Today's talk from Lou Bones of the Association of Illustrators was really useful and interesting. Although we had a very similar talk last year, it seemed far more relevant as I am now at the stage where I have to seriously start thinking about my future.
When we were hearing about building websites and invoicing last year, I wasn't confident enough in my work that I could see it working within a professional environment. Although it was interesting, I just sort of thought "I'll deal with all that next year when my work is better and I've got a better idea of what I want to do". I have definitely changed this mindset a year on, and this lecture made me realise how much has changed and how my confidence has improved in the space of a year.
It was all very relevant and very useful. I like how blunt Lou Bones is - she definitely very good at what she does and I trust every piece of advice she gave.
STUFF I TOOK NOTE OF:
Illustration works on a licensing basis - they pay for the time that they use my work, not pay to own it.
Be careful when reading contracts to make sure I'm not signing over the entire rights to the work in question
It is important to do market research when searching for potential clients, so I can tailor the work sent to them depending on what they do (e.g. advertising, publishing etc.)
If I get stuck on where to look for potential clients, the AOI have client directories and so does bikinilists.com
Cultural expenditure - getting money back when you can prove whatever it was that cost money was culturally beneficial to a project/brief/my head. Keep receipts and send to clients with invoice
KEEP ALL INVOICES AND PAPERWORK FOREVER. This means that if someone continues using my work after the license has run up and doesn't stick to the deal I can get loads of money out of them one way or another (they pay me what I should be owed for the extra time or I take them to court)
Do not work on a daily/hourly fee
Offer staggered payments if a client is a start up business/struggling unexpectedly, be sympathetic to them as long as they don't try and string me along/get free work
Tuesday, 28 February 2017
Saturday, 25 February 2017
The opportunity - Refining the brief
What they want:
A mural on the back wall to the right of the door, extending over the door onto the other side where the coffee menu will be.
Flyers to advertise for people to bring in their work to exhibit.
Prints organised from myself and peers to exhibit and sell up on another wall.
Ideas for general brightening the place up.
To consider for the mural:
They would like bright colours.
Something that is fun and eyecatching.
Something that incorporates aspects of the flavour wheel that currently sits on the wall that I will be painting.
When do they want it by?
I need to confirm this with the owners of the coffee shop when they get back to me (I have emailed them).
A mural on the back wall to the right of the door, extending over the door onto the other side where the coffee menu will be.
Flyers to advertise for people to bring in their work to exhibit.
Prints organised from myself and peers to exhibit and sell up on another wall.
Ideas for general brightening the place up.
To consider for the mural:
They would like bright colours.
Something that is fun and eyecatching.
Something that incorporates aspects of the flavour wheel that currently sits on the wall that I will be painting.
When do they want it by?
I need to confirm this with the owners of the coffee shop when they get back to me (I have emailed them).
Thursday, 23 February 2017
The opportunity coming to life!
Today I went to visit Pump'n'Grind and find out more about the project they have in mind. It's pretty big, but 100% doable and such a great opportunity that theres no way I'm going to turn it down.
It's a very small coffee shop which makes it perfect. They currently have a lot of white wall space with one painting on the wall that they think is a bit rubbish. They would like a larger space of the wall to be painted as a mural, based on the little painting - like a new and improved version. The painting is a 'flavour wheel' of all the things you can taste when you drink different types of coffee, and they would like it all incorporated as much as possible.
They also would like me to organise various prints to be exhibited for sale from myself and my peers, and create flyers to advertise around Leeds for people to bring bits (zines, stickers) to sell and exhibit; they want a fairly quick turnaround of all the temporary work to keep it new and exciting (every 3-4 weeks). They also want me to help with general jazzing up of the space; finding plants and pots and stuff but on a tight budget.
This is SO exciting - it's like mega illustration/branding/curation/interior design all rolled into one. It gives me the chance to work with typography and prove I can manage a big project for my portfolio. I really want this to go well, even if it takes over my life!
