OUGD602 - Self Branding

Learning Outcomes; 6C2 + 6D2

In the past, I have kept my self branding quite ridgid, with only two colours to work with.


*last years branding;

I knew that I definitely want to keep the same style. The old English typeface was inspired by Juicy Couture;

My whole branding had a boujee/bad b!tch/girlboss feel to it which I felt represents not only myself but my work really well. Whilst keeping the same style, this time round, I wanted to make my branding more flexible, making it work across a range of formats.

I wanted to move away from the baby pink as I felt it might be slightly cliche/overly feminine, so I turned towards a more earthy, muted colour palette as seen in my collages.

Because my main freelance/personal practice is collaging, I wanted to reflect this in the style of my self branding.

I collected a variety of images from the internet, mainly found on sites such as Tumblr and Instagram. I deliberately sought out images that I felt would represent myself and my brand best - designer prints, lots of pink, retro and boujee feel.

I then applied these to the same format for items such as my business card and letters, simply changing the image each time. For the back of the business cards, I swatched the main colour from each image and used that as a background.

The idea is that there will be a range of different business cards, all different yet carrying the same aesthetic/styling.

It is clear that this is my brand, even though the images and designs differ. I felt this was the best way to represent my collaging practice.


Business cards;

Letterhead;

Application across different formats/alternative ways;

OUGD602 - Updating Social Media

Now that I have started my full time job at Engaging Education, I have updated my social media pages;

OUGD602 - Work Experience/Starting My Job - The First 2 Weeks!

Learning Outcomes; 6C2 + 6D2

So I started my job at Engaging Education 2 weeks ago!

It has been a jam packed 2 weeks but I have thoroughly enjoyed it and am loving working in the professional world!

Here is a round up of what I have been up to for the last 2 weeks;

MONDAY 15TH APRIL:

- Today I had my introduction in which I met the rest of them team, settled into my desk space and was then given a brief overview of the clients and projects the team work on. We then had a Streamtime meeting at 9AM which is a weekly Monday thing. This is where the team discuss exactly what each person is working on what day that week. I was shocked when I saw that the team had already added me to the timetable and I had a project to work on on my first day! After the meeting we then came back upstairs to the studio where I was given my first project.

The project was to create branding for a school's visions & values - this included things like social media posts, posters and banners. I was quite nervous to begin with as I was wary of designing something that would be appropriate for the school. I was sat next to Amy, another designer, and she was really helpful with any questions I had.

TUESDAY 16TH APRIL:
- Today I was given another task, which was to help with some pages from the post-event magazine for National Careers Week. The particular pages I was given to work on were the social media pages, that displayed a collection of tweets and Instagram posts from the week.

I really enjoyed this particular task but also found it quite challenging as I don't have much experience with layout design. It was great to learn some new tips and tricks within Illustrator! 

WEDNESDAY 17TH APRIL:

- This morning I was carrying on working on the NCW social media pages, which were then sent off around lunchtime to the client!

After lunch myself and the 4 other designers had a design team meeting, which is something they do every 2 weeks to keep each other in the loop with what they have been working on. It was interesting to see what the other designers had created and it really helped me get to know some of their other clients better.

After the meeting I started working on a new task, still related to National Careers Week, but for a different booklet for one of their sponsors. Again, this is something I found interesting to work on as it was all new to me!

After work we all went out for a meal in Wakefield to celebrate expanding the team! I had a great night and the team made me feel so welcome.

THURSDAY 18TH APRIL:

- Today I have been working on the NCW booklet again, which took most of the day but was finished by home time ready for the client. We also had a dog in the studio today! Amy's dog Louie came in as he would've been left home alone if not. He was so cute and even sat on my knee for a bit whilst I did my work!

FRIDAY 19TH APRIL:

- Today is Good Friday so we haven't been in work! Reflecting on my first week I have had the best team, I really like the team and the studio vibe is so relaxed! Looking forward to returning for my second week.

MONDAY 22ND APRIL:

- Today is Easter Monday, so again, we haven't been in work. I have been wondering what
I will be working on tomorrow - I am finding it all so exciting! 

TUESDAY 23RD APRIL:

- Start of the second week! Today I have been given a fresh project to work on - a parents booklet for a primary school. We also had our weekly Streamtime meeting this morning, in which I received some good feedback on my designs from last week. 

WEDNESDAY 24TH APRIL:

- Today I have continued working on the same project from yesterday, the parents booklet. In the afternoon I got some feedback from the design director Imran, who helped me get my designs ready to send to the client. By the end of the day the designs were sent off ready for feedback! 

