Ycn Bacardi

Over the past few months myself and fellow student Grace have been working in collaboration on a competition brief for Ycn. The brief itself was to drive visibility and awareness of Bacardi flavoured rums and leverage the creative theme of flirtation. The target consumer was 18-24 year old males who are fun, lighthearted and outgoing.

Initial ideas involved working with chat up lines to create innocent banter and changing cocktail recipes into flirting techniques.... for example 3/4 of eye contact.

In the end we came up with a typographic solution which played with humour in a way to appeal to our target audience. We took a typical boy meets girl scenario and added in all the ways males and females flirt with one another using body language. To make it even more cheekier and flirtatious we added an inuendo at the end where the audience has to question what the female is grabbing for... of course it's the Bacardi.

Initial Ideas

Researching into copywriters such as Sam Cartmell and visiting London agencies with our designs helped us to push our idea further. We also decided to work with neon to create the typography as this created a night time club/bar feel. Therefore we researched into neon artists such as Tracy Emin and Bruce Nauman.

Bruce Nauman

Tracy Emin

Our final designs have changed quite a lot from the initial stages and I am more than pleased with the outcome. Whether we win or lose I am happy to of worked on this brief to a finished stage and it will sit nicely in my portfolio.

Final designs

Marion Deuchars

Illustration always feeds my practice as a designer and I love hand drawn type and lettering. I came across the work of Marion Deuchars when I looked at the 2002 annual review of D&AD. To celebrate it's 40th birthday the book was entitled 'What's the point' and was art directed by Vince Frost (another favourite designer of mine) All text in the book were handwritten in pencil by Deuchars.

Alice in Wonderland

After waiting for what feels like centuries Tim Burton's interpretation of Alice in Wonderland was finally released on the 5th March. In my opinion I loved it, as soon as I put on the 3d glasses I was thrown into a world where I was battling along with Alice. The outrageous costumes, makeup and hair are all bizarre and from another world. Like all of Burton's films he delivers the plot from a different angle so don't expect to watch it and see an average fairytale. Each character is also well represented with each one being adorable in their own way, my favourite was the Mad Hatter played by Johnny Depp who succeeds in carrying most of the film, however his character sometimes seemed inconsistent alternating from a scottish accent to back to normal again, however I think this just plays more on his 'Mad' role.

However, even though I enjoyed the film there is controversy surrounding it, for example are peoples expectations of the film made bigger just because it's produced by Tim Burton.Also Alice in Wonderland is being strongly compared to Avatar. Avatar was a film which percolated in James Cameron's head for at least 14 years and like Alice in Wonderland being made into 3d so many expectations surrounded it but was this merely because of the film itself or because it gave people a chance to watch something in 3d.

In my opinion I enjoyed the film and would consider going watching it again, maybe in 2d to see how it shapes up that way but it definately met my high expectations.

Too many design graduates?

I am now in my final year of studying graphic design and as my course comes to an end it is time to take a look to the future and decide where my chosen career will take me.

I must admit the prospect of working in a professional design environment, starting work at the beginning including working long hours, interacting with clients and colleagues and having to manage as the new recruit will be a huge culture shock, especially after spending the last 3 years of my life in a classroom and enjoying the luxury of tutors on hand whenever I needed their input and help.

However, it is also very exciting and challenging, but I am concerned about the future especially in the current recession; the economic climate makes getting a job that much harder and equally the competition is fiercer.

Since starting my degree I have always been made aware of how difficult it will be to secure a full time position and not to underestimate how many students there are versus jobs. It’s quite simple really….…there are not enough jobs for the qualifying graduate.

I have attended many lecturers at college by guest speakers from the design industry; they have all spoke of their own experiences and offered advice on the best approach to secure a position in these challenging and difficult times. One guest speaker; David Lovelock of Studio Special stated “I was in the right place at the right time, I got lucky” however this lucky scenario is not the same for everyone; Alan Cocks from “Dust” spent 2 years working as a hotel auditor before he finally made it into the industry.

