Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the Creative Convos week straight after Christmas as it grounded me with plenty of inspiration and guidance for the future, and allowed me to again starting thinking realistically for after uni.
There was a complete different focus by each speaker which catered for everyone on the course and the various possible routes you could consider following. The diverse discussions that week included talks of art residencies, packaging design to creative consultancy.
This provided a much broader scope of the creative industries, allowing me to consider in more depth how you can create your own work and have impact on the design process but from a different perspective - more though pushing and challenging other peoples concepts to strengthen their approach (design consultancy).
The week began with Dines from Studio Blup who are a London based agency who help brands 'connect with their future customers through culturally relevant design'.
Very quickly, it was clear to me how influential and current this studio are and how relevant they feel to me as a motion designer. I began looking at their work online and the 'remix of brands' was very apparent in their overall aesthetic - it makes the client feel more part of this current, interactive, yet glitchy/trendy style by working with such young and charismatic creatives - (the studio is all about their whole approach and service as young, fun tight-knit creatives).
- Dines' personality and sense of humour came through very strongly from the beginning of his talk, his confidence and positivity radiated out to his audience and kept everyone engaged and driven by what he was saying.
There was a complete different focus by each speaker which catered for everyone on the course and the various possible routes you could consider following. The diverse discussions that week included talks of art residencies, packaging design to creative consultancy.
This provided a much broader scope of the creative industries, allowing me to consider in more depth how you can create your own work and have impact on the design process but from a different perspective - more though pushing and challenging other peoples concepts to strengthen their approach (design consultancy).
The week began with Dines from Studio Blup who are a London based agency who help brands 'connect with their future customers through culturally relevant design'.
Very quickly, it was clear to me how influential and current this studio are and how relevant they feel to me as a motion designer. I began looking at their work online and the 'remix of brands' was very apparent in their overall aesthetic - it makes the client feel more part of this current, interactive, yet glitchy/trendy style by working with such young and charismatic creatives - (the studio is all about their whole approach and service as young, fun tight-knit creatives).
- Dines' personality and sense of humour came through very strongly from the beginning of his talk, his confidence and positivity radiated out to his audience and kept everyone engaged and driven by what he was saying.
- He referenced his humble beginnings - from his bedroom to now working with Nike, Adidas and Lacoste.
- Blup lives the culture: fashion shows, gigs, DJ Events, Big Brands
- Establish a vision, get a picture in your mind of your goals and aim towards them in everything you do. That way nothing you do will be a waste of time. How can you reach those goals?
- Read the small print
- Prepare yourself for industry
- he didn't want to sugar coat the industry and emphasised how hard its been over the last ten years to get where he is now.
- All about the hacks of the design industry
- One occurrent theme was to set goals, as Dines discussed how he used to look up to certain people in university but once he graduated he thought of ways he could become that certain person. This was achieved and is still in play today, by having goals and setting achievable stages to fulfil them.
- Dines talked about being omnipresent which is to be widely or constantly encountered and widespread. This benefits gaining clients but also knowing what clients want exactly. If your encountering a variety of culture on a day to day basis then your output will definitely reflect this.
- Get rid of @hotmail/@yahoo.com email accounts. Get professional! Designers receive hundreds of emails per week but will dismiss them due to a unprofessional email. This is a simple thing but one that can have a huge impact one ones practice once graduating.
- Be a Yes person, never turn down a good opportunity - Approach yourself as a mini studio / He encouraged us to take jobs then worry about it later, and act as a mini studio undertaking a variety of work your not necessarily great at.
- Process / What I especially liked about Dines presentation is that he showed us a short process video of how created a piece of work for Soccer-bible. It broke down each element of the piece and made the intricate glitched nature feel more straight-forward and achievable - just need to not hold back on Photoshop - go mad!
- Reach out to people you admire - magazines, websites, organisations etc.
