Interviewing your heroes

What is an interview?

Exchange of information as a question and answer session to extract information that we see as important in the development of our practice as a creative.

Interview is more planned unlike a conversation which is more spontaneous.

Preparation is key, arrange the interview and the interviewees will need contacting in advance. You will usually have to give an indication of how long the interview will take, the purpose etc. Ensure you have information to hand. How and where will it take place? This needs considering prior to your approaching of potential interviewees.

An interview is better 'face to face' but in some cases that may be impossible, such as distance and time. Consider if this can be done in another way. But never take the easy route, Skype of FaceTime are available as alternatives.

Before you contact anyone, have a valid reason to want to find out things about them. Ask a series of relevant questions.

An interview requires good planning, proper preparation and a sensitivity to the questions.

Be attentive

Empathy 

Prompts 

Probes (clarification)

Checking

Be friendly 

Written notes

Audio recordings

Online record 

The first question is significant, it should put the interviewee at ease. It should be something that they will be able to answer easily. Keep checking your notes
Remember to thank the interviewee for giving up their time.

Transcribing- this always takes a long time, so be mindful of this when you consider interview length.

Interview examples:

Jessica Walsh Interview

Sandara Choi Interview

Paula Scher Interview

Networking

Putting yourself out-there

Methods of communication:
Email
Telephone
Facebook
Linkedin
Snapchat
Instagram
Dribble
Behance
Mail

By making these ‘acquaintances/friends’ they are more likely to keep in contact and you with them if you keep up the contact. 

Check Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram and see who is talking about an event, if not start one and see what returns? These social/professional networks are more instant than say Linkedin, so can be beneficial. If a specialist event, you can be more assured that you are potentially ‘like minds’ already.

NETWORKING WITH OTHER CREATIVES IS IMPORTANT !!!

Keep up the contact, even if it is a site or something you feel to be synergetic, you can share or an interest that informs your current practice. 

Write an article or a post on something you are interested in and passionate about and simply ‘put it out there’ link it toTwitter Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook and see what comes back and from who? 

Linkedin Profile

Manifesto

During my first year studying this course I really struggled to like and enjoy the briefs I was working on, I really did doubt my place on the course and as a graphic designer because by not enjoying the content within the briefs it filled my mind with doubt to whether I was really in the right place or not. It was only until the very end of the course and after numerous talks with tutors about my work stance, did it really sink in that I was on this course for a reason and I was in fact good enough to be at this university and to believe in myself a whole lot more. Only now do I fully have the confidence to work in my own style and really tailor the brief to suit me, I have never been the typical mainstream, modern, stylised graphic designer but its important to understand that not everyone works in the same style and to be that bit different is so much better than just being like everyone else. During this year, I really want to work on developing my own style of work and learning new skills to execute this.

Creating lots of print based work has always been a great interest in mine, but its no good just looking online or in shops/ galleries etc and admiring this kind of work, I need to work on going out of my way to learn these skills and having the confidence to ask people for help. This is another thing I really want to work on this year, its not being afraid to ask a tutor or another peer for help when I may be struggling on a piece of work or have an idea but am unsure how to create it- this will only benefit me in the future or even within the next couple of months when I come to put together a portfolio or start to approach businesses for internships and work experience. Even though I can 100% see how much my all round confidence in both outside and inside of the university environment has significantly increased, I think its important to keep on working at that in order to be the best version of myself I can be.

My hopes for this year is to further develop pieces of work I am proud of and would be excited to put into my portfolio and show to potential clients or people I may work with and I think this can be really achieved if I just believe in myself that bit more.

Professionalism

AMATEUR:

A person who engages in a pursuit, usually in sport,
on an unpaid basis. 

SEMI-PROFESSIONAL:

Receiving payment for an activity but not relying entirely on it
for a living. 

PROFESSIONAL:

Relating to work that needs specialist training and education

In the ‘early’ days of the Creative Industries it was simply known as ‘Commercial Art’
Our work is often used to sell, promote, explain, narrate and inform.