So what does this mean for us students who will be graduating this summer? What are our options? Do we continue to work hard and hope to get “lucky” or take a career change and wait for the market to pick up and just accept the fact that whilst in this recession our hopes, dreams and aspirations of working in the design industry will have to be put on hold?

A common statement made by executives in the design world is “There are too many graphic design students and each year the pool is getting bigger and more competitive” (www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/interiors/annie-deakin/too-many-design-students-not-enough-jobs-1547416.html). In 2007 it was reported there was a total of 456,000 students receiving their honours (Mike Carter lecture) all of them expecting to land a job or placement of their dreams, unfortunately the reality is very different from the dream.

Another concern from the executives of the design industry is the perception that as the number of students graduating increases the quality in terms of work standard is poor and the quality of student is decreasing. However, whilst people are quick to criticise there is little advice and opinion on what constitutes a good graduate. I recently emailed David Lovelock and asked him “what would set a student aside from everyone else and what skills would he look for?” David, replied “the right approach, work ethic, intelligence, enthusiasm, passion, literacy and creativity are all qualities I would look for in a student” Mick Greer a copywriter for The Chase and Love also spoke about executives concern, also known as 'the finished article' by saying that designers don't all look for a great portfolio and a wide variety of skills they look for intelligence and creativity over anything else and this perception of students having to be a finished article is anything but a general myth.

It will always be difficult for employees and graduates to strike the correct balance and it is unrealistic for an employer to expect we will have all the skill sets, lets be honest we have been design students for the past 3 years with very little exposure to the working of the outside world but our enthusiasm will prevail as we are fresh young designers who are willing to learn with no pre conceived ideas of what the normal is, this creative naivety is what drives design and without this passion design agencies run the risk of becoming stagnant.

I also question if moving to London is a better opportunity for design students?

In March, our pathway visited London and on completing my research it became evident just how many design agencies there are in the South which gave a greater range of companies to show my portfolio too. My initial conclusion was there certainly appeared to be more opportunity in London.

Alan Offord a recent graduate posted a blog on creative pool, a blog resource offering advice from and for designers. Alan answered my question by stating “With the collective belt- tightening as the global recession continues to bite and the subsequent massive increase in the number of applicants for every job, the dream of London slipped through my fingers” Therefore the competition is just as fierce in London and moving there in hope of a job would probably not be beneficial for us.

The conclusion is; there are not enough jobs for all the qualifying graduates; but with determination and passion you can succeed.

I’m not certain where the future will take me right now but all I can do is hope for the best.

Information taken from Mike Carter's lecture

Mick Greer's lecture

Emails from David Lovelock

www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2008/may/are-graduates-motivated-by-success-passion-or-money

www.eyemagazine.com/opinion.php?id=151&old=406

www.creativepool.co.uk/content.php?url=is-london-the-best-place-for-design-graduates

Mick Greer vs Mike Rigby

Over the course of the last 3 years of studying design we have had numerous practitioners visit college to speak about life in the industry, life after graduation, their work and their own experiences. This year we have seen practitioners who differ from each other with the advice they give and the experience they have. However, no matter how they all differ each one offered crucial advice to help us prepare for life after graduation.

Deciding on which two practitioners to compare and contrast was not an easy task so I decided to focus on the ones that stood out to me the most and from which I took away the most. The two practitioners I have decided to analyse are; Mike Rigby from agency True North and Mick Greer a freelance copywriter. Both of these designers offered crucial advice on the industry and how to get a job after graduation.

Mike graduated from Preston university in 2002 and since then has had numerous placements and jobs at well known agencies such as; Pentagram, The Chase and Mark studio before landing a job at True North in Manchester. Mike spoke about the positives and negatives of getting a job in the industry with the good overriding the bad. Mike also spoke about placements and how they are an essential requirement to help students get a job. The best way to get a placement is to have a strong portfolio with current well-executed work. Mike expressed how important it is to take professional pride in everything we do, even If it’s just a mock up it should be done to the best ability we can. To get the most out of placements we should make sure we get involved by asking questions and making a brew, but also we should have enthusiasm, commitment and be well organised. We shouldn’t worry if agencies reject us and rejection is all part of design and it doesn’t mean we aren’t good enough.

