Creative CV

This is the 2 sided document that I printed out...I will upload photographs of the final when I have mocked it up :)

Anthony Burrill and Nous Vous

Examples of the work from the people I recieved feedback from...

Anthony Burrill

Nous Vous

PDF portfolio feedback -

I quickly recieved some feedback from sending out the PDF of work - this surprised and strangely, paniced me.

Anthony Burrill (http://www.anthonyburrill.com/)
Responded withing half hour, said;
- My work 'looks very accomplished'.
- Each project looks different; this can be a good thing and a bad thing depending on the prospective client.
- He really liked the teeth drawings and thought they were funny :D
- 'You've definately got your own style developing'.
- Advice for future - 'Concentrate on developing your own personal style, develop your own visual signature and approach.
- Ended with 'keep up the good work! A X'

Thankyou Anthony!

Nous Vous - www.nousvous.eu
This one paniced me most as they're based in Leeds and Jay from the company emailed back saying he was coming into college the following day...so he would like to give feedback face to face, so he also saw my very small, basic print portfolio.

Feedback and discussion -

-Companies usually want to see about 10 pieces; need more when pitching to clients.

-Make the process become part of the message – context and message. (i.e. for Mail Shot – the message was ‘everything has been said before’ but the folding technique etc. was quite ‘different’ – good to contradict, but could have considered an overused communication method.)

-Audience – is the illustration style etc. appropriate to the audience.

-What is good? Brief – Could have worked more with illustrative type – make a typeface out of teeth.

-The origami piece could have been a mouth.

-Overall – good feedback, liked my work – gave advice on the work that he could see.

PDF portfolio and Email that was sent out

I did have the PDF on here...but then realised, I had the EP tees in, which I'm not supposed to put online, so below are the pages...that aren't the t-shirts.






'Hi...,

I have recently visited your website and I really like the work that you’re producing as a whole.

I am based in West Yorkshire, UK and enjoy working with illustration, type and photography.

I have attached a PDF containing examples of my recent work and was hoping for some initial, professional feedback on the direction I am taking. Also if possible, the details of anyone else that you think it would be appropriate to send it to.

I look forward to hearing from you soon and thank you for your time.

Charlotte Riley.
BA (Hons) Graphic Design,
Year 2
Leeds College of Art.'

Even though I only sent this out recently...it is actually making me cringe just looking at it, I really need to send out better ones in the summer!

The 'dry' CV

2010 - YCN Competition Boards

All the companies that I looked at...

I've had these printed out in a folder for months...because I thought we were handing in a folder, when I realised we weren't I thought I should put them up here.
When I was making myself believe we 'had' to have a work placement with a design studio, I looked at a few places where I would like to go or where I could go, in terms of location and in all honesty - I wasn't Really excited by any of them.

Below is who I looked at and what I wrote next to them;

Bark and Bite;
+ In Leeds
+ Good client base
+ Good website
+ Motion graphics
- Maybe Too motion based.

What!?;
+ Diverse range of work
- All men...
- No illustration

Teabag studio;
- Don't stand out

Type in motion;
+ I like the look of the website
- The website doesn't really work very well...or not on my laptop anyway.

Elmwood;
+ Well known
+ High profile client base
- Not sure its really 'me'
- Branding?...

4everdesign;
+ In leeds
- Horrible website
- Don't really stand out

Made by Analogue;
+ Contemporary
+ Good clients
+ Really nice website
+ Get input from freelancers

SBT;
+ Sound enthusiastic
+ List 'illustration' on their services
- But still don't 'stand out' :(


We are boxhead;
+ Nice site
+ Good print work
+ Contemporary
- Seem a bit...up themselves?

Paris Panda;
+ Really like the site
+ Contemporary look
- Not a lot of imagery
- Hard to find any of their work

Mask;
+ They've got a studio in Wakefield
+ Really good client base
+ Love the work
- Very digital

Made by pi
- Not sure...

Turnkey;
+ Big group of people
- Marketing/branding.
- Not want I want to do

OUG205 - End of module evaluation

The image module has given me the opportunity to develop my image based skills; prior to this I really wasn’t sure which area I preferred as a designer or which I was ‘good’ at but this had made me realise how much more comfortable I am working with image rather than type/layout.

I had two concerns before starting the module, the first being; I thought it would be completely image based i.e. I wouldn’t be able to use type/words at all but I soon realised that type can be image; the second concern was following on from this, if I couldn’t use type at all I don’t know if I’m imaginative enough? Thankfully, my concerns didn’t last long and even though I could use type in my work, I have started thinking more visually and ‘laterally’ (mainly after the 2D to 3D to 2D brief) and realised that everyones work looks different so, in this sense, I feel a lot more confident with my own work and the fact that it doesn’t matter that I aren’t very good character design etc.