‘Commercial artists’ are typically employed by advertising agencies, newspapers, magazines, graphic design firms, television studios and similar businesses. 

We are now seen as professionals in our own right, Graphic Design was only named in 1922.

SO WHAT DO WE NEED?

CLIENTS??

This simply means creating work for someone else but throws up more problems (to be solved) in so much as creativity is subjective and is open to likes and dislikes.

PERSONAL TASTE....

Colour preference
Committee thinking
Trend
Cultural and ethnic acceptance 
Personality clashes

You could be your own client?

What could you hope to achieve....
Your work recognised
You being recognised as creative
Seeing your name in lights
Respect for your approach
Fame
Money

But the downsides to this...
Not being able to get work
Getting only poor quality clients
Clients who don't listen to good advice
Communication problems/breakdowns
Poor and negotiated outcomes
Not getting paid for work

So what can help this?
Getting a system/practice in place
Manifesto
Mission Statement
This will show how you work and conduct business from the outset

MISSON STATEMENT: 

A mission statement is a short paragraph used by business to explain in simple and concise terms its purpose for being. 

MANIFESTO

A published verbal declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer. 

Reflecting on your summer

• What was the most influential experience and why?
• Did you make any contacts that you feel are beneficial and may be useful for this year and why?
• How did you meet and how did you contact them?
• If you didn't for whatever reasons was there anything that you experienced that made you think about your career?

Over the summer, I didn't do anything major or really amazing, there were no abroad holidays involved and I didn't really see anything that life changing. However, I did take advantage of being back home and being so close to Manchester and Liverpool, I certainly used my railcard to go on days out. Visiting the True Faith exhibition in Manchester was probably a key memory for my summer, the exhibition was about Joy Division and New Order. It featured work from Peter Saville, one of my favourite artists, I always seem to look to his work for inspiration so to see his work in the flesh was quite special. 

Despite not gaining any work experience or completing much work related to graphic design, I had plenty of days out and took lots of photographs of what I did and what I saw that would inspire me in my work. In June I went to see my favourite band The Maccabees play their final shows, although this is unrelated completely to any design work it really did inspire me and give me ideas with what I want to do in the future. Their farewell programme is full to the brim of photographs and album artwork rough sketches and ideas that they had designed over their 10 years of being together. 

I think the biggest thing that happened over this summer was my close friend finishing his cancer treatment, this meant more to me than any other thing happening over summer and it has definitely put me in a much more positive mindset for starting Level 5 compared to how it made me feel last year being away from home with all of this happening. Having something like this happen to a close friend at only 20 years old really does put life into perspective and makes you appreciate everyone and everything around you. It has been a massive life adjustment and has definitely forced me to mature even further and really love and care for everything.

True Faith Exhibition Manchester Art Gallery

"True Faith explores the ongoing significance and legacy of New Order and Joy Division through the wealth of visual art their music has inspired."

I was keen to visit this exhibition after first hearing about it, not only from the aspect of being a fan of Joy Division but also from the way the exhibition had been curated, it was all about the visuals of the two bands and how the art has inspired- this is something I often find interesting when it comes to music and I'm often always researching into the artists who create visuals for the musicians I love. During Art Foundation, I studied a lot of Peter Saville's work and became fascinated with cover designs especially so instantly knew this exhibition would be for me.

The exhibition itself was curated by author and filmmaker Jon Savage and Director of White Columns, Mike Higgins. It focuses on four decades worth of contemporary art work and I was excited to see work produced by Saville, but also Barbara Kruger and Lawrence Weiner. The actual curation and layout of this exhibition was incredibly visual and enticing, there were also performance films and music videos, therefore making it very interactive as you walked around. 

I wanted to document this exhibition on my blog because it isn't very often that an exhibition has a very moving affect on me and leaves me excited and happy. There have only been a number that have given me this feeling before and I think I can take note from this, especially for when it may come to in the future when I may curate or help to curate an exhibition. The variation of artwork included within the exhibition meant it wasn't repetitive and I was excited to know what I was going to be looking at next, you really felt the true emotion of it but also the heartbreak and sadness, this was particularly evident within the videos and the overall darkness of the whole room, this certainly darkened the mood and made you really think about the true emotion.

