Flat available

Small 'flatlet' - bed-sitting room in the attic of a very nice Decimus Burton house off the seafront in St Leonards - Large house - owned by a couple in the design industry - share bathroom and kitchen - two sweet dogs. Very posh. They are friends and they are lovely people.

Email me if you want the details.

Important Advance Warning.

On Thursday March 28th - I'm clearing the studio and setting it up as a photographic space - and I have booked John Reynolds to come in and help both FDA1 and 2 shoot their work for their portfolio and interviews etc - it's essential that you make use of this opportunity, you all have loads of work that needs recording properly - even if you are just in to observe John and as a refresher for the sessions you have already had with him.


On March 20th ( for FDA2 ) and March 28th ( For FDA1) Erica Smith will be with you for a full day each. Erica is a highly skilled professional designer and typographer - she will be running 1-2-1 sessions as a 'design clinic' - and giving you advice on type and layout - Erica has very high standards of typographic finish, she has been briefed to give you clear guidance and help you get your work up to a professional standard - great opportunity for both years. You can bring any work to show her - but the current briefs are very appropriate for her attention.


I'll talk to you both about both tutors when I'm with you next.


R

Artists and Graphic Designers...

... We need you!

Cork Street Open Exhibitions, Art Erotica and Your Art Image are merging into one company, and introducing a new open exhibition for July, so we need your help!

We are running a competition, open to all artists and graphic designers, to create 3 new logos, one for the umbrealla company EBE Ltd, and also two for the new exhibtion Outside The White Cube.

The Winners Recieve...

•            6 Free Entry Credits to any of the London exhibitions, Cork Street Open Exhibition, Art Erotica or Outside the White Cube

•            You can spread out your entries as you wish, between the exhibitions or all on one

•            Recognition as a sponsor of whichever exhibition your logo is used for, or on the EBE Ltd website.

Interested? Here's "The Brief" for each of the logos:

EBE Ltd

This is an umbrealla company, which will soon encompass the open exhibitions, as well as Your Art Image which provides business consultancy, Social Media Management, and iBook creation for artists.

The exhibitions are Cork Street Open Exhibition, Art Erotica and Outside The White Cube (no website as yet). They are annual events, drawing in thousands of applicants from an international background.

We want the logo to help to create the overall brand identity for all of the ventures described above.

Outside the White Cube

Outside the White Cube is our newest open exhibition. Held in the Bermondsey Project Space, a warehouse near the White Cube Gallery in London. The logo must include the Bermondsey Project Space logo, seen below:

The Olympics As I See It

Each year the Outside the White Cube exhibition will be themed, and this year the theme is The Olympics As I See It, we are looking for one logo for the exhibition itself, Outside the White Cube, and a separate logo for The Olympics As I see It.

Things to Consider...

Take a look at our logos for Art Erotica and Cork Street Open Exhibition, we want brand continuity, but don't let that staunch your creative ideas!

Feel free to enter just one logo, or all three, as many times as you like. Each winning entry will recieve 6 free entry credits, up to £270 worth of free entries credits to these London events.

All entries must be in by 10th March, please send your image as a .jpeg attatchment to info@corkstreetopenexhibition.co.uk, with your name and contact details.

Feel free to email with any queries.

All the Best,

Hollie Anderson

Office Manager

P.S. If you're not interested competing for free entry credits, you can purchase entry credits for the 2012 Cork Street Open Exhibition at last year's rates until the 15th of March, so buy yours now and save!

Interview with David McG

Here's a catch up with former Student David McGilivray - who came in to talk to you during first term - he's still in New York working for OnSwipe and doing really well. Catch up here.

Great Typo

Some of you have seen this already - but Jo (FDA2) Has re-discovered it for me - click here.

Lost Fonts

Wonderful site here, designers re-descovering fonts and making them available again.

Type Matters

University graphics lecturer Jim Williams' A4 Type Matters! booklet, originally created to hand to his students, has been expanded and is set to be published in April as a notebook-style 160 page, faux leather covered book (Merrell, £17.95).

The book sets out the basics of typography and is sure to be added to graphic design course reading lists. The first chapter deals with the history of type design, the origins of typographic terminology, type measurement, Roman type and a very helpful spread entitled The Anatomy of letterforms which will allow readers to correctly identify a stem, crossbar, descender, terminal, tittle or bowl at a glance.

Chapter two deals with setting headlines and display type, while the third chapter (by far the longest chapter) looks at setting text - from selecting a typeface through leading, kerning, letter spacing, alignment, indicating paragraphs, hanging punctuation, hyphenation, widows and orphans, apostrophes and quotation marks, ligatures and more. In short, Type Matters! is an indespensible guide to the basics of typography that no budding graphic designer should be without.

Obviously, it's 'supposed' to look like a bible...

MEC Seminar / Thursday

This is pretty much essential for all of you. As UoB Students - you don't have to pay

M|E|C Speakers

Monthly we run a question and answers sesions with sucessful creatives. They will talk about their experiences and hopefully inspire you by sharing.

