Today (14th April 10) we had a lecture by Mike Greer. Mike Greer is a copywriter who has done work for Love, The chase, Mccann Erikson and Amaze. Mike studied design in Blackburn for 4 years. When feeling that he wasnt good at graphics Mike moved onto advertising before eventually moving onto copywriting.
Most of Mikes lecture was dedicated to the hard hitting facts of what happens when you leave University. Mike expressed that there are 150 other courses of design being studied up and down the UK explaining that realistically there are too many people for too little jobs. Mike expressed it is about YOU getting YOURSELF a job and believes there will always be someone out there who is working harder than you. This means it is extremely important to work hard and to keep on going. Mike also explained the importance of building relationships with people in industry and believes motivated people will succeed.
When contacting agencies Mike says most creatives are receptive to students getting in contact. Mike recomended that you should get in touch with agencies and ask for briefs. Answering these briefs will show that you can work to industry standards and believes working in a live environment makes you take design seriously. Mike says work placements are VITAL for getting a job.
Mike also says you need to make yourself invaluable in work placements whether it be working on the rubbish stuff people don't want to work on. You should be prepared to do the rubbish stuff to do the good stuff. When it comes to graduation Mike believes that agencies dont look for the finished article in graduates. It is said that agencies like somebody they can nurture, and people who are keen and eager.
Mike's suggested gameplan is that you should make a list of 5/6 agencies you would like to work, get briefs off them and go back to show your work. Having regularity, keeness, and lots of commitment is extremly important. Mike says you should never dismiss any avenue. The less avenues you begin with results in less chance of you getting a job. Mike explained each place is different and it is important to see where you fit in and where is right for you.
When it comes to freelance Mike says it is a bad idea to be doing freelance straight after you graduate as he believes that you dont have enough experience. Mike explained how he enjoys freelance because it is nice to go to lots of different places. Coming back to Mike being a copywriter by trade, Mike feels that copywriting is becoming a dying art he feels that the industry is becoming more and more visual.
Showing posts with label Practitioners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Practitioners. Show all posts
15 Apr 2010
7 Mar 2010
Jones Knowles Ritchie
Whilst visiting London it had been organized that we would split into groups to attend different design companies. Our group were asked to take a visit to Jones Knowles Ritchie who are the biggest branding and packaging specialists in the UK. JKR have many big brand clients including Molton brown, J20, Drench water, Birdseye, Guiness and many more.
JKR was created 20 years ago and has continued to thrive. There are currently 85 members of staff working in the company. When arriving at the studio we were escorted to a meeting room where we would have a small chat with the Creative directors and we would be given a small presentation by Lewis Jones. Lewis told us he has a huge love for packaging because he feels that this type of design is out there and you are delivering the product. Lewis believes that the heartland of packaging starts in the supermarket in which he finds fascinating. He believes the point of packaging is that people take notice, buy and buy again. Lewis discussed his opinion that he thinks you need to sell the brand and not the product. Lewis beleives that much design today tends to be copied rather than being different which then leads the to the idea that there is just alot of 'stuff' being produced.
Being told that one of there brands took 2 yrs to be shelved I then decided to ask Donna (CD) how they make sure their designs don't date. Donna believes that 'pretty' design tends to date much quicker and that JKR are are more about the idea. It is thought that Molton Brown is now a multimillion pound brand due to their re brand by JKR. It is also said that j20 is also now another multi million pound business.
Visiting JKR I was extremely impressed. The studio was huge and it felt like a great environment to work in. We were lucky enough to be shown around the studio by Donna who also explained what a few of the staff were employed to do. Donna also mentioned that JKR holds a placement scheme. This would be something I would very much like to do in the near future.
visit: http://www.jkr.co.uk/
4 Jan 2010
Jean's Day Job
Jeansdayjob.co.uk is a website I had shown to me. Jean is a freelance designer from Cambridge. I think the website is great and I really like the layout. Jean specializes in many design areas and has a very sophisticated design style which I like.
30 Nov 2009
Mike Rigby- The Chase
Mike Rigby- The Chase
Mike Rigby studied in Preston for 4 years. Mike has been to a variety of agencies which indclude:
- Pentagram North
- Mark studio
- True north
- Interbrand Australia
Mike believes that a career in design is great because you get to meet and collaborate with many people, you win awards, it is a great education with a strong design community and that you are helping to give people a voice from your design.