Pat Bradbury Workshop

Final Evaluation

Self Branding Feedback

Before presenting, I was incredibly nervous especially because this presentation had to be 7 minutes long- something which I had never come close to doing before. My nerves got the better of me within the first few slides so it was good that there was quite a bit of text for me to fall back on, otherwise I would of completely forgot what to say entirely and the presentation would of got of to a really rubbish start which would of knocked my confidence. However, the more I got into the presentation then the easier it was to talk and become more relaxed. When the presentation finished and I received my feedback, I was really happy with the responses from Penny and Ben and the rest of the group. The responses I got was that it was really nice to hear something so personal and that told a story, the points made in the presentation were really honest in terms of how difficult I found uni to start with. I think the whole process of PPP this first year has helped me more than I actually realised, now I have had to time to reflect on the past year and it has defiantly increased my confidence if only slightly because I was able to present for 7 minutes.

Final Evaluation

Overall, I think the whole process of PPP throughout this first year has been beneficial to both my practice within university but also myself outside of uni therefore helping me to develop as both a designer and individual. In terms of how I think PPP has helped with my university practice, it has helped me understand the design world and what it means to succeed beyond university. It is also is through the sessions each Thursday and how each one would be a new topic, it never seemed repetitive, this is beneficial because it meant each week we would touch upon something new and could take full advantage of learning various skills. The topics that were discussed in each session were also incredibly relevant and especially helpful when it came to issues such as stress and time management, which have defiantly helped me within the first year as it has been a lot of work to get used to so just by understanding small tips on how to relive these benefited me when managing my time. I have also enjoyed PPP because it also about preparing us for the years post university, so by having Penny and John who both have first hand industry experience give us their tips and stories about having design jobs. It was beneficial to hear how they have worked on live briefs, worked collaboratively and even contacted other designers, this has excited me for the future but has also given me a boost to contact designers or artists myself even if it is only to tell them I like their work. Additionally, in terms of what we have produced physically for PPP I think has been successful and I have also enjoyed doing it, it has allowed me to reflect upon the past year and see just how far I have come. The two presentations have been very nerve-wracking because I wouldn’t consider myself at all confident enough to stand in front a group of people and discuss my work; it is something I have only ever done on a small scale however, I thought the final presentation went a lot better than the self-branding because I had already done one presentation so knew I was more than capable to present the second. PPP has taught me valuable lessons and I can see a positive change in my confidence when it comes to my work and myself, I think this is a valuable module that I enjoy because it teaches you life skills inside and outside of university.

Studio Brief 03 - Design Strategy Presentation- Production

Final presentation

These slides at the beginning are the most wordy of the whole presentation but I did this because I knew within the first few slides I would be really nervous and would probably forget to say a lot of things so by having this right in front of me it was able to act as some form of reassurance .

Including mostly imagery of the work I have created these slides will be interesting from the audience's point of view because visual imagery is always good to look at within presentations, especially presenting it to a creative group of people. It's also good to show imagery to back up what I am actually saying about my first year at uni. 

Some more slides towards the end of the presentation, I am pleased with how this has turned out and I am looking forward to presenting it because I think it really speaks the truth while still remaining quite funny.

Studio Brief 03 - Design Strategy Presentation- Planning

Key points and questions to consider for the presentation

What have you learned and what do you want to learn? 
What mistakes have you made and how have you learned from them? 
How will this affect your future development? 
What are your strengths and how have you/will you develop them further? 
What are your weaknesses and how do you intend to address these? 
What have you enjoyed and why? 
What have you disliked and why? 
How does this affect your ambitions? 
What did you want to get from the year? 
Have you achieved this? 
What have you discovered that you weren’t expecting?

