Contactign Studios: Reflection

After contacting numerous studios the use of personalised emails has worked well although with limited success in relation to larger studios/agencies. Creating a personalised pitch for Gorilla worked well as it received a positive response and also seemed to make a good impression. This approach is something I plan to use moving forward when looking for a junior designer role. In addition, sending elements of my personal branding explaining more about myself, or producing work inspired by the studio may be another avenue, as sending something physical may have a more lasting impact. Overall personalising the emails and discussing more about myself and what I can offer rather than focusing solely on what they can do for me worked well as it showed confidence and interest rather than looking like a mass email. Furthermore the use of hunter.io was very helpful as it discovered emails I wouldn't have had access to before, this also helped when sending emails as I could send an email directly to the person I wanted to talk to rather than the general enquires team.

Set Design: Anna Rhodes

Absolute: The Walk
The most interesting aspect of this article was learning the importance of each small detail within the set that tells the narrative allowing the audience to connect with the advert and travel through time. Furthermore the importance of research and understanding the materials used were also highlighted as these materials are key in creating an environment that envokes nostalgia and transports the audience back in time. This attention to detail which allows the scene to be set is something to consider when documenting my work. It was also interesting to read about the breakdown of how much goes into creating a set of this scale and the amount of work per designer due to the detail that needed to be created for the advert to be as successful as it is.

Contacting Studios: Build

Due to the limited number of graphic design studios in Liverpool and Manchester, I started to look at studios based in Leeds. Build is a studio I have liked for a while after attending a talk they gave a few years ago. Therefore I decided to enquire about internships as they offer paid internships (see figure 1-2), I used information gained from the talk I attended within the email to give it a personal touch instead of referencing work which has been my approach previously. Furthermore I included more information about myself, explaining what areas of design I'm looking at within my practice and how that aligns with them. I felt my recent work aligned with them as I had just completed a gender-neutral skin brief which is something they had explored in recent work (see figures 3-4). The email was sent to their internship enquiry email as listed on their website, however I was concerned this wouldn't get seen so I used the basis of this email to guess at what Michael Place (creative director) email could have been (see figure 2). However despite this I didn't receive a response which I think is due to the popularity of the studio and the amount of students/enquires they get. Another approach such as sending something physical might have been a better approach in this situation as this is a less common form of communication. 

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Gorilla: Response

After developing a personalised pitch for Gorilla in Manchester I sent an email enquiring about work experience to both enquires and Joe Bowker (creative director). Initially, I tried to identify specific emails using Hunter however no results where found, therefore I researched the studio to find the names of those who worked there using linkedIn. I used the hello address as a base for the specific email, which worked well as I got a reply. I had noticed after finding Gorilla on Instagram and following them on my design account that they followed me back, giving me an indication that they liked my work. As the studio is relatively small I used this as my subject line as I felt being a little bolder and light-hearted fit the message of the studio which is focused on being different. Within the pitch/portfolio, I explained my practice in relation to their key values in order to stand out. This alternative approach to emails worked well as Joe was impressed with my portfolio. However he mentioned that they hadn't taken on an intern before but where thinking about it and would let me know. I had already arranged an internship with Black & Ginger for during term time at this point so took this response as a good opportunity to find something for summer, as Joe asked when I would be looking to do work experience. I plan to follow up post-graduation to see if they have any opportunities. 

Black & Ginger Internship

Learning Objectives: 6A2, 6B2, 6D2 

After contacting Alex Frech, creative director of Black and Ginger via email I was offered a two-week internship running from Feb - March. Overall the internship went really well as it was interesting to see the different roles within a small studio and understand the role of an intern/junior designer more. Furthermore, it was interesting to learn the different ways of working within the studio rather than how I work in uni, such as different ways of presenting work and prefered programs within the studio.

During the first week, I mainly worked on research and idea generation for pitches for new client briefs such as ad concepts for Nextbase and design proposals for the arrivals section of John Lennon Airport. This week was really helpful as I hadn't been part of the beginning of a brief in a studio, therefore it was interesting to see how they layout there proposals and present their ideas and references. I was surprised by the depth of research into brand strategy that was used to help explain and solve the problem within the pitch which then allowed the clients to understand the creative aspect as they had been taken on a 'journey' throughout the pitch that explained why the creative was necessary. Initially, I expected to do more designing throughout the week however research and ideas was the main focus as two pitches needed to be prepared. Normally they would have more of a split however both briefs happened to come in just before I started.