Pesky Productions - ANIMATION Q&A

1st March 2012 - 6pm to 8pm

University of Brighton, Hastings. Havelock Road

Claire Underwood - Designer / Director & co-founder of Pesky Productions

Pesky is a multiple award-winning animation studio founded in 1997.  They have produced over 120 projects ranging from simple web games to major cartoon series. Their biggest production 'The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers' shows in over 80 countries and won them a BAFTA in 2005. Claire will be giving a potted history of the company, talking about the production process for a 2D Flash animation series and providing top tips to help you create ideas that will catch the eye of the broadcasters.

Free of charge to Media Enterprise Centre members and £5 to non-members.

Click here to book as a non-member

Monday Feb 27th

Me being away, and Gary Neill being in - was not a day off. Obviously I've spoken to him - and the attendance wasn't great - I'm not happy. You pay for tuition, roughly £45 per day - it's not something anyone can afford to waste.

I'm moving my days this week to Thursday and Friday  - open to both first and second years, in the studio both days. I'm not mobile enough to come in yet and the last thing you want is me in a bad mood.

It's REALLY important that all creative work is tied up this week - you must be working on putting your your presentations after this week. If you want to talk to me by email - you casn send work through.

R

'What's Your Type'

Student projects - pretty much the same as the ones you are working on - and with great results - so lets see what you can achieve - and have a good look through here. If you need help with printing - talk to Myles, I can book him if it's needed.

Found Fonts

Great personal collection related to a graphic designers practice - you should all be putting together archives like this yourself.

Another interesting new font

Click on the main image for a slide show

Some typographic experiments for FDA1 - I'd like to see more research and experimentation here, I've seen some quite good work already - but lets see what you can do if you spread the net a bit more widely.

CD/EP Covers

Interesting bit of visual typo for FDA1

Gill Sans re-drawn

Interesting to see a full brand manual and a re-drawn version of a classic typeface. ( see if you can spot the typo on the rationale )

This is horrible...

If ANY of you try a stunt like this, I'm having you beaten and thrown off the course.

( I'm also going to have a shave )

Timetable - week starting Feb 27th

I'm afraid I've had a bit of an accident at home and I'm not very mobile - so there is a slight change to the regular timetable.

Monday - FDA2, Gary Neil will be standing in for me. He know what you are doing - and he is briefed to work with you on your competition briefs.

Frankly - I'm not seeing very much action here - you all need to really move forward with this module - talk to Gary about concepts today and he will report back to me. Bear in mind the feedback you have had already on Packaging and the advice you have been given.

There are a couple of people who did not come in for their Packaging 1-2-1. Bit annoyed about that.

Tuesday - FDA2.. might be me - depending on the pain killers I'm taking - will let you know

Wednesday - FDA1 - Gary Neill - C&C in the morning - if there is time in the afternoon - discuss your 2D design module concepts with him - really good to get a 2nd opinion. Some good work coming out of this project already - keep the momentum going.

'Someone' didn't have their 1-2-1 on Friday... bit annoyed about that.

The Common room is yours all day from 10.15am

Thursday and Friday - I should be back on my feet - I'll keep you posted.

More Chocolates

... with 'attitude'

Info for FDA1

Remember - on Friday, I will be talking to you all 1-2-1, and going through the marking process of your Typo and Letterforms module - so that you understand your marks.

can you bring with you the following

Magazine Spread


Magazine Covers


Solar System logo


Wine label

I'll go through each and explain why and how you got your mark.

Typon for FDA1

Couple of nice examples of type design - I like the Lubalin presentation - and how just changing the 'M' on Milk makes the font very different.

Nice chocolate packaging for FDA2

 - well presented - simple idea. Here.

Can a font change a city?

Really good article here about re-branding a city with a font.

For FDA1

You will need to look at things like this after your briefing tomorrow ( Wednesday )

Monday night.

We FINALLY had our planchests delivered today - there are only 20 - so FDA1 share, and FDA2 get one each - that's fair - so lets try and keep the room clean and tidy.

FDA2 - you were all given very clear instructions on what to do with your packaging work - and how to approach the competition briefs ( would have like to see more action there ).

We did not have a full house - I'm really unhappy about this, I was VERY clear about presenting today - you need to see me on Wednesday afternoon if I did not see you today.

Nice work

... also - over 400 people viewed this blog since lunch time.... with a combined group of 27 students... that's quite a lot!

Lighting

Very good link supplied by John Reynolds - great film helping you to light images, by a master.

Good Work

Great work from Bureau - lovely and inventive typography

Good Work

Nice project from Magpie Studio that put me in mind of the briefs FDSA2 have just completed

Very good typography collection

Nice Pinterest collection here

Week starting 20th Feb

Monday - FDA2, you are handing in the presented Packaging module work - to qualify for your extra 15%.

This half term - you are working on the competition briefs - there will be a range of teaching staff, including myself - that I'll post on a weekly basis - and you can request anyone you like. I'm going to save as many teaching hours from the budget as possible - so there may not be a tutor in every day of the week, and you will be on self directed study - the hours will be saved up for FMP and some guest spots.

Tuesday 21st Fed - FDA 2 final essays to be collected by Gary - no excuses.