- Process / What I especially liked about Dines presentation is that he showed us a short process video of how created a piece of work for Soccer-bible. It broke down each element of the piece and made the intricate glitched nature feel more straight-forward and achievable - just need to not hold back on Photoshop - go mad!
- Reach out to people you admire - magazines, websites, organisations etc.
- Mock things up properly to make them look better (logos, books etc.)
- Learn cinema 4D / anything else you need to on youtube!
- Learn cinema 4D / anything else you need to on youtube!
- Keep in touch with your uni mates. Friends are important and will help you out later on in life
- Express style and creativity if you're going freelance.
- Feed your creativity and don't let mundane tasks get you down.
- Find a way to make money doing what you love
- Push motions - design for screen is the future.
The second day of Creative Convos was with Rose Nordin, who is currently a freelance graphic designer and illustrator based in London with a particular interest in self publishing and DIY culture. She is behind 'OOMK' (women, art and activism, self published mag) and talked about her last few years in the industry and then also the potential options for us after university, but specifically how artist residencies have funded her to produce work that she is passionate about.
Prior to the talk I didn't really know much about residencies so it was beneficial to learn more about how they can let you drive and create your own work. If I did consider travelling as a serious option then this could be a way of funding myself and the work I hope to do be doing out there.
- Consider the relationship of the medium - Rose wanted to highlight the importance of showcasing mediums and the best ways of displaying this in projects - FUCK digital mockups!
- Applying for residencies means you make a range of work and are constantly collaborating with other designers
- British Council allows you to go travelling for residencies
- Got a residency travelling around Malasyia - generate links to other projects
- Helpful Websites for Arts Resdencies: Arts Council, Arts Fund, Arts Quest, Art Links
- You propose a budget and suggest the values it would bring but if you don't get it you can always refresh and reapply
- Artist Network - Guide on artist residency payments and aligns it to standardized pay rates. Typical student/graduate rate is £175 a day.
- Avoid working for free as it is exploitation.
Third, we had a visit from Chris and Eve from Leeds based studio Robot Food. The studio mainly focuses on product packaging, food branding, food package design and new product development which shone through the presentation. Although, I have no interest in packaging I still enjoyed the talk and considering how these projects may be approached slightly differently.
They talked about how, as a studio, they stop everything and all partake in team-building / idea generation projects to keep their creative third eye fresh.
It is called 'project disrupt' and was all about working on something completely different, competitively as teams within the studio, they had five days to create three brands which got people excited. It was interesting to see how this shook things up in the studio and I think it would be quite a solid team-building exercise which would keep studio-life fresh and stimulating for the in-house designers - allows them to get a better feel of eachother and break down boundaries around how they independently and collaboratively work.
- When starting a project on branding and visual identity the first thing you must do is establish and define the core values and personalities of the company/product/institution.
- Projecting this idea should be the main focus rather than trying to simply make it 'look good'.
- Shout about it's unique selling point whilst keeping the design memorable and simple.
- Disrupt the category by making it completely different to its competitors, eg. load and say cheese projects.
- Always consider product, range and distribution, how will it be promoted/sold/packaged etc.
- Identify a consumer who is not being catered for
- Design for the consumer/audience and the category
- Find out what everyone is doing and do the opposite!
- Introduce unexpected visual styles into stagnant categories (Project-Disrupt)
- Spend the first few days of a project brainstorming and coming up with ideas and researching.
- Check out Google Design Sprint - It sets time limits for working on projects.
- Tailor your portfolio to where you want to work.
- Spend a lot of time on research! Be interested in what's going on around that subject
- Show your interest in design to your boss and piers like 'Have you seen this?' - start convos
The Elephant Room joined us on Thursday, to talk about their year old agency and to discuss advertising in this day and age.
This talk was interesting as both Will and Shannie were humble and passionate about what they do. They both went into detail about how they ended up where they are today, and although it was mainly advertising focused and not work I could see myself working on - it still touched on the universal ups and downs of the industry. I gathered some of their advice from the talk
- About potential, not experience - employers should hire on potential and not experience some times.
