Live Brief for David O'Neill Electrical Services

My Dad has just started up a business with one of his friends to do with electrical services and PAT testing so I have created the branding and promotional work for his new business. So far I have created the logo, business card and letterhead.

Final Logo

Back of Business Cards

Flyer

Letterhead

Development of Logos

Work Experience

A very random meeting but when I was out one night I got chatting to a bloke called Drew who works for Don't Panic we exchanged contact details and he said that he could put me in contact with a few people to organise some work experience so we have been emailing each other a few times to see if I could get any work experience.


Me

Hi, Its Lauren I met you at Faversham on Thursday night, not sure if you remember but we we're talking about Graphic Design etc and I was saying that I was looking for a placement.

Do you know if you could put me in contact with anyone or if you have any going at where you work?

Hope you had a good night!

Regards

Lauren.

Drew

Hi Lauren,

It would probably be best if you sent me some of your portfolio. I could certainly pass on some of your stuff to some people.

I know there are placements about at the moment, if you are willing to put in the working hours without a burning need to get paid initially.

Send me some stuff and il see what I can do.

Thursday was messy!! ha.

Drew

Me

Hi

Thanks for getting back to me. At the moment I'm currently working on some work that I'm wanting to include in my portfolio, I'm currently still finishing it so if I get back to you in a week or so with it and send it to you then is that alright?

Yes I'm willing to put all the hours in and I didn't expect to get paid anyway. I'm just grateful for the experience!

Regards

Lauren

Drew

No worries, Just when ever you can get it to me and I will forward it on to some people.

Drew

Portfolio Mail Shot

So I've had a little think and a chat with John about how I could effectively get my portfolio seen when sending it to design agencies, because my portfolio is digital based I thought about packaging it in a clear wallet including portfolio cards and sealing it with a sticker showing my logo. But to make this stand out I have been looking at bright metallic jiffy bags so when its posted through the door fingers crossed they go to the brightest item like a magpie!



When I was looking around for business card research for my Nero brief I came across a really good website called Business Cards Observer not only does it show business card designs but takes you to websites of different printers and what they offer.

I came across the website Moo where you can create mini cards you can use these for calling cards, business cards, or even to create a pocket portfolio they even come in a small box. I thought this would be a good idea to use the mini cards so I can slot them inside the CD case, what I am going to do is crop the images so you only see part of the image to make it more intriguing.

It is also very easy to do you can create it all online crop them etc lay them out and there not very expensive either.

James Page CD cover and CD design

Hi Lauren!!!!

I love this colour sheme Looks amazing in that image!! I do like the cirle idea and to get where your coming from with the retro image, is there any way we could maybe incoperate that idea into like a logo or image sorry i'm being really difficult i know you have loads to get on with. maybe what could be cool would be the smaller image smaller on like the cd cover a bit arty maybe lol Not sure if you can tell i'm not quite got at the technical lingo, be cool to chat about some ideas over christmas that ok? do you have like a dead line soon??? hope the uni live is going ok well jelous!!

at work today not a fan!! xxx

Elmwood Leeds

Elmwood reply from Adam

Hello Lauren

Hope you are well. Apologies for the late reply. Work has been a nightmare at the minute with workload. Been off for a day or two to try and recover.

So I’ve had a look through your portfolio, it was like going back a few years there after seeing briefs that I worked on such as ‘shelter’. Take me back.

First things I would say would be just watch the descriptions on the pages as I think one of them doesn’t match the work, Kleenex I think...
Quite like the shelter work you did... There is a lot of varied work here which shows your flexibility, I would just make sure now that ideas like this are crafted to their fully potential. Just so they look as good as possible.

The Student time management work... Was that a document of how poorly students manage their time or is it a way of showing them how to manage their time?

Me

Thank you for looking over my portfolio really appreciate it.

The Student management work was to show first year students how to manage their time and also giving them an example of how not to manage their time at university so one side of the diary was to show them the poor time management of a student and then turning over the diary onto the opposite side was their own diary for them to use to encourage good time management.

I agree I am flexible in my work and like a challenge to push my skills and give the best that I can, this year I have become really interested in Advertising and Promotional Design and I am wanting to make this my main focus for my final year working on a selection of briefs.

I see Elmwood has a brief up on the D&AD website that I was thinking of doing another thing is it still possible to come and visit for a day or two?

Thank you again,

Lauren.

