Presentation

Promo pack

I decided to mock up my work to create a promo pack to send out to future employers. I thought it would be interesting to create a short booklet (as I am going into the publishing industry) and thought it would be an interesting concept to have it link to the concept. The front cover being the CV and having a few pages showcasing my best work. There could also be a little pouch inside where my business cards could be placed.

There doesn't seem to be a clear cohesive brand identity because for my business cards I have used a different image and opted to not use my self portrait again. I don't think it matters too much and I feel like it's actually more interesting as a lot of my work is slightly different and feel I don't really have a clear style or way of working. I could also try a more cohesive promo pack in the future using my portrait and shapes and colour etc, but for now I think it works as a striking business card and CV respectively.

Creative CV

I felt like it was important to create a CV which was striking and would really capture people's attention - after all most companies receive so many CV's. I feel like it was especially important for me and my practice, as I am a graphic illustrator and focus heavily on image and type. I decided to use the dot effect to create a really interesting dimension. I tried to use block colours but felt it really diverted your attention from the writing which I guess is the main focal point. the CV reflects my practice in the sense of Type and image, as well as shape colour and simplification. 

Personal statement

Striking. Conspicuous. Captivating. My work is thought-provoking with intentions of challenging the viewers thoughts and ideals. A graphic illustrator with emphasis on visual communication.

A visual storyteller with use of metaphors to create hidden meanings.

My simplified, quick and snappy ideas have allowed my work to develop into both editorial based illustration and Logo Design. My perpetuating love for reading books, immersing myself into the magical, mystical world of fiction lead me into book design. Conveying my own personal interpretation of a script and recreating existing cover designs is an exciting concept. Searching for hidden meanings and motifs that run throughout the book - creating designs which challenge and lure the viewer in and maintaining that level of excitement is something which lies at the forefront of my practice and will continue to endeavour.

Relevant skills

Adobe suite - advanced level in Illustrator, Indesign and Photoshop.

Concepts

Photography

Drawing

Painting

Mono printing

Lino printing

Relevant Experience

Designed a logo for ‘Sip West Didsbury’ Manchester (January 2018)

Commissioned to design some wedding invitations (January 2019)

6 Month study abroad scheme (February 2018 - July 2018) - Partner university in the Netherlands ‘MAMDT’ - studied Graphic Design and collaborated with artists from various disciplines.

Took part in a creative residential in Italy - Tuscany (April 2016) Collaborated with other creatives in rural landscapes.

Massachusetts art collaboration - created a zine about Leeds (March 2019)  Worked with both graphic designers and illustrators from across the pond.

Worked at ‘Kings Framers’ - frame factory (March 2014) responsible for making the frames for the shop.

Took part in Penguin Design Student Award 2019.

Education

Leeds Arts University - BA Illustration (September 2016-July 2019)

Art Foundation - Brighton City College (September 2015 - June 2016)

Hobbies and Interests

Travelling

Reading Fiction

Fashion

Photography

Drawing

Music

Socialising - meeting new people

References

Available on request

Portfolio

For my portfolio, although I am planning on going into the publishing industry with Book design being my main goal, I wanted to include other pieces of work to show my variety and diverse way of working. I decided to lay out my work, considering the double page spread of the portfolio - showing the  design on one page, and then its context on the other. 

COP work???

I decided to include my cop work in the end. Although the style of work differs greatly from my predominant way of working, evident in my other pieces of work, I felt like it was important to include it as it still shows my skill in type and image - something which I i plan on showing for future employers.

Audience

The audience of my work is mainly adults who enjoy reading weird, mystical fiction books or thought provoking imagery. I wanted to show my work being applied to the book publishing context as this something I intend on going into.

Layout?

I wanted to start my portfolio with my strongest piece of work - one which is a great representation of me as a practitioner and what I am wanting to go into in the future. I decided on not having all my book designs bunched up together and instead have separated some of them with my other pieces of work which is great way of showing diversity.

Contacting alumni part 3

I contacted Beth Ewens, a Graphic Design Alumni who won the Penguin design student award in 2017 with her book 'The secret diary of Adrian Mole.' We had a phone conversation, gaining some very valuable information.

How did you find the placement at Penguin?

She said she had an amazing experience and everyone who worked there was really nice. You are almost thrown into the deep end and designing covers in quick succession. She enjoyed the experience of communicating with her art director about projects and briefs, discussing designs and responding to feedback. 

Advice: don't have your eyes set on winning the competition as there are other ways of getting a placement. She mentioned a few contacts which could be useful for me. In terms of portfolio, she said to include max 5 pieces of art, as you don't want to give too much away as it is more of a taste of what you can do. Alongside the work have some very brief annotations, maybe 1 or two lines outlining what the project was about. 

She also mentioned that a big part of standing out is having a strong portfolio of work and a strong personality - this is something they are looking for. 

She is currently on a year placement with iTunes and plans to work for an agency in the near future. We have decided to stay in contact and she even advised me to send her my portfolio to give me some feedback. She recommended going to portfolio reviews which are occasionally held around in Leeds.

Applications for placements at penguin open on March 29th - something I will be doing.

Hachette

After doing some further research into work experience/placements available, I came across 'Hachette' - a UK leading publishing group, made up of 10 publishing divisions. After browsing through them all and reading up about the types of books created in each category - I decided to apply for John Murray Press, which focuses on both Non-fiction and Fiction. After looking at some of their books it was evident that the style fitted my practice with a predominant focus on metaphorical imagery and intriguing concepts. I thought I'd apply for work experience here as it was a quick and easy application, and if I got a place, would be a very valuable experience for the future.

Contacting Alumni Part 2

• She did work experience with Penguin which is something I am planning on doing when the application comes out in April - this will give me more insight into the role and Penguin as a company.

• 'Design a book cover for your favourite book, an idea for a new book, or a story about you.' - something to consider for my portfolio.

• Placement at Ebury publishing - you get to put down 3 offices and departments you're interested in. As I had a look on the Penguin Website I noticed that 'Transworld' is an office which is most appealing to me - its inclusion of the UK's best love fiction.