Portfolio surgery sign up.

I signed up for my portfolio surgery and I'm having mine with Aidan Nolan from AND studio in Huddersfield. I've been looking at his work and he seems like he'd be a good professional to talk to as the studio does a lot of branding work like myself. I've spoken to some people who have already had their surgeries with other professionals and they all said that they were very useful. I've not changed my portfolio based on what I've heard from them however as I want to get feedback on my first idea of my portfolio should look like.
http://www.aidannolan.co.uk

Portfolio Surgery with Aidan Nolan

I didn't prepare any questions for the surgery with Aidan but I did bring up a few concerns that I had thought about before meeting him. My main concern was the layout of the work and the overall content. He generally thought it was good and appropriate which was reassuring but suggested that I brighten up the images and there a few things that I could possibly photoshop to tidy up.

Portfolio final draft before surgery.

Portfolio 2nd draft.

Portfolio first draft.

Portfolio considerations.

After purchasing my portfolio folder it became apparent that I need to consider a number of things and make some choices. With the portfolio surgeries approaching I want to have as much done so I don't have to make too many big changes to it.


Things to consider:

   - landscape or portrait?
   - layout - images of deliverables? development? ideas?
   - font choice?
   - which briefs include?
   - what kind of work?
   - what to write about the briefs/whats appropriate?
   - what details about myself should I include?

Decisions:

   - landscape
   - layout - images of deliverables on a double page spread for each brief. Images on the first page then more images and a bit about the brief on the second aligned to the right in a column.
   - Minion pro - for its neutral aesthetic across the entire portfolio and because I don't want to use Helvetica.
   - include briefs from OUGD301
   - briefs should all be based on branding and identity
   - an overview of each brief roughly 100-150 words long explaining the purpose and the design choices. Maybe include some print and production specifications.
   - my logo, my contact details and a short about me paragraph

LinkedIn - Finally signed up

So after the most recent PPD session with John I decided it's definitely time to find out whats so good about LinkedIn and sign up. 

I'm now officially on the site and i've requested to join a few of the design orientated networks and already begun making connections. Mostly to people on the course but its a start.

Personal branding

Looking back at my personal branding, I have gotten used to it and I'm quite comfortable with it for now. At this point I want to push it further forward an begin applying it to a small range of branded materials that I will actually use when designing and networking.

So far I just have a business card and a few social networking accounts with very little on them. I don't use them frequently enough to promote myself that way and upload work or interesting subjects.

I need to upload more to my online portfolio and customise the layout which will take some time but will be very worthwhile. I also want to look into a specific mailing list that I can send a some mail to. I've decided not to send any sample of my work but to send them a taste of my creativity.

I've also considered a concept for a bespoke website. I wouldn't actually create one as I'd rather not pay to have it at the moment. The concept would be based around my initials, there will be four pages Charlie, portfolio, jobs and contacts. Charlie would be about me as a designer and my interests much like a home page and an about page merged together. Portfolio would be a page of all my projects which could be for clients, for competitions and for personal practice. The jobs page would define what kind of jobs I'm looking to do and which skills I have so people looking for a designer will know exactly what to expect from me and whether or not I'm the right man for the job. Finally the Contact page will have my details and links to social networks and clients that I will have done work for previously.

Sounds like a lot but I'm not going to spend too much time designing but more time just doing things.

Joe Gilmore (Qubik) - Visiting Professional

We had a short presentation given by Joe Gilmore which was quite enjoyable. His work is interesting and some of it unusual which I think is due to the scope for experimentation when design predominantly for the arts and cultural sector. He talked about the process of some of the projects and how he actually goes about making some of the work which is different to most other visiting professionals who just show the work and talk about it instead of explaining the way it was created. It great to see work that I haven't seen or heard of before as well. I lot of the work was short run projects and some personal projects which further showcased Joe's practice.

Studios

This is a list of links to studios that I'm interested in visiting and some are ones that I find inspiring but are not necessarily in synergy with my own practice.


View Creative http://viewcreative.co.uk
Duke Studios http://www.duke-studios.com
Dots Printhaus http://dotsprint.co.uk
Box-head http://www.weareboxhead.com
Raw http://www.weareraw.co.uk
The Beautiful Meme http://www.thebeautifulmeme.com
Build http://wearebuild.com
Generation Press http://generationpress.co.uk
Founded http://wearefounded.com
Passport http://passport-db.com
Creative Concern http://www.creativeconcern.com
Modern Designers http://www.moderndesigners.co.uk
BVD http://bvd.se/our-projects/
Morse Studio http://www.morsestudio.com
Design Project http://www.designproject.co.uk
Progress Packaging http://www.progresspackaging.co.uk - interesting for packaging ideas.
Heydays http://heydays.no/projects/
Berg Studio http://www.bergstudio.co.uk/index.php
Bedow http://www.bedow.se/work/ - not really what I practice but I like the way they display their projects and even demonstrate the techniques and concepts behind the work.
Studio Lin http://www.studiolin.org
NB Studio http://www.nbstudio.co.uk - probably not my kind of design jobs however they have a brilliant motion graphic to explain exactly what they are about and they have some great points about design and client relations.
Hey Studio http://heystudio.es
Maddison Graphic http://www.maddisongraphic.com
Studio Small http://studiosmall.com/work - very broad range of projects but some are along the lines of my own briefs for FMP so they will be good contextual references and influences.
Bunch Design http://www.bunchdesign.com/#page=/projects/project-67.htm
Ideas Factory http://www.ideasfactory.co.uk - really nice publication design.
Kurppa Hosk http://kurppahosk.com/work/
The Entente http://the-entente.org/info - very different studio to most and they are open to having interns and even encourage it which its great to see. They also set up a type foundry called Colophon Foundry http://www.colophon-foundry.org/information.
Sawdust http://madebysawdust.co.uk
Neubau Berlin http://neubauberlin.com/archive/ - quite a busy webpage but their is lots of very dynamic and avant garde design on there.

