I had my second talk with Mike Ryan today. We started off by going through my Learning Agreement and sorting out a couple of bits and bobs in it. We then delved into what I had done for the research of the project. I had looked into various magazines such a GQ and had collected many cutouts from each.
Once we had skimmed through the cutouts we came to the conclusion that the different pieces of clothing weren't that important to my project. It was more the logo design and branding that was what I should look into. We also discussed how the more expensive brands tend to use serif fonts and the less expensive, usually high street retailers tend to use san serif fonts as this usually portrays the correct image for both, across to the public. As I taken this into account I had been coming up with possible names for the brand. We went through these and discussed in detail which Mike thought worked the most. The name Tendenza was the one that stood out the most. It means Trend in Italian.
Mike also told me he thought it be best I stick to a certain age range. Preferrably the young professional from about 24 to 34 years of age. This would benefit my project considerably compared to the age group I had in my Learning Agreement.
For next week (Thurs 5th March) he wanted me to create a mood board of all the fashion logos I can find. Photocopy them and place them in different catagories depending on the fonts used.
Friday 27 February 2009
Monday 23 February 2009
Work Related Learning // WRL // Session 1
Today was the dawning of a new era; the Work Related Learning era to be precise. I am glad to report it was a success, and a flop at the same time. The success was that it went really well and looked like it was going to be a great project, the flop was that I was the only one that turned up!
The unit is intended to help me to develop my understanding of the creative industries, and identify future employment opportunities.
My plans and expectations in relation to the unit will be presented in the form of a Learning Agreement, which will be discussed with my unit leader.
I will be expected to make all relevant industry-level contacts through my own research, and the onus throughout the unit will be on me to arrange visits, interviews, and a work experience placement and/or professional assignment.
I was given a brief introduction to what is asked of us and how I go about doing it. We lightly discussed what I would like from the unit and what I can see my future consisting of.
The unit is intended to help me to develop my understanding of the creative industries, and identify future employment opportunities.
My plans and expectations in relation to the unit will be presented in the form of a Learning Agreement, which will be discussed with my unit leader.
I will be expected to make all relevant industry-level contacts through my own research, and the onus throughout the unit will be on me to arrange visits, interviews, and a work experience placement and/or professional assignment.
I was given a brief introduction to what is asked of us and how I go about doing it. We lightly discussed what I would like from the unit and what I can see my future consisting of.
Sunday 22 February 2009
HDR Experimentation
Yesterday and today I started playing around with my camera again. I'd always been interested in HDR images and have never managed to make a decent one. HDR Image = High Dynamic Range Image. In image processing, computer graphics, and photography, high dynamic range imaging is a set of techniques that allows a greater dynamic range of luminances between light and dark areas of a scene than normal digital imaging techniques. The intention of HDRI is to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to shadows. My first inspiration came from this amazing image of an Aston Martin V8 that I found on Flickr which was shot by Rob aka Robmcm. I just think the whole image works so nicely, the tones and reflections are just awesome.
So yeah, that was my inspiration and I took a few "experimental" shots of different objects, which to be quite frank, came out crap. Yet I then tried doing a HDR of my girlfriend's Ford KA. By using Photomatrix Pro I managed to come up with this...
It was shot on an overcast day at about 4 in the afternoon. I was pretty pleased with how it came out as it was my first real HDR. Yet once posted on Flickr I managed to get some feedback from Guru Photographer Dan Hodson, who advised me to sort out the white balance of the image. I will know for next time!
So yeah, that was my inspiration and I took a few "experimental" shots of different objects, which to be quite frank, came out crap. Yet I then tried doing a HDR of my girlfriend's Ford KA. By using Photomatrix Pro I managed to come up with this...
It was shot on an overcast day at about 4 in the afternoon. I was pretty pleased with how it came out as it was my first real HDR. Yet once posted on Flickr I managed to get some feedback from Guru Photographer Dan Hodson, who advised me to sort out the white balance of the image. I will know for next time!
Friday 20 February 2009
Learning Agreement
Today we also had to hand in our Learning Agreement for the Professional Project. It was a big relief as it took a lot of my mind and showed me what I really needed to put into action.
Synopsis of Study
For my Professional Project I am going to create a clothing brand that will compete with the likes of Bench., Burton, Topman and River Island. It will be a clothing brand that will concentrate on contemporary fashions and have a range of clothing to suit the pocket of both students and professional individuals. I am going to look into the difference between high street retailers such as Topman and River Island, and the more expensive high-end clothing companies, such as Armani and Gucci. I will look into how and why they are more expensive and whether there are any ways you can get such a good quality clothes for high street prices.