Wednesday 10am - FDA1, briefing on their 2D module - and in the afternoon, a film starting at 2pm that is directly related to their work. It is the classic film Noir 'Laura' - you must be present for this film and prepared to think of it as a part of your research. ( year 2 are welcome to attend the screening - it's a brilliant film )

You will ( as discussed ) be given 10 briefs and must choose 5 - which you will confirm on Friday.

Thursday - Self directed study - Jane will be in for computer help - but you use today to research and select your briefs.

Friday, I will be in, and it's a day of 1-2-1 teaching, help on selecting your final briefs, and I need to record which ones you have selected.

Good Work

I would have posted this yesterday - but you might have got the wrong idea. Great piece of creative work from Field Notes for Valentines day.

Fish and Chips

Nice work, and a small tie in with last half term's FDA2 module, here.

RSA

I will be in college at 10am on Thursday to sign your RSA forms and add references - but I'm not in college all day - so be early

R

Job Hunting Tips

Take time to review current projects - Show that you have researched the projects the consultancy has recently completed. Check the press, have an opinion on the projects and don’t be afraid to say how you would improve it. Additional information can be slipped in when asked ‘Do you have any questions’, or you could compare work that you have done to a project they have listed. Equating your experience and skills to those that already exist in the company help the interviewee to picture you within the bosom of their business.

Show your sketchwork - Sketchwork is vital. I rate it so highly that if a CV doesn’t show sketchwork then that person will probably not be considered. You must be able to sketch and this must be demonstrated in your portfolio. The importance of sketchwork is in the ability to communicate early ideas to the client and other team members and without evidence that you can do this then your importance (and in my mind, employability) is reduced.

Ideas, Ideas, Ideas - You must show creativity and the ability to solve problems. Consultancies want people that can produce ideas that they can then sell, so you must, at all, costs demonstrate that you can produce new ideas – you must be an asset. The easiest way to demonstrate this is talk about your role in a project e.g. you suggested a different direction which was well received, or you instigated a different methodology.

Show relevant work - Relevance is paramount. Don’t show irrelvent positions such as Saturday jobs, paper rounds and summer jobs above any relevant design experience. Another important point is look at the services that the company provides and tailor your CV accordingly. If you lack experience in that area then it may be worth including any steps you’ve undertaken to fill the shortfall.

Put your best foot forward - Choose the best pieces of work you have and put those in your CV and portfolio, don’t flood people with reams of meaningless work. Chose your work carefully and tailor it to the specific interview, but above all make sure you showcase work that you can talk about - don’t be afraid to have an opinion!

Demonstrate aptitude, initiative and honesty

Aptitude – Nobody expects you to know everything but I am looking for people who show the potential to learn.

Initiative - Show you are prepared to work hard at developing your own ideas. Don’t be afraid of referring to any artistic differences you have experienced in the past just ensure you say how you overcame them or how they were used to the benefit of the project.

Honesty -Don’t lie - an employer will be taking a lot of time in order to commit to a new member of staff so will have analysed what you have presented.

Dress to impress – Adhere to the dress code, and where you can’t find one, dress up and not down.

For FDA1

This might help you next week.

Chocolate for designers.

Why didn't anyone find this? Loads of great stuff on the site here.

Branding 'British Culture'

Now THIS is really interesting, branding something as 'British' from the outside ( The Ukraine) - it's worth studying this very carefully and examining the final work in detail.

Mad Men interactive

Nice work here spotted by Gary Neill.

Kids and brands

Interesting ....

The story of the Smiley

Very good radio doc here about one of the most recognisable graphic devices of the last 50 years. There is also a Smiley Company that owns the copyright, and a Wikipage.

Timetable starting 6th Jan

An important week, last of this half term - the end of at least two modules - and very busy for everyone.

Monday and Tuesday - FDA2, in the studio with Richard

Wednesday - FDA 1 - in the morning, you have Gary Neil for C&C

In the afternoon, FDA2 are presenting their packaging module work for final marking to both Richard and Gary. This will be in the main studio - and FDA1 are invited to watch them present ( just as we did last year )

The H.E. common room is timetabled for you on Wednesday after 10.15am

Thursday and Friday - FDA1 are with Tim in the Studio - marking all their work at 3pm. I will also be in on on Friday for the marking.

Both years will be given paperwork regarding Professional Practice - you must make sure it's understood.

A quick note for FDA2. I just spoke to a mate who teaches at St Martins (who has also taught at SCCH), he had posted 'with 30 students who have not slept all night" - I asked what he meant and he said 'It's Crit day" - I told him that my students don't that - he replied "but these kids are hungry"

Found Letter Project

You've all done this project - one way or another - these are great, why not have another go? All designers continue to do personal work through their careers - not everything has to be to brief - you can do work for yourself.

There is a high-res of each after the link.

for FDA2

Mast Bros Chocolate

Some really lovely 'design' chocolate here - go to Wholesale and download the PDF for the designs

New London Design Guide

Available here.

Larkin for Faber

Really good article here on the creation of the 'Complete' Larkin' for Faber.

The Ideal Candidate

Top designers tell you what you need to know about interviews, every day - starting with Sagmeister - I'll put the link on the right hand column, check it very day.

The Ideal Candidate