Dani's blog

inspiration, thoughts and ideas...

[inspirationfordani]

[inspirationfordani]

Interview with myself

I could probably write ten pages summing up my entire MA learning journey, but that wouldn’t be much of a conclusion. However, there are a few questions I want to answer, in a succinct way - snappy and interesting to read. 

Doing this in form of an interview seems a nice idea, so I am going to give it a go. 

What were your initial expectations of the MA and how did they change?

To be honest, I did not know what to expect. I just thought that I would do a design project, just on a bigger scale than I had done in the past. When I wrote my initial project proposal, there were many themes I could have explored - it was a bit of a blur at that point in time. 

I wanted my project to solve a problem, so I picked something I could relate to and I thought would need fixing - student support for international students on art and design courses.

The way I was thinking at the time was very much influenced by the way I was working in my role as a graphic designer at Nottingham Trent University. My ideas were very corporate and safe. 

Stuart was great at challenging this way of thinking, and a big part of the MA was about changing my approach. It was only then when I really embraced being a student and to ask questions, take risks and push boundaries. 

I also discovered the subject of branding, which I had only really known from adhering to brand guidelines. As a graphic designer I had never been involved in the process of branding itself. Being new to to this subject made me very curious and open minded, and I was fascinated about what I found out.

Through research the project focus shifted to creativity and the creative process, which eventually formed the big idea for my brand BECOME - a creative symposium in Nottingham. 

As you can see in my reflective journal, I ended up exploring all sorts of disciplines - creative research, branding strategy, writing, printmaking, laser cutting, etc. This was totally unexpected, and I am so glad I had the chance to try out all of these things.

You mentioned branding as a new subject area for you. Tell me about the discoveries you have made and how they will influence your way of working in the future.

Branding is such a huge area to explore. One of the most exciting things I have discovered is dynamic branding and the ideas behind it. Branding is going through a huge shift at the moment, mainly due to the digital age and the internet. Brands need to be less dictating, but instead allowing the audience to interact with and become part of the brand. Creating a dynamic identity helps with this shift. 

The latest branding books by Wally Olins, Alina Wheeler, Irene van Nes and Marty Neumeier, as well as current articles about branding have all influenced the way I think about branding, and will most definitely influence the way I think and work in the future.

I look at a brand as if it was a person. Every person has their own values and a personality. Most importantly, they change and grow throughout their lives, based on experiences, circumstances or their mood. The art and true skill of creating a good brand is to make it behave like a person - authentic, human-like, responsive and dynamic. 

How did your research influence the final outcome of your project?

Research has been key to the project. The insights I gained through interviews and focus groups helped me with the positioning of my brand and ultimately to define a strategy. The research activities have also included visual research and case studies, which provided not only inspiration but also insights to processes and development and played a vital part of understanding how branding works. My own experience of the MA journey, going through the stages of the creative process has also contributed immensely to my project development. Being designer and target audience was very useful, as I could really relate to the subject matter of creativity. 

Visiting, experiencing and analysing the Here symposium in London has been influential to the outcome of my project. Especially as it’s given me the confidence to strip back my visuals to a more minimalist approach (eg. typography) and to let the behaviour of the brand do the talking. 

I also realised that research isn’t about the bulk, but about picking out key insights / the essence of it. Writing down the research conclusions really helped with this. In my case it was the double diamond design process, discovery of Nottingham as a creative city and the benefits of a multi-disciplinary approach. 

What is the significance of your project and how does it inform your way of working as a creative practitioner?

The MA project has given me the opportunity to live the entire branding process - developing a strategy based on research and experimentation, testing and design development. This process made me realise that I am indeed able to combine both strategic thinking and creativity to create something new and forward looking. Strategy + creativity = where the magic happens!

I have also learned that the creative process can be used as a powerful tool across many disciplines. Knowing where you are in the process is key to making your ideas happen. Being creative requires curiosity, focus, risk taking and confidence and the vision and stamina to complete a project and share it with others. My project explores this and shares this idea through the medium of a multidisciplinary creative symposium.

The project has allowed me to explore various techniques including some hands on stuff like printmaking. Being able to use the facilities to screen print and laser cut has really helped me to become more experimental and risk taking. It allowed a shift from the brain to the heart - something of significant importance in the creative process.

I have also discovered new skills and passions, such as writing (eg. blog) and teaching. Bringing out and nurturing creative talent in people is something I am keen to explore in the future. Having Stuart as a supervisor was great - I see him as a mentor and role model and I have learned so much just by being his student and observing his actions. Having documented the whole MA journey will be an amazing resource for me to remind myself of my learning experience and the advice and guidance I have received from Stuart!

Looking at your reflective journal, I can see that you have gone through a lot of changes throughout the development of your brand (proposition, brand name, audience, values, visual language, typography). What are your thoughts on that?

At the time it was stressing me out, because I often compared my work with that of others - which often seemed a lot clearer and straight forward to me than mine. However, in hindsight I can see how this seemingly random experimentation contributed to the final outcome. You just cannot skip these steps, even if it means rejecting lots of ideas in order to drive another one forward.

For example, at the end of Module Two I presented four design concepts for my brand, each with a different name and visual language. Although I initially thought I would choose and develop just one of them, I ended up using elements from each one of them. I tested the concepts in tutorials, with peers and creative practitioners, the feedback was very varied. This feedback came in handy when I had to make important design decisions further down the line. 

I think that it was the exploration of many different ideas which eventually led to what I believe is a strong project. I learned that it is ok not to know an answer or come up with a solution right away - everything takes time, because it is a process.

You have become somewhat obsessed with hands-on approaches like screen printing, laser cutting and book binding - you even bought one of those Japanese printing toys... what was it walled again? Gocco who?