THURSDAY 25TH APRIL:
- Today I got given fresh project to work on - creating some branding for the 'moving up' scheme at a school. This was aimed at new year 5/6 students moving up from primary to secondary school. The purpose of the branding was to get them excited and help more people choose that particular school to go to. This branding was then to be applied to goodie bag materials such as badges etc.

I found I quite struggled with this task for a variety of reasons. I was given free reign with no design direction from the client, which is good in some ways, but I didn't really have that much room for manoeuvre as it still had to be relevant to the school and their current branding. The branding also had to have a formal, almost prestigious element to it, which still being appealing to 10/11 year old children. This is something I found quite difficult to get the balance with! 

FRIDAY 26TH APRIL:
- Today I have just carried on working on the 'moving up' project. I have had a full day just hammering out lots of different concepts so am feeling a bit better about it today! On Monday I just need to put my final designs into a presentation format ready to send off to the client.


OVERVIEW;

Overall I have really enjoyed my 2 weeks at Engaging Education! It has been a real eye opener for me to see how a studio actually runs and functions on a day to day basis! I have realised that it is a lot busier than I thought, and hard to keep to tight deadlines! I have loved getting to know the team and they have made me feel welcome from day 1.

I am really excited about the future and looking forward to moving forward in my job! 

OUGD602 - Looking for Work Experience - FINALLY Hearing Back from Spectrum

Learning Outcomes; 6C2 + 6D2

I had given up my work experience at Spectrum as a bad job, as I had not heard back from them despite chasing them up numerous times.

Now, 6 WEEKS LATER(!!), they have finally got back to me!

Nasar's email;

Obviously by this point I have already secured myself a job and and due to start next week! So I will be treating that as my work experience...

I am yet to reply to her, but I think I will just be telling her that I am no longer available but many thanks for the opportunity.

OUGD602 - Looking for Jobs - I GOT THE JOB!

Learning Outcomes; 6C2 + 6D2

I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!

This morning I received a phone call from Emily on the way to uni (cue dangerously fast pull-over to side of road!).

She began by asking me how I was and how I felt the interview went. I didn't want to be too sure of myself but I told her I really enjoyed it and felt it went well.

She then said how they were both really impressed with my work and the way I presented! Then she went on to say "anyway, I don't want to keep waffling on, but we'd love to offer you the job"

I was OVER THE MOON!

I couldn't believe it and I was like "really?!?!?!?!?" but she was saying "yes, don't act so surprised!"

She went on to say "it's a funny one really because most of the other candidates had a lot more experience than you but we just really liked you and loved your work so..!"

I was absolutely shook but so happy. I accepted her offer right away and then drove into uni on a high!

She sent me an email a few hours later;



I replied;



I will be starting in the second week of the Easter holidays and working through to deadline week, which they have allowed me to have off to return to uni for final hand in.

I am so excited and cannot wait to start!

OUGD602 - Looking for Jobs - Interview Day

Learning Outcomes; 6C2 + 6D2

So today I have had my interview!!!!!!

It went really well! I was greeted by Emily in the car park who took me into the building. She was really nice and friendly and quite relaxed.

She took me into an interview/meeting room which was downstairs, and I had to wait there whilst she got Imran, the design director.

Once he joined us we had some general relaxed chit chat and he went through my CV and cover letter with me. He congratulated me on being the only person to use emojis on my letter!

I then plugged my USB into the keyboard and presented my portfolio on a TV screen to them both. It was really relaxed and they seemed to be really interested and engaged with my work.

After I had finished, they asked me a few questions regarding when I would be free, and then I had the opportunity to ask THEM some questions too.

The two things I asked were;

-how many projects are you working on at one time?
-would there be chance to do things away from desk (eg meeting clients etc) as a designer?

They both answered these questions well and then the interview was over! I shook both their hands and left...

I got a really good vibe from them both and without being too sure of myself, I feel it went really well! My only concern is that other interviewees will have more experience than me and will therefore be a more favorable candidate.

They said they will get back to me by the end of the week so it is just a waiting game now!

OUGD602 - Looking for Jobs - Preparing for Interview

Learning Outcomes; 6C2 + 6D2

Now that I have an interview lined up, I have a week to get myself prepared!

I have added a few extra pieces to my portfolio that I will be presenting to them. This is just so that I have enough to talk about, and have work that is relevant for them.