- To land in a perfect role right after uni is considered lucky. The perfect role may take years but you have to create the role right for you.
- If you feel like you're a 'creative director' own it! Tell people
- Find the role that's right for you and don't be afraid to move around
- The best creatives are the most stimulating ones who have interests and projects outside of 'work'
- Make connections with everyone and keep them in mind for future projects.
- Collaborate with as many people as you can.
- Don't settle for being mediocre. Constantly progress and get better!
- Calculate the value of different work opportunities. Not money. Is it better to do a smaller more meaningful project and meeting the top dogs than getting paid for a mundane dead-end job?
- Try different things and experiment.
- Call people out on problematic opinions
- Never assume your audience is stupid
- Try to find a creative mentor, someone you can catch up with for advice
- Don't limit yourself by thinking that there is only one creative role for you
- Don't undervalue your work - charge at least London living wage considering time, the idea, travel, progression.
- Nag people for internships because if you nag it shows you're passionate and really want to work there. They're the people you want.
- Make dry briefs interesting
On the final day of Creative Convos we had Abraham Asefaw from The Pop Up Agency. The agency is all about about driving change by forming dedicated, intensely focused teams for short periods of time. They travel the world and approach brands with their UNIQUE SELLING POINT & STRATEGY - they offer their services and solve the problem within a 48 hour time period - charged at a flat rate, people buy into this quick creative turn around.
What struck me from Abraham was his open-attitude and confidence to discuss finances and pay so directly.
He informed us of how much his agency charge for 48 hours and exactly why. Supporting it with the point that if you are up front and confident in the service you are offering, people will buy into your mind-set.
- What I got from this, is to charge a flat fee which gives confidence to clients and allows them to value your service more. Say if your work was good but you charged low, it doesn't exactly put you across in the best light.
The overall presentational style and his easy-to-approach and wise attitude throughout the workshop left me feeling very inspired and confident to create a set-up similar for myself after uni - he highlighted to me how it is important to show people you believe in what you are doing - be the shepherd not the sheep!
- Similar to the Simon Sinek talk - it reflects back to how these top-of-their-game brands and creatives get the support because people can buy into their passion and ethos - they are pioneering something differently and people immediately want in on this innovation.
Further summary notes from his workshop:
Check in and out of every session/day to reflect and set goals
- Artist Network - Guide on artist residency payments and aligns it to standardized pay rates. Typical student/graduate rate is £175 a day.
- Avoid working for free as it is exploitation.
- Projects on the representation of female designers
- R2TB - Right to the bone publication - Skate Photography Editorial
- R2TB - Right to the bone publication - Skate Photography Editorial
- Shy Residencies - A Book Works Publication
- Rabbits Road Press - community risograph printing space
- Go to publishing fairs to meet people who will pay you to publish their books
- Rabbits Road Press - community risograph printing space
- Go to publishing fairs to meet people who will pay you to publish their books
Third, we had a visit from Chris and Eve from Leeds based studio Robot Food. The studio mainly focuses on product packaging, food branding, food package design and new product development which shone through the presentation. Although, I have no interest in packaging I still enjoyed the talk and considering how these projects may be approached slightly differently.
They talked about how, as a studio, they stop everything and all partake in team-building / idea generation projects to keep their creative third eye fresh.
It is called 'project disrupt' and was all about working on something completely different, competitively as teams within the studio, they had five days to create three brands which got people excited. It was interesting to see how this shook things up in the studio and I think it would be quite a solid team-building exercise which would keep studio-life fresh and stimulating for the in-house designers - allows them to get a better feel of eachother and break down boundaries around how they independently and collaboratively work.
- When starting a project on branding and visual identity the first thing you must do is establish and define the core values and personalities of the company/product/institution.
- Projecting this idea should be the main focus rather than trying to simply make it 'look good'.
- Shout about it's unique selling point whilst keeping the design memorable and simple.
