John Cooper Clarke and Modern Construct - Fred Perry

John Cooper Clarke is a renowned poet whom I was lucky enough to see in concert. He has been labelled as a 'punk poet' due to his exposure during the Punk music movement as well as his lively, rapid-fire style to of poetry.

Clarke has recently written a new poem for Fred Perry’s Annual Traditions Christmas campaign. The poem is accompanied with a film and series of posters designed by London-based design studio Modern Construct that feature the words of the poet.

“Buy a gift that leaves unsaid. Baby you’re the business, you gotta go with Fred.”

The project appropriates the analogue techniques used in John’s early publications and gig posters. This hands-on approach echoes back to John’s first job as a lead typesetter before he gained popularity for his written work. I wasn't aware that Clarke used to be a lead typesetter and Modern Construct have utilised this personal attribute to inform the typographic style and how it is presented/removed on screen. 

The video aesthetically appeals to me as the muted tones and ink spot images connote collage which is a medium I have explored throughout my creative journey. Due to my previous experimentation with stop-motion animation using collage, this aesthetic brings text, image and texture together in an irregular, playful and broken fashion. Modern Construct have appropriated this media to connote Clarke's poetic style. 

The natural characteristics of the collaged typography combined with the irregular layered textures makes reading Clarke's poem an emotive experience. The broken and inconsistent lines of type force the audience to read the poem as if it was Clarke reading it. Modern Construct init

After witnessing Clarke's performance at a festival and reading his poetry I can see a clear relationship between both creative arts. This, like fashion, provides designers with the ability to 'break the rules' of design in order to communicate the expressive art form. I like to produce ambiguous and expressive compositions in the past however I haven't featured typography because I didn't have the skills and experience. As my practice is progressing from first year my typographical and typesetting knowledge has improved through applying traditional methods, I aim to combine my improved typesetting skills with my passion for surface pattern and texture in order to generate a stylistic aesthetic, whilst also making sure it is informed and appropriate for the brief.

Stop motion animation is an engaging method of producing moving image which creates graphic communication.

OUGD502 - Visiting Professional - Harrison Park

Graduate Harrison Park came to present his experiences from graduation to working in professional design studios. His honest and personal insight into the creative industries didn't make the experience seem glamarous due to long hours, unstimulating briefs and difficult clients. However these are experiences that can build a graduates character so that they have a stronger understanding of their own graphic design practice and its industry.

His presentation style was clear, concise and engaging due to the limited typography and visual content.  Cultural and political images were used to highlight and illustrate certain principles and lessons he identified. Showing his personality through cult figures and humour engages the audience in a friendly manner.

Key points:

• Building relationships with other creatives and design studios will help to increase the chance of employment and also use each others skills and techniques to benefit each others practice. Using the colleges array of creative talent and fascilities will open up new opportunities in the future. 
• Nothing handed to you on a plate - Work hard for it
• Be passionate
• Sell yourself
• Be flexible - Harrison works for two design studios 
• Show personality
• Don't be a dick
• Ask questions
• Rejection happens 
• Don't be afraid to ask
• Stay true to yourself
• Communication
• Studio BDB
• Lots of shit briefs to pay the bills
• Copywriter - Someone to articulate and sell concepts - This gives me confidence as my articulation of projects and concepts is weak.
• Charge a reasonable rate - Particularly at the start of profession don't charge a lot for work as it will open more opportunity for creativity so the client has less control. 

Emailing professionals

Dont say 'I found your website'
Do something different - Animated Gifs
Post letters
Mention their recent projects
Say thanks if they reply even for a rejection

Found Harrison's advice useful because I have struggled to engage professionals in my emails. Mentioning projects that I have identified interest in and specifically asking about them will engage the designer and using different techniques such as animated Gifs or posting letters to creative professionals will charm the client and ultimately they'll be more likely to reply.