I have been on the website to familiarize myself with the team and clue myself up on what they do as a business;

  


I have also prepared some interview notes so that I don't get caught out if they ask me any questions! These are things such as:

-why do I want to be a designer?
-what can I offer the business?
-skills and weaknesses?
-how to deal with difficult clients?

I have also bought myself a nice blouse and trousers so that I look smart on the day! I am nervous but excited...

OUGD602 - Looking for Jobs - Hearing Back from Engaging Education

Learning Outcomes; 6C2 + 6D2

I have heard back from the job I applied for at Engaging Education!!!!!!!

They have offered me an interview!!!!!



The email was from Emily who is the business and partnership manager. She gave me a choice of 5 different slots, so I picked one and emailed her back;



She then replied asking I bring a portfolio;


I wanted to clarify what sort of portfolio, so emailed her back;


Her response;



I finished off the conversation by saying I was looking forward to meeting her;



Now to prepare for interview!!!!

OUGD602 - Looking for Jobs - CV, Cover Letter and Portfolio for Engaging Education

To better my chances at getting the job at Engaging Education, I have created a bespoke CV, Cover Letter and Portfolio just for them.

CV;

I wanted my CV to be bright, colourful, engaging and catch their eye. I chose a pink and purple colour palette, which I felt represented my girly style. I added some scribbles and scrawls to the design to create a fun and quirky feel, and represent my design style. I added a picture of myself, which I was unsure about at first - this may not have been appropriate for a more formal job, but I felt like when applying to join a design studio it was important to 'sell myself' as such, and be open. It also 'put a face to a name', which can be seen as friendly and relaxed. In terms of content, I added a small paragraph about myself and my current situation. I didn't want to say too much so kept it short. I added some key skills, any work experience and my contact details. I wasn't 100% sure this was enough, but I read online that long CVs can become boring for the employer, so kept it to a minimum.


Cover Letter;

I started my cover letter by addressing the team, rather than just a singular person. I wasn't sure who was going to be picking up the email, so it was better to address as a whole rather than to one. I added emojis to the first line to create that instant friendly and relaxed feel - this is something I picked up from one of our PPP sessions.
I introduced myself and complimented their work. I mentioned some of my recent projects that I felt would be relevant to their studio, based on education. I talked about my current jobs and how that has shaped me as a person, and then added a few lines regarding my portfolio.



Portfolio;





















There is 20 slides in my digital portfolio, and I wasn't sure whether this was too much but I also want to get a lot of things in there to show the variety of work I can do. Because the studio I am applying for does such varied work, I don't want to limit myself to just a few things. Even though I have chosen to focus on packaging this year, I added in a fair few editorial and layout projects as this is definitely more relevant for the job I am applying for. I put a few projects in their aimed at children (school logo/prospectus, baby clothing branding, kids healthy eating packaging) specifically for the studio (as they are education based). I kept a simple layout similar to my design boards, with the top half of the page as images, then a small, brief title/description of the project underneath, with lots of white space to let it breathe.

OUGD602 - Looking for Jobs - Applying for Engaging Education

Following the unfortunate circumstances regarding the packaging designer job, I have carried on my search on Indeed.

I had my search limited to Wakefield/Leeds whilst looking as I wanted to try and get a job as close to home as possible. I truly believe that a long commute time makes the working day a lot harder/longer, and working near home is just a million times easier than travelling far.

I came across a job post for Graphic Designer at a studio just 15 minutes away from my house.



The job sounded ideal for me and with it being so close to where I live, it was a no brainer to apply for it really.

I created a bespoke CV, cover letter and portfolio which I have sent off, and am now awaiting a response!

OUGD602 - Looking for Jobs - Hearing Back from Craft RE Packaging Designer

I received an email back from Aidan at Craft Agency!!!!

He said I have some 'great work' but the role is to start ASAP so he wants to know if I've finished university;

This was really exciting!! However I was concerned I wouldn't be available soon enough for them. I carefully constructed a response;


I wanted to make sure he knew that no, I wasn't finished yet, but would be very soon. I also mentioned about working over Easter or on my days off. I wanted to make myself as available as possible to better my chances of potentially getting the job.

Aidan got back to me fairly quickly. He said unfortunately they needed someone ASAP for the role, but that he would 'definitely keep my details on file' and that I should 'get back in touch' when I finish if the job is still available;




I was absolutely gutted by this repsonse! He had seemed really positive about my work and genuinely interested, I just wasn't available SOON enough for the role.

I sent a polite response;