Movie Posters Suck.

Movies have always been a huge part of my life. I use them for entertainment, relaxation, education and procrastination. Something that is really starting to irritate me about movies however is the posters. The companies such as Miramax, MGM and 20th Century Fox pump millions into the films, so why are the posters so bland and generic? Take the Marvel franchise for example. Birthed from illustration and art, you would expect that above any other franchise the films they produce would be beautifully crafted, as well as the promotional products. Yet this is what they deliver for what may be the biggest film of the year:

It's almost impressive how generic and cliched they managed to make this poster, and I feel like it's almost insulting to fans of the franchise who actually were fans of the comic books themselves. It shows us characters we've already seen, posing in the same pose they always do, with a dark damaged backdrop which can be found on 99% of action film posters. To illustrate how little effort has been put into the poster, here is the artwork for the first installment in the Avengers film series:

The word 'Avengers' is in a different colour, hardly groundbreaking. Thor and Hawkeye have their weapons raised in the new poster rather than relaxed, the action must be even more extreme! And yet neither poster tells me anything about the story except who it stars. The only new thing about the new film is that there is a new villain (apart from a few new supporting characters), and yet he's the one character that isn't there.

During a year 1 brief where we were tasked with creating an alternative movie poster for a random Bruce Willis film, I came across many obstacles, the main one being realizing who your target audience was so you could cater your design towards them. With these films being so huge, and having an audience which pretty much encapsulates everyone, they have tried to create a poster which does the same. Yet in their mission to create a poster which captivates everyone, they've succeeded only in creating a poster which captivates no-one at all.

OUGD502 Studio Brief 2 - Taking Care of Business - Pinnacle - [Final Presentation]

OUGD502 Studio Brief 2 - Taking Care of Business - Pinnacle

To Begin with we had a few ideas of what we wanted our name to be but we first had to confirm what our company was, what we do and who are the people in it? This would help us to come up with a strong concept to build upon. Our name went through a few changes but we decided on the name 'Pinnacle in the end which means:

Once we had our name we needed to come up with a snappy, interesting and memorable logo that would represent our company. We needed something that represented the word pinnacle and had features of being new, fresh, modern, precise and friendly.

This was our final logo design that we used in our presentation and on our branding material. We feel it represents the look and personality of our company and works well as a friendly and fun logo so clients would want to hire us.

The shapes could be manipulated to make different shapes and into different sizes and still fit with the branding so I could use this idea in the presentation as graphs or as infographics. We wanted the theme of triangles to still run through the whole presentation because of the symbolic reference to the height of design and pinnacle being 'the peak of something'

Experiementing with different colours helped me to see that different colours meant different things but we decided to stick with the original branding colours as a team because of the strong concept of contrasting colours and Red and blue symbolising mixed gender.

Merchandise was also mocked up with our logo on to show the audience how effective the logo and branding looks on different material and media. The logo stands out as a strong positive image which definitely represents our company.

A website was mocked up to show that the branding would work on a digital format and another group member contributed mock ups of business cards to the group from a collaboration of ideas from the rest of us.

The design of the presentation is important so it makes it easier to present your findings and you are a better presenter if you have something to present that you are happy with and know enough about to talk with. I needed a theme to run though the slides to make the presentation flowing and entertaining for the audience.

Separating the manifesto points made the slide look less monotonous and more sharp and interesting for the audience to actually look at. For the presentation we will not be reading them all out but just outlining what we want to be and do as a graphic design company starting off in the world.

This presentation Layout is easier to read and looks more pleasing to the eye. This is the layout we have gone with to present this slide and the theme runs through the slides of our presentation to connect and combine each slide as a presentation.

OUGD502 Studio Brief 2 - Taking Care of Business - Pinnacle

Small Business Loans

As A Student, I am not familiar with loans in terms of starting a business. Research into this subject would help me and my group understand what we would need in terms of a loan and how we would go about getting this loan. We would need to look at what kinds of loans there are and what they offer and look into our company and what we need in terms of finances. Asking Tutors as well as other professionals could expand on what we could look at as secondary information from the internet.

Finances

The group members that were responsible for making sure we had worked out and presented finances put together our group work of research on what we would need to fund for for our company from starting up to running the business

Start Up Costs:

Accountant	£1,400.00
General Stationary	£50.00
Guillotine/Circle Cutter/ Lightbox	£350.00
Pinnacle Branding	£300.00
A3 Printer/Scanner	£150.00
Phone (Handsets x 4)	£110.00
Phone Installation	£110.00
Furniture	£500.00
Insurance	£462.00
First months rent (deposit)	£360.00
Total	£3292.00

Monthly Costs:

Adobe CC (License x 5)	£190.55
Ink	£50.00
Phone line	£19.00
Travel	£130.00
Food/Drink	£50.00
Rent	£360.00
T otal	£799.55

Annual Cost = £12,883.96
£12,883.96/5 = £2576.60
£2576.60/265 = £9.72
£9.72 + 20% (extras/service charge) = £11.65 an hour £11.65 x 42.5 = £495.12 per week
£495.12 x 48 = £23,794.56 annual pay £23,796.56 – 20% (tax = £4758)
= £19,036 Annual pay after tax

OUGD502 Studio Brief 2 - Taking Care of Business - Pinnacle

Our team (primarily Abbie) researched business terms and conditions, and we worked together to produce our own, covering the artwork, management fees and contract changes. 

