ppp / brief

Context:

This module provides you with the opportunity to create a synthesis between your professional and contextual research skills and creative intentions with your own understanding of professional practice/ career ambitions. You will build on your enterprise study developed during level 5.

The module will enable the you to position yourself at a professional level for progression to employment/ self employment or post graduate study.

Brief:

It is important to see this brief as starting point for an ongoing individual/independent investigation that underpins your studio practice. Your approach to this brief in relation to the rest of your work should allow for a sufficient level of objective reflection but integrated enough to maintain relevance to your practical work. This Brief is in two parts.

Brief One - Personal Branding

You will be required to demonstrate appropriate preparation for your stated progression ambitions through research into self promotion material (business cards, letterheads, creative cvs, stationary etc.) and methods (mail shots, websites, blogs. etc.). Post graduate study (project proposals, application).

The research and development of your personal design collateral should be evidence through ongoing documentation and evaluation to your PPP blog. You will be required to submit print-based and/or digital personal branding.

Brief two - Design strategy

You will be required to document ongoing research into and preparation for your stated progression ambitions through regular postings to your PPP blog.

Blog posts may include but are not limited to:

• Studio visits and open days
• Industrial/work experience
• Professional activities
• Live briefs
• Visiting professional talks/workshops
• Portfolio surgeries and creative CV workshops
• Information of conferences, talks, exhibitions...
• Timetables and schedules
• Individual external engagement appropriate to your studies
• You will be required to submit a design strategy file that contains records of professional correspondence, enterprise plans/contacts, skills evaluation and a current CV. 

You will deliver a 10 minute presentation (powerpoint or similar) that communicates and summarises your individual creative ambitions, career plans, design strategies and professional activities.

internship / oslo

www.oslo.agency

Oslo are a young design agency situated in Leeds. In October 2016 they moved into their own studio and have a space to call their own.

I first contacted them over the summer break enquiring about a possible internship, although I was told they were in the midst of sorting studio space and to email back within a few months.

After sending a few emails to no reply, I received an email from them on the 10th October asking whether I would like to join them for 3 weeks for an internship! I spoke to Amber about this and we agreed that 3 weeks out of term time was too much, so the internship has been reduced to 2 weeks. Having only graduated this year, Alex was very understanding about university deadlines and dissertation pressure.

The internship will begin on the 7th November. I'm looking forward to seeing what tasks I am given and everything I learn from a studio environment.

summer internship / all good

Over the summer I thought it would be a really good opportunity to gain some industry experience. I contacted studios around Leeds and Manchester. Quite a few studios ignored my emails, replied saying they didn't have enough space or said to contact them again in the future. All Good, a small studio in Leeds replied inviting me to an interview the following week.

I attended the interview with my portfolio and I felt it went well! They pointed out where I would sit and told they really liked my work. I didn't hear back from them for a week, so I emailed them again inquiring whether the internship was still available.

Obviously this was quite disappointing news, though I still felt quite optimistic that they liked my work and an internship could still be available. I waited until the end of August when I knew when I was going back to university and emailed again asking whether I was able to intern in September.

Overall, this was quite a disappointing experience. Although they were re-assuring that they liked my work, this was a learning curve for me dealing with real people in the industry. It's important to be talking to more than one studio until something is nailed down - things can change in an instant and things may not be communicated properly. I am hopeful to try again throughout level 6 and get a placement that will have extremely valuable experience, though trying to get an internship over the summer has left me feeling somewhat disheartened.

summer print project

Over the summer I developed my own personal style. I found I was drawn to Illustrator and wanted to create quite surreal artwork linking to landscapes and nature. My target audience is people who can spend money on artwork like this (as each design is £12 and will also need a frame), so not students. I wanted my designs to be displayed proudly on the wall where people are likely to see it.

Each design here is 50cm x 20cm and can be bought either separately or together. I started a website to sell my prints - charlottewalker.bigcartel.com, and promoting them online via my personal Twitter. I also created a professional Instragram to sell my artwork which has gained quite a lot of attention over the past few months. This is also a place where I can post about my university projects and connect with other designers.

www.instagram.com/charlottewalkergraphics

I also decided to try to appeal to a lower budget audience, by bringing some fun into my designs. I created a zodiac range to of A4 prints and accompanying phone wallpapers for £7.50. This, I thought would appeal to people more my age and below, and at an affordable price becomes more desirable.

The zodiac prints were very popular, so I decided to turn them into a calendar:

At this point, my work was proving popular with my target audience but not with the design community. I wanted to push my work out there further, and I contacted some reputable stores to sell my designs. 

Department store, the marketplace run by People of Print responded to my email and have allowed me to sell as a vendor on their site. Here, my work is displayed along side many great designers and People of Print themselves! 

http://department-store.co/collections/vendors?q=Charlotte%20Walker