Open Shop Review

Open shop is a great opportunity for the students in London to get an inside look at creative agencies. I was fortunate enough to be part of this amazing event. I took route 3 so i got to get a sneak peek into Anomaly, LBi, Splendid and Work Club. Initially I thought they would all be the same in the sense that their working process would be the same. They were all in fact different in working and in atmosphere. Here I'm just posting about the agencies themselves and not there work because this experience was more about their working method and how to get noticed by them etc. But I did put up videos of their work so you can get a glimpse.

Anomaly

First off was Anomaly. What I loved about Anomaly was that their way of dealing with clients is that the way they deal with client was completely different from what I have ever experienced or heard. They actually want to produce great design for their client no matter how much they get paid. Basically they want to make really good design without a huge pay check in mind  as a end result. Even though I am relatively new in this field I found this concept refreshing. They started off as a reaction to bad advertising and they definitely remember that. When it comes to size, even though anomaly is international, it was quite small, which is something I loved about the place. Even though everyone there was at work, it felt like all of them were relaxed and at ease as if at home. I definitely loved the environment there, seemed nice. Nathan Cooper the guy we met was really quite inspiring too, i picked up quite a few pointers, which i will keep in mind for the future. He also has an awesome blog www.rubbishcorp.com, definitely worth a look.

LBi

Round two was with LBi (Lost Boys international (i loved what their name stands for)). From the small cosy Anomaly agencies, we went to LBi's huge building, which was kinda intimidating and scary. Scary in the sense you really realise how big advertising is. I guess everyone was so busy at work it gave a corporate feel and less of a creative one. Though they definitely had a lot of recreational activities, the Foosball table definitely caught my eye. Though they were really big they all seemed friendly, and you could see the huge amounts of stuff going. Another cool thing was that because they were so big they don't outsource, which means every thing happens in front of them and they are continually part of the process. Simon Gill the guy we met there was nice and gave great insight into the agencies, also a great pointer that if you wanted to be hired, get yourself out, get noticed. Work Club added to this concept by showing us how to get noticed.

                          

Splendid Communications

Round three was with Splendid. As soon as I stepped in I loved the atmosphere, their was music playing everyone was relaxed doing their own thing, and we had a wonderful intern there to welcome us, so I was instantaneously comfortable. However when we got to learn more about the agency, we only got info what they had done and were doing and less on how they actually work, which is what we really wanted to know. But we did get marmite crisp yum :P

Work Club

Last but certainly not the least was Work Club. From the red tape at the entrance, to the blackboard wall, I loved the place. It was awesome. When we came in we had crisps and drinks waiting for us. It was a friendly environment. I guess the best part was they had tailored everything for us, especially the presentation,with a little quiz so we got to interact as well. They definitely conquered their audience. The best thing though was they actually taught us how to get noticed by the industry, which was why we were primarily there. I guess if I had to mention a high light for the Work Club it would be the blackboard wall covered with Bart Simpson's blackboard openings, I had to bite my lip to prevent me  from laughing out load, while they were presenting. Definitely my favourite.  

CV

So as I have been applying for internships.....I've been looking at CV designs for inspiration. The thing I struggled most with was how to fill the page with no experience in the related field. My previous CVs had been filled by everything I could possibly put down, but with strict instructions that I should only put in what is relevant, I didn't have much. As I googled for inspiration these are the two CVs I liked the most and designed my CV based on them. 

The second one is my favourite. It's simple yet effective and future employers can easily navigate and find the information they are looking for.

Finally here is my CV.

Please help out and tell me how to improve it.....Thanks 

major project:)

So the major project is done and submitted and though I know I could have done better, I am happy with most of the result and I loved the experience. I wish I had more to show of the book, but with last minute submission I managed, I didn't have time to take pictures, but I do have a picture of the cover. So I guess till I get my project back this is all I get to show.

My First Year At LCC

Coolest garden eva!

Me and a bunch of my friends decided to take a trip to Portobello Market, it being an interesting trip in its self, we also came across Graffik.  Graffik is a gallery and sells original art work, but not only do they have wonderful pieces in their store, the best part of graffik is their garden. Behind the gallery is an amazing display of graffiti in the backyard, all the walls are covered with really cool stuff. Apparently they have a lot of graffti artists come in and contribute to the walls in their garden....hands down one of the coolest gardens i have seen.

