Design strategy presentation

Thread design

Thread design are a studio based in Beijing, their location fits in well with my plans to teach in China. They produce quite a broad range of design and are quite a large studio, which is quite different to the design studios that I am normally attracted to. A lot of their work is quite corporate looking, but their are a few projects that appeal to my tastes as well.



Restaurant branding.

Cocktail bar branding.

http://www.threaddesign.com.cn/

Anonymous

I have found a studio that I am really interested in the look of in Singapore. They produce work in both English and Chinese which is what initially appealed to me, but they also produce a lot of publications and print based design work. 

One of my favourite projects of theirs is a calendar designed to 'save paper'. They asked twelve individuals, all from different creative disciplines to create an object using paper, in order to elevate its status.

Thanks to digital proliferation, paper's numerous variants and breeds are dying out, leaving only the dull A4 copier paper, most commonly found in offices. 

http://www.anonymous.com.sg/

Portfolio surgery

I had my portfolio with Ben Hayworth from Beautiful Meme, I thought that I would book it with him as we have already had a dialog going after the Inpress event and sending him work.

He said that my portfolio was mainly fine as it is, the photography and lay out is good and it communicates my projects well. However we got to talking about my general practice, he said that it's good that I'm carving as style out for myself but to be careful not to pigeon hole myself. At present my portfolio only includes print based design work as that is my general focus, Ben suggested that I include some digital based work and set myself a brief that has no budget for print. I have taken this feedback on board, and although I feel that I currently might not have time to be doing more briefs, I will include the PDF design I do for the yearbook.

TEFL

I have found an article written by someone who has had experience in teaching English in China. It's really insightful getting an honest, first hand report of how it will be to live and work in China. Along with this, it also includes some very useful tips when teaching English as a foreign language.

During my time in China, I taught three classes of between 24 and 40 first and second year university students for six hours a week each. Initially, I remember feeling pretty nervous – I worried endlessly about what I was going to teach, how I'd cope with such a large group, whether I'd fill the time and what sorts of activities my students would enjoy. But these initial concerns disappeared very quickly

 A typical lesson might start with a review of the previous lesson and a quick warm up activity, followed by the introduction of a few new words or phrases. I'd then often follow this up with a written exercise to check the students' understanding, before finishing with a related communicative activity or a game.

Looking back on my time in China brings me immense satisfaction. It's something I feel very proud of and a fantastic memory that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

TEFL

I have been exploring the prospect of going to China after graduation. In their growing economy, I think that it is wise to start creating links with businesses over there. Their culture is also one that intrigues me, and I feel that to get the most out of this I would want to live there for a period of time, and not just visit.

As an opportunity to live and work in China, I have been researching into TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language). I am looking to be placed in Beijing, and while I'm out there I can attempt to contact design studios.

I have looked at two agencies, i-to-i (found through research) and LoveTEFL (recommended by a friend). I have decided to go with an agency as they organise everything, including your training, placement in a school, accommodation, visas and airport pick up.

LoveTEFL

i-to-i

Inpress at Dock Street Market

We held our first event of this academic year at Dock Street Market. We found this venue through an advertisement at college and it was really fitting and worked really well.

 

We asked typographic collective, Form ⁓ Writing and illustrator James Murphy to appear as guest designers. We also had The Crash Blossoms play at the night, and managed to get complimentary cocktails for those who arrived first. 

The night was really successful, we made some money and also met some great people, one being Ben Hayworth the creative director at Beautiful Meme. 

 

  

 

We designed all promotion for the event which included posters, bags, flyers, postcard envelopes, compliment slips and new business cards which displays our new logo. 

SPUR

Spur magazine asked to interview Inpress and also asked us to design a free pull out poster to go with the first issue. We also had a stall at their opening night.

PPD Task 2 - What Creative Industries are Relevant

Identify 5 companies/studios which you

consider potentially synergetic

to you personally.

Write a short explanatory paragraph

and reasons for each.

Identify the top choice and WHY you feel that

they may have synergy with your practice

now, or in the near future.

Is your choice based on:

LOCATION

DIRECTION OF PRACTICE

THE BRAND PHILOSOPHY

CLIENT BASE

What if none of those is your main

reason for choosing to follow this organization,

what is it specifically?

When considering these practices:

Please CONSIDER

WHO they are/who are you?

WHY you are contacting them

and why they should listen?

WHAT do you want them to do next

and what do you actually want.

WHY they should get back to you?

Generation Press

The first studio that I have been following for a while is Generation Press. They are a printers based near Brighton. I managed to go down and visit them for a day in the summer, so a dialogue has already been established. I emailed ex student Anand, and then arranged a time to go down. I also initially sent them some work samples, and then brought down some Inpress branding work which I got some great feedback from, on both a design and specialist print aspect. 

