OUGD502 - Study Task 2 - One Day Brief - A Gift for HORT, Berlin

We were given a one day brief in which we had to produce a unique piece of work as an offering to the Berlin based design studio; HORT. The piece of work could be designed using any method that I saw fit, analogue, digital or a combination of both and could be about anything. We were encouraged to research the studio, looking at its ethos, style and general approach to visual communication. We were also encouraged to simply have fun with, something I like to hear in a brief. I looked at the studio's website for inspiration. What I noticed was that HORT has a very playful, distinct style and aesthetic. They produce work that is undoubtedly contemporary and that is something I wanted to weave into my piece of work for this very short brief. 

HORT adopts a highly experimental approach to typography. This is evident in the poster work and branding/identity that they have produced recently. I appreciate experimental use of type and am continually attempting to use type in exciting ways in my own personal work. This interest in type was the driving force the work that I produced for this one day brief. 

Experimentation: I have noticed that blackletter typefaces have become quite trendy in contemporary commercial graphic design recently. Modified slab serifs and humanist blackletter typefaces are popping up in a lot of areas of editorial and poster design, and I am quite a fan of this. I think its interesting to use contemporary, modified versions of such ancient letterforms. I wanted to be as playful as I could with the actual type and the words being used. One of my favourite phrases around at the moment is 'All black everything'. It can be applied to fashion and design, so I thought it would be interesting to use here as HORT produces a lot of identity/advertising for large fashion brands such as Nike. HORT is contemporary, and the use of blackletter typefaces is currently quite contemporary, so that was the logic behind the type decisions made.  

Final outcome:

OUGD502 - Taking Care of Business - Positioning our Business

Screeeeen's main areas of interest lay in creative art direction and graphic design. Each member of the business has a firm grounding within the field of contemporary visual communication, and each has their own specific area of interest and passion. Each member values traditional methods of production, in particular analogue printing methods including screen printing, mono printing and letterpress. We all share common skills in digital desktop design: we are interdisciplinary in our mentality and skill sets.

Screeeeen wouldn't necessarily confine its self within labels such as a 'digital design consultancy' or a 'graphic design studio'. We would position ourself as a 'creative consultancy' where the emphasis would be on the concept of the project and the materials, media's and processes used to carry a project right through to completion. We would aim to answer each and every brief in a conceptual way, continually striving to be original and true to each members values, opinions and ideas. Therefore, on every brief, each member would contribute to the design process, giving our portfolio of work breadth and variation in terms of style and aesthetic.

We understand that there are a number of design studios that exist in Leeds, the North, London and the UK in general at the moment who share similar mentalities and offer similar services to what we envision Screeeeen offering. However, we believe that our personalities and eclectic mix of backgrounds would make us stand-out in this ever increasingly crowded sector of the creative industries. Each member in the group has a very different idea of what art, design and visual communication is and can be, and when combined, I believe it would produce a distinct and stand out aesthetic that would come to define us as a brand.

Services we would offer to clients:

Art direction
Analogue solutions: print, letterpress, collage, illustration, painting
Poster, leaflet & promotional design
Campaign development/design
Editorial design
Photographic and Video
Identity and Branding

OUGD502 - Brief 02 - Creative Report - Contacting Kraffhics Collective (Leeds)

Today I contacted the art collective Kraffics, who are based in Leeds. I was unable to find an official website for them online, nor could I find any specific contact details, so I sent them a private message on Facebook, and am currently awaiting a reply. The message read as follows:

"Degrees aren’t what it’s all about. RIGHT? Right!

However, I’m a bit of a woos, so I decided to study Graphic Design at Leeds College of Art. (Hopefully that doesn’t make me go down in your estimations...) I’m now on the second year of the course and we’ve been asked to create a ‘report’ on a practitioner/group of creative’s that we really like and I chose you! I respect anyone who pursues their interests without studying a creative degree; I particularly admire the ethos of Kraffhics and all that you guys stand for. The report isn't meant to be an overly serious thing, really I just want to get to know what makes you guys tick and get your views on a few things.

