Personal Evaluation

Personal Evaluation

Throughout this project I have learnt the importance of gaining new experiences and seeing creative work whenever I can. I have been to several exhibitions which have opened my mind to new art forms and introduced me to other creatives. Offset Sheffield and Barcelona were both incredible experiences and gave me a real insight it what it is like to be a designer. Seeing designers has given me a drive for the future and an insight into the steps I need to take to get there.

Something else I have been able to do is reflect on myself as a designer and promote personal traits as assets. This is something I struggled with at the beginning, however due to discussions with peers it meant I could see myself with better perspective and develop from there. I have realise that I am a designer who wants to work for individual creatives who I can work well with- literary work in particular. I wouldn't have come to this conclusion without PPP, as it was this that motivated me to look at my future and what I enjoy most.

PPP has also given me the confidence and motivation to network. At the beginning of the year I attended a print workshop, filled with creatives across Leeds. This was ideal to talk about our practice and gain inspiration for future work. It was here I saw a zine someone had created, which made me realise I too could create something like this on a low budget. Recently I have also attended a 'Punk in Print' event at Village Bookstore, this again led to some discussion and meeting the author: Toby Mott. These events were important to see as they have given me motivation and inspiration about where I want to be in the future.  

Design Strategy Presentation:

I began the presentation by referring to the beginning of the year and discussing my new found love of experimentation. Something I hadn't done before this degree was to try quite a physical approach and use strange and random ways to explore the project briefs. One of the things I began doing was placing masking tape on traffic lights and exploring light with a card board box in my flat. These were both to find new ways of exploring type, and even though they weren't directly linked to my final outcome, they did influence my creative practice. In fact, some of the work I produced at this stage was exhibited by the college at part of a competition. This showed me the importance of doing work you're passionate about, even it means diverting from the original task. Also, by doing work in my flat it worked as an unofficial form of collaboration, living with two fine artists meant that they would share their ideas and help me with photo composition and visual experimentation.

The typeface I created as part of this initial project was very illustrative so it was important to showcase it carefully. The type specimen I created didn't do this well, it was overcomplicated, with too many layers. However, when I created a book cover using the type, it became a lot more visible and comprehensive. At this point I realised the importance of simplicity.

Later on in the year we were given the task to create a poster design using a grid layout and featured a piece of origami. At this time I was very interested in sci-fi, having recently watched Stranger Things; so I decided to apply this to my poster design. This meant that I was really passionate about what I was working on, causing the work to go so much smoother than previous projects. Similarly for the wayfinding project I created a system that would work for a zombie apocalypse, linking to the Walking Dead which I had been watching at the time. Both of these projects became something I was willing to invest a lot of time in as I enjoyed the research and the concepts behind them so much.

For the object project we were given a lot of freedom, which meant I struggled to find a clear direction. I went down several avenues, unsure of which to pursue. However, during that project Studio Build came in, and Michael C Place advised that for some projects it is “important to have self imposed rules and constraints,” in order to give a project direction. So I ended up giving myself the rule of creating the design purely in a spreadsheet program. This meant the work was refined and pushed into something I was really proud of.

Something I have particularly enjoyed is editorial design and the book cover work we have done. This partly links to my love of literature and the research involved for original cover concepts. This is perhaps something I want to pursue later on in my career. A particularly inspirational set of work I've seen was from Toormix studio in Barcelona, who have created book designs with blurbs on the covers and designs on the backs. I thought this was incredibly unique, made even more creative by the unique mouse doors placed on the bottom of each cover (linking to their brand Rata.) A personal project I undertook was to design a book cover for my dad. If I had been given this project a year ago I would have only come up with one outcome, however since doing this year of work it has led me to realise it is important to experiment and have a varied set of ideas for a client.

Another studio I particularly enjoyed looking at in Barcelona, was Brosmind. Not only was it inspiring to see their amazing illustrations all over the walls, it was fascinating to see some of their personal projects. They've received lots of interest in their personal projects plus it seemed they were quickly expanding their skill set because of them. It made me realise that I wanted to pursue more of my own personal projects, such as the poetry zine I have started publishing.   

Tooth Zine: Second Edition

Since my last zine was fairly successful and I enjoyed the project, I have decided to develop it further by creating a second edition. This one is space themed and I am hoping to sell a few copies this time. I think it's important to have personal projects and be ambitious with the. Creating the zine alongside my college work has been challenging but the end result will be worth it.

I have followed a similar style as the last edition however I think my drawing and editing skills have improved since then which have been shown in the cover. Hopefully in future work I can create a wider base of people interesting in contributing poems and I can start selling them properly.

Something I have considered doing is giving them for free to places like the Village bookstore and the Vans shop, this may increase interest and lead me to gain new contacts.

Elsie Smith: Vampyre Hunter Cover Design

A personal project I have recently undertaken was to create a book cover for my Dad's vampire novel. This gave me a new idea of what it would be like to work for a client, as I created a varied set of work, tailored to my Dad's specification and taste, all with knowledge/research into the book. Something I wouldn't have done before my degree, is develop 5 designs of which my dad could decide which he liked most.