Leeds Shopping Bag - Mary Portas

For one of my briefs I decided to do the Leeds Shopping Bag Competition Brief where I had to create a festive design for the new shopping bag which was to be released at the Leeds Christmas Lights switch on. Not only if you won did you get your design produced onto the bag but you were able to have work experience with Mary Portas who was also one of the judges of the competition.
I unfortunately didn't win but I was put through to one of the finalists as well as two other people on my course Hayley and Scott where we got photo taken for the Yorkshire evening post and for the light website.
Our work was displayed at the Light where the public could view it being one of the finalists meant that I was able to go along to the business forum in the evening where I was able to network with other designers from large companies we were also aloud to sit through the debate about retail design and how they were going to make a difference and make it better. Its something I havent experienced before but it was good to see what other people thought and what they had passion in.

Sending my Portfolio to Elmwood

As requested by Elmwood I sent a PDF of work my best pieces of work that show me as a designer here is what I sent....

James Page Record Cover Design Live Brief

Hey Lauren

deffintly want a mass loads produced , the only thing i'm scared of is always the thought the cd stickers turned out quite bad, would they be burned on the cd'S??? sorry i'm being a pain in the arse, i just really liked the Viynl cd idea did you check out that link?? just liked the idea of having the them of the cd artwork on the viynl cd. just want something eye catching and differnt going to to a massive press release to labels and managment when its done, sorry i know i'm well fussy i'm sure anything you come up with though will be awesome!!! yeah let me know costs and stuff though guess we can way up the options,

going to call the CD just the pull pull

tracks in order would be

One For the Non Achievers
The Pull Pull
I Wont Wait

Just put some ideas i like just some ideas let me know what your thinking


Thanks

James xxx

Elmwood Leeds

From the email I sent the other day which I posted up on here, I got a reply from Adam at Elmwood today.

Elmwood

I would ether they recommend they contact me direct about coming. Just so I can get an idea of what there work is like. Also do you have a PDF of you work. I can have a look through it. I will confirm a day soon. Its a little mental here at the minute very busy.

Adam

Elmwood Leeds Visit

Me

Hi my name is Lauren O'Neill and I'm currently in my final year at Leeds College of Art studying Graphic Design.

I have been in contact with Michael Smith and Alex Gillot from the studio based in London, and hopefully I will be able to go and visit their studio for the day. I was just wondering because I am in Leeds for the year would it be possible to come and take a look a round the studio, it would be very much appreciated if I could get the opportunity as I have been studying your work over the past few months and the work that you produce is something that I would really like to get into and do myself.

Look forward to hearing from you

Regards

Lauren.

Elmwood Reply from Ben

Hi Lauren

If you contact Adam Rickett who I will cc on this email, I’m sure he can give you the lowdown on elmwood Leeds and arrange a chat.

Ben

Elmwood Reply from Adam

Hi Lauren

Glad to here you have been keeping up to date with our work. If you can give me an idea of when you are free I would be happy to give you a tour and maybe bring in some of your work. Thanks for getting in touch.

Adam

Me

Hi,

Thanks for getting back to me, Im free any days apart from wednesday and thursday as those are the days im in at university, one of my friends off my course is interested in coming to have a look around to would it be possible if she came and looked around to?

Regards

Lauren.

Portfolio Packaging and CD design including my buisness card

This is the front and back of my buisness card using my logo on the front white spotgloss on black matt card. To create my logo I used the typeface Century, using two L's one being upside down and the other normal creating the shape shown below. I have used the same font Century throughout my work such as my Portfolio.

This is the first intial idea of the packaging idea that I had to send out to design agencies and companies showing a CD of my portfolio, including a business card. The front cover shows small snippets of my work to not reveal the whole piece of work until the CD is put into the computer to reveal my Portfolio.

I dont think this is a strong enough idea and doesnt work as a promotion package as it doesnt sell me personally. I need to rework this and think of something that sells me in a more personal way.




Above is the design of my logo that would be printed on the CD.

James Page Record Cover Design Live Brief

hey Lauren!!

