OUGD602 - Can Graphic Design Save Your Life? - Exhibition Notes & Relevance

This week, I went down to London to go and check out a new exhibition at the Wellcome Collection Gallery. The exhibition considers the role of graphic design in constructing and communicating healthcare messages around the world, and shows how graphic design has been used to persuade, to inform and to empower. As my dissertation is looking at some aspects related to alcohol and health, I wanted to see whether I could find anything that could help inform my own work.



Blank Cigarette Packaging - In the Context of Practice module I have been looking at the effect blank cigarette packaging has had, and how this could be developed to alcohol packaging. Build chose to present information on cigarette packaging as uniformly as possible in the machine-readable font OCR-B, adding a QR code linking to a website on quitting smoking.

Whilst I do not smoke, I feel that the cigarette packaging designs seen below are more attractive than the designs that have been implemented. The QR code is a fairly good idea for promoting the effects of smoking; however, people are unlikely to go out of their way to photograph the packaging and look it up. The design to the left is more effective in my view, as it directly gives the facts on the packaging. These are aspects that could be used to inform some of my CoP ideas.

Symbols - Design firm Poulin + Morris were commissioned to develop a communication tool to enable rapid, effective communication across language barriers between hospital patients and staff. Users point at easy-to-understand pictograms of symptoms, an alphabet or a simplified human figure to identify types of pain, its location and severity.

This type of design emphasises the importance of simplicity, and how effective it can be. The use of identifiable symbols and icons is successful in being understood by people in multiple countries, which is one aspect that I should consider when producing my own designs. Symbols and icons are a great alternative to using type, and are clearly effective in the health sector.

Augmented Reality - This NHS blood donor campaign uses augmented reality to allow members of the public to virtually donate their blood using their mobile phone. Participants are given a sticker detectable by visual recognition that overlays a needle, tube and plaster on their arm. The augmented reality app connects to a large outdoor advertising screen showing a sick patient attached to an empty blood bag - as the virtual blood fills the bag, the patient is shown returning to health.

The use of new technologies can have such a strong impact, clearly emphasised by this example. This year, I would like to research a bit more into technologies and what is out there, as innovative, interactive design is one area that is becoming more and more relevant.

OUGD602 - Website Task

In response to the task set to produce my own website I have used Adobe Muse to produce a custom responsive site. I feel that creating a custom site from scratch is beneficial as it gives me the opportunity to improve my web design skills.

For the homepage I have kept it very stripped back with a focus on large-scale project images. Due to the large amount of time it has taken to make my site responsive I have not had the time to develop all the project pages; however, I have completed the ASYA page which is representative of how the other pages will be laid out. Over the next month I aim to complete these pages and also create the 'About' , 'Inspiration' and 'Contact' pages. A video of the website in use can be seen below:

OUGD602 - Context ME! - Response & Task Evaluation

A week after sending the framed poster and message I received an email from Ben Duckett - the co-founder of Spy. His email was as follows:

As I used hello@matt-fraser.co.uk, Spy would have checked out the website associated with the email, which hasn't yet been created. This is one thing that I need to do this year, as it is clear that studios firstly look straight at your website. In response to this, I sent over a portfolio of some of my more physical work. This was an attempt to try and appeal to their style, which was identified at the start of this task. My response email was:

The portfolio attached can be seen below:



Unfortunately, after a follow up email and a few weeks I did not hear back from Spy. Whether this was down to the work included in my portfolio or my late email responses, I do not know. It is a shame that I did not get to go and visit Spy and work for them; however, in a sense, this task has taught me two main things - that having an online portfolio (website) is crucial, and that you should not be disheartened if things do not go to plan.

Only a few people in the class were able to secure placements through this task, therefore I am determined to secure some later this year. The strategy did work to grab their attention and receive an email however; I feel that I need to focus more on my portfolio and online presence as a whole in the following months to ensure that I appeal more to studios I want to work with.

OUGD602 - Thinking Ahead

As this is the final year of the course, I need to consider what I want to do when I finish. I am set on travelling once University finishes and am aiming to go around Thailand, Laos and Cambodia for roughly three months. This is one thing that I have been wanting to do for a while and feel that it is the best time to take the opportunity to do it before working in industry and trying to achieve a successful job.

As I will be away for a quarter of a year after University, the one aspect that I need to consider is whether I can line up a job for September 2018, or whether I should wait until coming back from travelling. I sent Alec the following message this week:

"In terms of the question the one thing i’d like to know the most/gain some opinion on is what to do about getting a job in the industry months after graduating. I’m planning on going travelling at the end of Uni for a few months so the main challenge I want to work out is how to sort a job when coming back from being away for so long. Aiming to work in London so thinking of coming back and getting a temporary job whilst trying to get a studio job somewhere."

His response was as follows:

"A similar question did get asked, so maybe we’ll cover it in a future Talk it Out session. In the meantime, check out this project by Michael Lester.

He took a break to travel the world with his gf for 9 months and came up with this while he was out there. It’s well executed and drummed up heaps of press upon his return to work, ensuring that he got lots of new job offers.

There’s plenty of ways you can be thinking strategically and building networks while you’re away".