I appreciate that you are probably very busy, but it would be great if you could take a few moments of your time to answer a few questions I have about Kraffhics. Please feel free to reply here on Facebook, or to email me at cameronjwolfe@hotmail.co.uk and I'm sure we can figure something out? Or, if you would prefer to speak on the phone my mobile is 07846541440.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Cheers,

Cameron"

OUGD502 - Taking Care of Business - Researching Partnerships

It is important that we all research the various types of businesses that our group could potentially develop into for this brief. As there are five members in the group, we decided to each choose a type to research individually to then share the information with as a collective. 

I chose to allocate myself the area of business 'partnerships' to research. I began by looking on-line for context and basic information. I first found a very simple definition for the term partnership: "A partnership is a business organization in which two or more individuals manage and operate the business. Both/all the owners are equally and personally liable for the debts from the business"

I then went to Gov.uk first, as I thought that this would be the place containing the most reliable and legitimate information. Here is hat I found:

In a business partnership, you and your business partner (or partners) personally share responsibility for your business. You can share all your business’s profits between the partners. Each partner pays tax on their share of the profits.

Legal responsibilities:

You’re personally responsible for your share of:

• any losses your business makes

• bills for things you buy for your business, like stock or equipment

1. Set up the partnership

• choose a name

• choose a ‘nominated partner’

• register with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC)

You can set up a limited partnership or limited liability partnership if you don’t want to be personally responsible for a business’ losses. A partner doesn’t have to be an actual person. For example, a limited company counts as a ‘legal person’, and can also be a partner in a partnership. You must choose a name for your partnership and register it with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Setting up

When you set up a business partnership you need to:

• Chose a name
• Choose a nominated partner
• Register with HM Revenues and Customs
• The ‘nominated partner’ is responsible for managing the partnership’s tax returns and keeping business records.
• Register for self assessment and VAT
• Register for tax
• Report and changes to the partnership (if a partner leaves, goes bankrupt, becomes seriously ill or dies)
• Report changes in name, address and nominated partner

This type of business agreement does sound like it would work for my group, but we will obviously need to discuss the other models before settling on one. I am not sure whether we will all want to be equally liable and responsible for the success of the organisation in terms of money/productivity. A number of small start ups today begin as partnerships, from what I can see, this is a good route into the market, but I am not sure if a partnership agreement would necessarily be the best option for five people, because that is quite a large number. 

OUGD502 - Taking Care of Business - Concept

As a group, we have decided to settle on the name 'Screeeen' for two main reasons. The first is that the word screen has multiple meanings and connotations, two of which are significant to us. Firstly, we all agreed that we enjoy working on a screen of some description to produce our digital work, that is something we see as unavoidable in today's climate and something that we must acknowledge. Digital design will be something that we would offer as a service, however, it would not be are sole interest. We all share a passion for screen printing and analogue based production methods. Screen printing is a preferred method for myself, Izzie and Amelia so we saw this name a good way of conveying our interests/passions for both screen based and analogue ways of producing wonderful work. The reason that there are five 'e's' is conceptual. Each letter e represents one of the five members of the group. We also felt that by making the word 'screen' longer, it would stand out in the crowded marketplace as it is quirky and unique and memorable. We are contemporary creative's who strive to produce contemporary work, we all feel that this name reflects/communicates those desires. 

We chose to use a typeface named Bluu - a punk typeface which is used on some of Leeds College of Art's collateral. We saw it and it caught our eye instantly. It feels very contemporary and fresh to me and I am very pleased with our decision to use it for our initial logo designs. 

OUGD502 - Study Task 01 - Taking Care of Business - Area of Interest

Members: Myself, Izzie, Amelia, Tom and James
Name: Screeeeen

Our group formed because we all share similar interests, but also have our own very distinctive individual creative styles that show in the work we produce. We felt that coming together would work well because of our individual and common interests, and we feel that we would offer creative services that would benefit from this mixture of backgrounds and passions. We are obviously, never going to be able to completely agree on everything we discuss and work on, but we all view this as a positive thing. It would make life boring if we all had the same views and opinions, so the fact that we all have differing views is a great thing and will make us unique as an organisation.

Analogue techniques, mixed media, abstract pattern making & poster design 

My main passions and interests lay in poster design and editorial work which involves using multi media approaches and techniques. I am interested in collaging and creating abstract pattern work. There is an analogue revolution happening at the moment within the creative fields and I find this very exciting and view it as a great opportunity to really refine and polish my practice. Access to materials is hardly limited. Creating collages from found media is very easy to do, and creating patterns with analogue media such as inks, pens, paints, paper and so on is cost efficient. The effects produced through using these techniques tend to be unique, giving the work a premium, bespoke feel.