It's a very small coffee shop which makes it perfect. They currently have a lot of white wall space with one painting on the wall that they think is a bit rubbish. They would like a larger space of the wall to be painted as a mural, based on the little painting - like a new and improved version. The painting is a 'flavour wheel' of all the things you can taste when you drink different types of coffee, and they would like it all incorporated as much as possible.
They also would like me to organise various prints to be exhibited for sale from myself and my peers, and create flyers to advertise around Leeds for people to bring bits (zines, stickers) to sell and exhibit; they want a fairly quick turnaround of all the temporary work to keep it new and exciting (every 3-4 weeks). They also want me to help with general jazzing up of the space; finding plants and pots and stuff but on a tight budget.
This is SO exciting - it's like mega illustration/branding/curation/interior design all rolled into one. It gives me the chance to work with typography and prove I can manage a big project for my portfolio. I really want this to go well, even if it takes over my life!
 |
| The wall at the back = mural! (Looks bigger on camera than it is) |
 |
| Wall for exhibiting prints/work |
 |
| Shelf for zines/stickers etc. (Subject to change) |
Tuesday, 21 February 2017
A bizarre and weird video I found and really like
It's from an old Hindi movie called Thillana Mohanambal. The pipe instrument thing is one of the weirdest sounding things I've ever heard in my life and he looks hilarious playing it. The colours and costumes are amazing as per. I love old Indian movies!!
Monday, 20 February 2017
The opportunity - Looking at Pump'N'Grind
I've had a look at Pump'N'Grind's website to get a better idea of what kind of company they are. It seems really nice, but you can tell they are a start up business though. Their website is a bit bare and hasn't got much information or many pictures on it.
I'm going down in person tomorrow to speak to the girl who works there, who spoke to my friend Jess. This will give me a better idea of what they have in mind and what kind of thing they will be wanting from me. I think visiting in person is always a lot better - it gives them the chance to meet me properly and gauge what I am about, as well as me finding out about them.
I'm going down in person tomorrow to speak to the girl who works there, who spoke to my friend Jess. This will give me a better idea of what they have in mind and what kind of thing they will be wanting from me. I think visiting in person is always a lot better - it gives them the chance to meet me properly and gauge what I am about, as well as me finding out about them.
An Opportunity!
I just had this lovely exciting message from a friend in Leeds, asking about a mural for a recently opened coffee shop in Hyde Park. I am going to meet the owners later today for a quick meeting. A mural would be a great substantial brief to work on and give me lots of exposure, and could also exhibit prints to sell inside. I will ask my peers as well after I have spoken to them.
Exciting!
Online Social Presence - Behance
This is my newborn Behance page.
I have chosen Behance as one of my online platforms as I feel it is perfect for professional exposure and research alike. It will help me find studios I might want to apply to as well as give me inspiration for work. Hopefully, it will also give me the exposure I need. I know someone who was employed at a really good design studio in London after they found his work on Behance, so it must work sometimes! It is easy to use and easy to display work as an online portfolio.
It does need beefing up, but I am only going to put my best work on it. It might take a couple of months to get really good.
Design Studios - Research
Manchester
Instruct Studio
Milk Ltd.
Nine Sixty
Vibe Studio
Raw
Made By Shape
Foke Studio
Studio North
London
Pentagram
Design Studio
Alphabetical
(to be continued)
Instruct Studio
Milk Ltd.
Nine Sixty
Vibe Studio
Raw
Made By Shape
Foke Studio
Studio North
London
Pentagram
Design Studio
Alphabetical
(to be continued)
A PLAN OF ACTION
I have realised that now it is time to formulate some sort of serious plan about where my life is going to go after the next four months. I've tried to work out this plan by focusing on what I want/where I want to be, and look at what could be realistically achieved in the time left to best prepare for that.
WHAT DO I WANT TO DO:
Ideal Job:
Junior Designer/Creative Artworker roles
Experience has taught me that I need some sort of structure to my work life and a boss above me to scare me into doing my work when I am not so motivated. Freelancing is not the job for me, at least not yet anyway. I need to become more organised and better at waking myself up in the morning before freelancing can become a solid singular career option.