 This was not only a way of creating a good outcome, but it was also a result of being truly passionate about the project. I realised it is important to find ways of making yourself passionate or interested in the work you're doing, or it will never be as good as it can be.

Overall I was very happy with the outcome and as I result I want to pursue publication design in the future. I enjoyed researching the literacy nearly as much as the designing, which was also true for some previous book related projects too.

This design was then printed and has been submitted into a writing competition. It was exciting to have this as an incentive to make the design stand out and appeal to a contemporary readership.

Self Branding Presentation Outcomes

My initial ideas for my brand outcomes were:

-Postcards, with elements cut out of them.
-Postcard concertina, with serrated edge.
-Simple messages to people that have effected my life, 'To O, thank you for lending me your jacket when I was cold.'
-Create zines/posters to sell.
-Created online counts for my brand.

Eventually I decided to create miniature cartoons based on an illustrative style I had developed a few projects ago. The cartoon character was called 'Lonley', due to the fact I misspelled lonely. These would be something people could take away, read and then keep, with my contact details on the back.

This next piece I experimented with was teabags that I tried to dye blue with food colouring. This was to express the weird, fantasy aspect of my work and to signify my love of tea. After they were dyed, I attached tags with my logo on them. This meant they could be taken away and be a memorable element to my brand. I could develop this further and create packaging for them.

My final product was to incorporate some poetry into the design as that is something I am interested in. So I created a postcard concertina with 4 different designs, summing up individual aspects of my design, and a short poetic phrase on the back:

The light bulb laughed.

“I'm brighter than the sun right now.”

“My words keep escaping me.”

“Have you tried giving them regular walks?”

“Are you staring into space?”

She snapped her purse shut, “yeah its my job.”

“You know smoking can kill you.”

The dragon glared, “the alternative is fire Steve, which can kill you.”

Self Branding Presentation Identity

For the beginning of my self branding I began by deciding what it was that I wanted to communicate:

-Creative and interested in fantasy.
-A passion for quirky projects.
-A future focus in publishing design.

With this in mind it meant that I could tailor my brand's logo, type and outcomes to something that would suite these objectives.

For my logo design I wanted something that could communicate the fantasy element. Eventually I developed a compass rose to suggest a sense of adventure and journey, it is also something I have been doodling since I was 15 so I thought it had sentimental value.

After this I looked at the name for my brand. In the end I went with 'Hazel Thacker', I thought this would create a more personal approach and lead people to feel comfortable working with me. 

Hazel Thacker- Designer and Terrible Poet

Pay off: ‘Bring an Umbrella for the Brainstorm.’

Description: A thoughtful designer with an interest in alt-lit, zine making and strange projects.

Throughout the presentation I included a doodle of an adventure scene at the bottom of each slide. Although this was a simple illustration I used it to communicate the style I like and the identity I wanted to get across.

Poster Design

For my PPP poster design I decided to present the work on a Leeds Collage of Art envelope in order to link back to the collage and show a resourceful nature. The illustration on the front is a style I have used on many personal projects this year, so I thought it would be good to represent my style. Some of the concepts are weird, like the Blogger monster, however this goes with the kind of work I enjoy.

Under 'Learnt' I have drawn dinosaurs giving criticism on a piece of work. This was to signify how at the beginning of the year receiving feedback from tutors and peers was scary, since their work was very impressive. But over the course duration, receiving criticism has become a lot easier and has improved my work dramatically. I have also learnt how to be 'better at being an adult,' which is something that has gone quite well over the year. In fact, balancing work with adulting has been easier than anticipated. 

For ambitions I have written that I would like to make more zines, since my last poetry zine was so fun to make and has taught me new skills. For example, the merit of using a grid became a lot more clear and I now understand the complex print settings required to make them on my own. I hope that I can make 'Tooth' something bigger, not only to improve my design but to maintain relationships with fellow creatives. Secondly I have written to 'get work in the industry', this would be good experience and is something I really want to pursue this summer.

Additionally, under engaged with or 'Loved', I have written 'meet new people' with figures sitting in a hot air balloon to signify the new and lovely people I have met due to university. This has been one of my favourite parts of being here so far, which has really helped my design work with all the advice and motivation my friends have given. Secondly I have written 'going to gigs' which is something I've done a lot of since being here, which has introduced me to quite an arty community and has given me new motivation. Seeing new things like bands or exhibitions has been inspiring for my design work.

Finally the thing I have least enjoyed is keeping up to date with blog posts. It has become easier across the year however it has been hard to document every aspect of my work rather than carrying on straight away. In future I hope this becomes easier as it is an important skill to be able to communicate about your work. Not only this but deadlines have been an issue in some ways. The late nights and constant working can become quite intense towards the end of a deadline, which is something I would like to avoid in future.