Reflection of Harrison's point of view of the creative industry and my experience at Extra Strong. Harrison identified that a lot of the briefs are small and uninspiring but these need to be completed in order to pay the bills. I was exposed to this at Extra Strong because clients such as Classic Carpets required a price match sign, whilst an event company wanted complete branding and editorial content. These small uninteresting briefs can be creatively draining, however Harrison believes that a passion for design is important to overcome demotivational briefs.

Harrison's honest view of the creative industry was slightly negative because he didn't enjoy a lot of previous work experience. However it is to be expected for a graduate of two years. I feel lucky to have found Extra Strong because the studio was friendly and open, allowing free communication between the designers and project manager. Harrison has worked for a range of studios, all of which has positive and negative attributes, I aim to research and experience a range of studio environments in order to define what environment and working style I prefer.

OUGD502 - Dafi Kuhne

Kuhne is a graphic designer / letterpress printmaker from Zürich + Glarus, Switzerland. Since 2009 he has been working full-time in his studio, Babyinktwice, designing and printing posters, invitation cards, brochures and magazines for music, art, architecture, theatre and film projects.

His website is very minimal and concise which is also reflected by his tone of voice, providing the user an immediate source of information. Referring to himself in first person makes the bio more personal which is friendlier to read. This minimal and clean layout is reflective of his practice.

A poster Kuhne has created for his publication; 'True Print':

'I tried to visualise my personal work policy as a piece of unreadable but yet understandable information graphic.'

The typeset copy of Kuhne's personal views and advice for creatives in the design industry is encouraging because he focuses on making the ethics for designers fair. Something that has made an impact on my practice is, 'Bad design concepts don't get better if printed with complicated and expensive techniques. Technique in and of itself is not a design concept.' because I tend to rely on traditional techniques and processes in order to add a natural depth/texture to bad compositions in the hope that it will make it look more professional. 'Dependable day jobs don't provide freedom - It's a trap!' - Motivates me to stay in the creative industry in order to establish myself in a profession that I am passionate and excited about, rather than an easy job that becomes tedious.

Kuhne's ability to manipulate print processes and achieve unique finishes without using digital media is what makes him such an important designer in the digital age. 

Kuhne's complete dedication to analogue processes provides him with the skills to create contemporary posters and a variety of finishes. For every poster, Kuhn provides a video documenting the processes and techniques used to create the bespoke posters. Being able to see the expert printing presses and tools used has really inspired me because it is refreshing to see a designer creating contemporary compositions using analog techniques.

http://www.babyinktwice.ch/projects-images/

The videos immerse the audience in Kuhne's creative practice by recording the sound of the equipment he uses making the processes therapeutic and satisfying to watch. The videos also made me more aware of the machinery that is used to create bespoke typefaces.


Potential Questions

Main inspiration?
What inspired him to use traditional printing processes in the digital age?
What problems did he discover?
Are your projects self initiated? Where do you find your clients, or where did they find you?
Objective or subjective approach? 

OUGD502 - NEST Magazine Launch

Attending the latest NEST magazine launch at Village Bookstore exposed me to socialise with other creatives, pick up a copy and enjoy a beer. I managed to speak to Josiah, the producer of NEST magazine, where he provided details into the production and composition of the publication.

• Due to the limited amount of submissions, Josiah apopted a minimal layout with a lot of white space.
• Contact with printers - Josiah uses Pressision Print which is an external printing company that I am familiar with after my visit in first year. He explained that emails, phone calls and visiting the printers was the best way to communicate and achieve the desired results. 
• I questioned how the ambiguous cover was produced - Simply photographing folded paper with studio lighting and then layering them on Photoshop.
• Logo - Mocked up the disjointed logo in 5 minutes but it is still used now. Shows how creative instinct and expression can still create a successful and timeless outcome.

Overall this experience has given me confidence to approach creatives because they enjoy talking about there work. Josiah was a really friendly and bursting with creative and professional experience. 