- Disrupt the category by making it completely different to its competitors, eg. load and say cheese projects.
- Always consider product, range and distribution, how will it be promoted/sold/packaged etc.
- Identify a consumer who is not being catered for
- Design for the consumer/audience and the category
- Find out what everyone is doing and do the opposite!
- Introduce unexpected visual styles into stagnant categories (Project-Disrupt)
- Spend the first few days of a project brainstorming and coming up with ideas and researching.
- Check out Google Design Sprint - It sets time limits for working on projects.
- Tailor your portfolio to where you want to work.
- Spend a lot of time on research! Be interested in what's going on around that subject
- Show your interest in design to your boss and piers like 'Have you seen this?' - start convos
The Elephant Room joined us on Thursday, to talk about their year old agency and to discuss advertising in this day and age.
This talk was interesting as both Will and Shannie were humble and passionate about what they do. They both went into detail about how they ended up where they are today, and although it was mainly advertising focused and not work I could see myself working on - it still touched on the universal ups and downs of the industry. I gathered some of their advice from the talk
- About potential, not experience - employers should hire on potential and not experience some times.
- To land in a perfect role right after uni is considered lucky. The perfect role may take years but you have to create the role right for you.
- If you feel like you're a 'creative director' own it! Tell people
- Find the role that's right for you and don't be afraid to move around
- The best creatives are the most stimulating ones who have interests and projects outside of 'work'
- Make connections with everyone and keep them in mind for future projects.
- Collaborate with as many people as you can.
- Don't settle for being mediocre. Constantly progress and get better!
- Calculate the value of different work opportunities. Not money. Is it better to do a smaller more meaningful project and meeting the top dogs than getting paid for a mundane dead-end job?
- Try different things and experiment.
- Call people out on problematic opinions
- Never assume your audience is stupid
- Try to find a creative mentor, someone you can catch up with for advice
- Don't limit yourself by thinking that there is only one creative role for you
- Don't undervalue your work - charge at least London living wage considering time, the idea, travel, progression.
- Nag people for internships because if you nag it shows you're passionate and really want to work there. They're the people you want.
- Make dry briefs interesting
What struck me from Abraham was his open-attitude and confidence to discuss finances and pay so directly.
He informed us of how much his agency charge for 48 hours and exactly why. Supporting it with the point that if you are up front and confident in the service you are offering, people will buy into your mind-set.
- What I got from this, is to charge a flat fee which gives confidence to clients and allows them to value your service more. Say if your work was good but you charged low, it doesn't exactly put you across in the best light.
The overall presentational style and his easy-to-approach and wise attitude throughout the workshop left me feeling very inspired and confident to create a set-up similar for myself after uni - he highlighted to me how it is important to show people you believe in what you are doing - be the shepherd not the sheep!
- Similar to the Simon Sinek talk - it reflects back to how these top-of-their-game brands and creatives get the support because people can buy into their passion and ethos - they are pioneering something differently and people immediately want in on this innovation.
Further summary notes from his workshop:
Check in and out of every session/day to reflect and set goals
- Let your co-creatives know your mindset for the day - aids teamwork.
- Him and 4 friends reflected on the needs and desires of our generation of millennials…
- Solve briefs in 48 hours (hence ‘pop-up’)
- No roles - want to constantly evolve and grow in all aspects
- They had their tour / major project to get their name out their. The pop up tour 15 briefs, 15 clients, 15 countries
- They used their student loans to fund but also didn’t charge for their work, just asked the client pays their travel and accommodation expenses!
- “We are just a reaction of our time”
- Learnt how they need to refine their process as they went
- Got their clients through just asking one client/ creative director and then hopefully getting passed onto the next
- Don’t under-value yourself and rate - people see it as a confidence game - prove yourself
- iPhone analogy - one for 50, one for 500.
- Build rate around the client and their rep (can they afford?)
- Plan savings
- Salary
- Expenses
- Savings
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