Mike believes that a negative side to design is that it is competitive, long hours, a huge amount of pressure, unpaid overtime and lost pitches. Mike also believes that client interference can also be de-moralising.
Mike stated that another negative of design is the effect on the environment. He says that in design there is alot of over packaging and we are contributing to consumerism.
Mike discussed the advantage of studio placement is learning a hell of alot. He says placements will speed you up, you get to work on real projects, you network and there is also lots of free nights out!!
Mike's first placement was at Imagination, London in which he received £150 a week. This was quite poor considering he had alot of rent to pay and other payouts. Mike says he didn't enjoy this experience. Being at 'The Chase' has been different for Mike. He says it re-juvinated his desire to design.
Mike advises that when trying to get a placement you need to have 6 solid projects in your portfolio. To show good ideas well executed. Advice for when you are in the industry Mike says that you need to take professional pride in everything you do. The quality of experience is important. Being pro active and to get involved. Being positive and showing enthusiam. He believes that you need to show you are eager and hungry, to ask questions, socialize and most importantly make a brew!Starting out, Mike's salary was £13,000, stating he wouldnt work for less.
Mike expressed that there is lots of rejection in design. He says this doesn't mean you are not good enough it may just mean the fit isn't right.
Mike discussed his travel experiences throughout his presentation. He beleives it is important to have a break. During Mike's break from the industry he visited South East Asia, Vietnam, Australia and Sydney sometimes living with different families and having amazing some experiences. Mike recommends that you should try going abroad with your design career. He believes that you can work almost anywhere. The positives to working abroad is the great experience, meeting great people, and the money and lifestyle is also great.
Whilst working in Aus Mike manage to win 5 awards. Upon leaving Australia Mike then went back to Pentagram. He says although he enjoyed it he says it was too quiet which meant he came back up to Manchester to True north.
Mike says that it is important to keep yourself interested in design and that you should keep doing briefs. To carry on in this career you need to ask yourself why you are doing it? are you commited? He says that you should familiarize yourself with the industry, to broaden your horizons and to have a informed opinion.
Whilst at university Mike believes that it is important to use the studio and resources. To collaborate and crit each others work. Mike believes there is no such thing as being too creative.
Advice for the future is that you should believe in your own ability and to ignore the doom and gloom. Mike states that it is important to graft as soon as you can and it is important to keep in touch with people, this will allow you opportunities in the future. Mike says it is important to enjoy yourself and have fun!
Ian Thompson-Thompson Brand Partners
Ian Thompson of 'Thompson brand partners' was also a guest speaker at the design symposium, Liverpool. The key to Ian's discussion was branding and 'how to make money doing what you love'. Ian says that you need to design effectively to get the best jobs.
Ian beleives that finding your neiche in design is one of the toughest roads you will face in your career of design.
When tackling branding briefs Ian says that you need to acknowledge where and what the problem is within the brand. Ian's opinion is that most people prefer not to change as it is a big risk, so he beleives most re brands are only slight changes.
Ian beleive's that the the most effective brand is Durex. He says that Durex: play became a £40 million subrand within two years. In Ian's opinion Wolly Ollins is the forward runner of branding.
When looking for work placements Ian says that he looks for people with a insatiable desire to learn and willingness to work. He beleives that you need to demostrate a real intrest in briefs and show you are self sufficient. Recruiting people for placement who have no fear of doing boring stuff for a while. Ian says one key value is being commercially minded, reading and understanding as much as you can. Talking about the world, not just the design world.
When applying for placements Ian says that you need to give the idea of what YOU can bring to them and express the desire to have effective work. When in the industry for 6-7 years Ian recommends that you should re visit your freshness.
Ian beleives that when looking at portfolios you immediately know whether people will make it. Presentation is a important factor. Ian says that you should arrange your portfolio to a narrative. To show a story or a journey.
