SEA

On Tuesday we had a talk from Bryan Edmondson from design agency SEA.  I didn't think I'd heard of them before, but I recognised the book they'd produced with the metallic logo on the front.

Founded by Bryan in 1997, he described the company as pure and simple graphic design.  I spoke to him after about the short amount of time between graduating and setting up his business, just 5 years.  He said he felt they'd started to early and as a result had to learn a lot as they went along at their own expense.  This was an interesting viewpoint, different from everyone so far.  Although I appreciated what he said, I guess I wouldn't mind making mistakes at my own expense if there wasn't any job to be had anyway!

Anyway, moving on... I don't really have much to say about this lecture, the work was lovely, although not really my thing and he didn't really give us anything else other than his work.  So here's a visual feast of Sea Design!

Russell Hancock: Freelancing

Russell graduated from the same year as Craig Oldham and yesterday he dropped in to give us his words of wisdom about leaving uni.  It was a very interesting and informative talk, which covered very different things from Craig Oldham's.  He focused a lot on work you do when you leave which is more likely than not going to be for free.  It is great when we get the chance to hear from someone who is much closer to our own experiences and lives, just a few years ahead of us, rather than just intimidating big designers (Although these are great too!).  For me, it gives me a sense of comfort that it can be done and it will turn out alright in the end.  I felt that Russell was totally honest about his experiences, especially admitting that it has gone wrong, he has moved back home, he has felt like giving up.  I know that it is not going to be easy when we leave, we're not going to walk straight into our dream jobs, but I do believe that as long as i'm prepared for that and willing to keep going despite rejection that I will get there eventually!

I will actually take away from his talk quite a few pieces of great advice.
Firstly, the nitty-gritty of legal stuff and contracts.  Things like this had never really crossed my mind and for Russell to not only explain and go through this side, but to actually give us template documents was probably the most invaluable thing we've received all year!

Secondly, the chat that we had afterwards was really insightful.  Myself and a few others have seriously been considering the idea of setting up our own business when we leave and just diving straight into things.  My heart is totally for this idea, would relish the challenge and be willing to do everything it takes to succeed, but my head has been pulling me back saying that no one would take us seriously and we don't have enough experience.  Russell said that it depends on how you feel, it's different for everyone, but believed that if you feel you can do things better, you can deliver the goods and you put the work in, people will take you seriously and it can work.  This idea is starting to become a serious consideration for me...

Thirdly,  I thought his cinema project was great.  I loved the fact that he had actively taken a problem he identified and tried to fix it, set up his own pitch to the council and despite all the set backs ended up turning it into a great business prospect.  I really identify with the idea of fixing problems that you find around you, it's where I hope i'm headed in the future, but to see him put this into action for no other reason than passion and a slim opportunity was an absolute inspiration to me!

Emily Forgot

Emily forgot A.K.A Emily Alston is a Graphic designer come illustrator who works in London. She graduated 6 years ago from Liverpool and is now a successful freelancer! Fingers crossed I can hope to be as accomplished and connected as she is in 6 years time!

I really enjoyed looking at Emily's work because it was so surreal. She has very distinct and recognisable styles which included simple minimal drawings to very detailed images. I particularly liked how surreal her work was and the use of colour, her work felt quite dark and always visually stimulating. She talked about how she was inspired by the likes of Aldridge and Koon and was openly honest about what she liked and how she always tries to get something random into a piece. She particularly likes juxtaposition in her work, something I have always been into myself.

With Jobs like Selfridges window displays and Creative Review covers, Emily has definitely made a name for herself in the industry and I'm sure her success will only continue.

Emily talked a lot about life after university, missing the facilities that we have access to when we're here, being put into a box and always getting asked to just repeat your 'style' for a different client. I totally related to what she said about being in London - it's not that the city itself inspires you but that you feel like your in the middle of something and it's easier to get into those circles and meet the right people. Something that really stuck with me is the idea that your personal work can help influence your commercial career. This is something I intend to keep in mind, I don't expect to be able to work on the briefs/clients that I want to immediately but keeping up a personal portfolio should help to remind people what I want to do and what I am capable of.

I got these images from Emily's website, and while I was visiting it I noticed she had used the same simple format to build hers as we are doing in our workshops with Chris. She actually has a very similar design to mine that I have been laying out recently - the thumbnail portfolio that links to the work and use of black lines will be appearing in mine soon! But it's good to see that this will work and that you can build a website simply and yet still have a very effective tool to promote yourself. Watch this space for my new website which is currently in the middle of two designs (after spending ages on it I totally changed my mind and am revamping it already)!

Print seminar

This was a very nice way to spend an hour handling all these lovely specimens. Below are a few of my favourites - I seem to be attracted to the simplest minimal designs and full blown images. I'm taking these traits into consideration for my journal design which will be taking place over Easter amongst many other jobs!

What did I learn?

Saddle stitch: is used on a double spread

Duplex: two pieces of card or paper stuck together to make a more rigid design usually used for invites.

How to approach a print job: Make sure you give a detailed spec of the piece including a title, format, size, stock, finishing, quantity and deadline.

Many print companies will be happy to help out students by doing free test runs and samples etc.

I'm going to have a go at some business cards over Easter, and will definitely be making the most of the discounted litho printing at uni for them and maybe a few final pieces!

The Caravan Gallery

On Thursday evening I went to the Caravan Gallery talk by photography team Jan Williams and Chris Teasdale. I thought this would be very useful for me as I've been working on the RSA stamp project - to design stamps that represent the contemporary cultures of each British country.

