CREATIVE INDUSTRIES//JOHNS SIX TASKS//OUGD502

What are the ‘Creative Industries’ that are relevant to Graphic Designers? 

How do we identify the areas that may ‘float your boat’ or are particularly relevant to you? 

TASK ONE
Identify 5 companies/studios which you consider potentially synergetic to you personally.
Write a short explanatory paragraph and reasons for each. 

STUDIO ONE:  FOREIGN POLICY - DESIGN BUREA & THINK TANK
ABOUT:  We are a team of idea makers & story tellers who help craft, realize and evolve brands with creative and strategic deployment of ideas narrated by various appropriate media. We are located in Singapore, independently owned and creatively motivated.

We’ve been privileged to have worked with some of the most incredible people in and out of town. Give us a ring, let’s get together and make something awesome.

Disciplines: Strategic Consulting // Brand Strategy // Research & Analysis // Idea Making // Story Telling // Branding // Creative Direction  //  Art Direction //  Graphic Design  //  Space/Environment Design //  Experiential Design //  Interactive Design  //  Problem Solving  //  Fire Fighting.

WORK:

BUSINESS CARDS:  A renewal of our identity and stationery to set the mood for the new year. The tri-plex business cards are designed with a book cloth covering and copper foil stamping.

FAT COW:   Fat Cow is a beef-specialty restaurant employing the Japanese way of picking, cooking and serving beef. Drawing inspiration largely from the Japanese aesthetic – Wabi Sabi with traits that include simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty and the appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes, wood is used primarily as the platform of this brand communication. Note their non-uniformity and texture to suggest the Wabi Sabi beauty of imperfection. The mark and the laser etching on the wood are also reminiscent of the branding of cattle.

LOYSEL'S TOYS:  The look and feel is inspired by the signage of the traditional mom & pop grocery/produce stores and the farmers’ markets. These places offer produce that are the freshest, possibly the most ecologically-friendly, direct from the local farmers and everything hand-prepared, hand-crafted. Nothing too fancy. Down to earth. Honest. Authentic. That ties in nicely with the ideals & philosophy of Loysel’s Toy which have led us to coin the well-deserved tag for them – THE COFFEE CRAFTERS.

WHY I CHOSE THIS DESIGN STUDIO?

I came across Foreign Policy Design Group whilst looking for some examples of branding, when I was directed to their website it stood out to me as all the work they had done was similar to the things I would like to do/work on.  They focus heavily on branding which is something I have become increasingly interested in as second year has progressed.  It is something I would like to learn how to do well and Foreign Policy's examples of work are designs that really interest me.  I like the simplicity and clean look they give their branding and the attention to detail with finishings.  The branding I liked in particular of theirs was a rebrand for a hotel called Wanderlust in Singapore, they used processes such as embossing and printed on quality stock which added to the design, they also photograph their work in appropriate surroundings as to allow the overall branding to work successfully within an environment.

STUDIO TWO:  PRALINE

ABOUT:  Praline is an established design studio based in London and Paris with a practice that encompasses graphic design, branding and art direction. 

Creative director David Tanguy founded Praline in 2000. Having built a dedicated team of highly talented colleagues, collaborators and consultants, David is focussed on further expanding Praline’s skill vocabulary, maximising its potential as a multi-disciplinary studio. 

WORK:

POLPO: Praline has created the first cookbook for acclaimed London restaurant, POLPO. Written by POLPO restaurateur Russell Norman and published by Bloomsbury, the book represents a departure from the conventions of the genre with its deconstructed design.

The use of old Venetian typefaces, type sizes that exist in the letterpress method and luminous photographs by Jenny Zarins, lend the book a feeling of honest authenticity which harks back to the restaurant itself.

CENTRAL ST MARTINS:  Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design 2007-8 campaign

Praline designed and art directed the whole recruitment campaign.

Photography: John Short

Print Management: Martin Lee

WHY I CHOSE THIS DESIGN STUDIO?

This was a studio that focused more on publishing and editorial which is the aspect of graphic design I like best, its something I would like to focus on mainly in third year.  Some of the publications Praline have done stood out to me, I love the layout of their designs and how they work with text and image which is something I want to improve.  I also like the binding techniques they used for some of their publications.  They also featured installations that they had done on their website, which is something that intrigued me as i've never really tried anything like that before.

