For all areas of this brief I am to produce work that will promote myself as a visual communicator. My final solutions should highlight my strengths as a graphic designer, design ethos, ability to work professionally and my ability to present information with clarity and imagination and produce the following:
Personal identity
Two items that can be sent via the mail system that will introduce myself to potential employees.
Digital portfolio (PDF format)
Employment strategy plan
PART TWO
PERSONAL IDENTITY (PACK)
It important that my personal identity (Logo) stands out and should avoid creating anything that may appear too corporate. For this area I can stretch the boundaries to give a unique feel by using different print techniques. The final outcome should reflect my personal way of working and creative style.
Requirements:
- Business card (90mm x 55mm)
- Letterhead (297mm x 210mm)
- Type styling and colour palette.
Create two consecutive outcomes that can be sent (via the postal system) to potential employers that will introduce myself as a designer in a creative and individual way. The final concepts should show consistency and links to the identity solution created for part one of this brief.
ITEM 1 - SAYING HELLO
For this I should consider creating handcrafted items from unusual materials that require some physical involvement (for example, ripping, making, tearing). It is important that the solutions stand out and has high impact.
ITEM 2 DIGITAL PORTFOLIO
Produce a PDF file of work promoting myself as a visual communicator potential employers.
Again this should be constant with the identity produced in the earlier activity.
Requirements:
I’m required to design the following:
Between 6-12 files containing your final designs highlighting your best work.
Files will require:
- Introductory page with contact details Contents page
- Project descriptions
- Project images
- Personal Statement
- Consistent layout, type styling and tone of voice (set in the previous brief)
Final Outcomes
Evaluation
The design solution of the ‘Creative Survival Pack’ was overall an effective design in meeting the brief of introducing myself in a memorable way to potential employers and clients. The brief required that I produce a consistent identity across all my promotional items and I wanted to ensure that this would be classic yet contemporary. My initial goal was to create a logo and identity that was simple, relevant, enduring, distinctive, memorable and adaptable enabled me to achieve consistency throughout and be adaptable for use across a variety of media. I chose a small yet contrasting and contemporary colour palette in order to make a feature of the key words which I then added further detail to by using a large font size in a small text box. The real life cost of production of such a design would be excessive to be considered for mass market mail out, so my aim would be to create a smaller 3D pack that would be easier and more cost effective to post. I could also develop a second concept for mass mail out leaving this solution for specifically targeted agencies or designers.
Professionally, I felt that this project was a challenge as I was both client and designer, which posed some issues with the investment in time I made to the process. I was keen to see this as an opportunity to develop a real life solution, which I would be able to actually use to send to potential clients, and as such, I invested heavily in perfecting each element of the process.
By conducting research into the agencies and designers that motivate me I was able to identify new inspirations and potential employers - more specifically those that have offices in Asia where I currently live. This encouraged me to conduct further research into companies like Design Bridge and Elmwood with the view of making contact after graduating.
One area of the design process that helped me develop new skills was communication. The restrictions that I encountered with the print process required me to be flexible and investigate solutions that would enable me to work around the limitations that I came up against in Tokyo. I had originally designed a concept around the printing techniques that are readily available in the UK but were accessible here; if they were it was at a much higher cost. This wasn’t something I had planed for, but required me to re-evaluate and consider alternative solutions and helped me to develop relationships with two printing companies which in turn provided me with a greater knowledge and understanding of the printing industries and specifically the methods available to me in my location. This has better equipped me to tackle real life projects in the future with greater confidence.