Whilst researching graphic design studios in the UK, I found a list that ranked the top 40 creative studios in the UK. I went through them and selected a handful that produced work that I really admired, and sent them customized emails of my portfolio explaining that I am interested in an internship. MARK studios in Manchester got back to be a week later, enquiring abut my course end date and when I could go in. I have set up an interview on Tuesday the 24th at 9am- This is very exciting for me with it being a prestigious studio that produces great work.
PEPPERDOG
Through my Aunt who is a web manager for Metro newspaper, I was put in touch with Pepperdog- a Graphic Design agency that produces work for a range of clients from small government to small businesses. I spent 3 days at their studio, which was a building attached to the owners home. I felt this was incredibly strange going to someone's house to work, almost intrusive. The people working there were very friendly, but very disengaged from modern graphic design- They produced exactly what the client asked for, usually a very poor logo or business card. Creative freedom in this studio was non-existent which put me off massively. The studio did very well, with a long list of work- this taught me that there are many people that want cheap fast graphic design, regardless of the quality which was somewhat upsetting. I produced a few logos and business cards whilst at this studio, all of which were embarrassingly bad, but exactly what the client wanted. This experience taught me a lot about what I want my career to look like; I used to champion money, but now I realise I will be much happier with a low salary but producing work that I love, in a studio where I can learn from the people around me. I also confirmed that I want to be living in a busy city, as this studio was in a very quiet village which I found incredibly tedious.
Post-graduation the aim is definitely to get an internship/job in a busy studio that has exciting clients and work, in a busy city where I can experience new cultures and things, whilst learning from the people around me to further my own skills.
VAPOUR
I visited Vapour (studio on The Calls, Leeds), with the intention of talking briefly about the creative scene in Leeds and how it compared to other cities, and about the work they were producing. I was greeted by all 3 designers and their Weimaraner, all of which were happy to spend some time talking about graphic design and each of their career trajectories that led them to working there. The owner spoke about how journey from uni to opening Vapour- he started out freelancing which earned him good money, however there was less creative freedom he felt that working in an agency where people go for creative solutions rather than the production of an idea. I understood this, and spoke about how I worried that going immediately into freelancing was a bad option for me because I thrive on a social work atmosphere, and enjoy learning from people around me which wouldn't happen if I were to work alone. They were all very happy and enthusiastic with the creative scene in Leeds which was great, and were eager to show me their work and also to look at mine. I asked about internships there (they hadn't done them before) and they said they liked my work, so they took my number and told me to ring them when I finish at MARK and they will sort something out. Their studio was very relaxed, with neon signs on the wall, posters all over and interesting toys and objects scattered around. This was the polar opposite of Pepperdog, which was 3 macs in a completely bare beige room.
RABBITHOLE
RabbitHole is a creative agency that sits just behind the Tetley in Leeds. Shortly after Christmas I visited them and spoke about their work which I really enjoy. They really made me believe that studio life is definitely what I want, as they work with animators, illustrators and graphic designers, and spoke about how much they learn from one another on a daily basis. This I feel would prevent my work from stagnating, and keep my portfolio and skill-set evolving over time. They were very confident that the creative scene in Leeds will only improve in the years to come, which I found very interesting. Going down to London post-graduation is the most common move, however talking with RabbitHole and MARK has made me more open to the idea of staying in the North, where I have found people to be more friendly. They also enjoyed the idea of working for the local community, producing publications such as City Talking. I really like this, as it makes you part of the community and engaged with the people around you. I also loved that the studios work doesn't follow a singular style, but instead goes wherever their creativity takes them, leading to incredibly interesting visual solutions produced in a variety of different media. They have inspired me to start learning cinema4D, a 3D rendering program that can create fantastic visuals that look great on both digital and print media. Using the program might not necessarily elevate my work, but it will certainly expand the possibilities of what I could produce.