You can find Graffik on 284 Portobello Road, London, W10 5TE.

Or online at http://www.graffikgallery.co.uk/. 

Layers

This class has been one my favourites. The simple photoshop technique was great and I just enjoyed putting the images together in the layers. The layers coming through created a really good effect and the screen printing like result was super cool and most importantly it was quick. The result were really good too especially with bright colours.

this was just an experiment

Once we were done experimenting, we designed a book cover for placing words.

Texture

I know have been away for quite sometime, what can I say the pressure was getting to me :p. Anyway recently (and by recently I mean quite some time ago) we had a session on texture. We were to make a concertina booklet in which we were to represent London with texture, and the texture given to my group (me and richa) were pointy and dry. We made a two sided concertina booklet one side pointy and one side dry. The first page on both the side was a texture page where you actually feel the texture. Then there were images that depicted the same thing, and finally a middle page which was a kinda off an imprint of a pointy and dry texture. One hick up was that, i don't think actually represented London, we just focused on the textures instead.

Dustjackets

As we are soon to make a book, we had a session on dust jackets. It was fun experimenting with dust jackets, how we could express something by the dust jacket folds. So my word was balance here are the results, basically however you open the folds it should balance with the rest.

Experiencing london

So our major project has just started and I love the concept. We have to make a book about London through a designers eyes (our eyes). It only been one day and my perception of looking at London has changed drastically......today was the most thought provoking session ever. Karl got us looking and experiencing London in different ways. Thing that came up to experience London apart from visually were smell, sounds, touch, temperature change, movement. So after uni i went down to regents park for a little walk and to explore the different ways I learnt to experience London.This is what i found, as it was a little late and the temperature had dropped, and the city had seemed to slow down, compared to the fast paced energy you feel throughout the day, and the majority people out were in running clothes, however the traffic was still bustling. A sense of peace came as i came near the park, however as i got in the park it had gotten quite dark so it scared the hell out me and i ran out....oh well here are a few pic i took on my way 

Minni Havas

I am in absolute awe of this talented illustrator.....I came across this site when I was googling pdf portfolio for our ppd project, http://www.pekkafinland.fi/ . Its a Finnish illustration agency, and promotes Finnish illustrators, here I came across Minni Havas and I absolutely love her illustrations. She uses water solvent colour pencils to create these magnificent illustrations. The illustrations are mainly of stunning women. Her illustrations have this trendy feel to them, I guess this is where her fashion design history kicks in. Her illustration are beautiful and lifelike and she pays extensive care to fine detail.

this was my favourite

Sweet!

So I came across this amazing cake.....I have seen many cakes and none come close to this. You see the only game you could play with the previous cakes I've seen is food fighting......but this cake is just spectacular, what is even cooler is the sentiment behind it, the trouble a sweet dad went through to get the best cake ever for his son (sigh). Also it is a great piece of art, its interactive and edible....sweet!

Screen Printing

I've been told I don't experiment.....and I agree I don't. So I went down to screen printing, got the induction, and absolutely loved it, so started straight away. 

I got my screen prepared waited for a day to get it coated....and then got to it. I experimented with different colours, overlaying and by putting some masking tape on areas of the paper ( and yes i know I'm supposed to put it on the screen) but i didn't have the time to wash the screen again. So I finished and put all the prints together and rushed on home.....only to find all of them had stuck together:(......anyway I separated them some of them look OK, but the rest are completely destroyed as they tore during the seperation process. Lucky I was just having a play around and it wasn't a final project. Well here are some the results.

experimenting with masking tape

experimenting with masking tape

the ones that got ruined

Monroe

With branding as a major factor of graphic design, I just realized how well Marilyn Monroe branded herself. From changing her appearance to the blond beauty we know with her signature make up style, to changing her name and even learning to say it so it seemed sexy, and practicing her signature so they produced two sultry curly M's. She transformed herself, and even without the best acting skills her image lives on. 

