OUGD602 | Studio Brief 01 - Who am I?

As a beginning to the personal branding brief, I have created a mind map exploring who I am in a number of ways including physical appearance, interests, personality and who I am as a designer. 

As my audience is graphic design studios in Liverpool, I would like to evaluate how I can use these broad explorations to best communicate myself to this audience. The audience is looking for someone who has a professional attitude and comes across as employable but can also demonstrate their creativity and fun side. The places where my branding will be most relevant includes my CV and portfolio as this is what I will be sending to employers for Job applications and will be the first impression formed of me. Secondly, I would like to focus on a social media presence as I have already found myself connecting with lots of studios in Liverpool, in particular I gave interacted with studios where I have interned. Ideally, I would like to focus my efforts on studios that specialise in branding, packaging etc (my specialisms) however, with a tough job market, I expect to have to expand my search. 

Looking at the mind map, the elements I most want to communicate include -

• organised
• good-time keeping
• Colourful
• illustration/graphic designer
• professionalism
• girly
• Morning person/on-time
• Kind 
• Giggly
• Sporty
• Potentially physical appearance
• Creativity

However the elements I most need to include involve transferable skills for employment such as organisation. 

OUGD602 | Studio Brief 01 - CV workshop and finished CV

I was lucky to attend two CV workshops as a part of the career track Tuesdays sessions. During session one the presenter walked through the basics of writing a CV. The main points I learned from this session included -

-Fill the space on two sides. You don't want it to look like you've struggled to fill the pages.
-Use positive and affirmative language.
-Target the employer (adjust your CV for various applications)
-Presentation is important - you should be able to find each section quickly and easily within 30 seconds. Use typographical hierarchy.
-Consider the order of each section, what is most important?
-Basics of what to and what not to include in each section
-Be specific about achievements and provide evidence
-Don't be too creative with the formatting - A4 paper is easiest to file!

The second session lead on from this and involved the production of a final CV with the help of 6 members of staff. This meant that I left the session with confidence in my CV knowing it had had approval from so many, especially from those involved in recruitment. The final result is far more professional than my previous CV and is far more design targeted. I feel far more confident that it highlights my achievements and I was able to realise that I had more design related experience than I realised.

The session also provided a cover letter template. I learned basics such as what a cover letter is, how to use it, when to use it and what to put into it! I will refer to the template for future applications.


MY FINISHED CV -

OUGD602 | Studio Brief 01 - Brief Analysis & Considerations

BRIEF -

'Produce a range of self promotional material for delivery through print and/or electronic media as appropriate to your individual professional and design practice.

To include:

• Print based portfolio 
• Appropriate online presence (may include social media)
• Self promotion material (business cards, letterheads, creative cvs, stationary etc.) and methods (mail shots, websites, blogs. etc.)'

The brief states that the promotional material should be created with personal practice in mind. The main aim of my personal branding will be to attract/appeal to design studios based in Liverpool. Therefore, the material will primarily be used for job applications and networking purposes. With this in mind, a strong CV and portfolio (including print and digital for various applications) will be prioritized, followed by an online presence (online portfolio, and Twitter).


'You may be good, you may be the best and you might be exactly what the world is looking for, but you need to tel the world you exist.

Developing an effective design presence requires a clear sense of what you want/need to communicate about yourself combined with an informed understanding of what your potential clients, employers or collaborators expect to see. Consider the following questions ...

The brief also states that what potential employers want to see should be considered. Reflecting on this, it would be expected that potential employers would want to see a demonstration of professionalism, skill, innovation and strong presentation as well as a general engagement/interest in the creative industry. 

What do you want/need to say about yourself? 

• A communication of the design that I enjoy to make as well as the design I am capable of creating.
• Professionalism/sophistication
• Care in detail/presentation
• Skill and awareness of graphic design theory
• I would like to emphasise my motivation and organisational skills
• I would also like to emphasise my love for the subject

What makes you "YOU" and how do you communicate this?

• This will be covered in detail later

Who is your audience? What do they expect to see and what do they want to see it? What are they looking for?

• Covered earlier

Do you tailor your material to specific audiences or aim to create a uniform identity and how will your audience/s receive your material? (consider humour, sophistication, individuality or convention)'

• I plan to tailor my portfolio to general design studios in Liverpool. 
• In contrast to previous years, I will not make business cards. This is because I rarely found the opportunity to use them. Therefore, my focus will be on making a well presented print portfolio that will be convenient for storage (flat publication). This is because during the CV workshop, it was recommended to keep any collateral flat as employers usually find it more inconvenient. I do however need to find a way to stand out in this format, perhaps through providing a gift? 

