Discussion on Copyright

How to copyright work:

• You don't need to register the work - it's completely yours as soon as its made.
• No one can claim your work unless you have signed the copyright in a contract.
• If you're self-employed you usually own the intellectual property even if the work was commissioned by someone else.
• It can help if you put a little copyright symbol on the work or a phonographic symbol for video work.
• Make sure the file is dated as a record.
• Make it an essential part of your terms and conditions.

Never breach another person's copyright, it can cost a lot of money and damage your reputation.

Charge for pitches, and if your company is chosen return the money. This is to avoid the ideas being plagiarised/ having time wasted.

Everything you buy for the client you've got to make a profit on. It's possible to charge double for everything.

Can everything on the internet be used, as it is within the public domain?

- No, only when the copyright has expired or it has been assigned to the public domain.
- 70 years after the death of the artist.
- 75-90 year after the time of creation.

Reproduction rights - On anything sold with your work applied on an international production the ownership of the work could trace back to you. Meaning you might be accountable for anything that goes wrong with it (e.g. a child chokes.) Ensure you're not trapped by this, read through contract etc.

Licensing your work - Sometimes might be asked to license work. You can limit the license to a single use, so you can charge a fee for each use of the work (magazine, advert, logo, t-shirt...)

"If I paid you for it... I must own it?" Physical ownership is not the same as intellectually owning it. Unless it has been assigned in writing!! Don't give it away straight away unless you trust the client.

'It's a bit like having a family and someone else stealing your children.'

Connor Campbell - Junior Art Director for It's Nice That

Connor graduated in Graphic Design from Edinburgh College of Art in 2015 and joined It’s Nice That in early 2016 as a design placement. Connor became a full-time junior art director in September 2016. He began work at an audio company and become strong in animation after one small brief, this is something he has continued quite extensively since then. Because of this he recommended always acquiring new skills, as they just might come in handy later on. One of his main pieces of advice was to mock up designs well, as this will usually make you favorable in pitches because the client doesn't have to imagine anything.

 It's Nice That began as a university project blog by Will Hudson and it has recently turned 10 years old. They post 13 articles a day, championing creativity in all it's forms. It makes its profit from working with brands. He suggests applying for the Graduates! Which is a review of graduates in the creative industry of that year and the interesting designs they're working on.

Printed Pages is the physical outcome of all the research conducted by It's Nice That across the year, produced every 6 months. They try to ensure that the cover always celebrates a lesser known creative. One piece of advice he had was that if you're ever making a publication, print all the pages small and rearrange them on a massive board to see the flow better.

Liv - It's Nice That/Rough Trade

Liv Siddall worked as an intern for It's Nice That from 2011-2015, discussing different pieces of creativity. This was perfect for her as she realised that she was most passionate about discussing other people's work. This allowed her to see the behind the scenes of how creatives work and make connections within the industry.

Rough Trade found her on Linked In (proving it can be a useful tool) and asked her to be an editor for their music magazine. Rough trade began in 1976 and she was asked to produce a 64 page magazine reflecting the shop, bands and people that it symbolises.

She began by imaging what the magazine would be like if it was a person, she didn't want to do a typical, moody magazine. She looked at punk zines and bubble type and eventually she brought in Bruce Usher to help her design. The shop was graffited, grimy, angry, covered in stickets etc and this needed to be represented in the magazine.

She was scavenging for free fonts, local photographers and bands to submit interviews. She made a rule that there should always be someone smiling on each page and no face on the front. This was to ensure that it wasn't copying the generic style of music magazine that most are familiar with. She got Jonathan Richmond to be the comic's agony aunt! The magazine had to be proof read by at least 4 pairs of eyes before it could be published.

 Her main piece of advice was that if you run out of budget - DIY it!! It's better to focus on what you're into rather than what hasn't been done. There's also a tire theory she follows which suggests that if you see someone trying to fix their car, you're more likely to help, rather than if they're calling for help. I found this interesting. If you're constantly asking people for help, you're a lot less likely to end up with an original result.

Sarah Heal - LAU Alumni Themepark Designer

Sarah Heal is a graduate from Leeds College of Art and has shaped a career in design for theme parks. This involves working on the backgrounds for stage shows, t-shirts, sign designs etc.

Her 4 main pieces of advice are:

1. Geekin out
2. Making it happen 
3. Importance of networking
4. Love yo'self

She ephasised that if you don't ask for something, you wont get it - so it's important to arrange studio visits and talk to professionals. Networking is crucial, 'stalk and talk' forums, Twitter and emails. Don't be put off by rejections or no replies. Ask questions, don't contact as if you're in pursuit of an internship - approach them as friends. Ask them about them about their process, their work and how they feel about stuff. This is why its important to stay in touch with the people you meet. Feedback is essential! Always say yes to any work you're offered as well.

