What is a Design Practice?
"Graphic Design is an ongoing examination/conversation between the dynamics of personal exploration & professional practice" - Matt Owens Volumeone.
What makes an effective Design Practice?
Is your practice based on these:
- Appropriateness of response
- Appropriateness to brief
- Reflection on the ambition you want to work
- Quality of revolution
- Meeting the deadline.
Appropriateness to response?
- Whats problem? Are you solving it?
- Who's the audience? Is the age appropriate?
- What is the context? Where? Billboard, therefore bigger scale!
- Whats the method of delivery? What you producing is it effective?
What is a problem?
What is it that you are been asked to do?
OR
Do you want to do it because you want to?
Awareness of choosing or been asked to do?
What you trying to achieve?
Inform or persuade etc...
What is your rationale?
What you want to do? And why are you doing it?
It could be doing cause want or because you have to do it!
CONCEPT
IDEA
RESEARCH
Driven by one of these - but why? Different briefs will require different ones.
AUDIENCE
CONTEXT
MEDIA
Relationship between all of these but are you interested & driven by the media
(Print, editorial etc..)
Or the place you are putting your work?
CREATIVE
ETHICAL
COMMERCIAL
Do you have to believe in their ethics before you work with them
OR
Do you want to do it commercial reasons.
HANDMADE
DIGITAL
LENS BASED
How does your practice engage with these?
Relationship of 3 different ways to work
2D - Width & height
(Design on 2D but wrapped on)
3D - Width & Height & Depth
(Object & spacial)
4D - Time & movement
(Film, Sequential development of ideas)
Quality of Revolution
- Depth of appropriate research - range
- Breadth of initial ideas.
- Selection of potential solutions - what driven selection?
- Through visual development - has it been developed?
- Attention to detail/crafting - Quality?
- Clarity of presentation - can they see it?
Type or/& Image
Relationship & how develop practice
Its not a style as they change.
Media the Message?
Media as distribution or as publication
Does it effect the message?
Tone of Voice
Whats your tone of voice as a designer.
PLAY
Try it
Test it
Make it better
How you explore is what make you. Never forget to play, will keep you moving forward.
Collaboration - How you work & how your roles work with other peoples. Different to group work.
Meeting the deadline
Time management
Key skill to develope
Deliver something that is the best that it could be
Knowing the cut off point - knowing when to hand it over.
Message, Communication Clarity & Context
+
Creativity, Concepts, Ideas
x
Skills, Organisation, Discipline & Commitment
=
Compromising, Boundaries, Limitations, Rules & Time - Always be there Either from brief or for yourself.
An effective design practice - If this happens then you will receive
Workshop Task
My Answers
What is your professional name & contact details?
Melissa Gater
m-gater1215@blogspot
melissa_gater@live.co.uk
What 5 words best describe your design practice?
Handcrafted
Research Focused
Professional
Simple
Motivated
What 5 words best describe you as a person?
Hardworking
Jolly
Organised
Good Time Manangement
Friendly
What are your 5 strongest design skills?
Type
Layout
Illustrator
Ability to meet deadlines
Group Work
What areas of Graphic Design interest you the most?
Retail & Promotion
Branding & Identity
Print
Packaging
Who are your favourite designers & design studios?
Jullian Vallee
Jung Von Matt
What makes them your favourite?
Paper direction.
What are your 5 favourite design blogs?
Creative Review
DesignInspiration
Fromupnorth
What 5 things do you want to be?
Successful
Well Known
Good Reputation
Proud
Part of a good agency
What 5 things do you think you need to do to be this?
Hardworking
Outgoing
Build Up Rappor
Create a unique style
Different.
Dan Everitt's Answers
What is your professional name & contact details?
What Everitt Takes
Danuce@hotmail.co.uk
DC-Everitt1215@blogspot.ac.uk
What 5 words best describe your design practice?
Professional
Experimental
Original
Creative
What 5 words best describe you as a person?
Reliable
Hardworking
Genuine
Honest
Friendly
What are your 5 strongest design skills?
Software Skills
Illustrative Style
Original Ideas
Ability to meet deadlines
Ability to work with all audiences
What areas of Graphic Design interest you the most?
Quality of Print
Branding & Identity
Typography
Working with Image
Working with Scale
Who are your favourite designers & design studios?
Andrez Guzman
Alex Trochut
Mike Joyce
What makes them your favourite?
Use of type & ability to design in all aspects of GD
Illustrative styles
Own original & personal style.
What are your 5 favourite design blogs?
Abuzeedo
Creative Review
Lost Type
What 5 things do you want to be?
Working at professional level
Design personal work for pleasure & recognision
Work across all different areas & find/test best skills
Improve knowledge & better understanding of what GD is about
Work in a decent agency.
What 5 things do you think you need to do to be this?
Committed
Interested
Hardworking
Research
Andrez Guzman
Mike Joyce
I looked at his sites he said he uses for inspiration etc... And they are very gridded & simple layout with simple structures etc...
Elizabeth Gosney's Answers
What is your professional name & contact details?
Lissygosney@hotmail.co.uk
E-Gosney1215@blogspot
What 5 words best describe your design practice?
Typographic
Digital
Photographic
Diverse
Committed
What 5 words best describe you as a person?
Confident
Imaginative
Tolerant
Patient
Committed
What are your 5 strongest design skills?
Photography
Layout
Typography
Idea & Jusification
Photoshop
What areas of Graphic Design interest you the most?
Typography
Editorial & Publishing
Image Manipulation
Traditional print methods
Who are your favourite designers & design studios?
Craig Ward
Massimo Vignelli
What makes them your favourite?
Well refined
Justified outcomes
What are your 5 favourite design blogs?
Creative Review
Eye
Designinspiration
I Love Dust
Information is beautiful
What 5 things do you want to be?
Recognised for own individual practice
Respected
Inspiring to new designers
Successfull
Well educated
What 5 things do you think you need to do to be this?
Make mistakes
Learn form others
Try new ideas
Craig Ward (Very Typographic Lead)
Massimo Vignelli
The websites she gains inspiration from are also very grid reformed. The information is beautiful is very clean, uses no black line etc...