OUGD602 | Studio Brief 02 - Career Track Tuesdays - Volunteering and Professional Awareness

I did not attend this session with a great interest in volunteering, however the speaker opened my mind to how volunteering can lead to employment. He described how he had never applied for a job as volunteering roles had always lead to employment in one way or another. Pros of volunteering included how many events only take up a few days and therefore are not too much of a commitment during a job search. He also provided an excellent list of events that we could potentially volunteer for. I plan to utilise this strategy if job searching in Liverpool becomes difficult.

The second part of the session explored professional awareness and raised many issues that I had not considered. Important points gathered from this were as follows

-Employers often have biases that can affect an applicants chances e.g. a weak handshake. These should be researched before any application/job hunt.
-Research into the company is extremely important.
-Ensure your CV is up to date.
-Keep up to date with news within the industry to impress potential employers, especially news about the company.
-Be highly aware of codes of conduct for the company e.g. appearance.
-Anything posted on to social media is within the public domain which means not just your friends will be able to see it in certain circumstances. Be highly aware of what you post on any social media as this is an extension of your CV.

OUGD602 | Studio Brief 02 - Career Track Tuesdays - Finding a Job

The 'Finding a Job' session was extremely useful for considering alternative ways to job search than the internet search. In particular my eyes were opened to the hidden job market. I had not considered how most creative jobs will not be advertised and this therefore raised my awareness to the importance of networking. I did however discover that my personal network is larger than I expected and I now have creative contacts all across the North West. I now plan to utilise these contacts as much as possible.

Other methods I am now more aware of for Job hunting include
-Speculative Applications
-Graduate Recruitment
-Job Fairs
-Social Media (I have already used this but have found many more feeds to follow since the workshop)

Importantly, I've learned that if I don't ask I won't get. As I am confident that I would like to work in the creative sector in Liverpool therefore I should be focussing my questions and networking in this area as much as possible. I am also planning to improve my Linkedin profile and connect with more creatives.

OUGD602 | Studio Brief 02 - Group Feedback Crit - Penguin

Idea/visual Presented for feedback

ISSUES RAISED

-The current character illustration looks too similar to Harry Potter, define the character from the competition.

The shape of the glasses will be altered and the clothing will be altered to steer away from a Harry Potter Style. 

-Diary on the spine is misspelt

This will be changed, spelling checks will be carried out for the final design.

-Question raised as to whether the character would wear red glasses.

Research glasses from the time period that teenagers would wear. Find any direction within the book.

ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN 

-Develop the jumper, try some textures.
-Try an analog approach, physically make the illustration.
-Experiment with previous idea to show faces going through emotions/experiences
-Try a minimal style e.g. just definitive features such as glasses and spots.

GENERAL FEEDBACK

-The front and back could mirror each other to demonstrate mood swings/changing personality
-Handwritten text is cliche for a diary entry book, explore type further.

OUGD602 | Studio Brief 02 - My design identity and Goals

Luckily I have quite a clear direction as to where I would like to be in my career. Entering a graphic design degree I had always planned to go into editorial design where my interest in graphic design originated. However, on discovery of graphic design studios my interests changed. Early on in Level 4 it became my aim to join a graphic design studio ideally in Liverpool and I have pursued this ever since,

Writing a designers statement I have been able to identify where my interests lie and who I am as a designer. Reflecting on previous projects and general interests it became clear that my designs were mostly focused in four areas, these being packaging, branding, editorial and illustration. I find these projects most enjoyable and engage with these areas most outside of study. I also see myself as a playful designer who enjoys to use colour to communicate. However, I also take a professional approach ensuring all projects are finished to a high standard. Finally, I always aim to take a strong conceptual approach and this has been based on a creative idea generation process that has developed during my time at university.

In terms of personal aims I have a strong idea as to how I would like my career to progress. As previously mentioned, I would like to find a job as a graphic designer in a studio in Liverpool. If this is successful, I would like to progress through the company from middleweight to senior designer. I would like to see my hard work and experience pay off through this progression. Importantly I want to enjoy working for the company, I would like to have the confidence to leave if I was unhappy. Overall I want my career to fun. I would like to live the saying 'do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life'. I want the confidence to turn down opportunities if I don't want to, the confidence to say no, but also the confidence to say yes to more design opportunities.

