VW -

Eye test - only £9,7..
Watch the ad...

I've been working on a NISSAN brief with Anna recently as a small side project, and so i've had an extra watchful eye for car adverts. This new advert for VW's Polo is simple, but I think it's really effective and funny.

Keep Calm & Drink Tea:

Suitable advice to any third year student at this point in the year.

A new term, a new brief.  I want a project that will reflect my interest in copy based campaigns and this is why I have opted to do the Elmwood "Make mine a builders brew" brief set by D&AD.  The brief describes the importance of quality of thinking and language and not the visual execution.  This seems perfect for me and where I see myself trying to squeeze into industry.

Elmwood want to know who drinks tea, why they drink it, when they drink it - what do they feel about it?  They also wanted to know what kind of drinks they are up against... other teas? coffee? or cold drinks?  From my initial market research I believe that those who are tea drinkers are very passionate about their tea, and that they are very loyal to their desired brand.  I therefore feel that I should be focusing on a campaign that competes with other tea brands and that encourages people to try this "strong - no nonsense" cup of tea.

Existing promotional materials and example of brand language (above)

Their tone is informal, honest, fun.

I have looked at leading tea competitors and I really like Twinings copy based campaign (above) for their brand.  It confronts why people drink tea, that they usually do this to lift mood and unites tea drinkers in the way that I think Make Mine A Builders are seeking to do.

I have also been looking at general copy based campaigns and even though Elmwood are not so much interested in the final execution I think it would be nice to draw inspiration from these two adverts and art direct the text to suit meaning.  The two adverts below are both very different and I find it interesting that one word can have impact, yet a whole string of words can create curiousity and intrigue a viewer to read the full message.

All you lovely people...

Come on down!

We promise you a visual treat :]

http://panicnoiselab.blogspot.com/

Portfolio Surgery -

with Johnny Hardstaff.  To share my portfolio with a professional and get a totally fresh and honest opinion about my work was brilliant.  The questions that he asked me really made me confront what I want to be and where I see myself going.  Based upon this Johnny was able to offer me advice on the next stage after university - my desire being creative advertising.  To get into this field, I am going to have to ensure my concepts leap off the page, and crank up the pace of my work to produce a vast and varied body of work.  I was really pleased that he got excited about pieces of work that hadn't received good feedback at review - and this gives me confidence that I should trust my own instincts and do work that feels right to me.  Johnny suggested that I investigate a career in PR, something I had never thought about before, but sounds intriguing.  All in all the workshop gave me positive feedback and encouraged me to keep on doing what I'm doing and take it to the next level.  It was also beneficial to see other peers portfolios and witness what I need to do in terms of layout/content/aesthetic to pull myself up.

Can I please get some Lucozade?

Under Construction:

I have recently purchased jemmaconnor.co.uk
(Thanks to Anna for her help) :]

The Perfect Gift For Mother's Day:

Today was the day of our Mothers Day Fundraiser -

Anna, Leanne, Hannah & myself raised £66.80p for the d&ad piggy bank :]

(Above) Mother Hen Cards, my contribution to the stall!

(Below) Yummy  Mummy by Hannah Davies which I purchased for my mum.

Doing the stall was actually really good fun,

minus some very competitive photography students,

embarrassing attitude = poor representation of their course!!

Thank you to everyone who made a contribution or a purchase!!

Morag Myerscough

A-B development.

More Staycation experiments.  Feedback has been really helpful and I have been trying to develop clarity through additional copy.  Feedback suggested I highlight the movement of A-B so I have dropped the "beside the seaside" line as it was distracting and slowing down/confusing the message.  I have placed this within a web link instead, and hopefully by doing so this shows that there is supporting medias and creates a company identity that is intent on driving tourists to British coastal towns.

I am now beginning to experiment with text to create a different feel.

Fancy a Staycation?

Tourism is one of the largest industries in the UK, yet there seems to be little evidence of existing creative advertising and engaging campaigns to inspire us to holiday in our own country.  It was for this reason that I thought I would tackle the Roses Award brief "Staycation" - the only ask it had, was to reinvent the traditional British holiday through an advertising campaign.

The traditional British holiday is the seaside holiday and so it is this that I have used as a starting point for my content.  I am aware that interest in British coastal towns has dwindled over past years, becoming stereotyped as run down, old fashioned and tacky.  People may be cynical to hear what this campaign has to say so I have tried to be clear and focused in presenting a new image and voice.  I aim to use the traditional values as the content, whilst using contemporary design to freshen interest and resurge popularity.

My design will become part of a campaign that encourages people to travel the UK internally from one place to another.  My development ideas will utilise stereotypes presented in a way that encourage the viewer to see past traditional elements.

Below, is an experiment from my first set of concept/design ideas.  Instead of hiding my work as per, I'm posting it up in the hope of getting some constructive feedback.  I'd be really interested to know how quick the idea transcends.

A break would be lovely.