Mick Greer studied Graphic Design at Blackburn but learnt from this that he wasn't very good at it so instead opted for advertising. Working at high profile agencies such as The chase, Love and Mcann Ericksson he also travels up and down the country to Leeds, Scotland and London. Mick spoke primarily about getting a job after graduation and expressed his views on a the subject that all 3rd year students are worrying about ''too many graduates not enough jobs''. Mick felt that now is the time that we need to up our game if we even stand a chance of beating all the other thousand students that will be graduating in July. The competition isn't just the people in our class and it's important for us to take in account all the people that graduated the year before us and who are still looking for a job, as well as the people who were affected by the recession and made redundant who are still looking for a job in design. Mike also spoke about how students feel not up to scratch and not the 'finished article' when leaving university and looking for a job. This was something I had covered in my issues and practices essay. Mick disagreed and felt that none of us will become a 'finished article' until at least 5/10 years down the line. He felt that designers look for creativity and intelligence over anything else. Even over a good portfolio.

I can compare Mike Rigby and Mick Greer's lecture in great detail the environment in which we had the practitioners come in to talk to us was the same. Taking place in the classroom which was more relaxed and easier to interact and ask questions as well as receiving worthwhile advice. They both spoke of placements with Mick stating that we have to be 'prepared and motivated to get a job' and Mike stating that 'organisation, commitment and enthusiasm' would get us further than everyone else. These are both key issues that I think determine whether we will succeed or not, basically it's down to us.

In contrast to Mick Greer's lecture Mike spoke about life outside of design. Mike feels it's important to take a break and got out of the design world and opted instead to go travelling for a few months stating that it was the best experience and everyone should get out there once in a while. This is a question which has always been in the back of my mind as I too would like to get out there and see the world. It also threw Mike offers of jobs in Australia and this too would be something I would quite like to do. Also unlike Mick's lecture Mike showed us some work that he had produced whilst working for True North. I always find it interesting seeing the work of designers, however we did not see any of Mick's work which was slightly disappointing as I feel a passion for copywriting after working on the Bacardi brief with Grace.

Overall I enjoyed both lectures, both gave me valuable feedback key to me graduating in July. Although I haven't been on any placements yet it's not to say I haven't been in touch with agencies however, I will take Mick's advice and contact other agencies and on a regular basis. It's with the advice from tutors and advice from people in the industry which will help me and push me further in the industry, as we are coming to the end I can't help but be thankful for the advice we have received over the last 3 years.

Healthy food packaging

I came across this food packaging work whilst looking on the Toxel blog. The site features some really inspiring, out there work which really made me smile. 

I really like the clever idea behind the healthy food packaging by designer Daizi Zheng. He created a series of food packaging designed to encourage people to change their bad eating habits. The project includes carrot sticks packaged like cigarettes and celery in a Mcdonalds chip box. However much I like these I don't think the clever packaging will encourage enough people to  re consider their relationship with healthy food.

    

  

V&A - Decode exhibiton

Whilst in London I visited the V&A (Victoria and Albert museum) One exhibition I had a look around at was Decode: Digitial design sensations. This exhibition which is on until April showcases the latest developments in digital and interactive design and included work from Matt Pyke (who we met at the Liverpool design symposium) and Karsten Schmidt,

My favourite exhibits were 'Dune 2007' by Daan Roosegaarde from the Netherlands. This piece showed an interactive and response installation which when walked past or touched explored the dynamic relation between people and technology by flashing and making sounds.

I also enjoyed the 'Video grid 2009' by British designer Ross Phillips in which the general public could record themselves for upto 3 seconds behind a large screen. Once recorded their image would appear on a large screen mixed up with past recordings, it was almost as if lots of people were being recorded all at the same time.

