Neil Lancaster - Major Project Feedback

I have been emailing Creative Director of Mccann Manchester design. He asked me to keep in contact about my Major Project brief as I took on different ideas. The ticket dispenser idea came to me when my mum broke her arm and I was waiting with her in the fracture clinic and we had to take a ticket. It just seemed a bit surreal, as you usually take a ticket in delis or in shops.

I then emailed Neil with my idea and received really good feedback.

Here is the contact report:

Hello Neil

I thought I'd give you an update with how I'm doing with my Project. I won't lie I have found it tough, and since last speaking to you I have kept the 'Huge Savings' sale poster idea on, but have tried to think of different ideas.

I first used analogy, tried to link organ with car parts. I managed to link each organ to a car part, with the hardest being linking the pancreas with a duel action car pump. Then putting with each car part a strapline saying how it works, because it function worked similar to that of the organ in the human body. I showed this around though the response wasn't great and the 'Huge Savings' idea was preferred.

I've racked my brains for more ideas, but if I was to do the 'Huge Savings' idea I had to do it as an event so it fit the context. After a few presentations the feedback was mixed, the students on my course really liked the idea and kept supporting me to push on with it. However, I've shown the idea to different designers, and it isn't that popular at all as it didn't persuade them to be an organ donor. Therefore a few days ago I decided to drop it.

I've been working through the day and night to come up with something, as deadline is just a few weeks away but I know I can do it. The idea I have attached has also had a good response, but also has the 'image and line' combination that I remember you saying works well.

If you have the time, I'd be so grateful for some feedback. This is the idea I am going to be putting up so I won't be dropping it, however, I want to do my subject choice of organ donation justice and produce something that will get a good public response. I really need to improve my art direction and try and let go abit, I have even thought of perhaps having real tickets coming out of the poster so the public can interact with it.

Kindest Regards

Katherine Speak

BA Hons Graphic Design Level 3

Stockport College

I love your Dispenser idea. It's a brilliant visual device. It says
such a great deal about the obscene waiting in line for something to
keep me alive.likening it to a bloody supermarket queue.this is
exactly the kind of irony we were talking about. You are now at a new
point in the road. This is why God created copywriter/art director
teams. You need a great line to go with it. Great ads/ posters have
lines which kick against the vis, go somewhere else, take the rip out
of the image,tell u something extra. Try and spend time with
alternative lines, worry it to death. Tip. Try andcontain the
line,words onthe end of the dispenser. Brevity.ask other
people,interrogate,you've got a great idea K!
Sent from my iPhone

thanks Neil, your advice has made me more confident with the idea and I am going to try and come with a great line to do the image justice! I'll let you know how it goes

Katherine

Lonsto - Queue management company

My idea for the major project - Organ Donation - swiftly changed to the idea of waiting. The organ donation queue is the most extreme and dangerous form of queueing though not alot of people know it. Over 10,000 people are currently waiting in this queue and 3 people a day die whilst waiting. One of my ways to show this is to use a ticket dispenser to dispense tickets that show the extremity of this by showing a number in the 10000s when someone takes it.

I wanted it to look as real as possible, so nothing else will do apart from an actual ticket dispenser. I also knew I would need good photography and so I got in touch with Lonsto (Lonsto.co.uk) a company that sells products to enhance queue management.

We were in touch for quite some time discussing my project and they were very helpful, and sent me lots of good photography of their products.

We then continued to discuss how I could purchase a dispenser from them, as it was only companies that had accounts with them. They seemed interested by my project and so came to arrangements on the price, and they also threw in some tickets for free!!

Maya Patel from Maya By Design

One of the places I visit regularly is Loughborough in the East Midlands, and as I like the area and have a good network of friends there I decided to try and get some visits in that area.

Maya By Design was mentioned on the website 'the best of Loughborough' (www.thebestof.co.uk) and so I emailed them to see if they could see me.

Here is my email:

Hello Maya By Design

I'm a Graphic Design student at Stockport College currently studying in my final year. I have been visiting many studios in Manchester, London and even New York to receive feedback on my work. I visit Loughborough quite regularly to see friends and thought it would be a good idea to visit a studio next time I'm there.

I saw this on "the best of loughborough" and I have just been looking at some of your work on your website. I especially like the Doors Opening design as it uses symbols, which I like to use in my work too. My work has developed quite well over the years whilst being at University, it used to me more just how it looked visually whereas now I try my best to solve the solution with the best idea.

I'll be visiting Loughborough again on the 6th April for a few days, so I was just wondering if I could spare 10 minutes or so of your time whether I could show you my portfolio to receive some feedback?
Regards

Katherine Speak
BA Hons Graphic Design Level 3
Stockport College


Maya Patel emailed back:

Hi Katherine,
I'm so sorry for the late reply, my work load has been very hectic.

