Lauren West Graphic Branding & Identity Design when connected through technology can enhance and strengthen the importance of issues that need to be communicated. Possessing the ability to communicate these issues through visuals is what I class to be the definition of a designer. Studying an art foundation course taught me the importance of both print and technology within design. At this point in time, I was influenced largely by digital design, in particular brand identity. I knew that the Graphic Branding & Identity course at LCC was the only course I wanted to study. However, since having started the course I feel as if I missed out on learning and practicing the fundamentals of graphic design, which I had started to get a grasp of during my time on art foundation. Around this time last year I started questioning my choice, is branding what I want to pursue? Maybe another course was better suited to me? It’s safe to say that my university experience so far has been filled with confusion. Whilst I had these thoughts, it came clear to me that throughout my time as a designer I’ve only focused solely on brand identity. Over the last year, my style and interests within graphic design have shifted, I now find myself wanting to experiment with a whole new approach to my work. I’ve known since starting at LCC that I wanted to take on DPS and now its opened up the possibility for me to explore these different avenues within design. As much as I enjoy working on projects that involve mainly brand identity, I miss the freedom to work creatively in a sense of non-commercial design. Throughout this year, I plan to dabble in sides of design I haven’t before whilst incorporating projects I feel more comfortable skill wise, like brand identity. The initial plan for my DPS year was to primarily work at a number of studios on placement, whilst incorporating some freelance and self-initiated work. My plan still takes a similar route now but on a different timeline to what I had planned. As for now, I have made slow progress finding placement. The studios I plan to work for are drastically different from what I proposed months ago. However, my aim is to work either in London or Brighton, as I’m based between the two. The amount of self-initiated work I planned has increased, this being as my style and approach has changed to many projects I’ve worked on during university. I want to focus on producing work for me that I connect with and reflects other elements of my life that I enjoy. This includes smaller projects based on recent trips and other hobbies of mine. As for my ideas for a self-initiated project, I decided that I would take the branding route for my first project. This area within design is what I feel most comfortable designing and working towards, my current skills lie within branding and strategy. On my course I feel as if I haven’t had the opportunity to fully grasp the fundamentals within graphic design, one of these being typography. I’ve been researching different ways to approach branding and what I could possibly create an identity for. Deciding whether to rebrand an existing company or create my own start-up. The most promising idea I’ve had involves creating an identity for a bespoke cinema. This could potentially include a typeface designed by me, basic identity elements, website, posters and cocktail menu. Below I’ve included a rough initial design for a launch poster, promoting the cult classic ‘American Psycho’. Later possibly designing a series of these to promote a cult classic movie evening. Another idea I had for a self-initiated project is inspired by a recent trip I took to Rhodes. After visiting and encountering a vast amount of history, I decided to collect material from these sites whilst documenting my experience. I wanted to create a series of visuals displaying the history, including written information I have gathered, and imagery taken by both me and found from other sources. Focussing on type, print and found matter as an attempt to delve into the traditional aspects within graphic design, whilst making sure to capture my experience. A project not similar to others I’ve worked on before, focussing on approaches to design I’ve been inspired by recently. Potentially taking this further by designing a book or zine to display the progress, history, material and including experimentations with layers and typography. My plan is to work on a longer self-initiated project and for me this idea isn’t going to achieve that. However, once i’ve completed the longer project I can come back to this idea. Before starting the DPS year, I had researched into the ISTD assessment. After having taken a closer look at the 2020 student briefs and the issues they tackle, I am considering applying. One of my main goals this year is to improve my typographic and layout skills. The final outcome of this assessment would be highly beneficial towards my portfolio as I have never fully researched, designed and printed my own book. At the end of January, I plan to move back to London for a few months. In this time I want to have either secured an internship, be working towards ISTD or focusing on my self-initiated project. As well as working towards these, I have signed up for a coding course. This online coding course by SuperHi covers foundation HTML, CSS and Javascript, created specifically for designers who are beginners to code. I will be starting this course in the next few weeks. I want to use this year as an opportunity to experiment with other elements in design, improving my practice and skills to use in my final year.