Research has shown me that lots of first jobs working with creative agencies and businesses have the title of 'creative artworker' or 'junior designer'. I can do most of what they require, if not all of it (Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign etc). Working in an environment with other people and a desk is what I am going to need. I feel I will also meet more people this way, as clients and other professionals will be in and out all the time. It will also give me the chance to continue seeing other peoples work and potentially collaborating as we do in the university studio environment. It will also give me a salary so I don't have to worry about where my next job/paycheck is coming from and I won't have to move back home. For me, it's a perfect starting point.
WHERE DO I WANT TO BE:
Top Choice - Manchester
I feel like Manchester will have a lot of opportunity and exciting stuff going on, as it's a nice big city with lots of history and culture. I'd like to stay up North for the next couple of years at least, as I feel like it is easier to set myself up independently than if I went back to London (would most likely have to live with my mum again as rent is so expensive elsewhere in the city; no).
I've done a bit of research and it seems like Manchester also has lots of design studios, creative agencies and junior designer/artworker jobs, which is where I think I want to begin building my professional creative experience.
Second Choice - Leeds
I know and love the city, so it would be an easy place to stay and try and set myself up. However, I feel there are better job opportunities in Manchester and London after doing a bit of research on what is currently available. I also think it would be strange living a professional life in a smallish city where I have only had a student lifestyle.
Third Choice - London
If London wasn't so expensive, it would probably be my first choice as I could move back without moving back in with my mum. I feel like moving back home is moving backwards - I need to stay independent and living with parents would send me bananas (sorry mum!) There are however a lot of job opportunities, so I'm not ruling it out.
WHAT TO DO NOW:
Internship
Gain professional experience and check I actually do want to work in the studio environment!
Research
Places I may want to apply in each of the three cities (intern ideally at one of these?)
Spam people
In a good way - bother professionals and studios with my work to get myself noticed.
Look for places to live
Self explanatory
Keep eyes open for all opportunities
No point limiting myself incase something else does pop up that could be exciting
Build Website/Behance/Linkedin up
Online presence!
Project Pack/Business Cards
For the spamming.
WHAT DO I WANT TO DO:
Ideal Job:
Junior Designer/Creative Artworker roles
Experience has taught me that I need some sort of structure to my work life and a boss above me to scare me into doing my work when I am not so motivated. Freelancing is not the job for me, at least not yet anyway. I need to become more organised and better at waking myself up in the morning before freelancing can become a solid singular career option.
Research has shown me that lots of first jobs working with creative agencies and businesses have the title of 'creative artworker' or 'junior designer'. I can do most of what they require, if not all of it (Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign etc). Working in an environment with other people and a desk is what I am going to need. I feel I will also meet more people this way, as clients and other professionals will be in and out all the time. It will also give me the chance to continue seeing other peoples work and potentially collaborating as we do in the university studio environment. It will also give me a salary so I don't have to worry about where my next job/paycheck is coming from and I won't have to move back home. For me, it's a perfect starting point.
WHERE DO I WANT TO BE:
Top Choice - Manchester
I feel like Manchester will have a lot of opportunity and exciting stuff going on, as it's a nice big city with lots of history and culture. I'd like to stay up North for the next couple of years at least, as I feel like it is easier to set myself up independently than if I went back to London (would most likely have to live with my mum again as rent is so expensive elsewhere in the city; no).
I've done a bit of research and it seems like Manchester also has lots of design studios, creative agencies and junior designer/artworker jobs, which is where I think I want to begin building my professional creative experience.
Second Choice - Leeds
I know and love the city, so it would be an easy place to stay and try and set myself up. However, I feel there are better job opportunities in Manchester and London after doing a bit of research on what is currently available. I also think it would be strange living a professional life in a smallish city where I have only had a student lifestyle.
Third Choice - London
If London wasn't so expensive, it would probably be my first choice as I could move back without moving back in with my mum. I feel like moving back home is moving backwards - I need to stay independent and living with parents would send me bananas (sorry mum!) There are however a lot of job opportunities, so I'm not ruling it out.