- The client will make a 25% downpayment prior to work commencing. The downpayment in non-refundable. The remaining 75% will be paid to Pinnacle upon completion of the project, and before the original artwork is supplied to the client. 

- After the project has commenced, subsequent invoices are not paid within 30 days, a 3% 'delayed payment' fee will be charged. This initial 3% figure will be added upon each recurring 30 day period until the full amount has been received by the designer. 

- The client shall be entitled to full ownership of all final artwork created during the project, upon full payment of the agreed fee. 

- The client can request up to three changes in the agreed quotation after signing off the agreed final scamps/ideas. 

- Pinnacle can be contacted 9am to 5pm Monday - Wednesday and 9am to 7pm Thursday and Friday. Any weekend work will be charged according to the amount of work the client is wanting.

- A 'management fee' will be charged at 15% of the print job costs. 

- If after project commencement client communication (face-to-face, telephone or email) stops for a period of 180 days, the project can be cancelled, in writing by Pinnacle, and ownership of all copyrights shall be retained by Pinnacle. A cancelation fee based on the stage of the project shall be paid by the client.

OUGD502 Studio Brief 2 - Taking Care of Business - Pinnacle

Location Research

Leeds would be a prime location for a company like ours to start off with. Recourses, costs of studios and travel are much cheaper than a bigger city like london.

We set out to look for studios and gave the initial researching task to our Team member Jessica Johnson.

http://www.sunnybankmills.co.uk/red-lane-mill.php (pudsey)

http://castletonmill.com (Kirkstall Road)

http://www.templeworksleeds.com/temple-works-leeds/ (Holbeck)

http://duke-studios.com (Munro House)

http://www.tower-works.com/accommodation (Central)

Castleton Mills-Jess' notes:

This was a space I came across on twitter, I saw them announce that they were offering studio space and took a quick look to see if it would be suitable. As most of us live in Hyde Park we would be in walking distance of this space would dramatically cut down on costs for us. It seems very contemporary and a really nice location to work in.

Sunny Bank Mills

This is a space in Pudsey, although this is out of the centre slightly this could reduce rental costs of the space and would be easier to get to. 

Temple.Works.Leeds

This space I was really interested in, I love that the building has such a history to it, a Victorian building that was once known as 'the biggest room in the world'. I looked into the floor plans and had a look at some images of the site and the more I saw the more I began to realise that this probably wasn't suitable for what we wanted. As much as we wanted to be able to collaborate and work in a studio with other creatives, this at the the minute seems like a huge empty building with little inside. It seems like it could be a very hectic environment and residents 'may need to move if an event is planned for that space'. This isn't really ideal but I feel the place has potential in the long run.

Sizes of studios vary from 100 sq. ft. to over 250 sq. ft., and popup residencies allow artists to choose where to work knowing they may need to move if an event is planned for that space.  This benefits fine and film artists in particular as well as musicians.

Costs for studio rentals are dependent on location, natural light, and service provision but extend from a flat monthly fee of as little as £100.00.month for popup space to £.75 /sq. ft. / month for fixed space. We encourage co-working and there are some spaces that might suit compatible artists wishing to keep costs down.

All rentals include power and use of kitchen facilities, showers, bike racks, access to meeting rooms, but not car parking (parking spots are available on a paid basis within the commercial parking lot). Owing to the increased use of Internet on site we are now asking for a contribution towards Wi-Fi. We are open 7 days a week and do have late working hours, within certain security and access restrictions around which we all work. There is light workshop space available for shared use, with block bookings at a small cost.

Duke Studios

Duke Studios had the most helpful website so far, it showed a clear table of what we had to pay and what we would get from this. The images of the studio make it seem like a really friendly environment with plenty of unique studio space and opportunities to collaborate with other professionals. 

I Myself went to look at Duke studios to get some more research and to just experience first hand what it would be like in an actual design studio and creative space. it would give us more of an idea of what we should expect for the price we would pay and what would be included in the costs.

