"Every Page Needs A Hero"

And my portfolio needs updating!

My "To Do List"

Still getting the blog up and running, but got lots planned to motivate me over the next few weeks. On monday I start my placement in the Creative Department at McCann Erickson which I am really looking forward to! In the mean time I am starting to think about the KINO4 brief, my dissertation, some self initiated live projects and plans to visit exhibitions in Manchester, Liverpool and London. This should shape some content on here over the next month or so!

The Copperfield

Anna and I recently approached a local restaurant concerning their menus/promotional material. It is quite an up-market and traditional restaurant and we felt that the existing articles did not capture the quality of their business. This is a self initiated brief that we have volunteered to do to help push the business' profile even further, and to also try out a bit of creative team work...

We spent tonight looking for inspiration, faulting the existing pieces, and setting ourself mandatories:

• Make the traditional modern and fresh (simple in style)
  
• Use colour and format to stimulate imagination
• As the menu changes frequently, a template design would be useful
• Must be cheap to reproduce as will often be reprinted and updated
• Must work with existing logo

Named after David Copperfield, we have taken inspiration

from old book covers and their intricate patterns.

We also really liked this die cut Corbis sample catalogue,

a modern layout but with the potential of a traditional underlay.

Graphic Design As Communication.

"Most people see more example of graphic design before they get to work than they see examples of art in a year.  Before they are even fully awake, most people will see the numbers and letters on the faces of alarm clocks, the colours, shapes and lettering on tubes of toothpaste, the letters and symbols on taps and showers; the signs for 'On' and 'Off' on the kettle, the packaging of their tea or coffee, the station idents on morning television - and the print, photography and layout of the newspaper.  This is before they climb into cars (with front and rear badges and logos, and a dashboard full of tiny pictures, symbols and numbers) or onto buses and trains (encrusted with corporate identities, advertising and more badges and corporate logos), and make it along the road (adorned with advertising, bus stops, shop-fronts and other signs giving warnings, instructions, information and directions), to work - where yet more graphic design informs them of the location of Reception, lifts and toilets.

Graphic design is everywhere.  Yet it is often taken for granted, passing unnoticed and unremarked as it blends in with the visual culture of everyday life."

                                                                                                      Malcolm Barnard.

Taken from "Graphic Design As Communication" which I thought I would read to spark my dissertation research.  The book provides an insight into graphic design as an integral contributer to the formation of social and cultural identities.  I don't know why, I just liked the passage.  As someone who is aware of graphic design, corp identities and advertising - I still don't think I realised quite how much is taken for granted... eyes open from now on!

D&AD Degree Show 2009.

I just got round to typing up a review of the D&AD 2009 Degree Show for my journal, and thought I would include a brief post on here. Fashion Photography has become a focal point in my studies and I thought that the examples of this were art directed with interesting narratives and contributed towards some really enjoyable visual aspects on show. I enjoyed having a good flick through the portfolios, and browsing the blogs and sites of the work that interested me. I hope to develop into the areas of art direction/fashion photography and book making in my third year.

Jennifer Gladman

"Make Do & Mend"

The only crit I would make was that the show was a lot smaller than last year and lacked that feel of a personal space for each individual to exhibit a body of their work. I had a good look around other departments and theirs were vast in comparison. I am guessing this to be a downside to the move to the fourth floor, hoping this doesn't affect us too much next year...

Emma Pilkington

"Modern Day Wartime"

Prologue.

My first post. A long time in the making.

It turned out not to be that difficult...

Not usually one to be 'down' with the technology you kids

have these days, but check me, I'm blogging, and I

even managed to throw in a bit of the old Html.

JC©