Notes from Generation Press/An& talk

Studio visit....

I just got back from my first meeting/mentoring session at Logistik as my prize for the Inspire Create competition. I was surprised to have my other part of the prize waiting for me when I got there -  a brand new Macbook Pro! - and was pretty overwhelmed by this for the first half of the meeting! It was really interesting looking around the studio and seeing all the different areas, as well as talking to Adam and Sharon about what they look for in an intern/potential employee and how the company works, as well as answering some questions that they had and giving them some feedback on Inspire Create. The next step is for me to create a case study template on myself for Sharon, and to think about what I want to go over in the next session as this will determine when I should come in next and who would be the most appropriate person on the team for me to work with. At the moment I am thinking some kind of critique of my online portfolio would be great as well as help with a brief that I am working on....

Networking links...

I just received a really nice e-mail from Carrie at imbue who are a local design company that I contacted at the end of the Summer. She had promised to send me some networking links to help build my online presence in Suffolk as well as in general.

Crit feedback and notes

pop up shop

Pop up shop application accepted....

Book Fair

These are some images of the work that I produced for the Manchester Book fair last week.....

A good day

Yesterday I  got a call from Inspire Create to say that I won half of the prize for the competition - a brand new mac and mentor from Logistik in Leeds. I am so happy as I have been saving for a new computer as mine is very old and tired! Also having a mentor from Logistik will be so valuable and an opportunity that not every student will have so I feel very lucky!!!

Jenny also mentioned that she is trying to arrange a certificate to be awarded at Digital Leeds just to get me some recognition which would obviously be fantastic.

I e-mailed the lady from Logistik straight away to thank them and she said that they would be in touch tomorrow to arrange when I should come in....

(I also e-mailed Adam from Logistik who I met at the event)

I just received this e-mail arranging my meeting with them....

Freelance work for the Hyde Park Social Club

At the start of this term I got a bar job at the Hyde Park Social Club, but off the back of this the manager Chris asked me if I would also do some design work for him. This has culminated in about one piece per week which is fantastic for both my portfolio and for my recognition as a graphic designer. The most valuable thing about this experience so far for me has been working with a client constantly and the quick turn around of each design. It has helped me get back into designing after a Summer of distractions. It's a real learning curve having a client who specifies copy and often layout and even occasionally watches me work and gives me direct feedback (as sometimes I bring my laptop in and work on the designs when it's quieter). 

A7 flyer invitations to encourage the residents of Ash Grove to come to the Social Club - posted through the letterboxes of the residents

A2 advertisement for a brewery trip to Saltaire Brewery - displayed throughout the club

A1/A2 open mike night posters - displayed throughout club and in universities

A5 laminated pizza menus (front)

(Back) - Displayed throughout club on bar and tables 

 A3 bonfire night poster for The Monkey in Bradford (the other pub Chris manages) - displayed throughout pub

A3 fireworks poster for the Black Bull (the other pub owned by the same owner as the Monkey) - displayed throughout pub

Helloween

Placement success!

I just got off the phone with Georgie from Jelly and have been booked in for a two week placement over the February studio visits week and the week following. I know that it is probably risky to take a week of uni for this, but I feel like if I manage my time effectively between now and then, then I can factor it in as feel like this placement will be extremely important for my development as a designer.

V&A illustration competition

I have entered my recent panda illustration to the V&A illustration competition

E-mails

Result! I am over the moon. Jelly replied asking for available dates and Clearsilver said they would get in touch next week.....

Inspire Create Leeds

Yesterday I went to the free Inspire Create lectures and seminars at The Faversham. I booked myself in for a fairly full itinerary which was exhausting but so worth it!

I managed to get so much networking done and got some really good advice and contacts.

First off I spoke with Clearsilver who offered some really valuable advice about placements.

I then spoke with Brand_Nu and Chris from Jelly - this was my ultimate goal of the whole event. Although I would obviously love my poster to win and get the mac and the placement with Brass, Jelly are an agency that I dream of being a part of. The designers they have under their umbrella are some of my biggest inspirations at the moment so it meant a lot to here his lecture and meet him in person (even if I did have to stubbornly lurk behind him until the opportunity arrose!). He gave me some great insight into getting a placement with them and what it would involve if I got one. I showed him my poster design in the exhibition and explained my concerns about my practice - whether I should stick to what I love or keep my skill set as broad as possible so that I am more commercially employable, and he said that he thought an internship with Jelly would help me decide this. It seemed like a positive meeting and  he told me to contact them with more samples of my work. I e-mailed Georgie (the woman in charge of submissions) and cc'd chris in as well as e-mailing him personally to say it was nice to meet him and let him know I had e-mailed in my work. He responded saying 'see you when you come in....' so I am hoping for the best.

If I hear nothing back I plan to follow up this submission with my premature christmas crackers that I am planning to send out next week to a few agencies.

I also e-mailed Clearsilver thanking them for their advice and asking them to take a look at my work in light of a placement or studio visit.

I also spent some time talking with Adam, the head of Creative from Logistik - who are offering an iMac as part of the prize for the winning poster. He said he would welcome a visit and would be prepared to talk about internships. He was really friendly and inspiring and just seemed keen to get people involved and aware of what they do which is great. I have written a draft e-mail to him that I will send after the winner of the competition has been announced. I have written it in the view that I have lost - so it might seem pessimistic to send it before the winner has been announced!

7 finalists for inspire create leeds

I made it thorough to the final 7 for inspire create's design competition, along with Sai and Ailsa - winners to be announced tomorrow at the exhibition/lectures tomorrow, which will be a really good networking event whether any of us win or not!

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Michaela

Exhibition Finalists


Thank you everyone who took the time to take a look at each of our entries and cast a vote!!

We closed our voting yesterday morning to pick the top 6 submissions. Due to some over-zealous voting on a few of the entries, we had to take a) positive votes, b) negative votes and c) unique visitor numbers into consideration. Each entry was scored in comparison to the other exhibits.

Believe me when I say, we tested a few scoring methods to make sure that we were keeping everything fair and reflecting on the artworks!

So… results of scoring actually meant we had a tie-break for 6th place and we will be having 7 pieces of artwork on display at our exhibition tomorrow(!)

Please say a warm congratulations to the following (in no particular order):


Entry Title:
Processing Exhibition promotion
Submitted by:
Ailsa Marrs,Graphic Design Student, Leeds College of Art


Entry Title:
Ornate Chicken
Submitted by:
Ben Boothman, Graphic Arts & Design Student, Leeds Metropolitan University


Entry Title:
Evolution of the Dot
Submitted by:
Antony Kitson, Freelance digital designer & owner of OneTenEleven Media, Leeds


Entry Title:
Life’s Not All Lollipops & Candy Canes
Submitted by:
Polly Williams, Graphic Design Student, Leeds College of Art


Entry Title:
Adding Value to Your Home Infographic
Submitted by:
Thomas Harvey, Freelance Graphic Designer


Entry Title:
I was going to make an A0 poster….
Submitted by:
Sai Uennatornwaranggoon, Graphic Design Student, Leeds College of Art


Entry Title:
Letter Bubbles [GAME]
Submitted by:
Jimmy Forrester-Fellowes, Freelance Web & Mobile Developer

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