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Ethan Muscat Graphic & Media Design I had a lot of doubts about starting my placement year for my degree, a lot of anxiety and pressure is suddenly put on you whilst completing your second year of studying; something I was searching for was stability, I knew I wanted to stay in London and the only way I’d guarantee a stable life living in the city would be to get a lengthy placement as oppose to doing freelance work and relying on that for income. My choice to do so has luckily turned out to be a blessing, I’m now 3 months into my internship at Royal Albartross and I couldn’t feel any better about the decision I made. Being a Graphic Design student, there are so many different paths you could take for your career and it can be hard to determine which lane you want to ride in. For me, I knew I wanted to work with imagery and for a wide audience preferably a fashion brand or lifestyle brand of some sort, so when this opportunity came about, it was hard to refuse! And now working in that environment it feels like as if a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders because I’m enjoying it so much – it feels validating to know that I’m on the right path. I have developed a great bond with the team at RA that has allowed me to be able to collaborate and be hands on with the content we produce for the brand as I work closely with the CEO and content creator, whom I report directly to. While doing the internship I have learnt some vital skills that I’ve always felt like I needed as a designer in this current age; being taught the basics in AfterEffects and Premiere Pro which allows me to work on using those programs to experiment and design captivating motion graphics that I never knew how to do before; Setting up a photography space to shoot our products, using lighting equipment and how to set up the camera; How to optimise images and videos to run smoothly on the web. These skills and so much more I will take forward with me as a designer once I finish my internship. I have been practicing design from the age of about 10, way back in the day when the only design program I knew how to vaguely navigate was Corel Paint Shop Pro, from there on I have been teaching myself through trial and error and tutorials posted online, at that point in my life nearly every new skill I taught myself surrounding design would surprise me - the fact that if I could imagine it in my head, I knew there would be a way I could implement that onto the computer screen, this way of thinking has stuck with me throughout my life and has been a great way of battling any doubts I had on myself as a designer.
As I’ve gotten older and started to study Design at college and now at University, I’m surprised more about the depth that design carries – it was no longer something I just did in my spare time as a hobby, it had now become something so engraved into my system that I can see design wherever I go, whether that be posters splashed along the streets of London or a simple security notice in a coffee shop, design is everywhere and with every piece of printed design, there is a designer behind that who made those design choices for a reason to educate and advise a specific audience. I was never aware of the different types of graphic design that held a specific name until I started my first year at University, studying subjects like Typography, the use of font and letter in design; Information Design, created to inform a specific audience; Spatial Design, creating an event space for a client; UX Design, designing a whole user interface from scratch; Design for Change, creating designs that help improve the life of a specific audience and many, many more. There is something between all factors of design that connects them together and that is that you design with a target audience in mind. Since starting my placement for the DPS year, my role ensure that when I’m designing I should be doing so with the target audience in mind and the foundation of the brand that has kept them interested for the past 10 years – this may sound restricting but it teaches you how to be consistent within your design process and your ability to collaborate with other designers by knowing what works well for the brand, as most the time, you are the one creating the design and seeing the engagement with the audience. Rosie Williams Graphic and Media Design Something I’ve realised recently is how much I love my generation for our individuality and boldness. We are also experimental, accepting and not afraid to challenge issues that need challenging. The prospect of young people being introduced to the design industry is so important and I am excited to be a part of it. This positive attitude young people have towards sustainability, responsibility and diversity being injected into the design industry will trigger positive change.