The name Caravan gallery comes from a little Caravan they adopted and painted yellow which travels round with them as an exhibiting space. What could be more British? The pair travel to different places in the country and spend some time photographing what they see, 'trying to capture the essence of a place' as they put it. They explained they often spent the day photographing and then after a visit to Asda or Boots 1 hour photo service they would exhibit the photos in the caravan for people to see.

Looking at many of the photos they've taken, you can see that photography is just a way to document for them, many of them are not great photos in terms of composition or quality, but what they have is a keen observational eye. They capture real moments of time, sometimes extraordinary moments which you could never have conjured up. I like the idea of documenting and exhibiting the photos so quickly, from what they said it seems that the caravan is a very accessible place that many of the locals feel comfortable visiting. Through doing this they can build relationships with the subjects of the photographs and this makes the photos even more special.

I'm glad I went to this talk after a long day at uni! They're work has inspired me to do a little project about my own village over Easter. I moved there when I was 13 and have never really liked it - it has never crossed my mind to photograph the place, and as my parents could be moving to France any day now, I'd like to document it in a similar way before I have no reason to go back their! It has also given me a new angle to think about what I could do with my stamp project and how I could maybe take it in a different direction once I've designed the stamps.

Morag Myerscough

Morag left St. Martins in 88, a year after I was born, so I suppose she has had a long time to establish her career. It's scary and exciting that we are just starting out!

What really struck me about Morag was the fact she seemed to get involved with everything she did. I liked it that she showed pictures of her painting and building and putting the exhibitions together. She seemed to be thoroughly involved and have total ownership of every project. I really related to what she said about budgeting and the fact that if you try hard enough you can make anything work with the amount you have. It may sound dull, but I am super organised and would really enjoy working with budgets and being creative with them. More and more I am realising, that although I love what I do and have a passion for it, in a career I would never be fully satisfied just sticking to one thing. Idea generation and conceptual thinking are my strengths within design, but I'd want to work with the client, do the research, write briefs, write copy, check the budget, present the work, be part of building/designing it too. I'm not sure if this is possible for most people, I think you have to be extremely persevering and lucky to be in a position like this. Maybe the places to start are much smaller company's, and I certainly wouldn't rule out starting my own studio in the furture, working with a team of people who all have different strengths but ultimately work together. She did divulge however that she starts work at 5.30 and finishes at 9. I have a great admiration of that much dedication and think that is probably what it takes to be as successful as she is, but personally I don't ever see myself being in that situation. Don't get me wrong I'm not afraid of hard work, I spend 10 hours a day working most days, i'd put as much work as it took in to getting something done, and I get that if you enjoy what you do it becomes your life, but seriously? I think there is more to life and there's a lot of other things I want to experience besides work.


This is one of my favourite projects that Morag showed us. I love the idea that a school can be treated so professionally and with a design manor. Lately I have become really interested in what design can really do for society. Thinking a lot about what I want to do when I leave in June I've been reconsidering what 'advertising' can be, what I can do with my skills and how and whether it's a realistic goal to want to make a difference and do something worthwhile in a mainly cosmetic and aesthetic industry. When I look at this project it really makes me think, wow, wouldn't it be amazing if people cared enough to make schools amazing places where kids really wanted to be, where the design and atmosphere was totally based around learning and creating a positive environment. I think it's sad that we can't give all public places a touch of design which would really enhance the everyday experiences of the general public.

London born and London Bred, she talked about London as though we all knew where she was talking about (I for one had no idea of the areas she was discussing). I like it when people have been massively influenced by the place they were bought up in, I think it gives you a strong sense of identity and belonging. I never had that as I moved a few times when I was growing up and went to quite a few schools. Every place I've lived in has effected my life though and played quite a big part in the person that I am today. I couldn't imagine being so committed to one place that I'd never want to leave it though. I like different places for different moods, times, experiences. She said she could never live in the country because she loves to absorb things around her - a feeling I totally agree with. I love the country too though, I want a house in both in an ideal world =)

After the talk we had a chat with Morag in the studio and she gave us some feedback on the Degree show project that Alison and myself worked on. We had no visual feedback on our finished project yet, she gave us a few useful pointers and it was interesting to chat to her about her views of being a woman in a male dominated world. Her point was that she had never felt there were things she couldn't do because she was a woman and it's unfair to blame men completely in this day and age, which is something I have always felt was true, yet women always reach the choice of having a family or not which inevitably effects most women's careers significantly.

Wow well it turns out I had a lot to say about this lecture doesn't it!?

Helen Murgatroyd

''The idea itself, even if not made visual, is as much a work of art as any finished product." Stated LeWitt in 1971. "All intervening steps, scribbles, sketches, drawings, failed work models, studies thoughts, conversations, are of interest. Those that show the thought process of the artist are sometimes more interesting than the final product." (LeWitt, 'Paragraphs on Conceptual Art', Artforum Vol.5, no. 10, Summer 1967, pp. 79-83)

I remember Sue talking about Helen in our first year, just as the tutors talked about Libby and Nicola in our second year. 'The third year girls' who become a bit iconic and the mark to which you want to live up to, and now here we are in third year so soon! Looking at their online portfolio's is a tad intimidating! Seeing Helen's work in the degree show in 1st year has always stuck in my mind because it wasn't really what I expected to see - much more abstract and arty. Over the last three years, especially this year I've realised that graphics is a wide and varied creative art.

Although doing an MA is definitely not in my thoughts at the moment, it was interesting to hear about Helen's ideas and thought processes more than anything else. She was so confident about her ideas and work, sometimes I admit I was thinking What?, but I liked her honesty in pursuing what she wanted to do and not worrying about where it had to lead to.