Although the exhibition was split into 3 themes ;  code, interactivity and network I most enjoyed being able to interact with the different exhibits. Looking at the different animations and moving imagery expanded my knowledge and practice as a designer.

You can visit the v&a website and have a look at the Decode exhibition here.

Strategies

One thing I took away from my portfolio visits whilst in London was the term 'strategies' it was a word used numerous times when me and Grace presented our Bacardi work. So what exactly is an advertising strategy? Well I decided to broaden my knowledge and find out...

In advertising, different creative strategies are used in order to obtain consumer attention and provoke shoppers to purchase or use a specific product. Advertisers use different ways of thinking to create catchy slogans that capture consumer attention. Creative strategies promote publicity, public relations, personal selling and sales promotion.

These ways of thinking are divided into three basic descriptions: Weak strategies, mid-strength strategies and strong strategies. The strategies labeled "strong, mid-strength, and weak are generic phrases used in the text books referenced below to help students understand the intensity of each different type of advertising strategy. Advertisements, weak, mid-strength, and strong can be found in television, radio, and magazines/print.

Since the beginning of advertising, strategies have been created, starting with the simplest (weak) strategies in the 1940s.

With concrete objectives, the following elements of the advertising strategy need to be considered: target audience, product concept, communication media, and advertising message. These elements are at the core of an advertising strategy, and are often referred to as the "creative mix." Again, what most advertisers stress from the beginning is clear planning and flexibility. And key to these aims is creativity, and the ability to adapt to new market trends. A rigid advertising strategy often leads to a loss of market share. Therefore, the core elements of the advertising strategy need to mix in a way that allows the message to envelope the target consumer, providing ample opportunity for this consumer to become acquainted with the advertising message.

There is a LOT of information about advertising strategies, so much to actually get my head around but maybe next time when approaching a brief in advertising if i refer to some of these objectives a bit more I could produce a different outcome of work.

Research: Advertising strategy

Dhm

On the 2nd March myself, Kat and Grace (visit arranged by Grace) visited Dhm (Dye, Holloway, Murray) for our very last portfolio visit whilst in London.

Dye, Holloway and Murray is located on Newburgh street, near Soho and Oxford circus. It's location itself, in my opinion was very trendy and modern with small boutique shops surrounding it. Upon arriving we were asked to wait in reception which, like the streets outside were very modern with large lights and a large metal clock showing times from around the world. There was also framed images of the agencies work for clients such as; Howies, Gaymers, Bmi healthcare and land securities some of which I had previously seen in D&AD annuals.

Work for Howies:

Work for Gaymers

We were met by Fran who Grace had been in contact with and were shown into a large open plan board room where we all sat around and spoke through our portfolio.

As there was 3 of us we decided to take 3 pieces of work each to the visit as we were aware that as an agency they would be busy and not have all day to sit around talking to us.The pieces of work I spoke through were ; The british dental Museum, The kitchen of Meaning and mine and Grace's Bacardi work.

My work - British Dental museum

My work : The kitchen of meaning

Fran and her partner both seemed to like my editorial spreads for the British Dental museum. They thought it was clever how the type was set and how different parts of the dental tools picked out certain words. They also commented on the 'Bitesize guide' tagline which was added to my front cover stating that this was a clever way to reinforce the dental museum and book. Similar to my first portfolio visit with agency Top corner it was reinforced that perhaps I could extend this project further by adding in a few more spreads and photographing other dental tools.

Fran felt that maybe the composition and layout of my Kitchen of Meaning project could be slightly tweaked by moving the definition so that it fits in line with what the exhibition actually is. It was also suggested that maybe I could move the type so that a story was read throughout the poster but this was an idea which Grace had already worked on.