Professional Concerns

Do I need to go straight into work after my degree?
Will I still be able to afford to live away from home?
Can I manage a business on my own?
Can I afford to not go straight into work?
Who am I going to target to work with?
Do I want to work in a studio for the rest of my career?
How the f**k do you run a business?
What do I need to do to remain financially stable yet progress further?

PPD TUTORIAL - Session 2 - Tasks

Task 1
Identify 5 companies/studios which you consider potentially synergetic
to you personally.
Write a short explanatory paragraph and reasons for each. 


View Creative

View creative do a lot of work for View Holographics where my dad works and it's a thriving studio. It started out as just one man, Simon Cotton, in 1999 and now he has roughly 20 other creatives working with him. This attracts me to the studio because it really shows that they're doing something right and they aren't just sustaining the business but its expanding. It's based in Conwy North Wales which is close to View Holographics and its very picturesque. The work on the website seems to cover a wide range of deliverables and they provide a full package of design work. Each project has a very distinct and different aesthetic and approach so the work thats going on is never the same.
http://viewcreative.co.uk

Duke Studios

This isn't an actual design studio but its a creative hub where lots of other creatives and small studios or companies have set up. Its very new and its still under a lot of development but It's in a great location in the centre of Leeds which is perfect for inspiration and accessibility as I could live in Leeds in a flat and it would be affordable.

Dots Printhaus

I really young and enthusiastic print service based in Leeds that also take on design jobs and are willing to collaborate. I visited the guys that set it up over summer and they print mostly t-shirts which I'm really interested in as everything they do is screen printed. Working with these guys would be great as It would be really hands on all the time and I'd get really good a screen printing which is something I'm very interested in.
http://dotsprint.co.uk


Box-head


http://www.weareboxhead.com

Raw

Based in Salford near Manchester Raw are a good sized studio. Their website really sold them to me and I want to contact them and hopefully go and meet the team. The 2 reasons why I've picked this studio is because they like to get to their clients and understand them fully which I believe is a great practice and produces work that the client will feel involved with and attached too. The second reason is the collaboration and crafted side of their work which the about page mentions. I like to collaborate and I love to craft when working on a project.
http://www.weareraw.co.uk

The Beautiful Meme

I really like the projects that this studio undertakes. The responses are very innovative and interesting in the depth of their concepts. The work isn't what I would normally think of producing so I think I'd have a lot to learn from them and the ways in which they think about a brief or a problem.
http://www.thebeautifulmeme.com/about

Build

Builds out look on their work and their clients is one of the reasons I'm interested in them. They produce very different responses to all their briefs and look to work for people who are open to new and innovative resolutions. I really enjoy their work and the concepts behind them. Secondly to this reason, they do a lot of work with Generation Press who I have an interest in.
http://wearebuild.com

Generation Press

Generation Press have a lot going for them that interests me. Firstly, they specialise in print. Print is a massive passion of mine, I love printed media and deliverables and I want to work more and more with print as time goes by. Secondly, they are eco friendly and work hard to keep their impact on the environment down.
http://generationpress.co.uk

Task 2
Identify the top choice and WHY you feel that they may have synergy with your practice now, or in the near future. 

Dots Print haus - this is because I'm doing a lot of work with screen printing onto clothing which is the bulk of their income. They hand screen everything they do and produce others work as well as their own. They are young and there is plenty of room to expand and collaborate. Has I've started a clothing label which has short run amounts of screen printed designs I feel as though this studio is the most in synergy with my own practice.

Task 3
Is your choice based on:
LOCATION 
DIRECTION OF PRACTICE 
THE BRAND PHILOSOPHY 
CLIENT BASE 

My choice is based mostly on the direction of practice however they location is also very appealing with it being in Leeds city centre amidst lots of other creative opportunities. Looking further into the studio they are very ethically driven and produce everything on the most environmentally friendly materials possible.

Task 4
What if none of those is your main reason for choosing to follow this organization, what is it specifically? 

Besides the above reasons for my choice, Dots also do a lot of collaborative work with other independent designers and studios of different practices. They show a real passion for connecting with people and have a good time with their work and developing themselves.

Task 5
When considering these practices:
Please CONSIDER WHO they are/who are you?
WHY you are contacting them and why they should listen? WHAT do you want them to do next and what do you actually want. WHY they should get back to you? 

I'm a very hands on creative and I like to labour over my work. Screen printing is a very laborious process and a very creative one. I've met the Johnny and Joe who run Dots and they a very honest and welcoming people, even though they were very busy when I first met them they still took the time to have a chat and let me look around the studio.

I'm contacting them because I would like to learn more about screen printing outside of the college facilities and practice the process. I think they should listen because I am aim to continue the clothing business and if it progresses and expands then there will be an opportunity for them to get work from me.

I want to work with them on a project that will help me explore the process of screen printing and incorporate it as a well developed skill into my practice.

Task 6
Now you have identified initially these studios you feel synergy with. Please list 8 methods you could utilize to contact them. 

   1. go and see them.
   2. send them a free t-shirt each.
   3. email.
   4. invite them to a promotional event for the clothing label.
   5. offer to collaborate with them.
   6. send them some screen printed work to impress them that they can pin up on the studio wall (the studio walls are plastered with other posters and interesting bits of work.
   7. tweet them directly or Facebook them with a prompt to respond through my own page.
   8. screen printed letter.