In the second week, I mainly focused on in-house projects as they had just sent a new brand book to print detailing all the work in the last year. Due to the production of the book the studio's branding is shifting more towards the style of the book features more block colour and offset text. Therefore I explored how this could be incorporated within their current website to move away from the current structured grid aesthetic. This involved exploring the brand book and column structure used within, allowing for consistency. During this project it was interesting to find the balance between the studio branding and client work, as I didn't want the studio branding to interrupt the work/branding made for different clients. However when I presented my ideas/designs Alex and the other designers where please and are looking to implement the designs within the website. After recapping over the two weeks there Alex invited me back after summer, stating I was a good fit for the studio and he was pleased with the work I had done.

Overall I enjoyed the internship as I found it interesting to observe how a small studio is run and the opportunities available to learn from others. Due to the small nature of the studio the atmosphere was chilled and helpful as I was working alongside the other creatives within the studio. Furthermore, I was treated as another member of the team rather than the 'intern' which allowed for more opportunities to learn as I was involved in creative decisions and discussions surrounding work within the studio. Overall it was a very positive experience, however I would like to explore the possibility of freelancing as I think this is an avenue I would also enjoy due to the variety and ability to have full control over a breif. I enjoyed learning how a studio was run however missed some of the elements that I enjoy at university such as seeing a whole brief through from research to final design. However I only interned for two-weeks so it is unrealistic to think I coule of been able to acheive this in those two weeks.

Contacting/ Researching Studios: Mark

Learning Objectives: 6A2, 6B2, 6D2

After researching different studios in Manchester, I identified Mark as one of interest due to the conceptual backing within their work, specifically their Left Coast project (see figures 1-3). Although Mark is a very small studio mainly consisting of founder Mark Lester, I still wanted to see if work experience would be possible and make the connection as I like the work he does. Therefore I included a clear ask within my email (work experience) whilst also referencing the work I found most interesting to make the email more personal, as I didn't want to send an email that could have been to anyone asking for an internship. Hunter has been used to try and identify specific emails however only produced the enquires email (see figure 4), therefore I decided to make an educated guess as to what Mark's email would be based on the enquires handle. This method worked effectively as Mark replied, initially saying he only takes on graduates for internships and to keep in touch as he would like to sort something out post-graduation (see figure 5-7). I followed up asking for portfolio tips in order to ensure he had looked at my portfolio. As a result of which he complimented my work, saying it was to a high standard and asked when I was free/looking to do some work experience. I replied with my available day and sent a few follow up emails however Mark didn't get back to me. I decided to not follow up again as I had sent three emails with no reply which I felt was enough to try and continue the conversation (see figure 8).

Overall this process was successful as it has given me the confidence that my work is to an industry standard, however highlights the limitations of email as sometimes you don't get a reply very quickly.

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Design Your Own Job

Nelly Ban Hayoun:
Jobs/Places:
Orchestra at Nasa

Task One:
Be anything you want:

• uni work without blogger forever 
• make big projects, not necessarily graphic design - pinball machine - not limited by graphic design, big moving elements 
• get paid to do own projects/briefs 
• work for myself, no boss 

set designer 

Task Two: Design job title 

• Professional Design Dabbler 
• Expert Dabbler
• Artist
• Creative Player 
• Multidisaplinary designer 
• Maker of Big Bold Projects 
• Design Conductor 
• Creative Conductor
• conductor - highlights bringing different disciplines togheter
• creative - not bound to traditional graphic design 

Ball - identity, inclusive, cover different areas - set design,

10 Things Designers Need To Know: Terms and Conditions

Know the value of your work:

• Protect work and brand:
• likely designs will be copied if successful - lawyer if necessary 
• Copywrite, trademarks, patterns and licensing help to protect work and brand name/identity. 
•  Know the client and what they want:
• Formalise the conversion, have written proof of what's being asked of you 
• Keep a clear and concise dialogue.
• Who owns your work?
• stipulate that you retain rights to use work you created online/post/share. 
• who retains right to show - confidentiality.
• NDA: 
• What is reasonable? usually higher price 
• Have a lawyer read through
• Don't agree before thinking, decisions don't need to be made instantly. 
• if your being hounded, usually a bad deal. 
• Never sign without reading the fine print, ask for contract amendments 
• Consultant/ contractor/ employee or worker:
• Understand role:
• worker: expected to come in, work certain hours, have a certain role - legally entitled to min wage (internship).
• Look at definition 
• Register for self assessment (TAX) - self employed/ freelance
• Worldwide In perpetuity:
• allows work to be used worldwide 
• options: say no, increase fee or negotiate less usage. 
• Budget Up Front:
• Avoid pitching for free 
• Find out if the project is worth you getting invested in, minimise time spent on work your not sure about. 
• Hellosign / Freeths IP Media:
• Digital respondent recorder. 
• Legally covered if someone says 'oh I didn't see the contract', records who opens documents and when.