STUDIO THREE:  DESIGN UNIT

ABOUT:  DesignUnit is a flexible organisation, making sure that only the best in the business work with you and your brand. We bring in just the right people for each project to ensure that your brand is in the best hands available. In fact, we only work with people who love what they do, and do what they love. Our names are Majbritt and Jesper, and to us DesignUnit has always been a love affair. We know that a heart beating for creativity never runs out of inspiration.

Subjects:  Advertising campaigns, graphic design, branding, magazine design, website, corporate identity, book design, video direction.

WORK:

WHY I CHOSE THIS DESIGN STUDIO?

Since starting graphic design I have been interested in layout and editorial and publishing, Design Unit produce magazines and publications that I really like the style of.  Heavy use of photography in their work which is something I would like to try and do more of and the layout of texts with imagery, I think works nicely together.  A lot of their projects seem to focus on a fashion in terms of content, which is something I would like to try at some point.  Overall I think they're good at making high end, quality, stylish publications.

STUDIO FOUR:  VIEW

ABOUT:  VIEW WAS FOUNDED IN 2003 BY RENOWN CREATIVE DIRECTOR VALERIE WICKES. VALERIE AND HER TEAM COLLABORATE WITH CLIENTS TO CREATE AND EXECUTE STRATEGIC VISUAL PROGRAMMES THAT DEFINE, BUILD AND GROW THEIR BRANDS. THE AGENCY HAS IN DEPTH EXPERIENCE OF PRODUCING CREATIVE AND CONSISTENT COMMUNICATIONS ACROSS ALMOST EVERY MEDIUM AND PLATFORM. THESE INCLUDE PRINT AND MOVING IMAGE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS, MAGAZINE DESIGN, BRAND IDENTITY, STRATEGY AND REPOSITIONING, PACKAGING AND DIGITAL WORLDS.

WORK:

LOST AND FOUND: THE INTERNET IS NOW A VAST, GLOBAL SOUP OF IMAGES AND TEXT WHICH OFTEN HAS NO ATTRIBUTABLE SOURCE, OR WHOSE ORIGINS CANNOT BE AUTHENTICATED. ISSUES SURROUNDING COPYRIGHT AND THEIR OWNERSHIP HAVE NOW ENTERED A NEW REALM. WE ARE COMMITTED TO USING THE FOUND IMAGE WITH RESPECT AND WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGISE IF THE USE OF ANY IMAGE OFFENDS INDIVIDUALS OR AGENCIES, BUT WE BELIEVE THAT KEEPING PHOTOS LIVE IS IMPORTANT…

UNCOVER. REDISCOVER. REINVENT.

“TO BE MODERN IS NOT A FASHION IT IS A STATE. IT IS NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND HISTORY, AND HE WHO UNDERSTANDS HISTORY KNOWS HOW TO FIND CONTINUITY BETWEEN THAT WHICH WAS, THAT WHICH IS AND THAT WHICH WILL BE.”

— LE CORBUSIER

WHY I CHOSE THIS DESIGN STUDIO?

I chose this design studio because I liked their editorial work, especially the lost and found edition they created.  Again with the two previous studios it was because of their work between type and image. I would really like to create something similar to these publications where text is displayed in a clean stylish way and the main focus is photography.  Another reason I chose this design studio is because they had things on their website that I think I would be interested in but have little experience in within graphic design such as advertising and art direction.

STUDIO FIVE: RO&CO

ABOUT:  RoAndCo is a multi-disciplinary design studio devoted to holistic branding that serves a range of fashion, art, and lifestyle clients. Led by award-winning Creative Director Roanne Adams, RoAndCo offers design, image, and branding capabilities across a variety of mediums, from print to moving image. By thoughtfully distilling a client’s inspirations, ideas, and motivations, RoAndCo generates fresh, sincere, compelling brand messages that engage and resonate.

WORK:

LORICK FALL/WINTER 09

PORTABLE

The Curators Conference debuted September 2012. Providing a unique opportunity for discussion around the theme of curation, the event includes speakers from a variety of creative fields. Our friends and collaborators at Portable approached us to execute the branding of the conference collateral, which included tote bags, programs, posters, web design and video art direction. Inspired by the ideals of knowledge and enlightenment, RoAndCo deliberately used a stark black and white palette in the days leading up to the conference. The brand literally "came to life" the day of the event through the introduction of color throughout all brand collateral. Using watercolor effects; pinks, blues, and purples bleed throughout the branding elements, the idea of creative collectiveness and the overlap of the arts in the design, fashion and tech industries evoked.