Yeah, I got well into the Riso Print Gocco. It is a great way to give digital designs a hand-made look by printing it with a Gocco printer. Working with my hands has always been important to me, but I had stopped applying it to design work. Using hands on techniques always brings out my enthusiasm for being inventive and risk taking, and it allows me to engage with different colours and materials.

There are currently many big debates about what is better, digital or the hand-made craft. Well, for me the answer lies in combining both! While there is a bit of a boom of the hand-made right now, I don’t think it’s just a rebellion against the digital or a nostalgic reaction. I believe that it has a much more profound reason than that. The thought processes and working steps are completely different when creating something by hand as opposed to using a computer. It really doesn’t mean that one is better than the other, but that neither should be chosen by default. I already mentioned the benefits of combining different disciplines, or to marry strategy with creativity - well, it is the same for the hand-made and digital. There is a time and a place for everything. Maybe if you get to comfortable with one, try the other. 

Anyway, I really want to make this part of my future creative practice, and I would love to learn more skills such as printmaking, letterpress, bookbinding, etc and to pass them on to a younger generation of designers, who have grown up in a digital world seeing only perfectly styled finished products and know little about the processes behind it.

It sounds like you have learned a lot. Was there anything that didn’t work so well - did you come across any problems during your studies? If so, is there anything you would have done differently?

Yes, I do think I have learned a lot over the past couple of years, and I am convinced that this is directly linked to trial and error and by allowing myself to make mistakes. While I was well aware of this, I often struggled to accept it. My perfectionism and striving to do things right often got in my way. Fear of failure, frustration and the inability to see the progress I had made meant I had to rely on Stuart’s feedback telling me that I was doing ok. Documenting my learning journey using this blog has been beneficial in order to overcome such problems. It really is like a time machine! You can go back to any point in time and see it with the eyes of the person you have become. I know this sounds philosophical, but I cannot stress enough what a big part the blog has played for me. 

So, one of the things I would not have done differently is keeping a blog as reflective journal, and I will most certainly continue to use it!

However, what I would do differently is to look after myself more. I have to admit, my well-being and personal relationships have suffered a bit from the experience of working full-time and studying part-time. The only good thing which has come from this situation is that I now know that I work well independently, that I can handle pressure and that I have excellent time management skills. However, after the MA I will make sure I find a more sustainable way of working, allowing myself to spend more time with my soon to be husband Damian, friends and family, and to follow my interests.

Taking breaks and resting is a very important part of being creative, ones well-being is directly linked to creativity, therefore needs to be looked after!

It was a shame that most of my learning experience was a solitary thing. I was often envious of the full-time MA students and UG students, who were part of a a bigger creative community. Bouncing off ideas, sharing insights and giving each other feedback is absolutely vital to development and innovation. I am however grateful and happy that I met Eva on the course, who has always given me her honest feedback and listened to the occasional moan. 

What are your future plans and how are you planning to apply what you have learned?

I believe that the experience of the MA has made me a much more confident person and a designer with an open mind. I want to combine both my strategic and time management skills with creativity and to embrace a more holistic approach to design. This means that I would like to be involved from the early stages of a project through to development and execution. 

Although I decided to focus on the subject of branding during my studies, I don’t see my future in a typical branding environment (eg. creative agency). Instead I see it as a new insight gained, which I can apply to other areas as well.

I finally faced my fear of speaking to people and used the MA as an opportunity to start networking, to ask people for their opinion, to share their knowledge and insights or to refer me to other people they know. Through this experience I met several creative practitioners who were all lovely. Some of them are active across a range of different creative disciplines, taking on the roles of writers, designer makers, tutors / lecturers, artists, freelance designers, artists, art directors, editors and entrepreneurs. There are many benefits from using such a diverse and dynamic approach, as each activity ultimately results in new insights and the personal and professional development. Meeting practitioners with this multi-disciplinary approach has made me realise that there are alternatives to a nine to five job as a graphic designer, never leaving the office. 

I think discovering who I have become as a creative practitioner and having a specific vision I can follow is one of the many positive things I am taking away from this unique journey. Knowing what I don’t want is equally as important to knowing what I want, and I therefore strive to get involved only in projects I can relate to and become passionate about, as I believe only then can I create authentic work and designs with impact, while also being happy and healthy. 

If I could bag my enthusiasm and sell it, I would probably do really well - oh well, there’s an idea!

[inspirationfordani]

Open Studio Exhibition

This year the MA exhibition was held in the summer, starting the same week as the MA full-time students handed in their work. 

As a part-time student I don’t have my final submission deadline until September, so I was still in the process of finalising my project. It was daunting to be the only part-time visual communications student taking part, but I decided to give it a go anyway. 

I have to admit, there were times when I was thinking: “Why am I doing this? Don’t I have more important things to get on with?”. Feeling stressed is an understatement of how I felt a few days before the opening of the show. 

Now, a few weeks later, I can look back and reflect upon my experience in a more relaxed way. 

What made me take part in this exhibition in the end was the theme of the exhibition itself. I love the idea about showing work in progress, which in fact is the main theme in my own MA project.

Here’s the proposition used in the adverts for the exhibition:

Every work of design or art is the result of a journey. The journey takes the designer or artist across unknown territory and demands the solving of problems, the discovery of ideas, the taking of risks and the excitement of new experiences.

No gallery, no boundaries, just students, their work and an open studio.

I decided to embrace this idea and to think of the situation of not having any finished work as an opportunity in itself. I am so glad I did! 

The idea of my exhibit was simple:

Set up a workspace (wall, desk and Mac)

Fill wall space with samples of prints, experiments, a quote about branding and a printout of my branding strategy.

