Developing a rationale

As a starting point for this I revisted the rationale workshop we did in April:

'Rationale workshops

Five things I want to do:

• Use typography skills 
• Make a brochure/mag/book
• Explore digital layout/typefaces for on line mags/e-Books
• Research typography specialists such as The typographic Circle - Content & subjects
• Research ISTD, events, competitions, members

Five things I need to do:

• Deliver an outcome to this brief
• Think how this can link to dissertation ideas/themes
• Research layout, editorial
• Identify content for publication
• Identify distribution for publication

Five reasons why you need/want to do:

• To expand on what has been covered in Type module
• To explore/experiment in n area not touched so far
• To improve my grid /layout skills
• To be more informed /skilled as a designer
• To expand my mind to other platforms/digital media possibilities and understand GD best practise

The above analysis represents a RATIONALE

These are ongoing/when hit a dead end, at evaluation, can be short or long term, use for prioritising.

5 things you Want to do + (why x 5) = rationale

                       Need 

Five personal skills

• Working with clients
• Managing clients
• Managing time within a live brief

Practical skills

• Editorial skills
• Grid/layout skills
• Typeface selection appropriate for screen and print
• Web layout design
• Presentation/Boards layout

Processes to investigate

• Book layout, pagination and book making
• e-Book design and layout
• Magazine/Book hierarchies - how/if defined

Products

• Book/mag/brochure - a set/range
• Design for screen /mobile/device
• Poster/promotion
• Branding for publication

Context

Typeface/typography context (Specialist) on print/digital platform (can they integrate)

What is missing - A problem to solve? 

                                Content to deliver

These will be determined by the briefs, research and who the audience is.'

On the whole I still want/need to develop/achieve most of the skills/outcomes outlined back in April.   

For clarity this is my revised rationale:

Five things I want to do this year:

• Experiment - working in a real studio has made me realise that opportunities to push boundaries are limited.  Whilst I want my work to have a commercial focus I want to push the outcomes.
• make full use of the facilities; I still haven't done any laser cutting or letterpress and did not do any screen printing in my second year
• Endeavour to be more illustrative in concept developing
• Develop my type and layout skills both practically in Indesign and also through researching best practices
• Identify a collaborative brief opportunity

Five things I need to do

• get stuck into my dissertation
• deliver 6 to 10 briefs by 10 December 2012
• identify an FMP to showcase my skills
• have a timetabled plan;  With up to ten briefs on the boil it is going to be challenging to keep each one on target.
• Get a placement with Elmwood this year

Five reasons why you need/want to do:

• To squeeze every drop of potential learning and opportunity out of the College
• To be the best skilled designer I have the potential to be
• The dissertation research could lead to an interesting design outcome.
• Industry professionals really respect good typography and I believe this can open doors.
• I need to experience life in a large Branding Agency.  I loved being at 10 , being part of a design team.  I think I would thrive in a large studio

Also refer to the skills profile below:

Open publication - Free publishing - More evaluation

Summer weeks 8 to 11 at 10 Associates

I first met the Head of Design, Michael Freemantle, at 10 Associates in Mirfield at a meeting I arranged on 22nd June.  I emailed Michael with a link to my Cargo account and a PDF of my CV when we did the PPD exercise in May.  There was a link back to LCA as Michael studied on the BA Visual Comm. and Jane remembered him as a student.

The meeting was basically just for a cup of tea and a chat .  Ten has only recently moved into the Studio at Mirfield and its fabulous.  Everything felt right from the high ceilings, to the exposed brickwork and the huge Wall print in reception.

After an extremely informative chat with Michael and meeting the MD David Worthington I asked if it would be possible to come back for some experience in their studio.  Michael emailed me a few days later and said I could go in two or three days a week for three weeks -  This was fantastic news. (I think the cake I baked may have helped!)

Week one
Tuesday 7 August to Thursday 9 August

Felt part of the team almost straight away which was definitely helped by them being a friendly bunch of people and also a small team.