Initial Ideas for Self Branding

• To create an Instagram design account. This would be to showcase my work and create contacts without having to directly link people to my personal accounts. Not only this but as studios like Toormix have suggested, it is important to create a website to display work or else your designs will likely not be considered. 
• Similarly I could create an account on Etsy and start selling my work. I already have a zine which I would like to start selling but other items could increase interest in my brand as well.
• A short film with an accompanying poem? In one of our previous studio tasks I created a short film of a videotape sinking in a pond. This led to one of my aspirations being to create a short film and I thought my brand could be an ideal opportunity to create one. I often write poems as well so this felt like the right way to narrate the film. 
• Post cards, with poems on the back. So that the information could be taken away and possible kept. The poem could be considered a memorable element that might stand out amongst several business cards. 
• Pencils/Pens with quotes across them.
• Teabags dyed in order to create blue tea, to be something interactive that the holder can take away and experiment with, all the time making me more memorable.
• Writing letters to people in my past with regrets or things I should have said. This might be found intriguing and honest which could gain interest from perspective clients.  
• Business cards made to resemble my initials HT by having squares cut out from them. This might be considered too corporate for the brand I was to communicate however.

Barcelona Trip: Lo Siento 25.2.17

Lo Siento's design work was bright and charming. The space we were shown was beautiful, with light pouring from the windows and shelves of books lining the walls. One of the main pieces of advice they could give was to read as many books as possible, in order to be extremely knowledgable about the practice. Something they suggested was that prospective employees should have good personalities foremost. Even if their design work isn't astounding, it is important that they mesh well with the team primarily. However, in order to have design work presented in the best way, it is crucial to have your own website.

They also emphasised that it was important to have many personal projects and to be constantly experimenting. Their work was all very experimental and often they have been commissioned due to personal pieces clients have seen. The work is very physical and sometimes even sculptural, with a heavy focus on type work.

Barcelona Trip: Toormix 24.2.17

One of the main things I gained from this visit was that they had a very natural and innovative view of design. They were very focused on spreading creativity however they could, including bringing design opportunities to young people. Something they advocated was spending as much time away from the computer as possible, in order to use your brain more. In fact they suggested it was important to read as much as possible.

Additionally there should always be discussions conducted with the client and much involvement on their part. A website of your work is extremely important in gaining custom and designers will usually only be considered with a good portfolio of work.

 Above are some images of books Toormix have made for Rata. Each of the books is unique in the fact they have the blurbs written on the front, with the design on the back. Not only this but Toormix have added additional elements such as the tiny mouse door on each cover to link to the title 'Rata', this adds something extra and 'makes the mind smile.' 

Barcelona Trip: Mucho 22.2.17

Mucho had a more professional outlook than some of the other studios, with quite a modern working space and meeting room. The company is very focused on the idea of products and creating concepts that are unique.

They are very invested in collaboration, often with their partner studios but sometimes with other groups as well. This means that skills can be shared and optimised for the work in hand, plus it means there is constant idea generation and learning involved.

Something that stuck with me was that they are always trying to have an input on the graphic design wheel. Not only is this inspiring but it suggests that design has turn around, its constantly moving but there will always be styles that are revisited. It is important that when they are, it is you that explores them in the new way.

Brand for Fisix sports toiletries, using courts for each design. 

Work for Casa Bonay using a collage aesthetic.

One of their clients Hector Ayuso was so inspired by the work they had produced explaining his design process, he had a sketch of it tattooed onto his chest. This shows the extent of Mucho's branding capabilities.

Hector Ayuso

Business cards created for Hector, in H shape.

Barcelona Trip: Brosmind 21.2.17

Seeing Brosmind's decorated and flourishing studio was an amazing experience. The walls were covered with illustrations, mementos and designs which filled the space with their enthusiasm. In fact, their warm welcome and honest discussion was one of the best aspects of the visit.

The design work however was also brilliant. Wacky yet adorable characters could be found everywhere in the studio and within shops in Barcelona. I bought a pack of their playing cards found in the Contemporary Museum of Art and a craft beer found in a local shop. Both show a punky, colourful flavour of their work, both defined by the original illustrations. Brosmind have developed their own colour pallet used throughout their work, often finished with a brown outline, maintaining a warm aesthetic- reminiscent of Barcelona itself.

One of their main pieces of advice was to make time for personal work. This was to keep a drive behind the designing and conjure outside interest in new potential skills and projects. One of their most exciting studio pieces was a car made of glass, completely inked with doodles, using the Brosmind colours behind the panes. This began as a personal project but received much attention and will eventually be presented at a show. They suggest often personal work can be far more rewarding than corporate work.  

DR ME - Collage workshop

For the upcoming project we had a visit from DR ME so that we could develop skills in collage for our screen prints. In this we were given a word in pairs which we had to develop a 10 frame gif for.

The word we were given was 'ago' which we decided to suggest by having a women knocking a clock and causing time to go backwards. We were initially just going to use one frame and have time warped whilst the women stood next to the scene. However we thought it would have more progression if there was a narrative of three scenes. In the final scene I suggested we have the clock reappear for some continuity, linking it in a cycle. We included faces in some of the cogs in order to convey a surreal effect, working with the freedom that collage allows.

This workshop has given me the skills to make a gif which I will use in future design work and has shown me how accessible collage work can be.