WHY I CHOSE THIS DESIGN STUDIO?

I like the style of this design studio, I think they do a variety of different styles within their designs which is what attracted me to their designs.  I like the editorial and publishing work especially, however I think their branding and other projects look good.  They have a lot of clients and a variety of work specialising in publishing.  Certain projects they have done intrigue me as I don't know much about that type of design.

TASKS TWO - SIX

TASK TWO:

Identify the top choice and why you feel that they may have synergy with your practice now, or in the near future?

My top choice was VIEW, there were a few reasons why I narrowed it down to this one out of my five choices.  I liked all five of the design studios work I chose for different reasons.  My favourite design studio was Foreign Policy, I liked all of the work they did as opposed to just specific projects, they mostly specialised in branding which is something I want to pursue.  However, they are based in Singapore which I thought was unrealistic in terms of getting in contact to pursue any kind of work placement.  This is why I chose View Creative, which is based in London.  I feel it will help my practice as the agency is producing publishing and editorial work that I am interested in and would like to learn.

TASK THREE:

Is your choice based on:

-location

-direction of practice

-the brand philosophy  

-client base

My choice was based on two of the above, direction of practice was one of them, I liked their style of publishing and editorial, which is ideally what I would like to go in to.  However a small factor was based on location, as it is based in London.  If location wasn't an issue this would of been my second choice and Foreign Policy would of been my first, purely based on Foreign Policy having more work that I am interested in.

TASK FOUR:

What if none of the above is your main reason for choosing the organisation, what is it specifically?

My main reasons were the direction of practice and the location but the agency is also experienced in producing creative and consistent communications across almost every medium and platform.  Including print, magazine design and brand identity, which are three areas of graphic design I am most interested in.

TASK FIVE:

Please consider who are they/who are you?  Why are you contacting them and why should they listen?  What do you want them to do next? and what do you want?  Why should they get back to you?

View is a design agency founded by renowned creative director Valerie Wickes.  She has a team who collaborate with clients to create and execute strategic visual programmes that define, build and grow their brands.  I am a young enthusiastic designer, wanting experience and willing to learn.  I am contacting them because they produce work that I am interested in and would like to visit their studio or get some experience from them as I feel this could improve my practice.  They should listen because I am hard working, enthusiastic and could bring a fresh young input into design.  I would like to build a relationship with the company so that I could visit the studio, see the studio environment and how they work and hopefully something could come from that.  They should get back to me because I am keen and enthusiastic and could bring a fresh young perspective to the agency.

TASK 6:

Now you have identified initially these studios you feel synergy with.  Pleas list 8 methods you could use to contact them with:

• email
• creative cv
• phone call
• send my work
• visiting the studio
• social networking

BUSINESS CARD RESEARCH//OUGD502

BUSINESS CARD RESEARCH:
Before looking to design my own business cards I have researched into some that I like the designs of.

I really like these business cards designed by Allan Peters, I think the general idea of them is something that is presented well and definitely memorable.  I think it looks of good quality with the stock used and attention to detail such as the debossed 'Michael Barley photography' and the sticker holding the business card inside the envelope.

I also like the individuality of the business cards with each one having a different picture on the back of the card that can slide out.  This is something that I would keep based on the design.  I think the general execution and attention to detail is what makes the business card work so well.

This is a really simple design but iI think it looks really nice and professional, this is something that I would like to do when creating my own design, I think the simplicity of it really works and I would like to try a process when creating my business card to give it an extra touch.

Evan Calkins:  I was honored when the Milk team hired me to print their new business cards. It was a pleasure working with Kevin Rose and Daniel Burka. Daniel designed these stunning, minimal cards, and they turned out amazing on the press. (Sharon McPeake was co-designer on the Milk logo)

A Batch of cards were printed on 110lb Crane Lettra Ecru, with another set printed on the extra thick 220lb stock. The Milk logo is centered on the card with a blind impression. The contact information on the reverse side was printed with a lighter impression to contrast the heavy impression on the logo.