Research for two briefs. 
1.  Recruitment Consultants which Ten had already re branded.  Potential Training/ Sales Academy and also employee engagement.  Research large corporations what so they do/say to employees.
Found a great website for researching large business practise which has several business cases of large companies: The Times 100 businesscasestudies

Open publication - Free publishing - More research

Open publication - Free publishing - More brand

2.  Rewards schemes in general for a potential Reward Scheme for an Airport.

Open publication - Free publishing - More research

Both sets of research were followed up with Brainstorming sessions with other members of the team.  I really felt my opinions and ideas were taken on board.  Jill prepared a presentation to send to the client and I could really see how she had taken my ideas and used them in the proposals.

Open publication - Free publishing - More presentation

On the Thursday I was invited into a client meeting with the training manager which explored the ideas/research around the Sales Academy and employee engagement.

This work made me realise that my background has definitely a benefit in this industry especially as I have worked for both large and small businesses as well as the public sector.  I have a lot to bring to the table!

Week two and three
Tuesday 14 August to Thursday 23 August

1. Research and ideas for a new website for Will Lake who is a copywriter.  Michael recommended a standard browser format of 1024x768 and also consider how it would look on a smart phone.  As part of this also consider branding

Current homepage

Some Scamps

Open publication - Free publishing - More copywriter

Open publication - Free publishing - More copywriter

Open publication - Free publishing - More copywriter

2. Research for inspiration for photographs suitable for Case studies.  This was for promotion of traditional crafts using real life case studies.

Open publication - Free publishing - More research

3. Research for mood/style  boards for presentation to client.  High end recruitment,  Exclusive gifts high end clients/affluent.  Attention to detail

Open publication - Free publishing - More high class

4. Research for Folders for training collateral

Open publication - Free publishing - More folders

5.  High resolution Images of Pret a mange style restaurants and stylish offices/reception for s specific presentation for a client to use.

Open publication - Free publishing - More images

6.  Research  for stock images suitable for Banners on an Intranet aimed at employee motivation.

Open publication - Free publishing - More stock images

7.  Design ideas for Banners 

Open publication - Free publishing - More banners

James and Michael also offered to give me some feedback on some of the briefs I was starting to write for the third year.  James had a great idea of using my dissertation research to produce a design outcome.
Michael offered to share a brief they were writing for Huddersfield University students for branding for a micro brewery.  Jill said she loves anything which demonstrates great typography skills.

David the MD also gave me some useful feedback about my branding and website.  He gets loads of portfolios and CVs emailed everyday so I really appreciated this.
He recommended I think carefully about how I position myself in the industry and what I actually want to do.  He did not think the Accountant/Designer pitch worked.  He said why do I need an Accountant I have already got one?  I said I was trying to promote the other skills I was already armed with.  He recommended I actually use this in how I promote myself ie strategic thinker, project manager etc.
He recommended I actually have an 'about' on the homepage so it is clear who I am, where I am based and what I have to offer. He also recommended I put the timelines of each project on as the perception in industry can be 'they had six months' to do that....he said it is more impressive if we only had two weeks.  I asked him if he would feedback again once I have re branded myself and my website.

This has been a fantastic opportunity to see how a design studio works and the 'real' client facing side of the business.  Seeing first hand the challenges presented day to day really brought home to me as a freelancer you really need lots more hats than just 'designer'.  The research and idea development has been really enjoyable.  I can see how beneficial it is to be part of a team where brainstorming ideas leads to stronger ideas.

Michael, Jill and David all said to keep in touch and I asked if they would provide feedback on projects over this year.

Summer Space visit

I contacted Space following a tip off from Jane Denton.  I knew it would be a challenge in terms of the commute from my house to Weatherby but thought it was worthwhile at least meeting up with them.

I met Richard Groom and Tim Miller on 18th June 2012.  Richard and Tim asked me what I wanted from the visit and also gave me their ideas of what they could offer.   It all sounded really exciting.  They were developing a promotional brand book and wanted me to get involved with this and also they are heavily involved with Food/Veg companies.  They could see me getting involved with the concept development for food packaging.  They agreed they would email me when I could start coming in and getting involved.