My ultimate long term goal is to become an art or creative director, representing women in graphic design. I feel that I would enjoy leading a team, having a sense of control and confidence in my experience and abilities. With this goal in mind I have been conducting research into 'how to become an art director' because you have to start somewhere! An article on It's Nice that advised that a wealth of experience is crucial to success, learn to adapt to the industry, learn to problem solve, do your own thing in your own way, stay ahead of the game, be inventive, try new things, expose yourself to a breadth of ideas, learn from the best, never stop doodling and work hard!

OUGD602 | Studio Brief 02 - Summer Internship Reflection

For two months over summer I was lucky enough to be able to complete a paid internship at a design led technology studio in Liverpool.

This experience was a huge learning curve for me as I was given plenty of responsibility at the studio and effectively became one of the staff. On my arrival, the senior designer was leaving for a new job and the junior designer was on leave for a month, meaning that I became the only designer responsible. Although tricky, this meant that I was able to learn so much more than I would have otherwise as more responsibilities were placed on me.

The main project I worked on was Little Moments, a branding project for an NHS product regarding neonatal care. I was fully responsible for this branding and was required to create presentations and pitches for my branding propositions. The new branding aimed to evoke a sense of peace and calm for Mums in a difficult situation. For this project over the course of two months I created a full branding, brochures, promotional materials, a fully functioning website, illustrations, infographics and more - this huge project used most of my time.

I also worked on converting wireframes for a falls prevention app. The app was effectively the conversion of paper forms used by nurses evaluating the falls risk of patients. This new digital format would be much more effective but it needed to be foolproof. Ensuring professionalism and technical quality at all stages here taught me to keep an eye on the detail and consider use experience at all times.

Falls prevention app wireframe

I also completed lots of general work whilst I was there, picking up small jobs such as infographics and youtube thumbnails. This further helped me learn how to balance work and projects as well as communicating with other members of the team.

Some of the main points I learned from the experience are as follows -

• How to collaborate with a developer in order to create effective websites with user experience in mind. How to design effectively for web.
• How to collaborate with animators in order to create fluent moving vectors.
• Adobe Illustrator skills strengthened in general.
• How to organise files effectively and how to send these to clients in a format that they can understand.
• How to email clients, what tone of voice to use, how to write effective emails and communicate ideas to clients effectively, as well as how to come to compromises. 
• How to convert wireframes quickly and effectively. 
• How to use initiative within a design studio. 
• How designers within industry approach a project. 
• How to approach design jobs with professionalism. 

OUGD602 | Studio Brief 02 - Internship Prep

After contacting many studios in the Liverpool area I was finally able to gain a placement at Red Ninja. A technology based studio who work on very interesting projects such as software that keeps mothers in contact with babies in intensive care as well as sensory technology which alerts Nurses if a patient falls. I will be working full time for two months which will give me a great insight into the role of a designer within this software/technologically based environment. This will also hopefully build my contacts in Liverpool as this is the area I hope to work in after graduation. The studio itself is situated within the creative area of Liverpool - the Baltic Triangle. This will give me a real taste of the creative scene in the city.

In preparation, it was advised that I look at a company named IDEO and their ideas behind design thinking as well as Hyper Island. This has been incredibly insightful and I expect this approach to the design process will certainly help my final year projects develop.

What I have learned from the experience so far is to come prepared with lots of questions. I was asked to come in for a chat expecting to simply discuss dates for the placement, however this chat was much more thorough. In hindsight I would have prepared more questions and approached the company with solid expectations for the placement - in particular I would have asked if the placement was paid, I was brave enough to ask about expenses and wish I had taken a step further.

Before I begin, I have set myself some aims -

-Always ask questions and note down the answers. Try and ask these in the first week so I am clear from the beginning.
-Make notes every day both reflecting on my time and notes for the work that I am given.
-Make friends, connect and network.
-Learn how the studio works and work to this - don't make my own rules.
-Get as involved as possible, offer to help with projects, go the extra mile, step out of my comfort zone.
-Be open to new ideas in order to develop my own process.
-Don't allow myself to be exploited - stand up for myself. I want to be designing, not making coffee.
-Most importantly, enjoy my time there. If its not for me, don't be afraid to leave.

Unfortunately, with the nature of applying and enquiring about placements, I currently have an unfinished offer from Peter & Paul in Sheffield - a studio I was very excited to potentially get involved with. I was yet to hear back from them and so settled my placement in Liverpool. My plan is to contact P&P and request to work there once or twice a week during third year - hopefully they will say yes!