I think this works well, its clean design and simple logo in the middle of the business card makes it the main focus, on nice stock it looks of good quality and professional design.

Stock and colour, simple shape, looks neat.  I think stock helps presentation of business cards, I like the idea of textured stocks.

“Frank’s is the first speakeasy bar in Buenos Aires. The materials and textures refer to a certain rustic characteristic of the 20′s with aesthetic aspects of the prohibition era.”

I like the idea of having my business card on a similar stock to this one, I think the black ink looks good against the brown stock.  I think type is important on a business card as you have to work to a small scale so the type needs to deliver a message that represents you as a designer.

STUDY TASK SIX//WHAT DO 'THEY' DO?//OUGD502

STUDY TASK SIX
Based on the principles that have been introduced in the PPP2 sessions so far and your responses to the previous tasks, evaluate the Strengths and Weaknesses of three practitioners or design agencies as objectively as you can. You should aim to identify a large, medium and small company from a sector or service that reflects your interests within the creative industries.

What opportunities for your own practice have revealed themselves to you as a result of this research,analysis and evaluation?

Do not use subjective language or make unfounded comments about other people’s businesses.  It is essential that you make references to SWOT and PEST analysis and evaluate their usefulness as an analysis or evaluation tool.

In responding to this task you will need to consider the following questions:

Who am I competing against?

What do they offer?

What makes me better?

What makes me different?


OWT CREATIVE (small)
ABOUT:
OWT creative is a multidisciplinary design collective based in Manchester.
We work through print, web, film, bookbinding, curation, branding and art direction.

STRENGTHS:

I think OWT creative offer a unique and interesting style of design on their work, you can definitely distinguish their work and style if you knew the studio.  They work in these specific areas: print, web, film, bookbinding, branding and art direction.  They experiment with publishing and have a wide range of innovative and creative zines.  In terms of strengths I think they have their own unique style.  The photomontages and collection of hand rendered and digitally manipulated images add an individual and artistic feel to the work.  

The designs are contemporary and target an audience that will be engaged with this type and style of design.  They have worked in collaboration with Manchester school of art which will boost their profile and allow input from creative and young designers.  They have also put on exhibitions of their work which will help build a profile and improve methods of distribution.

I feel the use of colour and text throughout the designs are strong and unique, the choice of colour is bold and eye catching and the experimentation with type gives it an individual feel.

• Unique style
• Illustration
• Photomontage 
• Type
• Publishing and editorial 

WEAKNESSES:

Because it is a small design company the budget may not allow them to try with a range of processes and formats, I think this is something that could be worked on in order to get a variety of different formats, including elements such as print processes and stock variation.  Because the company is small and based in Manchester I don't see how successful distribution would be further than the North.  Branching out would give opportunity for higher profile jobs.  Another weakness I feel, is the variation of products and formats used, it is obvious they specialise in print based zines and publication/editorial, however areas of graphic design they also specialise in such as branding, web and film do not appear to be very obvious when looking through their site.

• Limited product range
• Web
• Small client group
• Promotion and distribution 

FREELANCE GRAPHIC DESIGNER: CAROLINE AUFORT (medium)

ABOUT:
Art Direction - Editing - Visual Identity, based in Paris.

STRENGTHS:
This is the type of design I am really interested in, Caroline Aufort focuses mostly on publication and editorial design.  Throughout all the work you can definitely see their is a certain style which is recognisable and consistent throughout most of her projects.  The use of imagery is something I find very strong throughout the work.  I love working with photography and manipulating images which I feel she does really well. 

I think in terms of strengths she has explored quite a few different formats (concertina books, newspapers, publications etc.) that best fit the content of the project.  Her use of type and image is interesting and varied throughout all designs.  I feel their is a unique 'hand rendered' style within some of the design with the use of photographs, type, photo montages and binding techniques which I feel adds a certain distinguishable style.  

A few of the projects deal with social factors and Parisian culture, one in specific (NIGHT BIRD) newspaper is dedicated to publishing the Parisian nightlife, showcasing a mix of people, places and events dedicated to young, artistic talents.  I feel this is exactly the type of audience Caroline's work attracts, it is artistic, creative and contemporary but in a way that is mixed with fashionably dated design to bring an individual and quirky style.