This week I started an internship in London at a company called Rare Design. They are a marketing company that work primarily on brand identities and packaging design. I have been working on designing packaging for one of their clients which has been hugely beneficial to me in terms of broadening my skills. My design style is contemporary and sometimes quite abstract so working on a commercial project like this has been a really good challenge for me. I have also improved a lot on my adobe illustrator skills which is something I wanted to achieve and continue to do. Other areas I have learnt about have been their work process and how they pitch projects to clients. I’ve learnt about brand guidelines and all the details that come with branding projects. It’s been really interesting working in a professional environment and I’m enjoying it a lot so far. I have genuinely loved improving my commercial design skills and developing my professional persona but as a young designer I have also recognised I must keep developing my own individual design style. I want to keep adding to the younger generation of designer’s new and exciting take on design. As well as learning new digital skills I have continued using methods that I love like screen printing. I aim to do a placement abroad if I can, as I know how beneficial this would be for me. I will experience new cultures and gather new stimulus, which will enhance my work. It’s healthy to be surrounded by different environments. It’s an effective way to soak up new information, change your perspectives and a refreshing way to learn. Throughout this year I will also continue tackling areas of my practice I am less confident in such as digital design and moving image. Despite being less confident in these fields I have been experimenting with Cinema 4D and After Effects and also realising more of my designs digitally. I love analogue design and it will always be a vital part of my process, but by introducing digital skills into my practice I will achieve; adaptability, in some cases better time efficiency and wider skills. Although I have recognised branching into digital design will benefit me, I also acknowledge the importance of analogue design. With the design world (and the world in general) becoming progressively digital, analogue design methods are dying. This way of working has so many great factors that cannot be replicated through digital design. To lose these would mean losing a fundamental part of design culture. I love the individuality and personality that comes with analogue photography and printmaking. The outcome has an organic and natural quality. There is a story and journey behind each one and it requires you to make bold and final decisions. You can’t delete something and start again or preview the final result. It encourages you to be confident and not overthink. I will continue to be fuelled by the positivity of our generation and the celebration of individuality. So far this year, one of the main things I’ve learnt is how useful it is to be able to work professionally and adapt to the client but to also inject a bit of your character into your designs to make them unique. By developing an original style it reflects your enthusiasm for the field your in and also reflects who you are. I’m excited for the rest of the year and for the new opportunities that will come. I am also excited to keep on being inspired by so many young creatives and I’m keen to keep supporting the liberal attitude in order for positive change to take place. Catarina Bernardi Illustration and Visual Media A bit before the start of DPS, in August, I moved to another city to take on an internship opportunity. It was an experience out of my comfort zone to go somewhere I never lived before, to work in a place I didn’t know at all. This placement was great experience to understand the routine of an advertising agency, how each area communicates with each other - from project management to copywriting and creation - to how each campaign is developed from briefing until final product. I was able to improve the level of proficiency in my work flow - considering the short deadlines I had to deal with-; and also reflected on the impacts of my work in the real world. This experience made me challenge the notions I had about advertising, design as a practice, and what role I want to have in it. Now that I have a little of experience in an advertising environment, I became more agile in my creative process and I learned how to quickly solve day-to-day problems. Recently, I've been also evaluating what role design has in the world and how I wish to collaborate with it. Only from working in an agency I could understand if I can see myself doing this in the future or not, how well I adapt to an office routine and if I feel satisfied or proud of the work I was developing. I dealt with clients that ranged from tabloids, political parties, media companies and broadcasters. The design in this context usually serves as an asset and media for the advertising campaign.The main function is to communicate to the viewer the brand’s message and product. It is not uncommon for design to be attached with advertising, and therefore attract a lot of design students (like myself), as this is one of the very popular ways into the creative industry. However, there are many different kinds of agencies, with different ethos and approaches, who take different kinds of clients. From working in a place that didn’t have a limited or particularly socially engaged approach to advertising, I started to look for other agencies and studios that had a rather niched focus and clients. On my research I found a few companies that works mainly with educational and cultural institutions, NGOs, and generally social-politically aware clients. At this point, I started seeing the design practice as an agent of change. Therefore, I’d like to invest my DPS time on gaining experience in places that communicate and support causes that I believe in, being it either via making ads, developing branding strategy, visual identity, or creating multi media content. This has also been a great opportunity to exercise my communication skills verbally, visually and textually. Through writing, I had reflected about my journey through the WOW blog and my personal blog. Also, I had to edit my portfolio captions and tailored emails to send out to possible employers, in order to achieve a higher chance of result. Apart from that, I learned to speak about my own work with more confidence by having to present my portfolio a couple of times to tutors and industry professionals. I’m able to present the thought process behind each project, highlighting parts that showcase the skills that I believe to me my strengths. During my recent internship, I also had a chance to practice my communication through many meetings and project check ups, where I had to present my ideas and defend them to the rest of team at the agency. That also helped me to better receive feedback and apply it to the projects I was working on. Parallel to this, I also began to think about my self initiated projects. One of them is the rebranding of a platform that I previously worked in with my friend called Vagina-nomics. As a team, we began rethinking the position of the platform and the public we wanted to reach. However, because of the distance and the time schedule of both of us, we weren’t able to get to started on the visuals for it, something I wish to continue in the near future, as part of my self initiated project. At this point, we wish to target a more varied audience and for that we need to rethink the way we present ourselves and our ideas. In my time in-between internships, I wish to experiment with the new approaches the platform can have in social media, strategies for raising funds and awareness, besides developing a new visual identity for Vagina-nomics new phase. Following that I will also invest some time in December to investigate more into my thesis, through organising my research material and doing a few reports on each of them. My thesis question is “The rise of Pabllo Vittar - How LGBTQ+ culture has grown within Brazil’s conservative Social political space”. For the time being, I already got in hands two of the books in my research list and started reading one of them. Devassos no Paraíso by João Silvério Trevisan explores the story of homosexuality in Brazil from colonial until contemporary times, and gives me a good historical background to start developing my thesis. Besides that, I have also been following Pabllo’s career. I archive articles, interviews and performances he has been doing, and just overall national and international media attention he’s got in the past few months. From now on, I wish to explore gender and performance theories as well, since one of the suggestions I got from my previous CTS tutor was be careful for my thesis not to be too much of an historical approach. Some of the authors I have in mind so far are: Judith Butler, Guy Debord, Raewyn Connel and Beatriz Preciado.