As I am starting the brand from scratch I will decide on an appropriate name. Possibly generate about 5 or 6 names and let my peers decide which they like the most. Both genders would have to be taken into consideration for this in order to avoid gender discrimination although I would like to mainly stick to male association. By deciding to undertake the brand development side of things I am venturing into the field of what I would like to do in the near future, it will also show that I am capable of developing a company from scratch.
My target audience will be the younger generation, yet not too young. 18 - 30 is a good age range as the brand will benefit all groups between those ages. The clothing will be high quality at affordable prices. Yet there will also be sections where higher paid individuals can splash out on more expensive clothing.
The brand development would consist of the designing the Logo, Stationery and Website Layout. Besides the required I am also going to design a few items of clothing that have the company’s style or signature on them. By designing the clothing ranges I am stepping out of my boundary, as I have never created anything to do with fashion design before.
Recently I have become more interested in the modern fashion era. Which I wish wasn’t the case as it involves spending money I currently do not have. I wanted to do this project as it would be something I have never even thought about doing, hopefully it will be very different and give me a whole new incentive on the aspect of work I wish to undertake. I propose to present the brand development and brand guidelines; along with some clothing designs in order to kick-start the company. I also think this is going to be a very successful project as it looks about the correct amount to do in the time given. It is not too big and yet it isn’t too little either.
Synopsis of Study
For my Professional Project I am going to create a clothing brand that will compete with the likes of Bench., Burton, Topman and River Island. It will be a clothing brand that will concentrate on contemporary fashions and have a range of clothing to suit the pocket of both students and professional individuals. I am going to look into the difference between high street retailers such as Topman and River Island, and the more expensive high-end clothing companies, such as Armani and Gucci. I will look into how and why they are more expensive and whether there are any ways you can get such a good quality clothes for high street prices.
As I am starting the brand from scratch I will decide on an appropriate name. Possibly generate about 5 or 6 names and let my peers decide which they like the most. Both genders would have to be taken into consideration for this in order to avoid gender discrimination although I would like to mainly stick to male association. By deciding to undertake the brand development side of things I am venturing into the field of what I would like to do in the near future, it will also show that I am capable of developing a company from scratch.
My target audience will be the younger generation, yet not too young. 18 - 30 is a good age range as the brand will benefit all groups between those ages. The clothing will be high quality at affordable prices. Yet there will also be sections where higher paid individuals can splash out on more expensive clothing.
The brand development would consist of the designing the Logo, Stationery and Website Layout. Besides the required I am also going to design a few items of clothing that have the company’s style or signature on them. By designing the clothing ranges I am stepping out of my boundary, as I have never created anything to do with fashion design before.
Recently I have become more interested in the modern fashion era. Which I wish wasn’t the case as it involves spending money I currently do not have. I wanted to do this project as it would be something I have never even thought about doing, hopefully it will be very different and give me a whole new incentive on the aspect of work I wish to undertake. I propose to present the brand development and brand guidelines; along with some clothing designs in order to kick-start the company. I also think this is going to be a very successful project as it looks about the correct amount to do in the time given. It is not too big and yet it isn’t too little either.
Screen Based Communication 2 - Results
Today we got our results for the website project. It is fair to say that I am comfortable with my mark; 59. It would have been great if I could have got one more mark as that would have given me two 2.1's in a row, but hey, you can't have everything. I received the following feedback...
LO1
The final site works well and effectively displays your work. The design has a very industrial feel which suits the motion and display of your work. With the layout of the page some of the images are a little small but most are perfectly legible. Through this project you have shown a good use of web software that will aid you well in the future.
LO2
The explanation of web culture are to the point and have clearly influenced your decision making in terms of choice of software.
LO3
Your design sheets show clear progression, though it is unclear why you changed direction so drastically. The overall presentation of your work is professional and your annotations are clearly written.
I think that was fair feedback and understand all that has been said. Now to look onto the professional project.
LO1
The final site works well and effectively displays your work. The design has a very industrial feel which suits the motion and display of your work. With the layout of the page some of the images are a little small but most are perfectly legible. Through this project you have shown a good use of web software that will aid you well in the future.
LO2
The explanation of web culture are to the point and have clearly influenced your decision making in terms of choice of software.
LO3
Your design sheets show clear progression, though it is unclear why you changed direction so drastically. The overall presentation of your work is professional and your annotations are clearly written.