After watching the documentary 'Made You Look', I became even more inspired to enter into a field within the creative industry which values and cherishes analogue approaches. I feel this partnership that I am entering into with course mates is going to be very positive towards these techniques as well share passions for drawing, painting, printmaking, collaging and abstraction. The documentary discussed a number of practitioners who are leading the analogue revolution. One of the most inspiring for me is Edward Cheverton. He is a multidisciplinary designer/creative who enjoy combining analogue with contemporary styles and processes. He is a freelancer, but his work ethic is very motivating.

OUGD502 - Study Task 01 - Taking Care of Business

We have now been introduced to the second module for PPP, in which we are required to get together with like minded creative's in our year group and formulate a business strategy/plan for the future. The business model is at this stage, purely hypothetical. However, the work we do now may well come in handy at a later date. This module in effect, paves the way for future opportunity, should we chose to follow it through.

We spent the majority of the day focusing on the task of finding people to be in a group with. Initially, myself, Izzie and Amelia were going to work together as a three, but we thought it would beneficial to try and get at least two other like minded people on our team, so we approach James and Tom. They were positive and said that they would get back to us. They got back to us swiftly and said they would be more than happy to merge their group of two with us, making a group of five. 

We thought it would be a good idea to list our interests and strengths to get a good idea of what each member could bring on an individual level to the group for this brief. 

Interests & Strengths that I can bring to the group:

•  I am multidisciplinary in my skills and interests. I don’t like pigeon holing myself; I think it’s unhealthy to do so especially in today’s creative industries.
•  I love working across media, I try to incorporate analogue techniques into my work wherever I see fit, because I really value the effects that can be achieved through using them
•  I have strong interests in poster, flyer, promotional design and editorial – I don’t dislike completely digital design, because I do dabble in it, but it is not my preferred format
•  I have strong interests in photography and collage as well as illustration
•  I do have a growing interest in hand rendered typography and also graphic design that use type only to convey concepts, messages and purposes - I think the other members of the group share similar interests

We then sat down to discuss five key areas of investigation in regards to the work we would be producing as a collective. Amelia wanted to look into logo design and branding, Izzie wanted to investigate screen printing and its relevance as well as other analogue techniques, James wanted to look into editorial design, Tom typographic and type only work and I am looking at collaging, mixed media and slow style design. I am going to look at specific practitioners and studios that work in ways that inspire me and ways that I see us working as a collective. 

OUGD502 - Brief 02 - Wish List

I sometimes find it difficult to put a lot of thought into what I want to do in the future work wise. Maybe because I try to avoid pigeon holing myself wherever I can. Maybe because I have broad interests, not only within the creative industries but just in life in general. I don't believe that a creative person should ever put large, sweeping labels on their practice, especially in today's world.

Pigeon holing yourself as a creative is a thing of the past in my opinion, and can limit your potential. I have noticed that when I tell people what I am studying BA graphic design, their usually react in one of two way. The first is usually positive, but always followed by a question like 'What do you actually do?' and things along those lines. The second type of response is usually less positive and pretty dismissive. I have seen first hand the consequences/reactions of pigeon holing my practice as a student, I dread to think what it will be like when I am a 'professional' practitioner.

My wish list/'goals':

To be happy (in what I'm doing) - I think that this is probably a dream that everyone shares to some extent. I have included it because I want to be happy with I am going to be doing for probably the rest of my life. I want to work in a place which requires me to use my creative skills, where I am challenged and kept thinking, where I produce work that fulfils me as well as others.

To produce conceptual work - I appreciate any form of artistic expression that is conceptual, that comes from a place within that has a lot of meaning. Otherwise, what is the point. I accept that I am going to probably have to do a lot of 'graphic design' that has very little conceptual meaning in my life in order to survive and earn money. But, I really will aim to produce work that has a lot of personal meaning, work that communicates my character and creative style well. That to me is what great visual communication is about.