WHAT TO DO NOW:
Internship
Gain professional experience and check I actually do want to work in the studio environment!
Research
Places I may want to apply in each of the three cities (intern ideally at one of these?)
Spam people
In a good way - bother professionals and studios with my work to get myself noticed.
Look for places to live
Self explanatory
Keep eyes open for all opportunities
No point limiting myself incase something else does pop up that could be exciting
Build Website/Behance/Linkedin up
Online presence!
Project Pack/Business Cards
For the spamming.
Online Social Presence - Updating my LinkedIn (again!)
For my Linkedin to be effective, I need to keep constantly updating it with my new and best work/adding changes to any creative experience I gain. I have edited the little bit of text to try and make myself sound a little bit more exciting, yet still keep it short and straight to the point.
I have also changed the cover photo again as I feel this is a cleaner and better designed image to represent my practice. It is some of the best recent work I feel I have made and works well as a header.
Saturday, 18 February 2017
Jonathan Niclaus - Beautiful posters!
I came across Jonathon's work on Instagram just browsing around; I think these posters are absolutely beautiful! I love his colour palettes and the vintage-yet-contemporary feel about them. He also uses type really well - it's subtle yet effective.
I wish I was as good at designing posters as this!
Thursday, 16 February 2017
Typography Inspo
I've started a Pinterest board gathering images of typography/typography and illustration that I see and like. I want to get better at using typography within my work, as I think it will expand my horizons. Obviously I want to be an illustrator, but to be an illustrator who can do other things aside from illustrate will be a massive bonus.
I used to hate working with type and now I've completely changed my mind! It can be so effective within a drawing. If I ever wanted to get really good at poster design or book covers, typography is a skill I would have to be good at.
Abstract Documentary - Christoph Neimann
Today I watched the Abstract design series episode on Illustration. It featured illustrator Christoph Neimann and was really interesting.
Christoph does a lot of cover work for the New Yorker and tries all sorts of new and exciting things within his work - in this episode, he was creating this crazy image that appears 3D on a tablet screen but flat on the actual magazine cover (it's still boggling my mind).
He works all day alone in his little studio - not really what I want to do with my life, but it does seem like what you have to do if you are an illustrator. I'd definitely prefer to work in a big studio with lots of other people in it. He draws and draws and draws until he finds something he likes. He takes inspiration from his city surroundings and this is clear within his work.
I need to draw every day without fail upon graduating!!
Friday, 10 February 2017
Popeye Magazine
I stumbled across these Popeye magazine covers on Pinterest, and there's just something about them I really like. It is a Japanese magazine of fashion and culture, aimed at a male audience.
It's a combination of the bubble-writing type, bright colours and the weird imagery on the covers I really like. It's sort of tacky but in a great way; using popular culture in a sort of tongue in cheek way? The one with E.T. is my favourite!
It's a combination of the bubble-writing type, bright colours and the weird imagery on the covers I really like. It's sort of tacky but in a great way; using popular culture in a sort of tongue in cheek way? The one with E.T. is my favourite!
Friday, 3 February 2017
Warsaw - other bits
I just really liked how these publications were designed and looked all together in this book shop we found. I especially like the pink acetate wrap. Maybe next time I make a book I could try something like this if it's appropriate? The magazines below look just so nice as a set - the colours really stood out to me as I was walking around.
Thursday, 2 February 2017
Warsaw - More type inspiration!
To celebrate the death of COP my housemates and I booked cheap flights to Warsaw, Poland!
I was really surprised at how exciting the city was - there are so many galleries, museums and design bookshops everywhere you go. A lot of them are very illustration and graphic design oriented, so it was again some fantastic inspiration; especially again for typography!
The neon signs pictured below were part of the Neon Muzeum - literally just a great big warehouse filled with old rescued and restored neon signs. Neon features quite heavily in modern Polish design, something I didn't know before. Neon signs are my guilty pleasure - I just love how tacky and ridiculous they are, so this was heaven in a warehouse. It's made me really want to get more involved with type again!
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