I think that was fair feedback and understand all that has been said. Now to look onto the professional project.
Monday 16 February 2009
London Trip
Today we went to London. To be honest I thought it was compulsory to go so that was why I paid to go. Yet it was a good trip, took many good photographs which I decided to shoot in black and white the whole day, guess it was just my impression of London in general, even though it was a very unexpected lovely day. The photos can be seen on my Flickr.
We also visited the likes of the London Graphic Centre, loads of things in there that I could of bought yet I just didn't have the money to. We visited Covent Garden and had a really nice lunch. Visited a book binding shop which Vicky Martin was dying to go to. The had a nice pint in the pub and headed back to Tate Britain to be picked up to embark on a very sleepy journey home.
We also visited the likes of the London Graphic Centre, loads of things in there that I could of bought yet I just didn't have the money to. We visited Covent Garden and had a really nice lunch. Visited a book binding shop which Vicky Martin was dying to go to. The had a nice pint in the pub and headed back to Tate Britain to be picked up to embark on a very sleepy journey home.
Friday 13 February 2009
Mike Ryan Talk // Take 1
As I missed the one minute presentation as I was out of Bournemouth. Mike Ryan gave me and one of my peers a 2 to 1 talk on how the project was going so far and how we could kick start ourselves into moving forward. He liked my idea and thought it be best for me to look into separate aspects of the world we live in to influence me with my work.
As my professional project is to do with the fashion industry I am going to have to look into the ways the recession has affected the shopping market. Whether prices have changed much.
Magazines, cut out as many appropriate material as I can find and annotate, it may be expensive but it will count for a nice part of my research. Also look into the higher market, such as companies like Gucci, Armani, Hugo Boss, D&G. Find out why they are more expensive than high street companies. The sophistication of the higher prices companies. Analise anything and everything.
Come up with various possibilities for the name of the company I am going to create. Possible get my peers to decide on a final.
Most of all, step away from what I know and push myself further than I have ventured, hopefully it will pay off.
As my professional project is to do with the fashion industry I am going to have to look into the ways the recession has affected the shopping market. Whether prices have changed much.
Magazines, cut out as many appropriate material as I can find and annotate, it may be expensive but it will count for a nice part of my research. Also look into the higher market, such as companies like Gucci, Armani, Hugo Boss, D&G. Find out why they are more expensive than high street companies. The sophistication of the higher prices companies. Analise anything and everything.
Come up with various possibilities for the name of the company I am going to create. Possible get my peers to decide on a final.
Most of all, step away from what I know and push myself further than I have ventured, hopefully it will pay off.
Thursday 5 February 2009
Professional Project//Final Major Project
On the 29th January we were given our latest and final project of the Visual Communication course. This project was to be extremely personal. The Professional Project draws together my practical and professional knowledge of my chosen specialist subject area and provides the opportunity to plan and produce the practical work required to the highest professional standard, either working to a live or simulated professional brief. The brief will reflect industry standards and the area(s) of practice in which I would like to concentrate professionally after completion of the course. The unit requires me to consider all logistical and organisational aspects of the brief and to define my proposed solution in a Learning Agreement.
The work will also be displayed in the end-of-course exhibition. The Project thus not only draws
together my creative and practical knowledge and skills, but also presents my best possible
work to a public and professional audience.
Aims
A1: To consolidate your creativity and practical skills in response to a ‘live’ or simulated
professional brief.
Stick to what you are good at!
A2: To develop your creativity and your knowledge and understanding of professional
practice.
Research into design companies and appropriate media
A3: To develop and produce a professional standard of creative work in response to a ‘live’ or
simulated brief.
Make sure I keep up the high, professional standards
A4: To prepare you for employment, freelance work or further study.
My chosen career subject.
Learning Outcomes
LO1:
Demonstrate a professional standard of creativity and practical ability, including:
• Work that is technically comparable to that made within a specified genre.
• Work that shows an awareness of contemporary trends, styles and
subject matter, within commercial contexts.
• Work that shows a high degree of creativity and aesthetic judgement.
Identify the genre that I am working to. Appropriate research - current, past etc
LO2:
Demonstrate a professional ability to plan your time and your work, including:
• Project time planning.
• Working successfully with others in the production of creative outcomes.
Take variables into account, timetable, feedback, client interaction
LO3:
Respond appropriately to the demands of a professional/self initiated brief, including:
• Appropriate creative outcomes to industry/work related briefs.
Make sure I stick to my own brief.
Present it as to a client.
Leave 2 - 3 weeks to print.