Thanks so much for doing this, well really just need a Cd sleave for like a front and and rear that i was going to like fold and put unto plastic sleaves 9 I've put like a template of size. so really just needed some design for the front cover and rear also wanted to get these Viynl cd's you can actaully get artwork printed onto the middle of the Viynl cds
http://www.webs4cd.co.uk/index.php

that link below will take you to the site, and there is like a template you can use,

really wasnt sure what i was thinking for artwork, but i've attached some ideas hope thats ok did you want to send the tracks over to perhaps give you some ideas?? I really wanted something eye catching but quite old school too?? sorry does that help?? want to call it 'The Pull Pull'

the link below will take you to my myspace my tracks are on it too

www.myspace.com/jamespagemusic

Lauren anything you need jusy text me my number is 07929213673 or call me or email sorry i none of this helps

thanks again for this i ow!!! you one!

hope your ok though and living the Uni live!! I'm Jelous!!

xxx

London Train

So I was going home for the weekend....and who did I start talking to the art director from Elmwood Micheal Smith he works in Elmwood in Soho. It was a very unexpected meeting, I got talking to him about the course that I was doing and what area of design I focus in and what I wanted to do after university.
He gave me his contact details and told me to send me my portfolio across to him.

Me

Hi Michael,

Its Lauren who you met over the weekend on the train to London.

Was really nice to meet you, I really appreciated your help and the advice that you gave me. 

Hopefully, with your help, I will find some work experience either at Elmwood or in the London area.

I've attached my Portfolio, if you could take a look at it and let me know what you think and maybe send it on to

colleagues, friends and opposition! 

Look forward to hearing from you

Regards and thanks again,

Lauren.

Elmwood

Hia Lauren

Thanks for sending your details through, it was great to meet you also.
I have checked with the guys here in the London office and we will not be taking in placements over the next couple of months but this might well change. Probably worth you sending me an email in a couple of months as a reminder.


In the meantime I will circulate your details around Elmwood to the other Design Directors and on to some other agencies. My advice would be to try and send your CV and work samples to as many agencies as you can now, as it gets busy with new graduates looking for work in the summer.


As for the way you are presenting your work, my advice would be to have less on a page and concentrate on showing just the strongest part of each project. I would also try and show even more ideas based design as most agencies look for the big ideas in portfolios.


Hope this helps in some way.
Wishing you all the very best in your search.




Cheers
Mike

Me

Thank you for getting back to me, I have taken your advice and made a few changes to my portfolio in the way of layout.


Attached is the improved portfolio if you get a chance would you be able to briefly look over it for me? Also if I sent you a few pieces of my work from briefs that I'll be working on in the next few weeks and in the future would I be able to get some feedback from you? because this would be very helpful to hear your point of view but I do know that your very busy.


I have a few agencies in mind around the London area that I am going to send my CV and portfolio to, and to see if I get any success from that.
If the opportunity is still there I would still like to come and visit your studios in London over the summer if this was possible.


Thanks again for your help.


Lauren.

Me

Hi,


I'm going to be back in Cambridge next month and I was just wondering if it was possible to come to the studio in London to visit for a day or two?
If you could let me know that would be great.


Thankyou


Regards
Lauren.

Elmwood

Hi Lauren

Popping in to have a look around and meet the guys should be fine. Unfortunately we can’t offer any work placements at the moment. Alex Gillott who is a fellow designer here will be in touch to arrange something. He’ll show you around and answer any questions you may have. And of course if I have time on the day, I’ll make time for a chat.

Mike

 

Summer Presentation OUGD301

Rationale

Over the next three months I mainly want to focus on developing my skills and knowledge in what I want to do after university which is typographically based advertising and promotional design, as well as creating hand rendered type for my own individual practice, also editorial design creating magazine and brochure layouts, and corporate design as this is something I have been focussing over the summer doing live briefs.

I also want to push myself to go and visit design agencies and studios and also get another work placement in a larger studio compared to the studio that I worked in over the summer so I can get more experience of what is like to work in the industry. I want to be looking in setting up my own website to show an online porfolio of work and experiment with the hand drawn type that I have be drawing over the summer and use it on garments of clothing and other products to put it to good use to see if its something that works.

I would like to get myself more involved in live briefs because I enjoyied doing this over summer because I can work at my own pace and work to a clients requirements I also enjoy sending designs to print as when you see the finished product it feels like you have really achieved something, it is also good practice for when I go into the industry.

I will still be keeping my blog up to date regularly so I can keep myself organised and become more professional in my work by getting inspiration from other designers.

Statement of Intent

For each of the four briefs in the next few months I will be undertaking through research to experiment and expand my ideas and to get inspiration from other designers, the subject on the majority of these briefs are typographic based including some image. All of the products that I will be creating for each brief will all be design for print taking all but one to the printers. The record design brief is to be mass produced so I need to think about this carefully for me as well as the client so I can get the best possible price and quality print.

The processes that I will be including in these briefs are Photography, and hand rendered type.
The products that I will be mostly creating is corporate design looking at business cards, and logos, these will be used on letterheads, menus, booklets, CD labels and cover etc.