OUGD602: DR. ME. Workshop

Dr. Me came into the studio to deliver a workshop based on their book 'cut that out' which centres around contemporary collage. This workshop was such a nice break from the screen utilising completely random imagery from a range of sources and creating a contemporary zine as a result. Experimenting with a range of stock, texture and aesthetic allows a miss match style that came together to work appropriately. I took inspiration from this workshop in the sense that something doesn't have to be perfect to still be engaging. I really engaged with this style as its so different to my current design practice it was nice to step away from this and create something completely spontaneous that takes pride in its imperfections. 

OUGD602: Internships - Circle of Influence

During a PPP session with Alec we worked on a range of professional insecurities and industry exercises. My favourite of these was the circle of influence, we were asked to create a mind map of people, things and studios that inspired us as creatives. I altered mine slightly taking this opportunity to research and learn about the different creative studios in Leeds looking at their digital portfolio which gave me a stronger idea of the type of studios I wanted to contact as part of my Internship engagement. This exercise really helped me to narrow down the type of studio I was looking for and ways in which I might approach them working as a tunnelling exercise bringing all the ideas in my head into a physical paper form from which felt more manageable in how I would approach this.

OUGD602: Internships - Intro & Show Reel

Having been briefed on the module it is essential to demonstrate an ability to engage with industry, within this briefing it was suggested the most appropriate form of which is through a work placement or internship. This is an exciting yet daunting concept of engaging with professional studios in the hope of learning from their experience. A sense of confidence needs to be put forward in contact studios to ensure the best first impression, to do so I have created a small show reel PDF of some of my strongest work from last year and the beginning of this year to present a representative sample of my style and the quality of design I am capable of. I feel confident in sending this sample of work to studios when contacting them as I have selected each brief to discuss different design processes, concepts and deliverables demonstrating my diversity within my practice. Through the course of the OUGD602 module I plan to create a fully functioning website however for these placements I felt I needed to get in early therefore the Mini Show Reel is the most appropriate form of first contact. 

OUGD602: Dissertation - Primary Research / Industry Contact

Within my dissertation it was appropriate to gather a range of case studies from primary sources, this implemented a range of primary research into my dissertation while engaging with the industry to ensure the research I collated was relevant and important to holistically understand my subject. Contacting a number of studios who worked with the Ketel one brand discussed within my dissertation I heard back from Love Studio, based in Manchester and View Creative, based in London. Working with Matt and Dan they provided an insight as to how their work impacted the consumer brand relationship between Ketel One and its core consumer. 

This research informed a full chapter of my dissertation and beyond this allowed be to create connections within the industry that I can the utilise later in the year when looking for placements, studio visits or beyond university for job applications and networking. I was surprised how much chasing I had to do in order to get them to respond to my questions however their work load meant I was often pushed to the side. I initially struggled with this in planning my time however ended u setting deadlines for them to work to which fortunately they were able to meet. 

OUGD602: Personal Project - Figment Zine: Professional Feedback

Happy with the final outcome of my publication, I sought out professional feedback to see how this fits within the commercial sector of independent publications to see if this output adheres to a professional standard of work. Receiving ongoing feedback from Alec throughout the course of the project allowed his experience within publication design to help inform my creative decision making an ensure appropriate materials and processes were utilised. Furthermore I sought out further feedback from Colours may vary, an independent bookstore in Leeds, as this would be the publications natural environment therefore, this feedback becomes particularly appropriate. 

Alec Dudson, Intern Editor and Chief

It’s been really interesting to see this project emerge from the photographs originally shown and most impressive, has been the manner in which the project and its design makes great use of those images. 

Figment sits somewhere in between artist books and zines and with a little more content could certainly sit alongside the kind of publications available on sites like thegardenedit.com. The materials are well considered and refer to the subject matter which shows a real understanding of the many layers to really good graphic design. The only material choice that sit slightly out of place is the multi-coloured foil to the title. For an even more premium finish, and to move the final piece further away from the zine aesthetic to the artist book aesthetic, I’d suggest using a thicker board for the cover, to almost give the publication a hard-back feel. That added tactility would allow a great opportunity for a thoughtful use of texture, cloth covering and debossing. 

Overall, Figment is a charming example of how to take a photo shoot and turn it into a considered, niche publication. 

Andy, Colour's May Vary founder. 

Figment seems to be an apposite word for these post truth times. While we stumble around looking for shreds of authenticity, the waters between right and wrong, black and white and up and down silt up and muddy. Figment, a new photo zine from 3rd year graphic design student Rhys Jones, plays with this dichotomy by asking us whether we can believe our own eyes, and it does so rather beautifully. 