Regeneration is the process of bringing new life and purpose into an are and social environment. Reaerating and service design goes hand in hand as the most powerful source of regeneration is service design itself. Service design is the creation of an ongoing activity that becomes a catalyst for a product to make things easier. By creating a service you are bringing new people that want to become interested/ that the service will help into a new environment creating networking opportunities and life. Regeneration is a process that needs research about the community and individuals, what they need and what they want to create a service to hit those benchmarks and optimise usability of the space itself. However, as a designer that isn’t or hasn’t been a part if that specific community it is really hard not to create your own assumptions when researching and interviewing the community as even language or age can be a barrier and allow for misunderstandings which leads to wrong insights which lead to the wrong service. Regeneration is a process that I have taken part in, in Poland at the end of November. Alongside 6 people from Poland and 6 people from Denmark, including my team from London of 6 people we have designed 3 services to regenerate a city in Poland – Siemianowice Slaskie. The service had to be in the Palace of Inspiration which is being renovated after decades of neglect and is becoming the social hub of the city itself. Our task was to create something that will keep or bring back young people to the city that competes with many cities around it including Katowice which is the main city of the area. Working in mixed groups of 6 with different professional and personal backgrounds was challenging but also the most insightful experience I have ever been a part of. I had the chance to not only learn about design in a new way and about regeneration and service design but I also had the chance to know about all the pastries in Denmark and how to pronounce the name Astrid. I got to learn all the slang from the south of Poland and talk about education in Poland compared to anywhere else. It was an experience that got me thinking about my Masters degree and what course I should take to really make a difference in design, something that will give me purpose. This is only the beginning of the regeneration process and we will all be travelling to London to work in the Elephant and Castle district and to Denmark with the newly renovated police station. Each time I will get to learn more and more things about design as well as the people I will be spending so much time with during this year. Stepping out of my comfort zone was the most intense experience but it was a proud moment every time I got to contribute something and realised that maybe I do know a thing or two. At the end of this program I will be a master of service design with all the tools and guidance I got from people around me. Its like doing several crash courses in different degrees all at once and I know that each time I will come out with more knowledge than before. The scariest part is realising that we all know and apply all of these methods in our professional work, it is the step further where you create something needed and useful for people who do not have it that is hard and requires a lot of patients, work, research and effort. This program also allowed me to work with some amazing designers from different disciplines which allowed us to complete one another in different fields. It made me realise that we are all designers in this world. What sparked my curiosity is a girl who studied psychology in university and went on further into looking at psychology in different environments and social situations. Although she didn’t study anything to do with design, she played a crucial part in our team when conducting interviews as well as analysing their responses to create insights. Developed different tools for creating the perfect service with all the crucial parts in mind, allowing for the rest of the team to focus on the ideation and the designing of the service itself. Never before have I understood working in interdisciplinary teams like I had then and knowing what I know now what we produced would not have had the amount of substantial psychological evidence for community integration for our idea to actually work if we didn’t have this team member. In this case it was the most evident for me, however this could be applied to anyone in the program and anyone who has ever worked in a team. I am really thankful to have had this opportunity and it is one of the most beneficial things I have done towards my career and development as a designer and person. I met the most wonderful and talented people and I am glad I can spend 5 more weeks with them, creating these services all around the world and helping to make a difference in the regeneration process of the world around us. |