Create links to blog entries on the Mac desktop, linking the samples on the wall to processes and insights related to them.

Display some books which have been influential to my thinking and work throughout the MA. 

Gocco printed contact card with link to my blog, encouraging visitors to explore my blog in their own time.

I was a little bit nervous about this, as all the other MA students stuck their finished projects onto the walls. However, I kept reminding myself of the proposition of the exhibition, which gave me confidence to go ahead with my idea.

Here’s me with the exhibition set up (thanks Debbie for a great shot!). You can see the web links to my blog entries set up on the desktop. Visitors can quickly see which exhibit on the wall it relates to, as it shows a thumbnail image of it.  

Close up of my displayed samples - Laser Cutting Experiments (February 2015).

Some of the books I decided to display. 

Hand printed Gocco contact card.

Once everything was in place, I was ready for the opening of the show on Friday 24 July 2015.

It was great, and I received really good feedback from a range of people. 

Kate, one of the full-time MA students kept telling me how creative my approach was. That was so lovely to hear, as I often can’t see it myself.

I also had a great conversation with Peter, who was involved in organising the exhibition. I remember that right at the beginning of the MA he gave an inspiring talk about being a creative practitioner, introducing me to the squiggly line* and reiterating the importance of the creative process. 

Peter congratulated me on my exhibit commenting on how conceptual it was and that it was exactly the sort of thing he wanted to see - giving insights to process, ideas and development.

I also bumped into Stuart, who introduced me to a friend of his, Chris Michael, who is a designer and writer. We had a really good chat about my idea of the symposium and generally about some of my insights, thinking and experience of the MA. I later found out that Chris actually writes for the Guardian (Cities). Here’s an example of a recent article he wrote. Good job I didn’t know about this, as I would have probably been more nervous.

Just as I was about to leave I saw Carol and decided to say hi. We talked about the MA and how I have grown through my study experience. She reminded me of the initial induction group project I was involved in, and she still remembered my mugs I made for it. We soon got onto the subject of teaching and my interest to get involved in some form of teaching in the future. Carol offered to meet me one day to discuss it in more detail, as there may be some opportunities for me.

All in all the experience I had at the exhibition was really good, despite my doubts during setting up. It realised that my work wasn’t just about visual communication and that all the conversations I had were about the concepts and the creative thinking behind my work. This really gives me some food for thought for my future career choices. Meeting Chris showed that writing is yet another path I could take - maybe I have already done so with my blog!

Now this is why it is so important to seize the moment and take up opportunities like this exhibition. Follow your gut and take risks!

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*squiggly line

[inspirationfordani]

Taglines are dead

When I only had a week left to screen print some of my prototypes I suddenly panicked. I had to make a decision... what tagline do I use?

However, there was something inside me which just didn’t want to force it. I opted for the idea of trying out a more dynamic approach. Rather than using one tagline with the logo, I am using a set of messages, which represent the overall message, rather than one specific one.

Some brands may need a tagline, or an explanation of what the product or service is about, however, I think my symposium would not benefit from this approach. 

For example, Here (London based creative symposium), does not feature the word symposium, nor does it mention its target audience, and it most definitely doesn’t have a tag line. In my opinion a clever move... makes it more interesting, less of hard-sell cheesy marketing. 

I might be wrong, but I decided that I should try out this way of thinking with my branding project. My argument is that the brand needs to be understood from experiencing a series of touch points, not by looking at a logo and reading a tagline. It is important to include some information about what the service or product is about, who it’s for and why it exists in the first place, but it can be done a lot more cleverly and sophisticated by weaving this information into the various touch points. 

I am all for short and snappy messages, which is exactly what I am using for BECOME, just not for one restricting tagline. It just becomes so repetitive!

I just found a couple of really good articles which mention exactly what I am trying to explain here. 

Adweek: The Death of the Tagline Flexible branding is the new name of the game

Branding Is About Creating Patterns, Not Repeating Messages

Reading such articles is really helping me try out new ways of working, push boundaries and build up confidence in my thinking, decision making and design practice. I can test this approach at my final MA presentation next month.

And here are some examples of my screen printed posters, showing the logo / name of the brand as part of a dynamic message, communicating the overall idea of celebrating the creative process. 

The idea of these posters is that they would be handed out as freebies at the symposium, as part of a set of practical materials aiding the creative process. 

The recipient of the posters would already be well aware of the event itself, so there is no need to mention it again. However, the posters advertising the events have to include more information about the event, introducing the big idea and benefits for the audience. 

[inspirationfordani]

Final printing session

Last week was my last chance to use the screen print facilities before the summer break, so I made sure to complete any outstanding printing required for my submission in September. 

I decided to focus on the following items to produce as prototypes, which would be part of a freebie pack handed out at the symposium:

set of 5 posters

set of 10 post cards

set of 4 notebooks

I already printed the patterns for my posters and postcards and even made the booklets. What was left to do was to print the white background and the black text.

Below is an example of a black and white design with crop marks. There were quite a few of them, as each text block had its one background block. I went to the print shop to get them all put onto acetate so I could make up my screens.

When I had all the acetates in front of me I got worried that it would be quite expensive and labour intensive - especially as I only had to print each design once or twice!

I then remembered that simple shapes could just be cut out of paper and used with an open screen, just like a stencil. When I told Vicky at the print workshop about my idea she agreed that it should be more economical that way, confirming that paper would be ok to use.

As I already had a set of printouts at 100% scale I decided to give it a go and make my stencil.

I taped my stencil to the artwork to be printed on, using the crop marks to line everything up.

It worked a treat!