"If I'd observed all the rules I'd never have got anywhere." 
— Marilyn Monroe

IrresistiBubble

Usually while waiting for the bus I give the Bus stand Ads a casual glance, maybe a few seconds more when something interesting, but the other day a quite bright Aero ad caught my eye and asked me to press any button.

Feeling alittle stupid, I pressed one of the three circles, what came next were a series of a few questions with 3 options. So I went on to answer, to find out how irresistibubble I am. I have to say it was the most interesting three minute wait for the bus. 

When I got my latest project brief I was confused with how a digital experience should be, but now I can see its along the lines of what aero has done, because those three minutes were definitely a digital experience, and now I really want to try the new aero caramel. I love the way the traditional bus stand advert has been transformed into a cheesy quiz, both things in everyday life I would ignore, but aero seemed to have joined both to make it an interesting experience. And just in case your wonder I'm 95% IrresistiBubble.

Interbrand

The newspaper club project has ended, and the interbrand project has started with just a weekend to breath. We got to go to the interbrand office in London and i got my first look at how advertising agencies work. Also i got to experience how a professional presentation should be presented. I absolutely loved the whole feel of interbrand and would love to do my internship there too. Anyway I'm really looking forward to the new interbrand project and hopefully it will go well.

Darkroom

So after missing one darkroom induction, and waiting for the next one to come along, I finally got down to the darkroom, and I have to say I absolutely loved it.  I wasn't really sure what to expect,  I figured we learn to develop negatives, but I was completely oblivious of the creativity that would be involved. So with all the rules and techniques done with we got to explore, how different object would react with the light and photographic paper. Here are some of the results:


 The best part of the darkroom was that I wasn't always sure what the result would be, different objects images varied with there texture and opacity.

Success By design

So the newspaper club project is going full speed ahead and though I may not be doing as well as i would like like to, I am enjoying myself. So for our latest session we made a newspaper in one day, all done in a proper manner, with art directors, editors and all. The publication was based on success by design. We all had different roles and coordinated to get our publication ready. It was a great experience, got us taking responsibility for our tasks and we got to do some great teamwork.  Interesting ideas were generated and a good team effort got the newspaper ready.

The group I was in was responsible for the last three pages of the newspaper. We tried to make the article interactive, so made a quiz to find out what kind of designer you are, and measure your success quiz. As for the final page, we decided we would put in an advert, and what better than a then providing a solution for bad design (isn't that what we all need). So we made an advert for a tablet, Bad Graphic Design Relief tablet.

Here is the link to take a look at the newspaper: http://issuu.com/jospencer/docs/successbydesign/1 

Future's Future's Future

So walking about with my camera, with the purpose of coming across something interesting and simply because I'm new in London, I came across the Korean Cultural Centre. When I saw the free admission sign I just had to go in. They had an exhibition on and the theme was future's future's future. Each artist had translated the topic in there individual style. Jason Roe ( the guy that showed us around) was wonderful enough to tell us, in detail what was going on in the artists mind when  he/she was making the their pieces. Here are some pieces that caught my eye.

The exbition is on until 19th February and is free, so I recommend a look around. The address is Korean Cultural Centre UK, Grand Buildings, 1-3 Strand, London WC2N 5BW.

Prototype of What not to do

So second term has started and is in full swing from day one. Initially I wanted a different project, but due to waking up three minutes late, I had to settle with my third choice ( I know not even second choice). So I am in the newspaper club project, and even though I wasn't very keen at first, I have to say just after one class, I really like the whole idea. For the first time I have a clear idea on what I am to do, which I have to say is something very new for me. We are to make a 12 page newspaper which is to explain how and what is needed by a graphic designer to function in the 21st Century (just what I need)

So we were separated into groups, spent some time on the six men and then we made two prototype.

So we decided to make our first prototype on contemporary graphic designers and the second on the history of graphic design.

So after two hours, we went back quite happy with ourselves that we had managed to complete the task in time......Wrong! Our prototype's were not even close to what we should have been making. Nowhere in our newspapers had we even mentioned how to function in the 21st century. So now I know what not to do, I can move on and focus all my energy on what I should be doing.