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"
Friday 27 November 2015
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:
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
- 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.
Thursday 26 November 2015
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.
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.
Wednesday 25 November 2015
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.
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.
Wednesday 18 November 2015
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.
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.
Sunday 15 November 2015
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)