The main reason for visiting DHM was so that myself and Grace could get some feedback on work we had been collaborating on for a brief set by YCN. Grace had previously sent ahead our designs we had done for Bacardi yet it was much better being able to talk to Fran and her partner face to face about their opinions on it. It was suggested that as we felt that we were at dead end with our copywriting that we should sit down and begin again thinking of different scenarios such as maybe a story aimed at gays, one aimed at someone on holiday , rather than just limiting ourselves to a guy meets a girl in a club. Fran also felt that some of the words we had chose such as 'cheeky wink' would not be words a young male audience would really use now and maybe we should use more sexier words instead. Fran was worried that our designs would not be able to be used in the real world as we broke all codes and conventions of the rules. Myself and Grace already knew this but decided once we had started we may as well push the rules as far as we could. It was suggested we should think about where the advertisements would be placed, for example an adshel at night time and we should also think of a good tag line to go with the overall flirting of the poster. The advice and feedback we got from this was very helpful and I now feel me and Grace can push on with our work much better.

I found the feedback very helpful and came away from the visit feeling quite confident and positive about my work. In all I loved Dhm's studio and would like to work in an environment like the one they had.

Red brick road

On the 2nd of March myself, Kat and Grace had our 2nd portfolio visit with agency Red Brick Road. I had previously been in contact with Andy Vasey but as he was unavailable whilst we were in London he arranged for us to see his partner Dan.

Upon arrival I was quite amazed at how large the studio was and how busy. Our meeting with Dan was kept short as we were aware of how busy they were but we all managed to sit and talk through our portfolios with Dan. I was really interested in speaking to Dan as it was the agencies Tesco work which has influenced and highly informed mine and Grace's Bacardi work. Dan suggested possibly shortening our scenarios as they were quite long and time consuming    (this was advice we had also recieved from Studio Special.)  He thought if we applied a strapline to the designs it would tie in nicely with what we already had. As the Red Brick Road are an advertising agency it was also suggested maybe choosing other medias such as placing our designs on the internet using web banners, maybe stickers could be produced also, these were all ways of trying to interact with our audience other than just producing posters. Dan also spoke of advertising strategies which was something myself and Grace has never heard of before but is all related to target consumer etc. Dan felt that by having a strategy we would be able to work with our Bacardi brief better. Dan's feedback of using other medias was something me and Grace hadn't thought of so it definitely gave us food for thought and it would be interesting to learn more about what an advertising strategy is.

As time was ticking on we only had time to go into great detail about our Bacardi work before Kat spoke through work she has been producing for Tolerance.

Before leaving the studio Dan spoke to us about life after University and how to get the best from placements. He also showed us a portfolio that had won a placement with the company. I found this very useful as it allowed us to look at the competition and how other peoples work got them placement. The portfolio of work that Dan showed us was mostly advertising work which showed unusual and daring designs, Dan felt it was designs like this which stand students apart and win the placements.

Since meeting with Dan myself and Grace have taken his feedback and used it to our advantage by adding a strapline onto our designs and also shortening the stories.

Studio Special

Studio Special is a small award winning studio based in London. Their clients include Peacefrog records, University College of London and Pearson Publishing. Established in 2006 by David Lovelock and Sally Oldfield. They specialise in design for print, identity, branding and designing for the web.

On our first day in London myself, Kat and Grace (visit arranged by Kat) met with David Lovelock of Studio Special. I was amazed at how small the studio was with only 3 desks, however I find it interesting to see how each studio differs and no matter how small or big an agency is it doesn't alter the work that they produce to be good or bad.

David was very welcoming and spoke to us about the ethics that Studio Special have and the industry as a whole. He was also interested into how London differed from Manchester and  how our course at Stockport college was operated. 

I spoke first about my work for the British Dental Museum. David was suprised that I didn't have a mock up book of my spreads as he felt being able to actually touch and feel different products would have been a better way to communicate my idea. Little touches like this would also stand me out from the crowd as it would be obvious that I had gone that bit further with my designs, this is something I am now considering to do as I feel it will benefit my portfolio further. David liked how the type was positioned and felt the typography was clear and well executed in these spreads. David also thought other spreads with interesting layouts would benefit my work and maybe photographing other dental tools and even a dentist chair could be quite interesting. As an agency David and Sally do quite a lot of work for UCL (University College London) producing booklets and prospectuses, David showed us some of these designs to show contrast towards the work we had produced.