Keep the brief very broad! Leaving room for change.
Look at London Graphics Centre.
IDEAS
• Hotel branding and architectural design
• Car Design - Re-design an old model
• Some type of Photography
• Web Design
• Font Development
• Branding
• Identity
• Rebrand Top Gear, Idents - Channel 4
• Fashion? - Brand Development:
The work will also be displayed in the end-of-course exhibition. The Project thus not only draws
together my creative and practical knowledge and skills, but also presents my best possible
work to a public and professional audience.
Aims
A1: To consolidate your creativity and practical skills in response to a ‘live’ or simulated
professional brief.
Stick to what you are good at!
A2: To develop your creativity and your knowledge and understanding of professional
practice.
Research into design companies and appropriate media
A3: To develop and produce a professional standard of creative work in response to a ‘live’ or
simulated brief.
Make sure I keep up the high, professional standards
A4: To prepare you for employment, freelance work or further study.
My chosen career subject.
Learning Outcomes
LO1:
Demonstrate a professional standard of creativity and practical ability, including:
• Work that is technically comparable to that made within a specified genre.
• Work that shows an awareness of contemporary trends, styles and
subject matter, within commercial contexts.
• Work that shows a high degree of creativity and aesthetic judgement.
Identify the genre that I am working to. Appropriate research - current, past etc
LO2:
Demonstrate a professional ability to plan your time and your work, including:
• Project time planning.
• Working successfully with others in the production of creative outcomes.
Take variables into account, timetable, feedback, client interaction
LO3:
Respond appropriately to the demands of a professional/self initiated brief, including:
• Appropriate creative outcomes to industry/work related briefs.
Make sure I stick to my own brief.
Present it as to a client.
Leave 2 - 3 weeks to print.
Keep the brief very broad! Leaving room for change.
Look at London Graphics Centre.
IDEAS
• Hotel branding and architectural design
• Car Design - Re-design an old model
• Some type of Photography
• Web Design
• Font Development
• Branding
• Identity
• Rebrand Top Gear, Idents - Channel 4
• Fashion? - Brand Development:
- Logo
- Website
- Stationery
- Clothing Design
Wednesday 4 February 2009
Catell Ronca & Hayley Potter
This is a very outdated post that should have been up ages ago, but there you go! On Monday 5th January an Illustrator named Catell Ronca came in to give us a lecture on illustration and freelancing your work. Here are the notes:
• Define your market
• Research potential clients - Writers and Artist yearbook
• Address the correct person
• Self promotion! - How special are you?
• Think outside the box
• Tiny little books
• Feedback sheet
• Create a website
• Illustration Mindo, corroflot
• Network - Keep in contact with people
• Get commissioned - confirm commission in writing. Stating the fee and © your name.
Show your portfolio (Hardcopy)
• Relevant work
• Commissioned work at the front
• Work you are proud of
• Experimental work at the back
• Maximum A3 portfolio
• No more than 20 pieces
• Business Cards
• Who can the Art Director recommend
Pricing
• What will the piece be used for?
• Is it a big client?
• Circulation
• Always do an invoice!
• Paid within 30 days
On Friday 30th January 2009, an illustrator named Hayley Potter came in to give us a talk on her work and how to promote ourselves in the industry.
Young Illustrator
Graduated in 2007
'Four Letters of Love'
'Don't Panick'
Draw what inspires you and never get rid of any work
Overall I learnt quite a few helpful tips from Catell's talk and will put them in place when it comes to it.
• Define your market
• Research potential clients - Writers and Artist yearbook
• Address the correct person
• Self promotion! - How special are you?
• Think outside the box
• Tiny little books
• Feedback sheet
• Create a website
• Illustration Mindo, corroflot
• Network - Keep in contact with people
• Get commissioned - confirm commission in writing. Stating the fee and © your name.
Show your portfolio (Hardcopy)
• Relevant work
• Commissioned work at the front
• Work you are proud of
• Experimental work at the back
• Maximum A3 portfolio
• No more than 20 pieces
• Business Cards
• Who can the Art Director recommend
Pricing
• What will the piece be used for?
• Is it a big client?
• Circulation
• Always do an invoice!
• Paid within 30 days
On Friday 30th January 2009, an illustrator named Hayley Potter came in to give us a talk on her work and how to promote ourselves in the industry.
Young Illustrator
Graduated in 2007
'Four Letters of Love'
'Don't Panick'
Draw what inspires you and never get rid of any work
Overall I learnt quite a few helpful tips from Catell's talk and will put them in place when it comes to it.
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