It came out much better than I thought. I wasn’t sure if the white ink would be opaque enough to cover up the bright patterns, but it worked - first time! I really like how a hint of the pattern can be seen through the white block, while still creating a defined block to print the black text onto.

The crop turned out too thin and were no use for me for lining up the screen with the artwork, so I tried out a different technique.

A clean sheet of acetate is taped onto the printing bed in a way that the paper could easily be slotted underneath. Once the acetate is taped down a print is made directly onto the clear sheet. The artwork to be printed on can be aligned by sliding it underneath until in the right position. The acetate is simply folded over, out of the way (like turning the page in a book). Making sure the paper stays in its position, the screen can be lowered and the print be made.

I learned this at the screen print workshop with Ebb and Flo at the Primary Summer Fayre earlier on this year. I am so glad I went to it, as I would have struggled with this step otherwise.

And here are a couple of the finished prints. The above prints are 4 layer prints with the 2 layers on top - adding up to a total of 6 layers!

As I had already stitched my booklets together, I tried to print directly onto them, using the same technique as mentioned above. I thought it would be difficult, but I gave it a shot and it worked.

Here are the booklets with the branding statements printed on.

They look ok, but I decided to create another set of booklets, so I can then affix some text to the inside covers before stitching them together. I printed another set of covers, as I had some samples left over. It turned out a lot neater, so I will use those for submission and keep the above as samples of work in progress.

[inspirationfordani]

Fresh from the Gocco press

Here’s how I made my little hand crafted contact cards for the Open Studio Exhibition. 

If you are visiting the exhibition (you might even be there right now!), please take a card with you - you can then check out my blog from the comfort of your own home.

I printed the cards using a Gocco printer, which is a self contained Japanese printer, which works similar to silkscreen printing. For an in depth description of the process you can have a look at one of my previous entries explaining the Riso Gocco printing process in detail. 

This is what the little Japanese “toy” looks like. It is so much fun, and the exhibition was a great excuse to get printing.

I love how it allows me to use fluorescent inks... a bit of an obsession of mine right now. 

[inspirationfordani]

The Line - identity

This brand identity for The Line, an outdoor art gallery in East London, was created by The Beautiful Meme. It is a fantastic example of an identity which has been developed by embracing the creative process and the nature of not knowing what the outcome would be. The interview shows clearly that the designers have purposely gone for this approach, as it allowed them to be inspired by the research itself. They chose to come up with the proposition and ultimately wrote their own brief, which was quite different from the initial brief they were given by the client. I think it was a wise move and they obviously had the confidence and experience to do so. 

Here’s a key part of the interview... I love the attitude!

What did the client want from the brief and did it change at all during the project? The client wanted what all clients want – to stand out and be exciting, to have a position and convey it clearly, to cause a stir, to be bold and brave and to move people. The brief didn’t say that though. The brief asked for some signage designs based on another logo they’d already created. So we ignored that brief. 

This approach is very similar to the way I have developed my own MA project, which is not just to design a visual identity for an existing brand, but to create something new and exciting, relevant to a particular audience. Using the entire creative process helps bring projects and brands to life and makes them appropriate to the target audience. 

The visual language is beautiful, with hand pulled screen prints - pieces of art. I like how a hands on process was used and then applied using digital media, whether for reproduction through print or online.

A very simple and clear idea executed beautifully. This is why it’s so important to strip back all the confusing elements that may pop up during the development of the brand identity. This is the finished product, who knows how many different stages the designers have gone through. 

Being flexible with how the logo is being used, here sprayed onto a tree, makes the identity strong and dynamic.

I feel a bit stuck with the restriction of the fluorescent colours I am using for my brand BECOME. However, this example reminded me that I can be a lot more flexible, and similar to the Giff Gaff identity I can use both, actual screen printed materials, such as my little note books, but I can go wild with a digital image / close up of the patterns and apply them to large scale, digitally printed graphics, which may be expensive, if not physically impossible to use! 

So this identity is linked to what I am currently creating in many ways. I think it is a naturally emerging reaction, part of a huge change in branding culture as well as the art and design world. 

Current themes I am interested in are the creative process, bridging the brand gap and the merge of disciplines, hands-on craft and digital as well as fine art and commercial art.

[inspirationfordani]

Tutorial update (13-07-2015)

It was my final tutorial with Stuart on Monday, so we had a lot to discuss. It was really helpful to recap on what I have learned and achieved over the two years of this MA journey. The main thing I am taking away from this session is that I need to be really clear throughout my submissions what the significance of my project is. 

Experiencing all the stages of the creative process has helped me create an entire brand, with a strong proposition and brand values. The visual language has emerged from the process of creating the brand strategy, which helped create a vibrant visual identity which supports the brand's values and communicates its key messages.

It’s important to highlight these things, no matter how obvious they may seem to me. I really need to think about what I need to show and say in order for someone who does not know me or my brand to understand what it is all about. 

I can use all my submissions to show this and I will need to make sure I am showing my learning journey throughout the MA. I need to remind myself that everything is already there, I’ve just got to put it together and make it happen.

The other thing I felt I needed Stuarts advice on was the typography issues I’ve been having with my brand. For some reason I really struggled to find the right type face for my posters. Straight away we agreed that the big black blocky typography wasn’t adding anything to it. I also showed him my hand printed booklets and postcards with the belly wrap, which I thought worked really well. 

Then Stuart said the most obvious thing, which I just couldn’t see myself. “Could you use the lovely font by Margaret Calvert you picked for the logo and find a way to make it work?”

The font is Transport Neue Heavy, which was designed for Britain’s road signs. When I discovered and researched the typeface at an earlier point of my MA I was really excited about it and its background story. I always intended to use it for my brand (as seen on the belly wrap), but I didn’t have the guts to apply it in this way.