To produce amazing poster, editorial and promotional work (should I chose to work in a design studio/agency) - At this point in the course, I have a rough idea of the areas of Graphic Design that I am interested in, and also the areas I am not so keen on. I know my interests and strengths lay in poster design, editorial design, leaflets, promotional collateral and so on. So ideally, these are the types of things I would dream of designing once I graduate and begin looking for work. I know that I am not keen on packaging, branding or logo design as such, but these are skills that I want to get under my belt anyway to be as rounded as possible.

To get away from digital (sometimes) - I really enjoy using analogue techniques and processes to produce work, and I know that I could get really good them with continued practice. One of my biggest wishes I suppose is to work somewhere that shares a similar passion of analogue processes. That is important to me. Analogue is experiencing a revival, and I think its a very positive revival. Perhaps in the future, analogue techniques will become just as commonplace in design studios as Macs are now.

To try not to pigeon hole myself as a 'creative' - the days when you used to be able to get away with just calling yourself a 'graphic artist/designer' are long gone in my eyes. Admittedly, there are plenty of creative people around today who refer to themselves solely as graphic designers, but I don't really see the point in doing that. Before starting the course here in Leeds, I had never studied graphic design as an independent topic, but the interest was always there. I have broad interests and an even broad skill set, so pigeon holing my practice as a creative person just doesn't make sense. It is a goal of mine to be known as a creative person rather than just another 'graphic designer'

To try to never take everything so seriously and have fun with what I am doing - this is something I try to do on a daily basis, but sometimes struggle with. I am a natural stress head, and I over think things more than I should. However, one thing I tell myself to do, especially within the realms of the course is to not take everything so seriously and to just enjoy what I am doing. After all, if you are not enjoying what you are working on, the work will reflect it. It is a dream of mine to get satisfaction from my work and I see this happening if I remain true to myself and to not take everything I do so seriously, all of the time.

OUGD502 - Brief 01 - Creative Report - Contacting CUR3ES

Subject: Why Did the Graphic Design Student Flop Their Second Year? 

Because Cur3es never got back to them...:( Hopefully you won’t let that happen to me!

My name is Cameron. I’m a second year student studying on the Graphic Design course at Leeds College of Art. We have been asked to create a ‘report’ on a creative person that we really admire, and I chose you! I love creating collages, whether digital or analogue, and I'm always looking for ways of incorporating it into my work. I find your collage work very inspiring. The 'report' is not meant to be too serious; really I just want to get to know what makes you tick as an artist, designer or whatever you want to call yourself. I personally don’t like labelling my practice, and I’m sure you don’t either.

I appreciate that you are probably quite busy on a day to day basis, but it would mean a lot to me if you could find the time to answer a few questions I have about you. I’m interested in the way you approach the work you undertake, your style, influences and other things that inspire you. It would also be cool to hear your opinions on the creative industries and other related topics. 

If you have a spare moment, please email me back at cameronjwolfe@hotmail.co.uk and we can figure something out. I look forward to hearing back from you. 

Many thanks,

Cameron James Wolfe

OUGD502 - Brief 01 - Creative Report - Researching Practitioners/Studios

FranklinTill Studio (UK)

Background: Founded by Kate Franklin and Caroline Till in 2010, FranklinTill Studio comprises a multidisciplinary team of designers, researchers and writers. Kate and Caroline have 25 years’ combined experience in research, trend forecasting and design strategy. Recognised leaders in the fields of colour, material and design futures, FranklinTill Studio are regularly asked to comment on future material innovations and present research at global design events.

.O Studio (UK)

Background: Point Zero Studio is a multi-disciplinary studio of creation based in London.

Since 2011, Point Zero Studio covers a multitude of discipline in Art direction including 

fashion, textile, graphic design, interior decoration, set design, and also provides creative consulting in branding & fashion. and curates events like film festivals, pop-up events, magazine launches, or exhibitions. Since 2015, Point Zero Studio runs 1A Space in Brixton 

What draws me to this studio? I really enjoy the varied aesthetic of the work that this studio produces. They are dramatically contemporary and give British Graphic Design a good name in my opinion. Their work has a certain style to it. They use lots of block punchy colours complimented with beautifully selected typography, contrasted well with collage like compositions and quirky photographic content. 