An aspect of the module that I liked and had missed was week long or two week briefs. A disadvantage overall that came from this was that, because I hadn’t done it for a while, my development was lacking and I didn’t document it as well as I probably could have done. On the other hand, it was an advantage because I didn’t have enough time to worry about what idea I should develop etc. and I made decisions a lot faster than I normally do; however, at the same time it may have been a disadvantage because I rushed some things. Looking back on the amount of work I have done and some of the resolutions I have done in just a week, it will hopefully encourage me to work faster and not ponder over small things for a long time, in the future.

Although I enjoyed the shorter term briefs, I did still enjoy the final, longer negotiated brief. I knew that I wanted to work more on ‘type as image’ but wasn’t sure where to go from this; after some discussion it was decided I would use Lady Gaga lyrics. At first, I was excited about it and then the joy somewhat drifted away when I was trying to chose lyrics to base my ideas on but once I had made this decision – which took me too long – I was back to being comfortable with the brief. I wasn’t a particular fan of Lady Gaga before and I wouldn’t say this brief made me a fan but it did make me realise I don’t have to base work on things I personally 'love', to enjoy the brief; that would have probably been a bad thing as if I based the brief on one of my favourite artists, I would probably been sick of listening to them after this brief.

Overall I am pleased with the amount and the standard of work I have produced and feel that spending this time focusing on purely image has definitely helped me develop as a designer and will effect my future work in a positive way.

Freelance?...

Last year I was asked to photograph one of my mums friends weddings...I definately don't intend to make a living from being a wedding photographer but it was an interesting experience.

Thankfully for me, they wanted mainly 'candid' photography, so I didn't have to stand there telling people what to do as I don't have a particularly authorative personality.

OUGD203 - Collaborative brief evaluation

As a designer, I never ‘look forward’ to collaborative briefs and leading up to it, I get extremely anxious. This collaborative brief wasn’t any different but now the deadline has been and gone, I am pleased with the work that we produced and I feel that the creative partnership worked well. In other collaborative partnerships I have followed the advice to not work with friends however in this instance I thought; if my friend has the design qualities I am looking for and I have never worked with them before, I’m never going to know whether it will or will not work.

As I stated on the original contract; ‘Nichola is commited to the course and is reliable so I know I can trust her.’ I’m glad to say that this stayed true and I felt confident working apart and meeting at set intervals to put our work together. Another point that I made on the contract was that ‘Nichola works well with type where I work better with image therefore I hope that putting our strengths together we can produce a successful piece’, we both worked on our strengths and when we were working alone, I’m sure were both happy with our work but when we came together it was hard to analyse each others; I don’t think this led to an unsuccessful piece but I do feel it made decision making take a little longer because, personally, I didn’t want to say something to upset Nichola so I ‘umm’ and ‘ahh’d’ a lot until I would suggest anything, even if it was a tiny decision where she’d ask me which typeface I liked; this was probably the biggest problem when it came to working with a friend, but on the other hand, we communicated a lot more than I ever have in any other collaborative brief.

Referring back to the contract and what we both wrote about design skills, I think we definately stuck to this; I stated that I wanted to work with image and a limited colour palette which I did get to do. Nichola mentioned her interest in typography which were needed throughout the brief, as well as her layout and InDesign skills. One particular area of the project that I felt we worked really well together on, was the research and we stated that this would be a joint responsibility; thankfully, this brief meant we could go on a ‘research trip’ to London; Nichola was ‘in charge’ of documenting it in terms of photography (with a good camera!), I had a little digital one, took notes and recorded all the info on our ‘interactive tickets’.

The final boards that we submit as a creative partnership to YCN were quite image dominated so when it comes to producing my own boards, I will document the development of the production of my images. In addition to this, I will show my own type work; this was Nichola’s area of the brief, and rightly so, because she is more skilled in this area as she did the type module and I did the image one, but I think it would be interesting to see how different it would have been if I was doing the brief on my own and I would have responsibility for the type aswell.

I stated on my creative partner ‘advert’ that I was ‘cooperative’. I don’t think that in this brief I was ‘uncooperative’ but I don’t think I could use that as one of my personal traits anymore; looking back on the brief, I do feel that I may have been a little overpowering sometimes and instead of discussing some things, I just said ‘I’ll do it’ and when it came to making images I produced them on my own and maybe forced the idea upon Nichola, at the time I didn’t do this intentionally and its not because I think I could do it any better than Nichola; I’m just a control freak.

Looking back on the creative partnership, I am happy with the work that we produced and I’m more than happy that I chose to work with Nichola. However, it has reinforced to me how much I like working alone; when I have to depend on other people or other people depend on me, I tend to panic, get very anxious and sometimes angry at the other person even when they haven’t done anything wrong. In the book ‘How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul’, the author explains that the freelance life suits two kinds of people; ‘the second type is best characterised as the creative loner. These are individuals who cannot be comfortably accomodated within the structure of a design group...They are often designers who cannot compromise their work.’

So overall, from this brief I have learnt that I am a control freak; a creative loner.