JK joinery Branding...

As I was enjoying branding, identity and layout I took up another opportunity of earning commission for designing a logo, business cards, T-shirts and Van magnetic signs for a local joinery firm. The skills learnt from placements I put into use. I had an informal meeting to get a brief and produced a quality design in a few hours, also contacting printers and a signage company about prices. Proving to myself that I benefited much more from my placements than I thought.

Wildern Kaleidoscope Magazine

Although I had finished my placement after 8 days they asked me to work for them at home, and kept in touch and updated with further design work for them. The main project they wanted me to do was their annual magazine, this allowed me to work a lot with layout and also with Indesign, which was a weakness before. The magazine not only developed my software skills but it allowed me to interact with the client and in turn I noticed considered my audience so a lot more when designing. This is another aspect that I feel has improved my designs, as I felt I could be more playful with the design layout as it had to be more interactive to keep the children interested.

Lemon Zest Work

I have been working at Lemon Zest for a while now and I have had some great opportunities that I have learnt from. I feel so much more confident in myself!

While there I got the chance to see how the invoices and quotations were set up and organised, and contact printers about costs and clients about jobs as well as doing some design work. All these aspects gave my confidence a boost, as I had to contact people and sound like I know what I was doing!
In which my most enjoyable job was organising a event, for which I had to contact big companies such as Nintendo, HMV, JJB, Game and Sport England to convince them to participate and loan out such things as Wii boards, Games, Hold training and activity day as well as donate free months membership t the Gym, Gift vouchers etc…as well as deigning the branding.

From this I gained so much confidence and tact from speaking to people, definitely improving my organisation skills and my branding skills. Other aspect that I improved were software skills in Quark, Indesign and Printing terms and costs, as well are more practical skills such as communication, considering my audience, working in a team and how to produce quality designs a faster to meet deadlines. (Well trying to!...sure Julian would have would agree more with trying to!) Everything that I think I will benefit from in the future.

Wildern Experience

I took up the opportunity to have a placement with a graphic Design company based in a high school, so not only contending with the demands of the school but also working on outside projects! It was a strange way of learning how to work with clients as it was very hands on, as the main clients we worked for were based in the school and therefore knocked on your door to see the development of the designs. Also getting the opportunity to work with children was a nice way to see what they think!

We had sessions teaching 12 year olds After Effects and Flash, also the art of making Characters with Plasterscene! I really enjoyed the hands on experience.

I believe that I have also found out more about myself. I thoroughly enjoyed on working on layouts and branding. One obstacle I have to overcome was working to a very specific brief, with the other designers and client having their own design opinions, and having to incorporate them in the deign work. However in a good way in pushed me out of my comfort zone and enabled me to work to very specific design and still have some of my style in the design.



A logo in which the kids were given the images and the title and 15 minutes to design a logo..

Trinity Design Branding

While in Portsmouth for the Placement with Wildern I got the opportunity to do some branding designs for a Book cover, Cd Cover and Newspaper Article. I thought this might be a great opportunity to put my design skills to the test. They held a very open brief and were open to ideas, this I believe is where my researching skills came into use, as they enabled me to produce appropriate deign ideas that they were happy with. I learnt how to speak to clients and how they love to be kept so up to scratch with what you are up to. This I think helped me get more organised and learn how to be more vocal!

love branding...

BBC electric Proms by newfuturegraphic.co.uk
As i was flicking through their work, these caught my eye, and they reminded me of my own branding designs that I was doing earlier in the week.

supercinq.net

Since I have started to work in Zest i have got some pretty ace links..
some of the work i have seen has been really inspiring.

Supercinq.net
A 14 CD special VP records box set. Full of Reggae music. Note the use of colour, type and Illustrations. I just love them!
Two really inspiring examples:

The whole set - i love the use of illustrations and type together. Also i think that the use of the Colour has benefited the designs. Really bringing them to life.