The content of this well thought out zine plays with the idea of place - where are we, what are we looking at, are things as they seem? Photographs present a tropical landscape of palm fronds, decorated pottery, a beached wooden boat, and primitive stonework all set against a blue sky. However we've not crossed an ocean to get here and no border control has been necessary - we're 80 add miles down the M62 at Chester Zoo, inside man-made habitats constructed to re-capture the essence of elsewhere.

From the frame cut into the cover, revealing the dense foliage beneath, Figment entices us in, like Alice into the rabbit hole. The conceit is a simple one, but well executed, it challenges preconceptions of how we read images, or how images work on us. The reveal is contained in an explanatory booklet thread sewn into the centre pages, which throws light on the project. Sure a picture might paint a thousand words, but those words might all be lies. 

That Rhys is graduating from a graphic design course is the one part of Figment that is obvious and clear - the layout, materials and construction of this handsome zine lend it a feel and flow that many similar photo zines lack. Figment might be all about deception, but it's a true gem.

This summative feedback provided is extremely positive and engaging, Alec provides, critical insight as to how the materials and processes work together with the narrative to create a more insightful project. Andy positively reflects on the quality of the output and its use of narrative to add substance to the publication which adds a well rounded finish to the project. This feedback reinforces the successful nature of the publication and encourages me to undertake more personal projects in the future. 

OUGD602: Personal Project - Figment Zine: Pressision Contact

Pleased with the results of the finished zine I contacted Pressision, a creative commercial printers, regarding a quote to produce a small run of 5-10 copies to send to studios and submissions such as the it's nice that blog and creative review as a means to gain industry exposure and get my foot in the door as such. Due to the dimensions of the book and inside knowledge from visiting Pressission in Level 4, I established it could produced using their inkjet printer as opposed to litho printing, which would significantly reduce the start up costs requiring no printing plates or machine times. Contacting Pressision I found this quote was considerably more expensive than I first estimated quoting close to £400 for 5 copies, this makes this option unobtainable far exceeding a student budget. Considering alternatives to this I will consider producing a handmade run however this is equally expensive, time consuming and temperamental with university facilities requiring 4 covers to be produced in order to obtain a jacket with a successfully foiled title. 

OUGD602: Personal Project - Figment Zine: Photography

Impressed with the overall quality of the finished article, I hired out the photography studio in order to properly photograph the finished zine in preparation for developing my portfolio and website. This worked extremely well shooting against a black background in order to create a start contrast between the stock. The outcomes of this shoot creates an extremely high  finish that justly represents the zine from a digital context and will sit appropriately within my portfolio, which was praised by tutors commenting 'Nice work photographing it properly. It makes such a huge difference when putting together a digital or physical portfolio.' 

OUGD602: Personal Project - Figment Zine

During the summer I visited Chester Zoo and took a disposable 35mm camera to experiment with, the results of these developed images were exceptionally nice therefore I didn't want them to just sit in a draw untouched collecting dust, I wanted to exhibit them in a final form. This generated the idea of a small zine to collate the images and present them in a more appropriate form that has a purpose. Creating a concept for the Zine, I focused the images around the new 'Islands' development of Chester Zoo, this 60,000 Sq foot complex aims to take the user out of the typical zoo environment using authentic detailing to change the narrative from gawping at caged animals to immersing the user within the animals natural habitat, revitalising the experience of the zoo. The use of imagery within the Zine articulates this distraction, using the figment of authenticity as a means to subvert  the user experience making the attraction feel more immersive and ethical to its audience. 

Developing the aesthetic of the zine allowed me to experiment with new forms of editorial design I had not yet encountered and was used as a small exercise to get me thinking objectively and creatively again after an extensive summer break forming a productive start to level 6. Tutor feedback suggested the most appropriate materials to use within the production of the zine, informing a recycled stock and thinker handmade dust jacket to create a contextual link to the natural authenticity of the Islands development. The narrative of the zine is reinforced through its design process creating an revelation for the audience, the photography has an exotic feel it is only when the audience read the a6 insert in the centre fold they establish the images are a collection from Chester Zoo having been fully immersed in the perception these images are from authentic foreign destinations. The tone of voice used within this insert is inquisitive, questioning the marketing strategies behind this development ultimately used commercially to place the user within a more immersive experience however the zine questions the ethics of such strategies, creating opportunity for larger social conversation. I am really happy with the production values and overall outcome of the project succeeding in its purpose to create a method of purposefully exhibiting this collection of photographic experimentation within a contextual form. 

via GIPHY

OUGD602: Creative Networks: Mike Mignola

We were briefed on an live opportunity to work with the college creating the promotional materials for this years Creative Networks cycle of events. Within this we were given 2 weeks to create a concept for the design direction and explore how this would work over an extended series. Working in a small group with Jack and Lo we were successful in winning the Bid to create the collateral for the creative networks events for 2016/2017. This was a good start to the PPP module engaging with the live opportunity that will see my work be exhibited within college and reach a large external audience as these high profile events draw in a range of creatives from a vast range of industry that provides perfect networking opportunity having work exhibited within these networking spaces. The fact the work is paid creates a more professional approach to this project simulating an industry focused process using the CCE team as a client mediating design decisions reinforcing this through client lead feedback to ensure an appropriate resolution.