Their work for UCL:

When talking about mine and Grace's Bacardi work David suggested shortening the stories to just cheeky one liners so that an audience would get our idea much quicker. We spoke about where we would position our advertisements and David suggested maybe producing beer mats or even stickers to place in pubs and clubs would be an original interesting idea, this is something me and Grace had not even considered so it was very helpful to get an outsiders opinion on this. It was felt that maybe playing with chat up lines, as this is what is mostly associated with flirting would be something worth exploring. However, myself and Grace has already tried this and felt it didn't have the same appeal or effect as our stories did.

After talking through roughly 2/3 projects each ( as we were in a large group we were aware that we did not want to take up all of David's valuable time) David showed us some work that Studio Special had produced. Much of their work is informed by subjects they are personally interested in and this was clear as David showed us designs for print including books and publications they had worked on for UCL.

I enjoyed meeting with David he was honest, opinionated and friendly and his feedback was very much appreciated.

You can visit Studio Special here

Magpie

Whilst in London the tutors arranged visits with various agencies such as; Elmwood, Futurebrand, Dew Gibbons and Hat Trick. Myself, Kat, Grace, John and Chris were lucky enough to head down to Perseverance works to meet with Ben Christie from Magpie studio.

Magpie have been going now for almost 2 years, their approach is simple - they listen to clients, understand their audience and solve their problems. They believe that design is more than just a job it's a responsibility. Their client list includes the Tate Britain, Royal Mail, The print room and The women's institute.

Upon arrival we were met with one of Ben's partners who he had previously worked at Hat Trick with and were shown into their small yet very modern agency. Sat around a table with cups of tea Ben showed us some work that Magpie had been working on in the past 2 years. I had previously looked on their website at some of their projects but actually being able to physically hold and look at brochures and business cards was much better.

I personally liked the christmas stamp miniature book designed for the Royal Mail. The aim of the brief was for the stamps to be shown in the best light and the best way they could. So, Magpie created perforated illustrations of church windows using a stained glass theme and placed their stained glass stamps onto these windows to show the stamps in context. By doing this it complimented the stamps as works of art without overpowering them. The actual booklet itself also contained nice typography and could also be folded out to allow all the seven stamp designs to be viewed together.

Ben also seemed interested in where we were up to in our final stages of university and asked what we had all taken on as our final project. I found the experience really positive and it was nice to be able to sit down in a relaxed environment and have a designer show us their work. Most of the time we are showing designers our work or having lecturers show us their own work via a big screen it was nice to be able to touch and see the end product in all it's glory. We also all came away with Magpies christmas poster which was a nice thought and a nice end to the meeting.

 Outside Magpie's studio

You can check out Magpie studio here.

London

On the 1st March myself and the rest of 3rd year Graphics and 3rd year moving image students travelled to London to meet with various design agencies and show our portfolios. I found this a very worthwhile experience as it gave me a better understanding of what it would be like to work in a different city as well as how other design agencies operate. Personally I loved London, I like how busy it is, how there is so much to do, I felt very at home and moving there after graduation is something I am definately considering.

My knowledge of London and what life is like after University was broadened when we met with Shellsuit Zombie. The tutors had arranged a fun boozy lecture in a pub in Kings Cross where recent graduates; Rob Butcher, Jonny Birch, James Fletcher and Ellie Offord came to talk about their own experiences and what to expect. The lecture was fun and different to ones attended in uni as it included quizzes and a chance for us to work in groups to show off our creative sides. Picking from a celebrity and an issue myself, Nick, Nicola, Andy and Sophie worked as a team with the celebrity Michael Jackson and the issue euthanasia. Our creative campaign was based on song lyrics by MJ or words connected with himself.... For example we had 'Heeee heeeee...... euthanasia' and ' stop schmoanin.... euthanasia' and 'it's bad.... euthanasia'

The whole night was fun and well organised.

You can visit the shellsuit zombie website here