However, I have since been thinking about it and looking at the dynamic identity created for Nikolaj Kunsthal reminded me of how envisaged my brand messages to be communicated. 

It is an example of a brand which is using the logo in a different way, by incorporating it in the copy and messaging. I suppose, now is the time to be brave and do what I’ve been wanting to do all along. Let’s not put the logo in a corner on everything we produce - let’s have fun with it instead and trust that the audience will work it out. At the end of the day, I am aiming my brand at creative practitioners, so it needs to be daring and forward thinking, in order to be engaging.

As my colours are fluorescent I have been a bit nervous about how I would show the colours mocked up in situ. However, Stuart reminded me of the importance of the communication of what it would look like so the audience can imagine it. It’s enough to show the actual colours on my screen printed materials. I just need to make sure I choose my colour splits from vibrant bright photos of my printed samples. 

When we discussed the note books and postcards we decided that the belly wrap and maybe the inside covers of the booklets would provide a great opportunity to tell the brand’s story by using personal messages and comments - talking directly to the audience.

All these things seem so obvious now! This really shows how important it is to keep testing ideas and visuals with others and to bounce off ideas. Being in that bubble can often become the biggest obstacle to a designer. 

I found that keeping a reflective journal is a good way out of this, making sure to capture thoughts and ideas when they arise and very importantly to go back and read them. 

Recording something new and exciting we have come across during the discovery or development phase, provides a great resource to remind us of what we were thinking at that particular moment in time. This is very important during the define and delivery phases of the process in order to drive things forward. It gives us the confidence to make informed decisions based on those new insights, which allows us to go against the grain of old conventions, hence drives innovation.

[inspirationfordani]

Tutorial update 13-07-15

Tutorial update - 13/07/15

Agenda:

Discuss requirements for final hand in and presentation in September

Review progress of project

My aims:

Resolve typography of brand and apply to collateral

Prepare all submission documents for the final hand in

Edit and design reflective learning journal and get it printed

Create a brand book with brand guidelines

Create best practice guidelines

Feedback:

Despite difficult personal circumstances you’ve managed your time well since we last met

Make sure your hand in highlights the significance of what you’ve done

Make sure you show the application of your design to interiors for the symposium

This is our last tutorial together - I’ve enjoyed working with you over two years! Good luck in the future!

Date: 13/07/15

Time: 11.30 am - 1.30 pm

[inspirationfordani]

Making little note books for my brand

As part of my branding project I decided to create prototypes for four little note books, each representing a different stage of the creative process - by colour and pattern. 

I was very excited about applying my new screen printing and book binding skills to produce a tactile piece of work as part of my branding project.

As my four brand colours are fluorescent, it was even more exciting to see the colours in print, as opposed to working with “replacement” RGB / CMYK colours.

I created two sets of A6 booklets: 

For the first set I used the pamphlet binding method, which is similar to saddle stitching (staples). Each booklet consists of one section with the outer sheet forming the front and back cover - using a heavier stock than for the inners.

With the other set I improvised a bit, using the multi section binding technique I learned in the book binding workshop. Each booklet consist of five sections. Sections 1 and 5 are a heavy card stock folded in half, while the three sections in the centre make up the inners.

Each booklet has inners printed in the colour of the cover, using different patterns to represent the stages in the creative process. For example “be focused” has blue lined inners, which means it can be used for making check lists or to plan and be rational. In contrast to that, “be brave” has fluorescent red crosses, encouraging risk taking and experimentation.

Anyway, here are some photos showing the process of printing and making the note books.

Printing the covers on heavy card stock. 

Inking up the screen ready to print the inners. 

Flooding the screen after making a print; this helps keep the mesh from getting blocked by ink drying out and helps to get a good result for the next print. It’s worth doing this step properly, as it makes it possible to print more than 20 consecutive prints without having to remove and wash the screen in between steps.

Having a drying rack set up, ready to put the prints on, helps with productivity. I managed to print about 80 prints with 4 different designs in just over an hour. Silk screen printing is great for both, experimenting and to get multiple prints done - especially when planned well. 

Once I had my inner sheets and covers ready, I used the tools above to make the booklets. I bought these tools from Ebay for about £12, which is exactly what I needed to get started. Even the bone folder is made of real bone and not a cheap plastic one! 

After I stitched the sheets together to create pamphlet bound booklets, I trimmed them down using a metal ruler and a scalpel. I couldn’t believe how neat they looked, almost as good as having them cut with an industrial sized guillotine. I made sure I had the crop marks on all of my artwork right from the beginning, which made putting it all together much easier, resulting in a professional looking finish, wile still feeling and looking hand-crafted.

Here are the four finished pamphlet stitched pocket note books. 

I prepared all the sections for my second set of booklets and then started stitching them as I learned in the workshop a few weeks ago.

I used the awl to pierce holes into the fold, at distances I marked on a spare sheet of paper. It’s important to line the sections up with this guide correctly to achieve the sections to be lined up properly. 

This image shows one of the sections being stitched to the outer cover, using link stitches to connect the sections.

Kettle stitches on the left help keep the sections together, as do the link stitches on the right.

The booklet seemed a bit flimsy, so I improvised by glueing the cover to the first notes page. Using a paint brush helps to spread the glue evenly. It’s important not to use too much PVA glue, as it’s very wet and might cause the thiner paper to rip.

Using the bone folder I carefully pushed the paper down, to make sure it sticks all over.

Again, I used my metal ruler and a sharp scalpel to trim off the edges.

Here are the four finished section stitched pocket note books. 