Please.

Thank you.

:]

Alan Fletcher:

"Fifty Years of Work (and play)"

Cube Gallery, Manchester

9th Feb

I had heard a lot about this exhibition from those who went down to CUBE on the opening night, and from reading the highly acclaimed blurb.  It has been described as an impressive, major retrospective of Britain's most celebrated graphic designer, "One of the giants of the 20th Century" whose legacy continues to influence global trends in graphic design.

It was a vast archive of original sketches, posters, objects and archive footage spanning Fletcher’s work from his student days at the RCA to the playful and more personal work he created after leaving Pentagram in 1992.  The amount of work and diversity was nothing short of impressive.

My favourite designs were the ones that had the ability to leap off the page.  The use of colour and placement created accurate dimensions and I would love to develop a technique like this in my work, I find it eye-catching and engaging, whilst aesthetically pleasing.  (Above).

I was also impressed by the simplicity of the slick graphic style in some pieces, especially when presented on zines and concertina formats.  These for me were much stronger and more appealing than a lot of the illustrative examples, which failed to impress me.

The only illustrative examples that really stood out to me, where the ones that were art directed well to show off concepts.  Such as The Shopping piece below and a series of posters.

Some other pieces that caught my eye:

And a contextual response to the loss of the WTC in NYC:

This was an interesting celebration of Fletcher's prolific body of work.  When I was at CUBE I don't think I fully appreciated what was on display, but upon reflection there were some fab pieces that really stand the test of time, a statement of its success.

D&AD degree show fundraiser:

March 11th @ the Holden Gallery Cafe >> Mothers Day Card Stall.

Be there or be square.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=326616622410

Tell it to the Worry People:

So Third year has been a "little" stressful.

A gift I received this week really made me smile!

So I shall tell my worries to the Worry People by writing them in this little pad, scrawling them away...

Sweet idea.  :]  Thank you.xx

Yummy:

A lovely Nia Banwell original.  Feast your eyes:

Urbis has left the building:

On Tuesday (23rd) Anna and I popped down for one last visit.  Over the past three years Urbis has documented some great contemporary exhibitions that have inspired my contextual studies and has been something that has contributed to my degree, and also the city's culture.  It was great to see in retrospect the diverse backlog of popular culture exhibitions from the past six years.  Manchester, Television & The City and Home Grown: The Story of UK Hip-Hop were also on showcase.  These were two last examples of how from Urbis I always got a great sense of what it means to create an exhibition space and it has always shown its subjects in a vibrant and imaginative way.   I was always inspired by what I saw, even if I didn't relate to the content.  The 'Television' exhibition took you through each era by the changing living rooms and tv sets, and the Hip Hop was decorated with graffiti to set the scene.  I attempted to recount one or two 'personal faves' from the last six years but each visit has always offered something totally different and original.  It seems a shame that it has to give way to football - the story of my life!

Walls Are Talking:

Yesterday (Wednesday 24th Feb) I wandered down to The Whitworth, to see "Walls Are Talking."  I found the concept of this exhibition really interesting and there were some great aesthetic pieces from some well recognised artists.  Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst were two of 30 artists who have formed a cultural commentary and exploration of the power of print.  Themes of subversion, commodification, imprisonment and sexuality ran across the walls, flaunting with the stereotypical associations of the medium as merely a decorative backdrop.  This was an exhibition I really enjoyed and it made me think about how selecting an appropriate medium can be affective and thought provoking.  My practical work will benefit from this, especially when focusing on the outcome of my design.

Savour The Day:

Want, need, search = find

My gorgeous new Rob Ryan Lomo Fish Eye.  ♥

Can't wait to get my mits on some film!

:]

Vogue:

Don't Panic.  My response.

"Je Veux, Tu Veux... I want, you want..."

Popular, in demand, sought after - happening.

It starts with one, then we all follow.  We all evolve with the constant flux of culture, fashions & fads.  Vogue being a French derivative determined the concept and language of the outcome; which is a materialistic and sheepish representation of the present tense.

This was a great side project for me, as it allowed me to think laterally in terms of a response.  I don't usually work in an illustrative style so it was great to push myself out of my comfort zone and explore something technically different.  I may still tweak this before I print it but hopefully I have produced something extra for my journal and portfolio.  Most importantly I have produced something with lots of development and experiments behind it within a quick turn around.

And if you likey, you have til sunday 28th february to vote - here is the link so no excuses - please, and thank you.

Outcome: A2 Print // Copy & Concept: Vouloir - the present tense of to want.

Last Friday -

(05-02-10) I bobbed along to a lecture on working freelance and being self employed.  Do I think I have what it takes?  The answer is no, probably not.  This last term I have come to realise just how commercial my work actually is, and I think I would be better suited to working in an agency.  I love interacting with people and working home alone I find hinders my creativity.  It was good to go along though and know what my options are, at this moment in time, anything is a potential possibility!