapper, in a casual sort of way, we were escorted upstairs to re-acquaint ourselves with the man that deemed us worthy enough for the placement, Mark. We were given the guided tour and then shown to our desks (sat upon which were 30 inch Mac cinema screens, very nice). We were then told what we would be doing for the week. We where to research competitors for Mortein bug spray. Research is a large part of the design process, I had no idea how large it actually was until I was given a glimpse into the big bad world of commercial design. Especially with packaging, it is imperative to know your rivals and current trends within the market. The research we undertook was time consuming and yet important, finding countless designs for each prospective rival and comparing them to the current Mortein brand. RDE boards were then explained to us. This technique is a way of visually communicating the way brands have developed their looks throughout the years. Residual images were those of the past, where brands began and how they looked. Dominant brand design is what is currently in the market. Emergent is the way brands are re-designing and imagining their brands for the future, with this type of product it meant a trend towards more friendly, family orientated and eco friendly designs. Friday brought about the “Re-Union”. This was a weekly get-together of all of the staff to review what had been going on throughout the week, I was also an excuse to down tools an hour early and have free pizza and drinks. An enjoyable end to the week.

Week Two

The second week saw Jon and I splitting from research duties as we moved on to separate projects. I was tasked with helping to develop images for a pitch for a company undergoing a re-branding. These mock ups included billboards, posters and the layout for an iPhone App. This kept me busy for a day. The rest of the week saw me designing an in house leaflet that would be given to new employees to help them with the transition into the job. It gave information on places to eat, to drink and socialise, as well as other points of interest around the area. I was given freedom on this project and was pleased with my outcome at the end having developed an interesting visual style for the document. Again, cue the “Re-Union”.

Conclusion

The two weeks at the Brand Union were eye opening to say the least. The inner workings of a large design studio became apparent, also being surrounded by designers of all ages that had “made it” was reassuring. Everyone working there was very helpful and friendly, I was never worried to ask questions or just chat. The insight into the mechanics of the beast was very helpful; to see the hierarchy in action was a glimpse into what will be. Additionally, I developed a greater understanding and respect for the role research plays within the design process. 

reflection on three years of study

It all began on a glorious September's afternoon with our intrepid hero entering Plas Gwyn university halls for the first time. It was a time of anxiousness, fear and excitement. For our hero had not been thrust into this curious new world before. Many new faces came and went, some smiling and laughing; others more sullen and tearful. It was the latter that our hero new his parents would be. A brave goodbye and firm wave; with bottom lip held from trembling, the protagonist of this tale said farewell to the bringers and guardians of his life. He was now alone. On a three year quest that would bring anger, happiness, utter joy and crushing disappointment. And so begins the story...

The first year contained within it a very steep learning curve, having come straight from college (without the aid of a foundation course), I was not entirely aware of the differences between university life and that of a humble college goer. These differences, however, I would learn very quickly.

I am young for my age, in the sense that I was born later in the year (obviously nothing to do with the maturity that was well beyond my years), so I had never really fended for myself. The times I had been alone I had been equipped with beer and a take away menu, meaning that everything had been catered for. Living away from my parents was, and still is, a god send; no offence intended. Living in halls especially drives you to meet new people, possibly people you wouldn't usually talk to as well as those you would. It is an extreme transition whereby you meet seven new people within the space of fifteen minutes. It is hectic, chaotic and one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had.

Let us skip to the first day of university. As with many first days there are 'team building' exercises, I am pretty positive that most people's reactions to this were the same as mine, “really? Can't we just talk to each other? Instead of having to tell the person to my left my favourite flavour of fruit pastille?” Again, I can't really complain as it allowed a brief if not obscure way of introducing me to my peers and friends that I would spend the next three years of my life with. Moving forward and onto the first full project I undertook on the course. Typography! As cheesy and nerdy as it sounds there are few better words to me. The skill, precision and imagination it takes to creative a beautiful typographic piece still bewilders and entrances me. Who better than to teach you a subject based on style and clarity than the person who exudes it the most, Ruth Dineen. Whilst being truly insane, in the nicest possible way (she tap danced on the open day, need I say more?); she was able to make a complex subject, which is based on the most minute details and make it easy to understand and most of all exciting and enjoyable. Talk about learning curves! From thinking I was the dog's because I could combine letters in illustrator, to being rendered an absolute novice and then properly brought up through the ranks. By no means do I consider myself an expert in typography but, honestly, I know a hell of a lot more now than I did back then. This was a particular stepping stone for me as it helped introduce me to a topic that I had previously liked but never really understood. From here on in, I was in the game.