I really enjoyed applying my research findings about the creative process to something I could actually produce, and which would be relevant to my brand and the key messages about being creative. 

The process of making these booklets required imagination, ideas, planning and production skills and a lot of time and patience. I enjoy putting all this work in, if I have a vision or a gut feeling. I am glad I followed this one.

[inspirationfordani]

Analysing my attribute profile with Pip

Today I met with Pip from the A&D Employability Team to unpick the test results from the Graduate Attributes test I took in March. 

After having had a couple of weeks break from the MA due to sad news in the family, I feel that the meeting today is helping me to kick start the final stage of my MA. It was great to talk about my future career aspirations and to reflect upon my MA journey and how it will help me follow my goals, as it’s a reminder of why I am doing this MA.

When received the results from the online aptitude test I took in March, I was amazed how accurate it was, considering the simplicity of the questions. Reviewing this test at this final stage of my journey is helping me see how to develop my strengths and revisit my weaknesses in order to achieve an overarching goal - my career aspirations.

I won’t go into detail about the test results but I want to capture some of the things Pip told me about, which I think are really useful and relevant.

Pip explained that I should use the test results to help me appreciate and communicate my strengths and to develop those further, as and where it will help achieve my career aspirations. 

The weaknesses can be developed into strengths if that will benefit me, but as some of the weaknesses aren’t hindering me in following my goals, I could ignore them and simply be aware of them.

We also talked about how I could use my current job to develop these attributes, which is great, as it will give me something to work with once I’ve completed the MA.

Pip also commented on my natural talent as a teacher and she picked up on my passion for creativity and nurturing talent. This filled me with confidence to explore this as part of my new career path. 

There are already some opportunities I can explore at NTU, such as assisting Ellie with various workshops she’s going to do with the graphic design students in the autumn term. Pip also mentioned that I could get involved in some of the employability workshops (eg. personal branding), to get me used to a teaching situation, or to join the short courses programme where I could share some of my more hands on skills (silkscreen printing, book binding, gocco printing, etc). 

Pip also explained that being a creative practitioner with an interest in education is an invaluable combination and that it’s encouraged by the university. This means that I can follow my own personal career path as a freelancer or starting my own business, while getting involved in further education as hourly paid lecturer, and to pass on skills and knowledge. 

The session today wasn’t just about unpicking a test - it turned out to be an empowering experience which allowed me to reflect upon my skills, aspirations and providing invaluable suggestions to pursue my goals. Thanks Pip, just what I needed during this difficult time. 

[inspirationfordani]

Bookbinding workshop

Today I went to a bookbinding workshop at uni, which provided a great opportunity to do something hands on and to learn something new (or to remind myself of how to make a book). In a very busy and stressful time I welcomed today’s activity, which helped me slow things down a bit for a day. I found it very satisfying and therapeutic - look at all the lovely books I made!

From left to right, I made the following books:

1) Hard case book with hand stitched sections and cloth cover 2) Concertina fold with hard case 3) Pamphlet stitched with flush borders and cloth back 4) Hand stitched sections with flush borders

I documented the process of making the hard case book with the stitched sections, as it was the most complicated one to do. Recording the process will allow me to come back to it when I need to make one in the future (eg. Brand book for my project or my reflective learning journal).

Neatly folded sections (4 leaves folded in half for each section, resulting in 16pp per section), 5 sections in total. We used a bone folder for various tasks throughout the process (shown above). This is a must have tool for anyone wanting to make a book. 

Rachel demonstrating how to use the guide to evenly space and pierce the holes. It’s important to always align to either the head or the tail, and to stick to it for the entire process - I chose to align the head.

We got given this handy instruction sheet for the two stitches which are needed for making the book. 

Rachel showing us how to to the link stitch to link together sections 1 and 2.

All my five sections stitched together using both the link stitch (two in the middle) and the kettle stitch (either end).

I thought drawing it would be good as a reminder where to start and where to do what stitching.

A strip of cloth glued on gives the stitched section some extra support. This is now ready for the end papers to be glued on along the cloth strip.

Normally the stitched sections would be neatly trimmed along the three edges, using a guillotine for a neat finish. However, we didn’t have access to one today, so I only trimmed the right hand side of the book using a scalpel and ruler, as the paper would otherwise have stuck out over the hardcover edge.

The sized and cut pieces of cardboard are positioned onto the bookbinders cloth which was evenly covered with glue using a roller.

The corners are trimmed off at an angle, at the distance of the thickness of the card. This ensures that the corners are properly surrounded by the cloth and no cardboard showing.

Using the bone folder, the cloth is being folded over, making sure pressure is applied along the cardboard edge first to get a neat finish. The long edges (head and tail) first, followed by the two short ones. The bookbinders cloth then needs to be trimmed back where too wide (in this case the two short edges). making sure there’s an even fold all around the case.

The bone folder can be used to give the spine some definition by carefully sliding it along the left and right of the thin cardboard strip.

It’s almost looking like a book! Just needs my sections to be glued in.

Rachel demonstrating how to attach the end papers to the cardboard - I think this step is called “casing” the book. A sheet of newsprint protects the rest of the paper to be covered in glue, allowing to roll on the glue evenly right over the edges of the end paper.

And here’s my finished book, in its full glory! 

There’s me all happy showing off my new creation.

It really was a great day today. Not only did I make a bunch of books, but I also had a fantastic time, feeling part of a group and achieving something together.

Today also showed me that in the future I really want to incorporate hands on craft skills in my working practice, as it is very satisfying to make something from scratch, without using a computer. I would really like to learn more of these type of craft skills which have been handed down over generations, and maybe even pass them on to others myself one day. I also think that combining hands on processes with new technologies will uncover a whole lot of new ideas, processes and ways of working and therefore must not to be forgotten about. 