Your work also needs space and you shouldn't be doing it intensely! You don't have to be good at anything and you shouldn't obsess over other people's Instagrams - let them inspire you. In fact, she suggests you should find out what makes you different - and own it!! Doing and doing it cringey is better than not doing it at all.

https://www.heal.design/

How to get an Internship

• Apply to as many people as possible.
• Send a simple email.
• Only the best work should be presented in the portfolio.
• People will always be better than you, it can be a massive struggle initially.
• Research studios you want to work at - make as many contacts as possible.
• Getting an internship is very much about the connections and the people you know.

How to do a Good Presentation

• Introduce yourself with something about yourself and make sure you smile.
• Tell them what they are going to see.
• Make eye contact and pauses to make sure they are caught up and aren't overwhelmed.
• Keep the text to a minimum.
• If you have a lot of bullet points, build them up and join them together.
• Check files will work on the program/save it on several.
• Save onto a memory stick or several.
• Test projector.
• Print out the presentation for feedback.

Greta Madline Skype Call

When Greta left university she had no idea what she wanted to do so she traveled around and created her own path. She eventually came to work at the Kennedys design studio, which has amazing people and amazing projects. She even has her own fashion brand and says you should start up whatever you're passionate about.

• Spend university experimenting/doing what you love.
• Always apply to jobs you want repeatedly in unique ways.
• Always look for collaborations/friends within the industry and keep up constant communication.
• Trust your gut feeling 'you do you'.
• Your interest can be infectious to a client so make sure you're passionate.
• Work as if you know the client, keep it personal. 
• Share all of your work and talk about it as much as possible.
• It's good to stand your guard and stand alone.
• You don't have to be one thing - explore different mediums.
• Question everyone - if you feel like its the right thing to do then go against advice.
• Be silly! Explore crazy ideas.
• Don't be an ass and relax a bit.
• In every project look for a personality.
• With hard work and persistence will pay off. 

Hearing Greta Madline's story has really inspired me to give design my all and start looking for collaborations is every way possible.

http://gretamadline.com/

Only Design Studio Visit

Only design is a branding agency based in Manchester consisting of 6 members which have rotated in the past. Some of their clients include Goldsmiths, Lost Village Festival and the University of Suffolk.

Talking to Only made me realise that you don't need to code to get into the digital buisness, by using wireframes it can be quite simple for other professionals to make a working website. I hope to do more digital work for the web in the future.

Only's Process:

• Research - competitors, audiences, personas, principles.
• Wireframing - test assumptions, idea generation, heavy involvement.
• Design 
• Front end

Advice:

• Important to have mass communication.
• Work hard and thoroughly on pitches, focus on modern aspects such as social media and evidence that you have adhered to guidelines for digital design. Pitches are important.

Village Bookstore Visit - Ben Holmes

Village was made so that self-published books and interesting print publications could be engaged with by Leeds residents. People can exchange knowledge of print and view inspirational books that otherwise wouldn't have had such a good platform. The place contains professional publications from places like New York and Tokyo, but also works from the local people of Leeds.

In the age of the internet thousands of designs are being viewed all the time, simultaneously and quickly without physical consideration. This is fantastic in some ways as it means we are seeing far more than was ever possible, but with things like zines it slows people down. You're not just seeing it, you're smelling it and feeling it- there is complete engagement with the designer's creative output.

Design Studios can often communicate their ethos/aesthetic through a publication or set of publications. Its an ideal way to showcase work but also display skills in layout, texture, production.. etc. For example Library Paper is a collection made by Leeds a collective of Leeds Art Uni alumni. It's Nice That also have their own publication called Printed Pages, show casing all the best articles on their website every 6 months.

What Village Looks For:

• Particular interest in photography books.
• Every aspect of the book is cohesive and well considered.
• The book should serve a purpose.
• The format of the book could communicate the books content. For example 'Funny Money' or 'Till Death Do Us Part'

Age old question is posed: Should you be able to see the hand of the designer or should it be seamless?

Production Variations:

• Risograph printing can create quite a vintage, screen-print -style outcome. E.g. 'This is the Same Ocean'.
• Different paper stocks can be used in juxtaposition with each other. For example in 'Surfers phenomena' there is an occasional gloss page, in order for the pictures of the ocean to occasional pop out of the page.
• Touches like spot varnishing, foiling can have a big impact. It has to suite what you're going to say without being too gimmicky.
• No book has to be expensive to be interesting. 
• Inserting external items into the book or varying the page sizes.
• French folds, so you have to cut in the pages to see whats inside- the book is an experience.

Advice for good publication making:

• Consider how it will look on the shelf, against all the other publications and if will still catch attention.
• Publishing isn't necessarily about the money, its about the exposure and the people that will have viewed/connected with your book whilst moving through the shop.
• The best way to make good books is to read other people's books- a good event for this is Offprint.

This was one of the most inspirational lectures I've seen on this course, the discussion was clear and useful. It definitely made me want to consider a future in books and fueled me to begin talking to professionals within the publishing industry.