The project mentioned by Alec is fantastic. The concept is super simple; however, the effect of completing such a project clearly pays off. I am going to think about the possibility of completing a project like this when I go travelling. I do not plan on bringing my Macbook with me; therefore, I would have to do something that is not necessarily digital at first.

In a recent session, Alec highlighted another travelling-focused project called The Cool Bus. As opposed to Michael Lester's project, members of the project got in touch with studios that they wanted to work with before going travelling.

With this project, the team were able to combine their interests and desired lifestyles with their job - which for me, is a main goal. Alec went on to explain that one of the members was offered a role in a company as the art director, after being interviewed for a role as a junior designer. The interviewer was mostly interested in this project alone as opposed to the guy's portfolio, which highlights how it is important to have something different and unique to show studios/agencies. Alec said that this was mainly because The Cool Bus has a story to it, and isn't just a typical design project. 

This has inspired me to try and promote my practice in a way that includes my interests outside of Graphic Design. To stand out you clearly need a story behind you, or something that shows you have interests in other things. When I go travelling, I am going to try and document my time out there; however, want to somehow link it with my design skills. I am very much into audio production and video editing; therefore, will try to combine them in too. I aim to utilise these skills throughout this module this year also, to show off myself as a person, as well as my practice.

OUGD602 - Context ME! - Final Presentation

For my presentation, I simply summed up my process and strategy into 5 slides. At this stage, I have only just given the frame to my Dad to hand deliver; therefore, I will not hear from the company until after Monday. Only then will I be able to evaluate the success of this task.

The presentation given was as seen below. The short type use was to remind me of points I needed to discuss.

OUGD602 - Context ME! - Strategy, Design Development & Production

Strategy - After analysing the style of work that Spy produces, it became clear that the majority of their outcomes are physically to a very high-quality. Some of which can be seen below.

Inspired by this aspect, I aimed to produce something physical and tangible that Spy could keep as part of their office. In terms of their name, I thought that it could be interesting as a concept to illustrate their office and revolve my approach around the concept of the term 'I Spy', attempting to link their studio with my practice.

The difficulty in this was that I am based in Leeds and their studio is in London. As time was restricted, I used Google Maps to view the exterior of their building. The image was warped in Photoshop and then imported into Illustrator where I was able to create a vector drawing of the exterior.

The final illustration was printed on some high-quality, textured paper and put inside an A3 frame. I was very happy with the outcome - the print came out very clear and it worked well with the white frame edges.

To tell Spy a little about myself, I made a card to go along with the framed poster. For this, I wanted the tone of voice to be fun and a bit different than a serious, formal approach. To do so, I integrated some of my personal interests and hobbies into the message, alongside why I have made the piece and what I hope to get out of it. My contact details have also been included so that Spy could get in contact with me, if they want to. As Spy tend to use bold, contrasting colours, I opted for black and orange, as these are colours that work with that particular style and they can be used to link to my DJ branding. The printed note can be seen below.

The final outcome for this task has been packaged up in brown paper and I am taking it down to London, where my Dad will be able to hand-deliver it on Monday. It would be very expensive to post and may break; therefore, I thought this was a more efficient way about going about the problem.

OUGD602 - Context ME! - Studio Choice / Focus

As I have identified that I want to move to, and work in, London in September after travelling, I researched into a variety of London-based studios. One that caught my eye is Clerkenwell-based studio Spy. What I really like about the studio is the vibrancy and clarity of their work. Their outcomes are extremely high in quality and are a mixture of physical design AND interactive, digital design. Ideally, I want to work in a studio that covers areas such as editorial, motion, identity, web and interactive design; therefore, this studio really appeals to me. Their location is very central in London and they have a very credible list of clients, making even more reason for me to base this task on them.

OUGD602 - Aims & Ambitions

This year I want to focus predominantly on live briefs, as I aim to get my work out there, build my communication skills with clients and prepare myself for working on real-life projects after University. I will do so by responding to a variety of competition and client briefs. The three areas of my practice that I have identified are areas of strength and speciality are branding, motion and music.

I aim to focus on briefs that revolve around these areas to ensure that the work I produce is representative of me and my interests. This will hopefully allow me to have a portfolio of work that is of interest to studios I would like to work for after University. As I DJ a lot aim to reflect how this has informed my professional design practice. I also want get a placement or two this year to expand my experience in industry. This will hopefully be achieved through improving my self branding and contacting a variety of studios/creatives.

OUGD602 - Summer Plan Evaluation / Results

At the end of 2nd Year I set myself a few aims to complete over the Summer. They were as follows:

•  Re-contact Leopold Ltd
•  Improve My Behance Exposure

•  Keep In Contact With Deuce Studios
•  Complete Some Freelance Work

Out of the 4 aims, I have completed 2. In regards to Leopold Ltd, I met up with the owner, Nigel Roberts, for a few drinks over the Summer period. Keeping good relations with him is important as he has some great contacts and industry experience. The second aim I completed was to continue freelancing - over the Summer period I continued to work for Bannenberg & Rowell, completing paid visuals for the interior of a new superyacht. One typographic wall piece produced can be seen below.