Come de Bouchony (FRANCE)

Background: Côme de Bouchony is an art director and designer working and living in Paris. After studies at Penninghen he established his studio in 2007. The studio offers art direction, graphic identities, editorial design, photography, animation, creative research and websites within the fields of art, culture, fashion and commerce. He also is the co-founder and creative director of FIGURE Magazine, and the head of design at Le Comptoir Général. In 2013, his work on Figure was selected within the Best Reviews by french Art Directors Club.

What draws me to this practitioner? I find Bouchony's aesthetic/graphic style really appealing. it's bold, loud, unapologetic and very 'on trend', some would even describe his style as postmodern.

Netherlands:

http://www.studioanotherday.nl/portfolio/brachen-siedlung/

http://www.ourpolitesociety.net

http://www.mmmade.org

http://cargocollective.com/gillesdebrock

http://www.loesclaessens.nl

Cyan Design (Germany)

Astrid Stavro Studio

Raw (Manchester)

http://weareraw.co.uk/work/form-and-glory

http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/ines-cox

http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/paula-scher-atlantic-theater-company

http://supermundane.com/design/logos/

http://dimashiryaev.tumblr.com/archive

http://supermundane.com/work/the-ride/

http://www.noahcollin.com/#/love-hate-tattoo/

http://drawren.tumblr.com/

http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/things-july-2015

http://www.jaydanielwright.com/?page_id=773

OUGD502 - Brief 02 - Study Task 01 - Personal Report of Summer 2015

How has the summer changed you as a person and a creative? How have your various experiences shaped who you are going into second year?

Summer 2015 was one of the busiest, most intense and varied summers of my life. I engaged in a number of creative and non creative experiences ranging from competition briefs to volunteering on rowdy bars at huge music festivals. I found myself looking back at old work with a critical eye. I feel as if I have matured creatively to a certain extent over the summer. For example I feel my opinions toward certain styles within graphic design have changed. This I hope, should begin to manifest in the work I produce this year. 

After completing my first year of study on this course, I left little time to relax. I knew that I didn't want to get bored after breaking up for the holidays, so I set myself a few personal briefs and entered several design competitions throughout June to keep my mind ticking over. I didn't want to become lazy or disengaged with my design practice or the creative industries. The first competition I entered was advertised on Talenthouse.com, an art/design networking hub that regularly posts open calls for live competition briefs. Channel 4 and "This Is England '90" invited creators from around the world to submit poster artwork that captured the zeitgeist of UK club culture during the 1990's. Three Selected Artists had their work used within the interactive marketing campaign to promote the series, and received £1,000 and a mentoring session with Channel 4's creative department, 4Creative. Rave culture has interested me for some time now, so I jumped when I saw this opportunity. I also really could have done with the money.

I spent at least two weeks designing the poster and asked for feedback constantly, mainly turning to my course peers and close friends. I was genuinely proud of my efforts and I believe I produced some really visually enticing work. Unfortunately, my design was not selected to be used in he advertising campaign. Initially I was upset, but I soon realised that taking part in that particular competition brief was highly beneficial to my learning and understanding of client led design work. It was an very 'open' brief, and I think if I were to enter a similar competition I would definitely do a few things differently in order to stand a better chance of winning. Taking part definitely helped me to push my ideas and practice further. 

I kicked off my summer properly with a music festival, which in my opinion was a great way to start it. I have been fortunate enough to go to a number of different festivals and I'm always keen to try new ones out. I came across 'The Eden Festival', set in the gorgeous countryside of Dumfries and Galloway, back in March and thought it would be a good idea to try my hand at festival volunteering. A group of my close friends from Leeds were also considering volunteering there which was really exciting, and we all set off together at the end of June. Eden was one of the friendliest and most relaxed festivals that I have been to. The atmosphere was magical, the theming and decoration was excellent, the music was new and unusual and the weather was just right. I met so many interesting people through the process and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is curious. Volunteering allows you to access a different side of a music festival, it made me feel very independent. 

After Eden, I went back to London and worked in my local pub for the whole of July which was good. I saved up some money and went on a mates holiday to Prague at the end of August. Prague is such a stunning place. I fell in love with the Art Nouveau architecture and the general character of the place, It was a highly inspiring place to be in. I am so happy that I got to experience it. I look back at this summer with a lot of happiness and fun memories. I feel that by engaging with competitions whilst also taking time out to relax and travel allowed me to get a lot out of the very extended holiday period.