OUGD502 - Extra Strong Work Experience

Over the summer break, I organised myself 2 days work experience with Bristol based digital creative agency Extra Strong. It was an aim of mine in preparation for second year as I wanted to have more understanding of working in the industry.

I emailed Ben Hamilton, founder of Extra Strong, showing him interest in their company and I arranged to meet him in their studio for a chat. I took some work from first year with me so that he could physically see what I had created, instead of just on a screen. Showing Ben my work was intimidating because I was aware that the outcomes weren't to an industry standard. However, I explained each project outcome and my concept and the feedback was positive.

I met other members of the studio which also had a screen printers downstairs, introducing myself and being enthusiastic about the work and environment. Ben studied Graphic Design at Bath Spa University which meant he had an understanding of where I am in my studies so far.

Studio:

After approaching Ben and speaking to him, he offered me two days work experience with him. During those two days I got to experience set briefs in the industry. I also got to work with a junior designer on some small briefs.

Classic Carpets

Classic Carpets are a Bristol based carpet company who asked ExtraStrong to create a 'price match' sign. I was given 2 hours to produce some concepts/sketches where me, the junior designer and Russell (Co Founder) would have a crit/discussion about the concepts we created so that we could produce some final concepts. The briefing was short and concise so I made sure I noted down everything the client wanted, as well as looking at their website to get a feel for their tone of voice.

I sketched about possible ideas using the theme of carpets and then took them into InDesign:

Used influence from my experience at B&Q for the typeface because it's bold and easily legible - Univers Condensed

Thought about the context of a carpet store and based the designs on the layering/roles of carpet found in the store:

All three of these designs, along with the junior designer's, were put into a presentation to send to the client.

Ben also talked me through a project that the junior designer had created for a business event that required customised coasters, including gloss foiling. The coasters were being sent to the printers using lithoprinting which meant each colour had to be picked from Pantone colours. He demonstrated industry standard preparation for printing, separating the colours into layers.



During the time I spent at the studio I was able to see what a brief from a client looked like. Due to contracts I cant specify the brief, however I was surprised by how other design studios were fighting for the same job. This shows how competitive the industry is. To overcome this, Ben sends the studio propositions of interest with their portfolio of which I sketched out some possible solutions. These solutions were then photographed, edit and then placed in the presentation.

OUGD502 - CRACK Magazine

CRACK is a free magazine designed and published in Bristol. Managing director, Jake Applebee graduated from a graphics course and set out to produce something he could physically hold, instead of an online resource. 7 years on, print is still their passion. CRACK hosts an independent platform for contemporary culture such as music, art, film, theatre and fashion, making it widely accessible for a range of ages, predominantly young adults. It’s available in the foyers of public spaces such as pubs, cafes, restaurants and shops and also in those of cultural venues such as galleries, libraries and cinemas.

The magazine is in the form of a newspaper, making it cheaper to produce. The wide pages and neutral tones from the newspaper add to the aesthetics typically found in all newspapers, however the content is contemporary which is why I find the magazine's content and graphic production really inspiring. The content is targeted to a young, independent audience which comes through in the contemporary graphics. The subjects that the publication covers are relevant and inform the audience about events that they would miss without the magazine covering it. 

I always try and get each issue when I'm in Bristol because of it's relevant content to me. This is an organisation that I can aspire to work for because I like their contemporary approach to graphic design and the content is of my interest. 

Newspaper layout is exciting when the content and composition is contemporary and unique because people are used to serious and formal newspaper layouts and content. The thin, off white stock adds to the unique characteristics of a newspaper and also saturates the images. 

Email them:
Potential questions:

• Getting started after uni
• Defying your interests
• Collaboration

OUGD502 - PPP2

During this PPP module, I aim to identify which area of graphic design that I want to focus on as I progress through my degree. To achieve this I will document my progress and development as a creative through my blog and continue to engage with the creative world. Graphic design is an ever changing industry so I aim to identify areas of my practice that I enjoy. Reflecting on my experiences during the first year, I have identified areas of my practice that I struggled with so that I can begin to dissect which areas of graphic design that I need to work on during this year and also areas of design that I want to take further.