What initially drew me to Generation Press was my love for print and specialist processes such as letterpress and foil block. I am intrigued by the whole process, and not just the finished product, so I can see myself leaning towards print production. Their location is also relatively convenient for me, as I have family close by and I am familiar with the area. 

Generation Press also have a green policy, produce sustainable print and are carbon neutral. To me these are all very respectable and important things to strive towards in the current state of the planet. I feel that it is important to justify what we do as designers and printers by considering how we can have the most eco friendly practice as possible. 

http://generationpress.co.uk/

Filthy Media

I first came across Filthy Media when I found their stationary designs on a blog, I then later found that it was printed by Generation Press. They produce a lot of brand and logo designs, as well as a lot of album artwork. Branding and promotional design work are areas that I feel myself heading towards, so they would be fitting in that aspect. However I am mainly drawn to them as it is clear to see that they have a liking for specialist print processes, as they are used throughout a lot of their projects. 

Their studio is also based in Brighton, which as I previously said, is an area that I am familiar with. Although far away from Leeds, it is convenient for me in terms of places to stay, and it is definitely a place I would consider relocating to. 

Filthy Media also seem like a relatively small studio, which I like. The kind of dynamic you get working in a smaller group of people is something I want when looking for a job, I seem to be put off  by larger studios. 

http://www.filthymedia.com/

The Beautiful Meme

I have known about and been interested in the work produced by The Beautiful Meme for some time, but when their creative director came to the last Inpress event, it gave me a starting point to get into contact. 

The beautiful Meme is a creative studio that produces work that is ideas based. They try not to play it safe, and do not produce work that is overly corporate, which I like about them. They produce a mixture of projects including what I'm interested in, print, identities, publications and more. They are based in York, which is not too far from Leeds, making it easy to get to for a visit. 

http://www.thebeautifulmeme.com/

Build

Build produce a lot of Generation Press' design work, which I have already expressed interest in. They are based in London, where I would love to go back to to live. They poduce a mixture of work for both corporate and independent companies, however I do not get a corporate feel from their design work. They produce a lot of print, and their passion for specialist print is definitely evident in a lot of their work. 

The Church of London

The Church of London are a London based (who would have thought it??) creative studio. They produce a wide range of work, from digital to publishing to design. A lot of their publication and design work is heavily image based, which I like. They are not a very small studio, but not huge and corporate either. They also have a hand in a lot of events, which is something I love doing. After organising events for Inpress, I feel that this is something I can definitely carry on into my career.

http://www.thechurchoflondon.com/

Now you have identified initially these studios

you feel synergy with. Please list 8 methods you

could utilize to contact them.

I have already contacted Generation Press and been down for a visit. The next step I think, is to hopefully go down and see if I can have a hand in anything. I am going to finalise some designs for my business cards, which I would like to get printed by them and then perhaps email them asking if I could come down to see them printed.

Before Christmas I designed, printed and bound some 2013 calendars, aimed at designers and printers to encourage them to follow a more sustainable practice. I sent one each to Build, The Beautiful Meme and Generation Press. I only included a business card, so that I can contact them in the future and will have something to reference to. 

After the creative director from The Beautiful Meme came to the last Inpress event, I sent him one of my calendars, as I didn't get a chance to speak to him. I sent it along with a personal and Inpress business card. He got back to me via twitter, and asked that I drop into the studio. I am going to email him and hopefully arrange a visit. 

I intend to send some work in the post to The Church of London and Filthy Media, so that they can get a feel for the kind of work I produce.

Following the mailers, I will send out a PDF to the design studios. 

As I have already established a dialogue with some of these studios, the best way to contact them I think is to pick up the phone and try to arrange a visit. 

I could send out invites to the next Inpress event, as this is something people always seem drawn to or interested in. This could be a problem for the studios based further away however. 

The next visit I take to London, it is always worth a shot just turning up at the studios if all else fails. By then hopefully I will have a portfolio put together to take along!

Generation Press visit

After speaking to Anand over the summer I arranged to go down to Brighton to visit Generation Press. I spent the whole day there, and after Anand showed me around I had the chance to pick the brains of everyone who worked there. I learnt a lot more about the ins and outs of litho and how special print finishes such as foil stamping work. I also took this opportunity to talk to Scrub about what it means to him and the company to run a sustainable print company, which is something I am highly interested in and am writing my dissertation on.

I had an amazing time and they were also kind enough to send me off with loads of free prints.

Creative Networks

Last night we held the inpress shop at Creative Networks. Although we didn't sell much, it was a good evening and it was nice talking to some people about what we do.

We also went to David Shrigleys lecture which was really funny, and he signed out wood for us!