I am celebrating being part of the generation who has lived through both, the old and new, analogue and digital, slow and fast pace, quality and quantity etc. It’s not about nostalgia, but about keeping an open mind to mix the old with the new, and to experiment, invent, develop and create - no matter what discipline.

[inspirationfordani]

Here 2015

Last week Friday it was that special day of the year again... no, I don’t mean Christmas - it was time to go to Here London, a very special creative symposium. 

It was this event which inspired my decision to create a brand for a creative symposium in Nottingham. It’s a shame that these sort of events are happening mainly in London - it is my vision to create something equally as fun and inspiring, but accessible to the local community of Nottingham.

Here is a fast-paced, one-day symposium featuring a range of creative talent from various disciplines. It is curated by It’s Nice That, a multi platform creative resource providing tons of inspiration through a website, events and a printed magazine. The website has an archive showing all of the previous speakers, which is fantastic, as it gives people the chance to watch individual talks again and opens it up to people who couldn’t go to the event. This is a great resource and very inspiring. I won’t go into detail about the individual talks of this year’s event, instead I want to look at the various branding elements, designs and event decoration, as this is what I am currently working on for my project.

The design of the website and all other collateral is very aesthetic with san serif typography, a pastel colour palette and a simple logo. 

It doesn’t really need much advertising, other than saying what it is. The logo is recognisable and exists simply as shape as well as with the name of the event and the year. 

I really liked the way they used the logo as 3D installations at the event. One sculpture was placed on stage and the other one in the outside space which was used during the breaks for networking, socialising and lunch. 

The curators have very carefully selected a range of sponsors and event partners, which I believe make the event what it is. All the supporting organisations value creativity, which really adds to the whole experience. 

For example, Moo printed the information cards and itinerary (good quality print on nice heavy card stock, which supports the design). 

Urban Outfitters had a photo booth at the event, where you could dress up and take silly photos of you and your friends. The actual photo booth was a creative installation in itself. 

I think it’s evident from the picture that I had a lot of fun in there with my friend and colleague Rachel.

There was even a little screen printing workshop going on during the breaks. It was put on by Peckham Print Studio.

All this creativity just added to the overall experience of the event. 

It’s clear to me now that the success of this symposium is in the curation of people and organisations involved - all sharing similar values. The design and collateral simply support these values. 

I am sometimes worried that I am trying too hard with the visual aspect of my brand, and that I am putting too much pressure on getting it “right”. Experiencing Here for the second time, this time with new knowledge and a better understanding of the context, showed me that a brand has to grow over the years. This is why dynamic branding is a great approach to take, as it allows a brand to develop, change and grow over time with input of both, the people curating and designing it as well as the people using it. 

The t-shirt is a good example that the logo doesn’t need to be plastered everywhere, but the language and typography shouts Here, to anyone knowing about the event, which creates that special feel of belonging. Subconsciously you’d think: “Ha, I get this - therefore I belong.” 

Good branding is allowing the audience to work things out for themselves, giving them little eureka moments. This can only happen by understanding and respecting the audience and their behaviour and way of thinking. This is why targeting a very specific audience is so much more effective than trying to reach everyone under the sun at the same time!

I though it was interesting to see how the design of the bag has changed. I love the fact that they reduced the entire logo to simply it’s shape. It’s more attractive for a bag, because one is more likely to use it after the event, without thinking that they’re providing free advertising for a brand by carrying it around. It looks nice too, which makes me think that there are different layers to a brand and the various collaterals. 

For example, when I am applying my various brand elements, I must assess whether the item has a specific functional purpose, eg. navigation or if it’s just about aesthetics and looks as part of the user experience. It is therefore important that there is some structure, which can be considered and applied. However, there is also an option to use it in a decorative way, to support the overall look and feel and user experience, providing little aha effects of, “I know what this is, therefore I am part of it”.

I am so glad I went to Here again this year and I cannot wait for the next one! Not only have I learned about the various speakers’ processes and stories of being creative, but I also had a fantastic time with plenty of fun and feeling inspired. On top of that it provided this fantastic opportunity of analysing the different parts that make this event so special - it’s curated and designed by creatives, for creatives!

[inspirationfordani]

No guts no glory!

Last night I revisited the typography for my brand and there was this lingering feeling of uncertainty about the typography (handwritten fonts, stamped fonts etc.). I told myself...”just have a play and do what would be the most fun!” So I did and it turned out great. 

The typeface is called Lot and is really blocky and bold. The geometric shapes remind of building blocks. 

I want to offset the black text over a lighter shade (fluorescent orange or pink) to create a 3D effect. This is inspired by many examples of Morag Myerscough’s work, which is bold, fun and vibrant (see pic below).

I also like the big and bold typography by Urban outfitters and the blocky font on the front cover of the book The Art of British Rock.

Or this one blocky type with 3D effect used on a bright wall mural by Camille Walala.

Although I had already being admiring this big and bold approach in other artist’s work, I haven’t quite had the gut yet to try it out. What really helped here was that I started making my screens at actual size on Monday. It felt like I was finally connecting with the work and the materials I am working with. 

I asked myself: What type of shapes and forms would benefit from screen printing, aside from the fluorescent colours. 

All these factors helped me to push and take that risk, and when I showed my idea and new design layout to my colleagues, they loved it. They said that it would have more impact than the typographic approach I had previously explored (and they can’t wait to see it screen printed!). 