My outcome for last years PPP module was a set of 5 bespoke notebooks with my details letterpressed inside. This was to reflect my passion for bookbinding and hands on style of work that I can send to design studios as a unique business card. Reflecting on this, the production methods that I used were all analogue and to a good standard however I still need to identify relevant studios to send my publication to.

I need to take myself out of my comfort zone in order to improve, making mistakes is part of the research/learning process, these are areas that I need to work on this year:

Communication

Last year I didn't feel comfortable with my communication skills, for example presenting my work at the front of the class, this is a skill I'll need to develop if I want to pitch concepts to clients. A confident and relaxed pitch will make the audience feel more comfortable and ultimately listen to what I have to say. To overcome this I aim to prepare and practice my presentation so that I'm more confident in what I'm saying. Attending events such as the LAW and NEST magazine launch introduced me to professional creatives, however I didn't have the confidence to approach them because I didn't know what would be appropriate to say. Good communication skills are important for becoming a confident designer as networking with other creatives is important for exposure and briefs.

Digital 

I aim to improve my understanding of the Adobe creative software because it is industry standard software. To achieve this I will attend all the digital workshops and take advantage of the IT technicians because I won't get this opportunity again.

Objective

I need to make more objective decisions so that my outcome is appropriate for its target audience and commercial use. I have made design decisions in the past that don't relate to my concept so the outcome wasn't cohesive. My concepts are often subjective so I need to consider form follows function in order to make them more objective.

Research

Broad and thorough research helps to decide on a well considered concept, however I am often still researching late in the project which isn't relevant to my concept. Diverse research is important, however it must be relevant otherwise the influences can confuse the concept.

Overcomplicating 

I have a tendency to overcomplicate and overwork concepts until they are no longer recognisable. I think this links to my research technique as I take in too many influences. To overcome this, I will need to be more decisive so that I don't waste time and destroy a good concept.

Areas of design that I have enjoyed and would consider taking into level 6:

Editorial Design

Creating and exploring the form and function of a publication has always intrigued me and I have enjoyed learning the techniques and processes used to produce them. Using bespoke and unique adaptations to publications is exciting, however there are a lot of considerations to think about. Editorial designers such as Brighton based Stanley James Press:

'We hand bind a lot of books produced in shorter runs. Binding books in this way allows us to create more unusual and complicated structures, including pop ups and paper mechanics. We've also produced other paper products such as swing tags and limited edition record sleeves.' - I like how Stanley James Press are adapting and manipulating design for print to produce unique products.

Print - Digital/Traditional

This is an area of practice that I am interested in because I enjoy organising image and text as well as the production methods of the book. Design for print offers more finishes such as foiling and embossing, adding to aesthetics. As a designer, I would much rather have an outcome that I could physically hold, touch and smell, rather than see it behind a screen. In this modern age, design for screen is important because that's how a lot of designers get exposure so it's important all print media is photographed to a high, professional standard. I enjoy using traditional printing methods such as letterpress, monoprint, lino and screen printing because it makes print media bespoke and also provides opportunity to create texture and tactility. Processes such as screen print make reproducing prints very cheap.

Stop-Motion

A useful and simple method of moving image using a camera and paper - This would provide lots of opportunity for digital sources such as a blog or website. I have experience with the process, however I want to put it into a graphics context - There is potential to collaborate with an animator.

Art

My interest in art is why I am on this course. I came to Leeds from an art and design diploma which offered me a range of processes and techniques. I would like to collaborate with artists and designers to produce publications or posters, etc. The-Art-Form is a magazine that showcases work from artists, providing information on their practice and personal lives. This is something I aspire to do.