The first event for Mike Mignola was really a learning process to understand how the creative networks events run, we created a series of 3 original posters using a consistent template which allowed the series to come together aesthetically et allowed each designer to take control of one design ensuring a shared workload and individual input to the project. Evaluating the first event established that the coming events needed more material as this felt empty within the space, the a3 posters needed reproducing in larger scales and more way finding should be considered for further events to create a more encompassing experience for the event. 

My Poster Design 

Main Function Area

Entrance 

OUGD602: 505 Client Feedback

OUGD505 was focused around socially responsible design picking an ethical issue and creating a creative response to this problem. In my response to the brief I created a client focused resolution that looked at the importance of buying local produce and shopping independently creating a campaign for a local independent farm shop close to my home in Wales. Unfortunately I was unable to get feedback from the client before 505 was submitted however felt it was important to gain a critical sense of feedback as to if my resolution was appropriate from a client perspective in order to develop my practice leading into Level 6. 

Campaign Deliverables 

Setting up a meeting with the manger of the Farm Shop over the summer break I created a small presentation to create a visual narrative to my design process, exploring further extensions of the project and how it would fit within a commercial setting. The feedback to this was really quite encouraging, Alan praised me for clearly understanding the ethos of the farm shop as a brand and designing appropriately for this. He picked up on innovative forms of advertising such as the beer mats to sit in the Farm Shops sister business the Glynne Arms pub and restaurant as something they they had never considered but would work really well in creating a positive reinforcement of the farm shop within the local community. The meeting ended positively, I gave the manager a proposal pack to share with the owners at a later date to establish if this is something they could practically implement. As a small thankyou I received a £50 rosette for the Glynne Arms restaurant as a thankyou for thinking of the farm shop to base the project around and for doing such a good job on the design. 

UPDATE: Hearing back from Alan and the owners that at present they have a design agency on retainer to create all of their promotional materials meant at this time they would not be able to take my work forward commercially however provided a glowing reference that will be a strong attrition to my portfolio along with the the final resolution. This experience as greatly improved my confidence in working with and dealing with clients and reinforces the quality of my work within a real life context. 

"We initially discussed a branding/design project with Rhys that would allow him to use The Hawarden Estate Farm Shop it’s subject, what happened thereafter was that his work prompted me to consider real changes to the current direction of our brand and graphic design. Rhys inspired this through creating a simple and effective way of communicating our values by introducing working props to support his work, such as; Menu cards, beer mats etc which we had not previously considered. Rhys’ project work also inspired us to reflect on our current brand /design direction and accept that it was inconsistent and in need of fresh impetus. Rhys has a natural interest in the provenance of food has a professional attitude which certainly helped to get this project right on many levels. Thanks Rhys

Alan Downes"

OUGD602: Topshop Student Shop

Working in Topman part time over summer I was commissioned to design a flyer for the stores Student Shop, in which the individual store is given a small budget to organise a lock in that encourages students with exclusive discounts and late night offers. Working with the Store Manager to design the flyer was challenging in complementing an appropriate design direction with the clients needs. Creating a range of initial design concepts allowed me to explore different directions in which this medium could be used to engage with the target audience. This required a clear and concise hierarchy of information which was negotiated as: Event, Date, Place and Time and equally required an aesthetic that would allow this information to be clearly legible at a glance ensuring maximum audience retention. 

Gathering feedback from the client they suggested the middle concept worked most effectively allowing simple high impact design that worked for both brands as other designs used Topshop imagery which wasn't representative of Topman. Developing this direction further the client required the stores phone number and address for university students new to the city as well as the shopping centres logo for a further reference point. The final design takes reference from the in store experience taking from pastel colours of the SS16 trends and marble accents used within the mannequin stands and store graphics to ensure the aesthetic is representative of the store. The hierarchy of the information flows appropriately identifying the date in prominent marbled type as a focal point of the design supported by more detailed information to balance the flyers composition. 

To further promote the event I simplified the design to fit within a 3x3 grid, optimising the design to be used with Instagram as a means of promoting the event to a larger audience inviting staff members to post through their personal accounts to reach a high percentage of students within the local area. The results of this minimal campaign saw a significant increase in awareness for the event making it the most successful the store has had being the first time they have produced tangible advertising as opposed to purely word of mouth. This process allowed me to work with a client, consider the importance of hierarchy, negotiate with printers, sourcing pricing, and generating invoices, all of which aid the professionalism of my practice and develop a better insight into the commercial interests of design.