Looking at the poster, I am reconsidering the chevrons and the word »come«. I am not sure if it adds anything to it - I think it’s a relict from my previous idea and doesn’t belong here. Also, when the four posters are shown side by side it stands out like a sore thumb. The other thing is that maybe it’s stronger to say Be Curious... Be Focused..., Be Brave... etc., then as a whole with will lead to Become, without spelling it out all the time.

I think I will be removing it, but I will try it out before making a decision.

Now I have decided on the typeface, I will revisit the letter spacing and the 3D effect. I don’t think it looks quite 3D enough when looked at from a distance. 

I also need to work on how the individual elements will work together, so I will design a fifth poster to show this.

Every decision I am making leads to a stronger final outcome, as I can now start to pay more attention to the detail, which is really important - I don’t want to have to rush things, so this decision making process is crucial at this stage. 

[inspirationfordani]

Found this colourful billboard behind Vic Centre, which isn’t the nicest part of town. This advert adds a bit of brightness with a soft sell approach.

[inspirationfordani]

Colour options and analysis

After the feedback from the tutorial I decided to revisit my colour options using a fluorescent colour palette. As a lot of the final materials will be screen printed, I wanted to make sure I base my final decision on screen printed samples rather than what I was seeing on the Mac screen - I am working with fluorescent inks after all. 

The fluorescent available colours to choose from were: Yellow, orange, red, pink, green and blue. 

I needed a quick way to try out different options, to narrow down my colour combination ideas to explore, so I used stamp ink pads I bought on Amazon by Radient Neon and a piece of square easy cut lino. 

This allowed me to explore my options in a very quick and systematic way, which once I was happy with it I re-created by screen printing.

I was so curious about what it would look like, I didn’t want to wait until I would next use the screen printing facilities at uni - so I made up my own DIY screen printing patch I could use at home. I used an off cut of a screen mesh I had at home and used it like an “open screen”, by taping off an area to result in a similar square shape as the lino stamp. 

The images below on the left show the fluorescent colour palette using the stamping technique and on the right is the same DIY screen printed (messy, but it’s just a colour study).

Then I explored different combinations, to help my decision making. I took these to work and asked my colleagues for their opinion. The different comments from the team made me consider various things, which ultimately helped me make up my mind.

Looking at the 3 options, my thought process was as follows:

Option 1 (yellow, orange, pink, green): This option is what I presented to Stuart on Monday and his comment was wether I could go for a more contrasting palette. Now I overlapped the colours it becomes clear why this is important, especially if I want to layer the colours. If there’s no contrast between the colours, the overlay effect doesn’t work, because the new colours created are in fact quite similar to the original ones. The other issue is that the colours don’t support my topics well enough. I could do with 2 loud, crazy colours and 2 calm ones).

Option 2 (yellow, green, red, blue): This option is a result of the problems encountered with the first one. The colours actually mix quite nicely when overlapped, due to the contrast between them. Also this option allows me to use two loud and two calm colours to represent my topics. 

Option 3 (orange, green, pink, blue): I really liked how the pink and orange work together in option 1, so I thought I could try and replace the yellow with orange and the red with pink. The colour mixing looks great, especially the pink and the blue, creating a nice purple. However, looking at the colours separately as a series, it doesn’t work that well, as the orange and the pink are too similar. Another concern is that orange is a very difficult colour to reproduce digitally, especially when printed using a CMYK process. I know this shouldn’t stop me using it, but I think it’s worth mentioning.

So, what’s the verdict? Option 2 is the winner, based on this colour study. 

But how would this look when used with the patterns for my 4 topics? 

I went back to my original design with the different topics, patterns and colours and applied the colour study using the “multiply” effect in Illustrator. I wanted to know whether option 2 would still me my favourite.

Looking at the colours and patterns overlapped, I still prefer option 2. I think option 3 looks great on the box showing just the colours, similar to my printed samples, but it becomes clear that this option looks rather messy when applied - who would have thought that? 

After this exercise I feel much more confident using my final chosen colours (fluoro yellow, blue, red and green) - I am really looking forward to printing them!

[inspirationfordani]

Field notes

When we were talking about the final outcomes I mentioned that I would want to design and make some note pads which could be part of the giveaway bag for my symposium. I was already thinking of making them at a handy size like A6, but that was mainly based on the fact that when I had that idea I thought of using gocco printing in one way or another... however, Stuart mentioned Field Notes, small note pads, ideal for on the go. I just ordered one from Amazon, which I am excited about getting delivered tomorrow. 

There’s nothing too whacky about them, but people find them really practical, due to the size and the different patterns (ruled, blank, graph paper). 

A review on Amazon (great insight for me to base on my note pad!):

“I love these little notebooks, and especially this mixed-set which includes one each of: plain ruled, graph paper, and blank sheets. Yes, you can get simple plain ruled notebooks of similar size for cheaper, but no where near as stylish as these retro babies. And the graph paper is a huge boon to people like me who like to jot designs when the mood strikes. And since I never know when that mood will be, these fit perfectly in front or back pockets. Really great product, that I'm willing to shell-out a little more for because they are just so cool and handy.”

I was thinking that I could create 4 separate little booklets, which are each branded with one of the 4 themes. The patterns inside could relate to the theme (eg. random and wavy for "be curious” and “consistent and structured for “focus”). Then I can use a belly wrap, similar to the Field Note example, maybe even using my die cut logo. I am looking forward to exploring this very soon!

I could use the belly wrap or the inside front / back cover of these booklets for some practical information about the creative process or the specific theme. Maybe I could use some content from Hegarty on Creativity or Steal Like an Artist.

I also love the video clip advertising the Field Books (Valentines Day edition) - story telling at its best! There are so many ways to communicate an idea / brand in an engaging and unusual way. This is something I’d also like to explore - but for now I need to focus on getting everything else done.