OUGD602 - End of Module Evaluation

This year my main goal for PPP was to have a job lined up for after I'd finished uni. After reading countless articles online and in design magazines and hearing countless stories from creatives about trying to break into the industry I knew it would be difficult and I wasn't getting my hopes up.

After growing up and living in the countryside for 15 years it has always been my goal to move down to London after graduating from uni, and after living and working there for a month in the summer it only made me more determined to find a job and make it work. I knew I wouldn't be able to afford an unpaid internship as I don't have any friends or family living in London who's house I could crash at for 2/3 weeks, therefore the only choice I had was to find paid work because moving back home to the middle of nowhere wasn't an option. 

After getting the initial email about the iTunes internship I knew it was an extremely long shot and the probability of getting the position was 1 in thousands but I knew I would kick myself if I didn't at least apply. For every stage of the application process, I made sure I was fully prepared and did everything possible to make sure I'd given it my best shot. For the initial application, I sought advice from Sue, the careers advisor, before the online interview I got advice from Will at the Elephant room and fully prepared an elevator pitch of what I would answer for every potential question. For the actual assessment day I'd made sure I'd prepped myself well for anything they could throw at me as well as attending a portfolio workshop to make sure my work would be presented as professionally as possible. For an opportunity this big, preparation is key and I was leaving nothing to chance and astonishingly everything paid off and I got offered the position. 

The way the programme has been run this year has prepared me for the industry far more than I was ever expecting. Without building a professional looking website and putting together a strong CV and Cover letter there is no way I would have been in with a chance of getting offered the job at Apple. Our engagement with the industry has built my confidence in talking to professionals and growing my network of people I can go to for mentorship and advice. 

I've tried to visit more design conferences this year but went to the ones that actually interested me rather than for the sake of 'PPP' and this has provided me with a breadth of knowledge and advice I wouldn't have otherwise found. 

I start my new position at iTunes on the 25th of June and I'm extremely grateful to have been given this opportunity, as it is something thousands of students in the same position as me would kill for a chance to do, therefore I plan on making the absolute most of every second and definitely will not take for granted this amazing chance I have been given. 

OUGD602 - Self Branding - Finished Collateral

As I am a multidisciplinary designer my work features a range of different styles and I enjoy experimenting with a number of different processes. Therefore I wanted my branding to be sleek and minimal, acting as a blank canvas to let my work do the talking.

In keeping with the bright, white and minimalist theme of my website and CV, my business cards act as an invitation to be doodled on and customised. Featuring only crop marks, a colour bar and registration marks, the blank space in the middle mean I could potentially make every card unique by adding additional decoration such as stickers or a hand-drawn illustration.

The font used is Houschka, a clean and legible modern sans serif typeface which shares the humanist qualities of Gill Sans and Johnston but retains a uniquely charming character of its own. The monolinear structure, rounded corners and rolling curves give Houschka a soft and friendly appearance, which will hopefully make me come across as an approachable designer and collaborator.

The same clean, minimal style can be found on my website which also uses the font Houschka throughout for continuity. Descriptions and headings are cut down to the bare essentials to make the browsing experience less cluttered.

The images on my website are all professionally taken and feature a carefully selected range of shots to showcase the projects in a clean and clear way.

My other forms of social media such as LinkedIn and Behance also flow seamlessly together with my branding by featuring the same icon and work as Instagram.

My LinkedIn page is slightly different, featuring a picture of my face as the icon, as this creates a more trustworthy account and enables visitors to put a name to the face.

My design Instagram account features a structured grid consisting of 3 related posts in a row to make the feed look neater and to showcase different aspects of the project simultaneously.

The icon at the top matches my buisness card by featuring a registration mark symbol.

OUGD602 - Self Branding - Design Development

As a designer, I feel my style is very varied but I haven't quite yet found my niche. This is why on my business card and visual identity I want it to be quite neutral, open to interpretation and not limited to the work I produce. However, a completely different angle could be to make something that is fun and interesting and that you would want to pick up as a visitor at the end of year show.

Inspiration and ideas for a business card and self-branding:

One thing I would say is that I am very hard working and a perfectionist, always putting my all into everything I do, trying to push myself and achieve the best standard I possibly can. At the same time, however, I do enjoy playing around with my work and believe play is an important aspect of design because you need to allow yourself time off for inspiration to come your way. This is why one idea for my business card was to have the quote 'Work hard, play hard on the reverse.' It's a fun, well-known slogan setting the tone that I don't take myself too seriously, but also subtly conveys the message of my values and what I stand for. 

Fun concept for the design:

I've worked a lot with duotone images this year so thought it reflected my work well to use this style as part of the design. A Renaissance painting depicting a dancing party scene I felt fit the quote well and was quirky and playful.

A more neutral concept I thought was to set out the back of the business card as a blank page with just crop marks, registration marks and a colour bar. One thing that is consistent about my practice is that I'm a graphic design, therefore, this could symbolise a blank new strart for fresh projects with the possibility to design anything on top. 

The crop marks could also work well as a symbol for my design accounts Instagram icon as at the moment it is an illustration of a mouth with braces.