In relation to the other 2 aims, I did not fully complete them. Improving my Behance exposure is difficult to do when I do not have any new work to upload. I did; however, upload the publication project with Harrison, which helped to further my Behance exposure and overall content. Yet, in terms of Deuce, I chose not to keep relations with them. Whilst they offered us some great feedback on the publication, myself and Harrison feel that they were quite rude after sending it to them. I have learnt that I do not want to pursue working with studios that do not share a similar interest, therefore, I aim to look at working with other studios and practitioners this year.  

The summer period allowed me to reflect over my practice and where I would like to head. The following blog post identifies these areas.

OUGD502 - Module Self Evaluation

Overall, PPP this year has really opened my eyes to the importance of contacts and networking. By working on a variety of live briefs, inside and outside of University, I have tried to push my design skills in as many areas as possible, as well as improve my communication skills with different clients. I have also tried to gather a variety of contacts in the industry that I can use in Level 06 to gain feedback from and eventually hope to work with. This Summer, I am going to put a real effort into maintaining these contacts and building my online presence.

The main aim that I had going into this year was to essentially experiment and learn as much as possible, so that moving in to Level 06 I know my abilities and can feel confident when moving forward. I feel that this has definitely been achieved through experimenting a lot more with web, motion, 3D, illustration and more. I can now clearly see that I would like to focus mostly on branding and editorial work in Level 06. As I have picked up skills in a variety of other sectors, I am going to try and integrate them into these two main areas of work; however, as a career, I definitely want to be a Graphic Designer, as opposed to a Web Designer or 3D Designer etc.

Launching the Designbytwo project with Harrison was definitely one of the best aspects to come from this year. It was great to work with someone with a different set of skills, but with a similar mindset and general ambitions. The project allowed me to improve my skills hugely - particularly in 3D - and highlighted how something as simple as a poster project can lead to interest from a successful design studio, such as Deuce. Working with Harrison was hugely beneficial because we both drove each other forward and gave each other pieces of advice when learning new software/producing designs. Because of this, the outcomes produced in Studio Brief 02 were to a very high quality, as we were determined to put a lot of effort into impressing Deuce. I am very proud of the publication made - it is by far the most complex piece of editorial work I have worked on so far and it definitely increased my knowledge of the physical side of production hugely. Whilst Deuce did not mention about us possibly working with them in Summer, I am going to try and arrange another meetup with them, even if it is for a more relaxed drink, to get talking again and see if we can sort something out.

If I could have done anything differently this year I would have liked to have gone to a few more design talks. Alongside completing design work I have been producing a lot of music and DJing once or twice a week around the UK for the past 4 or so months. Because of this, it has been quite a challenge to attend as many design events as I wanted to. Despite this, I feel that I have definitely learnt a lot from the events I have been to - the Hey! Talks and It's Nice That x Printed Pages workshops were two of the most eye-opening experiences I have had, particularly in the essence of informing the directions of my professional practice. Looking ahead to Level 06, I am going to try and manage my time more effectively to see if I can visit various design talks and exhibitions when travelling around the UK for gigs. If this becomes too much, I am going to lay off of the music for a while and focus more on my design practice.

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - Summer Plan

Thinking ahead I really want to put myself in a confident position going into Level 06. As I have gained quite a few contacts this year and completed various live briefs I want to keep this up to ensure that it is not a challenge to get work out there when starting back in September. Some of my main aims and ambitions that I hope to complete can be read below.



Re-contact Leopold Ltd - A while back I worked with the creative director of Leopold Ltd - a design company based in London - producing a poster for a live play. After just recently setting up a Linkedin account Nigel, the creative director, invited me to connect. Thankfully through this I will be able to get in touch with him again and catch up in Summer over a pint. As it has been over 2 years since I last met Nigel I will be able to show him how my work has developed and hopefully help out with some projects over the Summer period.

Improve Behance Exposure - As myself and Harrison have finished the Deuce publication we are going to upload it to Behance to try and gain some further exposure. Hopefully Deuce will appreciate it and give us a hand in promoting it online. As many professionals have highlighted the importance of Behance for getting jobs when leaving University, I really need to start building my profile and getting a lot more interest in my work. I therefore intend to spend a lot of time on re-organising projects and finding better ways to get them seen.

Deuce Studios - As Deuce were interested in the Designbytwo page, I really want to make sure that I keep in contact with them so that I can continue to get feedback from them through Level 06. I am hoping to potentially get some work experience with them this Summer; however, this may not be a possibility as they currently don't have a proper design studio.

Deuce have a fantastic website and have a lot of contacts in London. As this is where I want to eventually work after graduating, they are definitely worth keeping close with to try and make the process of finding a job easier at the end of Level 06.

Freelance - As I have worked for Bannenberg & Rowell this year, as well as a theatre group and event promoter, I want to try and continue using these contacts to enlarge my portfolio and make some money over Summer. Continuing to freelance will improve my negotiating skills and communication skills with clients, and will make taking on the live briefs in Level 06 much more straightforward. I hope to enter a lot of competitions next year; therefore, want to keep up my design work to ensure that I will be able to produce the best work possible.