Dan graduated from the University of Leeds a few years ago after studying graphic design. When working with a partner didn't go as planned Dan decided to go freelance, working from home.
In terms of how Dan presented his work he initially started by talking through what he wanted to cover in the presentation which was effective in engaging the class and gave the presentation structure.
Dan then spoke about what influenced him and his work which is very minimal with a lot of focus on typography. Once he graduated he went into film production with a company called Left Eye Blind who work with artists such as the Kaiser Chiefs, Haim and Charlie XCX.
He initially began by starting up a studio with his friend from university, they created a website, business cards and a publication called Yorkshire Boast which highlighted the great things about Yorkshire.
He left university thinking that work was going to come to him, which wasn't the case.
Dan began a personal project called Coffee Shop North, funded by the public and the owners if the coffee shops featured. The contents of the book focussed on the drinks, the people and the coffee shops themselves. It was nominated for awards such as BBD&PA.
The typeface used within the design was Fugue Headline by Raadim Peško. He said he had chosen this typeface because of small details like the T looking like a tamper, which they use to press down coffee granules with. Dan's presentation emphasized his passion for typography which was evident throughout his work.
VTF type foundry is another company that Dan suggested looking at.
He also stated that social media is a good way to make connections and find collaborations.
What I noticed when Dan was talking through his work was that every design decision he had made was very informed, which is important when it comes to explaining the output to clients.
He also completed some branding for a popular shop in Leeds, Colours May Vary. The colours, shapes, and style are very suitable for representing the aesthetic and personality of the shop. However, personally, I think repositioning the writing slightly would have improved it's legibitliy as curently some may read it as 'may colours vary'.
Another piece of work that interested me was the large scale infographic for Marmaduke's cafe in Sheffield. Some aspects such as the Espresso, Milk and Foamed Milk ratio where really interesting, shown below, and I can imagine customers would enjoy reading it while waiting in the queue or sitting alone enjoying a coffee.
To complete the presentation Dan showed some quotes, shown below:
"Your attitude is important to make it work."
"Get yourself in the right position."
"Collect Graphic Design."
"Find your Niche."
"do/don't move to London."
I thought Dan's presentation had some really good points. He talked through the challenges faced with going freelance and gave us information on different ways of getting a budget to create our own projects such as using resources like crowd funding websites. After his talk, I have decided that going freelance after university is something I wouldn't want to do as I feel working as part of a design team in the industry would be more beneficial for getting a job I enjoy.
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