My Notes from Duke studio visit

Workshop available for internal and external use
Laser cutter 

Photography studio
£30 an hour or half internally upto £200 a day 

Open space £8 a month 

Desk space
£210 a month 

Offices different sizes 

Vinyl cutters external and internal use for another fee 

Meeting/board room
Studio or desk book for free just need to book

Co working - grass area, £85 a month

Membership more included
Electricity etc included 

6 weeks to get in to the studio space, like a poole, more variety of professions
Other studio is bigger

 Questions we asked studios on visits:

http://www.morganlovell.co.uk/knowledge/checklists/choosing-the-right-office-space

1. Costs: what's included? Any extra costs? Is it a minimum contract, if so, how long?

2. Visitors? Can clients come into the building?

3. Area reputation, commute easy?

4. Nearby places to take clients? Restaurants/cafes/bars?

5. Any construction/noise nearby? Internal noise? Quiet area?

6. What other creatives would be around me? Are they open to collaborations?

7. Is there room for my company to grow here if we employed more people?

8. Strong wifi/phone signal? 

9. Time of access?

10. Deliveries? Can we deliver stock etc here? Lifts? Large deliveries. Storage?

Tower Works

This space is in a great location, it would be easy for us to commute by train which would be our key mode of transport. However before I contacted them I came across the plans that showed that currently all spaces are unavailable. This could be a space to consider in the future when our business is bringing in more money as the location inevitably would be quite pricey. 

Results of Visits:

Duke Studios (Friday 13th February):

Pro's:

- Friendly people

- Good atmosphere

- Ideal decor and setup to work in

- Range of creative surround

- Discount on facilities

- Separate rooms for meetings

1. Costs: what's included? Any extra costs? Is it a minimum contract, if so, how long?

All costs included, insurance etc. Contract; Co-working, 1 month. Desk Space, 6 month, Studio, 12 month.

2. Visitors? Can clients come into the building?

Yes. For short times/meetings clients can come into the building, there are several areas to sit and chat or the boardroom can be booked out.

3. Area reputation, commute easy?

Area is good, near to BBC and other reputable companies. Opposite the bus station and a ten minute walk from train station. Taxi area.

4. Nearby places to take clients? Restaurants/cafes/bars?

Cafe 164 inside the same building for convenience. The Wardrobe, Aagrah, Bibis (more sophisticated) The calls, short walk, patisseries, bistros. 

5. Any construction/noise nearby? Internal noise? Quiet area?

Small amount of noise from traffic, not distractive. Inside the studio is fairly quiet. Workshops are shut off, slight noise with some machines.

6. What other creatives would be around me? Are they open to collaborations?

A whole range of creative work in this studio, collaborations are definitely an option.

7. Is there room for my company to grow here if we employed more people?

Yes. Bigger studios are available, and there is a whole new site opening in the next year for bigger companies specifically.

8. Strong wifi/phone signal?

Yes.

9. Time of access?

9-6 for co working area, 8-11 for desk space area, later access available for those with room studios. (24/7)

10. Deliveries? Can we deliver stock etc here? Lifts? Large deliveries. Storage?

Deliveries yes, can only store in office rooms, not available for those who work in co working area.

Finally

I wasn't able to make the visit personally, however I trust the decisions made by my coworkers in that the studio space is perfect for our start-up. The overheads are low enough that we have contingency money, The commute wouldn't be any more difficult than my current commute which is great. Thanks to the intelligent questions my coworkers asked, we have all the information we need, and are happy with Duke Studios.

OUGD502 Studio Brief 2 - Taking Care of Business - Pinnacle

Working in groups of four you will construct a business plan or business proposal for a creative design studio and present it to your peers and tutors in an formatively assessed, oral presentation.

Your plan/proposal and presentation should be based on the analysis and content that you have been introduced to throughout the module.

Four heads are better than one as long as they communicate. You will now have the luxury of four pairs of hands. How will you use them effectively? You will need to consider the following:

• What skills and services do you have to offer?
• Who is your target market?
• Who is your competition and how will you compete?
• What are your costs, charges and financial considerations?
• How will you structure your studio?
• Who will be responsible for what?
• How will you promote your services? To who? Using what media?

To start the research off we discussed and noted what we needed to look for and work out, for example finances. We made a list of what we needed to research so we could start to hand out jobs to people and so we could think about what we wanted to be as a company, what we wanted to do within this company and how we would go about it.

 We gave these jobs out for people to manage, we would work as a team to collect and give advice in these subject areas but we made sure each person had a specific job and could contribute to the team.

I had the task of writing a company manifesto but this was after we collaborated on ideas about who we were as a company and what we wanted to accomplish as a designer and as a professional.

Unique selling point
Who we are as a company/ who we are as individual designers?
We are an innovative and focused group who meet our clients face to face. We feel that this personal touch helps us engage with our clients and makes them feel more comfortable and trusting with our company designing for them. We are brand new to the professional design world and we bring fresh ideas to the people though our work and experiences.

Who we work with
Starting small we want to work with small businesses, start up businesses and individuals.