LAW LAUNCH VOLUME 1
Hosted at the Village bookstore in the corn-exchange, LAW magazine premiered their publication. We received a free copy and got the chance to mingle and talk with the creators, as well as many other young creatives who also attended the launch. The publication itself wasn't my taste, but talking with the creators proved very interesting as we spoke about the process of creating a publication and the obstacles they encountered. Financial obstacles and curating work with the deadline were the most pressing issues, but they curated the magazine from work produced by close friends so this was less of an issue. This first edition has no advertising, a decision made in order to not put off a potential audience for the next volume(s).
LAW LAUNCH VOLUME 2
Another LAW launch this time hosted at the new Village location in Thornton's Arcade, where we again spoke to a range of different people, from photographers at LCA to some copywriters for the magazine.
LAW Q+A
1. First of all, how and why was LAW formed?
For my final project at Brighton Uni. I sold my dream car, a 1974 Ford Escort
MK1 and printed 500 copies of issue 1. I was brought up reading the Argos
catalogue, Match, Shoot, Ride and Course Fishing, I couldn’t really relate to the
current crop of fashion magazines, so wanted to make something for me and my
mates.
2. What are the greatest problems you have experienced as an independent
publisher?
Initially a lot of stores worked on a ‘sale or return’ basis, meaning it took a long
time to get paid, even then printing 500 magazines is certainly not going to be
enough money to sustain a business, so you have to pursue other avenues.
3. What are your views on advertising, do you believe advertising can
compromise the content of the magazine or is it a necessity in order to
fund and sustain the brand? Are there alternatives to advertising to fund
the magazine?
We never wanted to have 20 pages of adverts at the beginning of the magazine. I
don’t think there’s anything wrong with a few select adverts, if you look at old
magazines, they help to date / describe the time. More and more, brands don’t
want to a classic advert, they want to collaborate to make new content that will
engage the reader. We set up LAW as a studio to work on creative projects for
brands; design, consultation, styling, art direction etc. This is our main source of
income.
4. You currently have a social media presence and a selection of
photographic content online, what attracted you to release LAW in print
as opposed to digital?
The term online magazine makes me feel weird. A printed magazine can pull
tricks that a website can’t, you can smell the ink and rip out pages to stick on
your wall. I’m a sucker for the traditional, format, but our paper stocks + design +
content push things forward.
More info here: http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/law-magazine
Peace
LEEDS PRINT FESTIVAL
EDUCATING DAMIEN
Myself and Johnathan Dawes went to the educating Damien exhibition at the Tetley in early January, which looked at the lectures and 35mm slides that were involved in the teaching of Damien Hirst. Also exhibited were drawings by Hirst's 'cohorts' based on things from Leeds city museum and the gallery. We attended the lecture by Glyn Thompson, where he spoke about Hirst in detail, about his work and his trajectory into the mainstream art world.
CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS BOOKFAIR
This was a great event where I was able to talk to a large amount of independant publication designers and artists.
PICTURE BOOK- CO-CREATED WITH PAGES
HOUSE OF SOLO
I was stopped in the street in Leeds and asked to be photographed for a fashion magazine called House of Solo. after the shoot, I spoke to them explaining I was a graphic designer with experience in Editorial if their magazine is to go into print- They were very enthusiastic as they were in the process of creating a design team and they took my details down. I will be hearing from them late July when they have curated all of the content. They are a local group, which will be interesting to work with and give back to the local community.
NINE ARCHES (BAND LOGO FOR A FRIEND)
My experience with producing work for a friend was very easy, although I do worry that because he is my friend he wasn't as critical as he would have been with an unknown designer. The time scale was short and he was often hard to get in touch with which was frustrating. In the end though the logo was produced without any real problems, and I collected my payment in cash the next day. I'm looking forward to seeing it in use when they perform and seeing how the design is viewed by the public.
PIONEAR (LOGO FOR BUSINESS STUDENT)
Pionear was interesting as the client was a student rather than actual business owner (the logo was for a conceptual business pitch). Thanks to this I had a lot of creative freedom as the risk factor was only theoretical. She was a very nice girl and a pleasure to work with. Working with uni graduates is certainly something I will do again.
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