I followed the email up with a thank you and also mentioned I was at D&AD on 27th June.  Then .....heard nothing at all for a few weeks.  I thought maybe the cake I had baked at been awful or something.    Fortunately in the meantime I had organised the meeting with Michael at 10 and managed to get the Studio visit there.

Then on 4th July had an apology from Tim for not getting back to me, they had just been very busy. He said he would get back to me that week.  He did get back to me on 20 July inviting me over on Monday 23 July to a brainstorming session about a new way to shop for vegetables.  Unfortunately we had a holiday booked that week and then I was booked to go to 10 for the three weeks after that.

I am not blogging this to criticise Space but to explain why what started as a great opportunity fizzled out due to time and circumstances.  Luckily I did manage to go over and meet Tim again on Tuesday 31 July.  He briefed me about their idea for the Brand book.  He wanted me to design some pages to add based on recipes each of the team came up with.  He gave me some Jamie Oliver recipe books and showed me some design features they liked. What became apparent very quickly when I took the Brand pages home they had designed that there was not a clear design direction.  I did not feel it gave the essence of what the Space people were about.  A lot of the ideas were very similar to a book they lent me from a London agency called Start.  The initial idea for the Brand Book had been inspired by Richard liking Start's book.

I was quite concerned whilst The Start Book and Jamie Cook books were a good starting point some of the ideas were very much of its time (2007) and they could do with a fresher approach.

I researched some initial approaches to the recipe idea:

Open publication - Free publishing - More research

Tim then invited me in again but it was the week I was was in with 10 Tuesday to Thursday.  I offered to go in on Monday 13th August.  I got three recipe ideas through on 9 August as follows:

The visit on the 13th proved really productive. I actually met other members of the team including Helen, Julie and Jonny.   Tim was on holiday but Richard  showed me some work they were currently working on which included some point of sale promotional designs for Malibu Red and Malibu Snowco

The highlight of the day was meeting Pete Denton.  Pete often works with Space on concept development as he is a fantastic illustrator and photographer.  Helen , myself and Pete were tasked with coming up with some ideas for a presentation to a fresh prepared food provider.  They wanted ideas developed/ images for five boards for a new range of food packaging which fitted with the following objectives

1. Awareness - Product blindness - how to grab busy customers attention in store

2.  Addressing the customer mission 

3. Locking in the impulse purchase

4.  Engagement beyond convenience - try something new

5. Wider satellite categories

These were my notes and research which I later gave to Pete

Open publication - Free publishing - More research

The real learning experience from this was the way Pete approached the brief.  He immediately put pen to paper and started drawing his ideas where as I tend to write my ideas down.  it was much easier (obviously) to visualise his thought process.  I really need to get braver with my illustration.

Peter showed me his portfolio and chatted about the industry and his experiences in general.  It was great to see the industry from someone with his experience and also feel so at ease talking about my work

I went back to Space on Friday 17th August.  Richard shared the concepts they had presented to another large fresh food producer they work with.  It was great to see real client presentation boards( using pete's excellent illustrative skills rather than Vector drawings)

I discussed with Pete some of my concerns with the Brand Book. I wasnt sure how therecipe idea would hang with the rest of the book.   He said just to focus on the the recipe books and not to focus too much on the whole design direction (huge project!).   He said we could consider looking a food history and facts/ social change of food/ food trendspotting.

Richard shared the new website design mockups and also said he likes the work of Landor 

I also discussed with one of the other designers what her thoughts on the brand book were.  She is quite straight talking and basically said she did not like that they had basically used a lot of the Start book.  She suggested same as Pete to just focus on the recipe pages.

These are the recipe pages I came up with:

Jonnys Roast beef

Initial ideas

Final recipe pages sent:

Ideas for the poached egg recipe

Final idea emailed

I emailed Jonny's roast to Tim and Richard on 29 August and then the brunch idea on the 7th September.  So far they have not fed back....so not sure if they are just too busy or if they simply don't like.  I have actually emailed them again for feedback so may blog shortly.