Andy Sandoz-The Workclub
In October I attended the design symposium in Liverpool. One of the guest speakers were Andy Sandoz. Andy is from "the work club" which is made up of 40-50 work club clients include Coke, Nokia, and Pizza express. Andy has expertise in many design areas which include:
- Illustration
- Game design
- Tv branding
- Web design
- Advertising
During Andy's lecture he says that he would like to get back into education at some point in the future. Andy is also a judge in the D&aAD awards in which he says he looks forward to seeing peoples work and ideas.
Included in Andy's talk was the dicussion of 'creativity' and many design strategies were discussed. Andy expressed that he was suprised people don't understand what technology has to offer. In advertising Andy beleives that there needs to be a balance of creativity and intellegance. "feet on the ground, head in the clouds"
8 Nov 2009
Elmwood
www.elmwood.com
Portfolio Visit-Avalanche Creative
Avalanche Creative is the company I did 15 months placement. When graduating on my HND graphic design course I took it upon myself to arrange a short placement due to feeling under confident in my design and knowledge. As I was approaching 6 weeks off I thought this would be a great opportunity before re attending my BA course in the September. During my time at Avalanche I gained a huge amount of new skills and knowledge which I am extremely grateful for. I was able to work on live briefs with the other creative's which I thought was a fantastic opportunity as this allowed all my work to be included and possibly be presented to the client.
The reason I am so interested in Avalanche Creative is because they specialize in allot of work that I enjoy doing. Their work includes Logo design, Stationary, Website design, Brochures and much more. Even though I was only on student placement I liked to enquire about the process of jobs that I worked on and to hear any feedback received from the designers and client. I strived to respect and sustain my responsibilities and roles within the company and I am genuinely interested in Avalanche as a growing business and hope to be around when they relaunch in 2010.
www.avalanchecreative.co.uk/
www.avalanchecreative.co.uk/
Raw Design
Raw Design are a graphic design company situated in Manchester. Raw Design work in many sectors including health, public, education sectuor, music and media and many more. Their clients include NHS, Benefil, Barking and Dagenham Enterpise.
www.rawdesignstudio.co.uk
Orchard Recruitment
Mike Carter from Orchard recruitment attended the college to give us a talk based on finding employment after graduation. Orchard recruitment is the biggest recruitment agency in England and specialises in the Advertising and Design area. Mike gave us statistics that 456,000 students studied design this year and 49,188 people actually continued to do it.
The study of design is the second biggest study area within university's. The first being business studies.
Throughout the talk Mike offered quidance with approching company's, how to conduct yourself, how to create and get the best out of your CV, and gave advice on interview skills. Mike beleives that the main function of a CV is to get potential employers to contact YOU. He says you have only 3 seconds to communicate what you want to say. Mike stated that your CV should be liquid, meaning that it should be constantly changed and updated.
Mike also beleive's that being a good designer is only a small part of getting the job. He says enthusiasm, commitment, determination and organsation is key. It was advised that students should sort out jobs before graduation
http://orchardsuits.co.uk/
24 Apr 2009
Truth Vs Grant Gilbert
Truth VS Grant Gilbert
Whilst comparing Truth design and Double G studios I realised that both companies are quite different within the roles of Graphic Design although I do feel they have a few similarities. It seems that both, have had big success with well known companies within their main areas and have been very successful. I also feel that both companies have took different creative routes.
I think this because Truth design excels in printed graphic design which includes creating and selling Typefaces, Packaging design, Logo design and other buisness based needs. Their client list is made up of companies who require alot of print and media design within advertising and marketing. Double G studios is more motion and after effects based using tv advertising and rebranding of televised companies.
Grant Gilbert has had quite alot of experience as a freelance designer and it seems that Truth design has mainly worked within companys. I dont necessarily see this as a bad thing as they have both had invaluable experience and have been as successful as each other. When in both lectures I feel I enjoyed the ‘Truth’ lecture most due to being slightly more intrested in their kind work and their approaches within Graphic Design. I havnt had any kind of experience with video, animation or motion design but I feel Grant gave a good, descriptive insight to what he does and how he does it which was very intresting to see the different ways of working within the Graphic Design industry.
I think both companies were very friendly and spoke well they gave good, clear advice. It was good to see such successful designers in different routes of design. It was quite exciting see people who worked on different things that we see each day in magazines and on television.
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