After this project a variety of different briefs ensued. From one where I convinced my flat mate to wear a roller skate as a hat to another where I and my fellow group members, Jon and James, designed a six foot tall mad scientist. However seemingly bizarre, each brief was there to teach us something, and get taught we did. A personal favourite of mine was the branding project we were set. We were given an occupation (bike couriers, engineers etc.) and from that had to generate a business, unique selling point and an identity to match. I was given tree surgery as a career (my own fault for suggesting it as one of the options, as a joke). Regardless of my twisted fortune I began the task and ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Branding, again, was an area that I held with high esteem and considered thoughtful, well executed identities to be one of the greatest commodities a designer could provide. In total the first year was a whirlwind; of emotion, of work, of hangovers. But the new life I had embarked on; design, university and living alone, combined to present me the best year I've ever had.

And so began the summer. Conflicting with the relative chaos of the year this period seemed subdued, I could not wait to get back. The nerves were settled and anxiousness was reigned in, in comparison to the previous September at least, I wanted to be back in the swing of things again. This year brought with it a new house and new housemates (both stayed the same through to the third year). Little did I realise how much of a big step I would be taking even by walking in to uni on the first day of term. The second year started and it did not stop, not even to take a little breath. The work load increased, briefs became tougher and things got serious! Sustainability was what awaited us in the first term, a topic that I had heard about but had given no significant thought. This was a long brief comprising of three separate parts, two group outcomes and an individual piece. I learnt a lot about sustainability in those weeks. Its importance and necessity shone through amongst the need for designers, possibly more than others, to take the buck and be a leader within the field.

I felt, at points, that I struggled with the second year. For some reason, unlike the first year, I found it difficult to connect with briefs. This happened predominantly with the portrait brief, which I felt I could have done better at if I had made different choices. Another first for this year was the introduction of the competition module. My favourites of these briefs were the Penguin and Puffin book cover designs. It was good to attempt a live brief, knowing there were other students and designers all around the country doing the same thing. I feel this is why I strived to create something different and original, I wanted to win (as did most others I would have thought). Even so, the thought of entering was exciting enough; especially after Ray suggested that I enter them into the draw (I didn't win, but it's the taking part that counts. Right?).

The second year ended with my first ever exhibition. One word I would use to describe it? Tense! Choosing work to show, modifying that work; and it was just for our own gratification, there were prizes at stake. Three people would be selected at the end of the exhibition to win a bursary work placement at Brand Union in London. Waiting for a call for an interview was nerve-racking, waiting to see whether you had won was nerve-destroying! Nevertheless, I spent two weeks in July in London. What an experience, seeing how a large company worked first hand was invaluable. However, this provided and interesting new insight, I don't want to work for a large design agency. Through no fault of the Brand Union I came to this conclusion, not a criticism more a newly developed understanding of how I want to work. Like I said, invaluable.

Again, summer was a tame and slightly boring affair. By early August my longing for student life was clawing at my insides. So I asked and so I received. September rolled around and so did the new academic year, excellent! However, as I had been astounded by the shift in gear in the second year, the third year blew me away. Continuing from the second year we had increased professional practice lectures, the ever looming dissertation and a work load that would have definitely broken the camels back. In spite of all this I was glad, glad to be there, glad to have made it there. Just another step closer to that piece of paper and wearing a gown. What am I saying? I was horrified! This was it, it is nearly over. The time had come to savour every moment and do as best as I could.

Sheer dread out of the way, well kind of, I'm glad I'm here now; even more glad that I came to CSAD to do a BA in Graphic communications. The lecturers have been fantastic, the people superb, the work...well that was there as well. I'm proud to have got where I am now from the lowly college boy that arrived in 2008. From that, believe it or not, relatively shy and nervous kid I have become more confident (some would merely say loud) and have developed a skill set that I am proud of and look forward to utilising in the future.

self evaluation

reflective journal

This section of the blog is a means of reflecting on the last three years of my life in university. Here you will find written pieces reflecting on the experiences I have had and skills gained through this journey. In addition, there will be the work I created in my final year as well as the feedback I gained following each project.