Mind-maps of some of the pointers raised within the questions I can include within the presentation, I don't want to make it too wordy because it will become really boring for the viewers if they were having to read every single slide religiously. It will be way more interesting if I spoke with just a few bits of imagery within the background and just small bits of text here and there.

Who Inspires me?

While considering what I wanted to include within my final presentation, I wanted to write up a blog post about other artists and designers that inspire me. This isn't always reflected in my own work but often I find looking at existing work inspires me to be more creative and it encourages me to expand my knowledge and practise. 

DAVID SHRIGLEY

This is one of my favourite pieces of work ever, the 'I will show the world how brilliant I am' just truly inspires me to do the best I can and to stick at my work and what I am doing. I like Shrigley's work because he adds lots of my kind of humour within the designs- I like how his little drawings are never perfect because I think now designers focus too much on being 'perfect', something which he isn't concerned with .

GEMMA CORRELL

Gemma Correll's work is much more illustration based, again this is another artist who makes their work humorous and light-hearted. I have wrote about Correll's work before, she writes and creates a lot of drawings about dealing with anxiety- something which although doesn't affect me as much now, still plays a big part in my life. This means I can relate to her work because she makes light of the situation, alongside the fact I like her illustrations in general. 

OPHELIA PANG

This work is slightly different to the previous two and not really illustration based. I like the work of Ophelia Pang because of the colours and shapes she uses within her designs. I find them very visually pleasing in terms of how they appeal to the eye.

Studio brief 02- Final Productions

LOGO

BUISNESS CARDS

WEBSITE BANNER

Studio Brief 02- Quote designs

Experimentations

I knew I wanted to have a 'brush' style typography for my quotes so I decided to experiment with creating some lettering before I did the real thing. I have lots of various pens that I have gathered through the last couple of years so guaranteed to find a pen suitable.

FINAL POSTERS

Studio Brief 02- Self Branding

Although some people may find this cringey or cheesy, I often find little quotes inspiring in terms of motivating myself to do work, while I am coming to the end of PPP in the first year, it has allowed me to reflect back on the time spent on it and I am able to collate and create some quotes that will motivate me in the future.

• Create what makes you happy
• Design work that makes you happy
• Create work that makes you happy
• Make it happen
• Don't ever quit
• Use your creativity to change the world 
• ALWAYS be yourself
• Have an idea? Create it
• Have a cup of tea and make a list
• Don't be afraid of Adobe
• Put down your laptop and pick up a pencil

These little quotes have come off the top of my head, I have not copied them from existing quotes as I think coming up with ones that maybe describe my personality and how I work obviously relate to 'branding myself'. These can be transferred into many different ways, after re-thinking my idea about business cards, I thought it would be too obvious and typical, so I thought about A5 postcards with these quotations on the front.

Studio Brief 02- Self Branding

My Instagram account for design work

For one of my production outcomes, I have chosen to use my Instagram account set up to post my work and post what inspires me. Below are screenshots of my account that I started not long after beginning university. Once in a while I would post on my personal Instagram account images of my work and exhibitions I had visited, but thought it would be more beneficial to create an account to have it all in one place. From looking at all of the images on this page, you can definitely see a similar colour scheme occurring within my work and posts- this is why I have chosen to use my Instagram account as it reflects me as a designer and in one place lets me be creative.

Studio Brief 2 - Self Branding

Website Ideas

Creating my own website to sell my work and promote ideas, these are some screenshots of existing websites of some designers I find inspiring. 

Firstly, this website was created by illustrator Polly Vadasz who is also a student at Leeds College of Art, I find Polly inspiring not only due to the work she creates but also how she runs her shop along side studying for her degree. 

This website is illustrator Gemma Correll's, her work is incredibly funny and this reflects on her website. Within the 2 screenshots, you can see how the little illustrations turn red I thought this touch was quite interesting and makes it a lot more interactive for the user.

This website was created by designer Adam J. Kurtz, I was quite surprised when I saw this website because it was a lot more minimal than I was expecting compared to his work- personally I do not like this website as I think it is very boring.

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