These are the strengths I feel best reflect Caroline's work:

• innovative and interesting publication design
• range of formats
• binding techniques 
• personal style
• print
• relationship between type and image
• photography (photo montage)

WEAKNESSES:

I think in terms of weaknesses I feel there could be room to be slightly more versatile within the designs to appeal to a wider client base.  There is definitely a unique style with all the work, which isn't a weakness but defines a certain type of audience and client group.  In terms of distribution of design work I feel this is quite limited and the works popularity would benefit from some successful methods of distribution.  Another thing that isn't necessarily  a weakness, more of an area of specialising is that all the work is print based, no experience or evidence of digital design.

• Small client group
• all print based
• limited methods of distribution

FOREIGN POLICY DESIGN (large)

ABOUT:
We are a team of idea makers & story tellers who help craft, realize and evolve brands with creative and strategic deployment of ideas narrated by various appropriate media. We are located in Singapore, independently owned and creatively motivated.

STRENGTHS:

Foreign Policy Design is one of my favourite design studios, I think they have a number of strengths that contribute to a successful design studio.  They specialise in branding which they seem to be very successful at due to their client list and number of branding projects.  Throughout most of the branded products the design studio use a variety of different processes including laser cutting, screen printing, stamps etc.  Another strength is the balance between web and print design, for quite a lot of the branding work they have designed the branded products and the website for the brand, this will attract more clients as they have skills in both departments.  They have branded a lot of restaurants/cafes/hotels which opens opportunities to brand similar companies/brands within that sector.  The designs all look very stylish, innovative and contemporary which definitely sends out a message to potential clients about the type of high end design the studio has to offer.

I think a major strength is the ability to adapt style and design to different clients, each design suits the clients style and meets the requirements of the brief but still maintains the recognisable design of Foreign Policy.  The company always manage to produce high end and quality design whilst displaying its purpose and relevance to the industry.  They use a wide variety of stocks and finishes to give the design an extra edge and quality finish.

List of strengths that outline Foreign Policy Design:

• Strong concepts
• Wide and varied client list
• High end and stylish designs 
• Range of processes used
• Print
• Web
• Branding and Identity 
• Clean and professional outcomes
• Variety of work (installations, print, web etc.)

WEAKNESSES:

I think its hard to pinpoint weaknesses within this company as they create a lot of current, effective work in the industry and have strong design companies with a successful and large list of clients.  They work between screen and print design and adapt their design to suit the style of the client in a really successful and subtle way.  In terms of distribution internationally I think this could potentially be a weak point as they are based in Singapore and so most clients do not reach the Europe or the states.  Branching out internationally would lead to higher profile work and opportunities for an increase of clients and higher paid jobs.  

• International presence
• Methods of distribution 

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After looking at three companies, small, medium and large and looking at areas in design I am interested in (Branding and Identity and Publishing and Editorial) all on different scales focused mainly on print which is something I want to focus on.  I think with all of the companies there is room for new and broader methods of distribution.  With the two smaller ones there is room for new formats and interactivity within the printed design.  

I would like my design style and direction to take a similar shape to the freelance Caroline Aufort.  I feel her design style, methods and topics/concepts best suit my ideas and interests and she focuses heavily on editorial and publishing which is something I am most interested in within graphic design.

-

I will be competing against new graduates and junior designers that will be looking for opportunities within the same field as me which is why I need to be able to offer a range of skills in different areas of graphic design.  I will need to display a professional and directed portfolio that best showcases my skills with strong concepts, varied processes and professional designs.  Design companies will offer me the chance to develop my style and give me the experience I need to progress further in the industry.

DESIGN PRESENCE//SELF BRANDING RESEARCH//OUGD502

BRANDING RESEARCH:
 After looking at a few examples of branding I have noticed that the simple ones work the best, especially with a variation of stocks.  I like this branding of Shuba, the logo itself is very simple but the presentation and attention to detail on the branding as a set works nicely.

This combination of stock colours, I think works really well and is something I would like to try and do when branding myself.  I also think with this branding it has worked on the wordplay and design together to create quite an effective concept that works well visually.
I quite like the idea of foiling my logo a bronze or gold depending on stock choice.

I like the use of imagery on this set of business cards, I think they work well as a range because of the variation.  The use of colour is  successful as even though they are different they are all consistent.

LIFES A PITCH//PRESENTATION//OUGD502