I would be more than happy to meet up and have a look at your work the next time you are down this way.

Wish you all the best,
Maya

And so I intend to visit them when I am next there!

Kate Tulip - Placement Enquiry at Tigerprint (Currently waiting for reply)

After Mick Greers talk today, I decided to take his advice immediately and contact TIGERPRINT as they were offering a two week placement, so I thought I'd pop this in my blog anyway.

Hey Kate

I am studying Graphic Design at Stockport College in Cheshire, graduating in July! I have 2 weeks left until the deadline for all modules, but whilst working away trying to get everything done I decided to have a break and look at some agencies' websites.

I stumbled across your website just by chance and have been looking at it for quite some time, and noticed you organize placements for creatives wanting to know more about the industry. 

Just to give you a very brief explanation of what I'll be doing over the next few months:

My deadline is the 7th May, and then after that the next month is combined of getting things ready for the graduates exhibition.

I have an interview for a year long placement in June that I think, if I get it, will start on the September, so I was just enquiring as to whether I would be able to apply for the 2 week placement at Tigerprint? or come and show you my portfolio? 

Kindest Regards

Katherine Speak

BA Hons Graphic Design Level 3

Stockport College

Anna Turner from Saltmine Creative Company based in Dudley. Interview!

Hey Anna

just wondering how the plans for the Graphic Design Year out programme are going?

I finish in approximately 6 weeks and starting to see what placements are out there so thought I'd just enquire again.

I have recently just finished a project designing a window for Ted Baker as part of a YCN competition brief, and I am very pleased with it so have attached the file incase you would like to take a look. Me and my work partner Sophie were asked to design a window to show Ted Bakers Autumn collections, and they didn't want to see any designs with leaves like you see in alot of windows around Autumn. They wanted to see quirkiness with a British feel to it. Therefore we did 'Blown Away by Ted Baker' with the mannequin looking like it is being blown away in the window, with an animation in the background showing objects being blown across the screen including a tea party and a cow. The customer would be blown by fans as they entered the shop to involve them in the sequence.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Katherine Speak






Hey Katherine

Thank-you for sending those documents through. I'm sorry for the delay in replying and the amount of time you've been waiting!

I do have some good news though. I have been speaking with our Creative Arts Director and we would like to invite you for Interview on the 10th June.

Let me know if this date is OK and I will then send you some more information, on the time of your interview and what you need to bring!

Thanks

Anna
Year Out Co-ordinator
Saltmine Trust

Hey Anna

Thats great news! Yes more than happy to receive the extra information on the interview!

Thankyou

Katherine

clever advertising

Just a few ambient pieces that caught my attention!

Mick Greer

Today, Mick Greer came in to to talk to us about graduating, getting jobs and how to go about it. Mick studied Graphics at Blackburn University, although after graduating got into Advertising and from then on became an award winning Copywriter.

Involved in copywriting is looking at the text that goes alongside the image or art in a piece of work, and making sure its placed and is used correctly. This means that Mick also works alongside Art Directors and Designers. 

He raised the issue that when students graduate, there are too many graduates and not enough jobs. So that is why it is important to do something different that creates an impression. He kept revisiting the point of how important it is to be tenacious and passionate, and to build relationships up with many designers is a must.

When getting the placement, you have to make yourself invaluable, and to 'work on the shit that noone else wants to do.' 

There is a myth that students think designers should see the finished article, when they go to visit them. When the truth is, designers want to see intelligence and ideas that they can nurture. So rather then producing the finished article, the piece of work can get to a stage where it can be understood then move on to the next project. 

I found the lecture very honest and compelling. It seemed that Mick didn't tip toe around our feelings and gave advice without bullshit. With this in mind, I decided to show Mick my work for my Major Project.

My Major Project is to persuade the general public to be an organ donor if they are not already. I planned to do this through a poster campaign, however, my path led me to creating sale posters reading 'Huge Savings' and 'Massive Reductions', with a catchy strapline for instance 'whilst stocks last' to bring the idea together. This idea had mixed reactions, with many of my fellow peers liking the idea, whereas the response from designers in the industry was different and this made me not to sure about the idea. Therefore, alongside this concept I produced another set of posters - A ticket dispenser and a bingo ticket with the strapline '3 people a day die because there number didn't come up.

Mick looked at both ideas and gave me his honest opinion, which was that the Huge Savings idea wasn't working. The critical advice didn't dishearten me, I realized I had 2 weeks to put together a new idea, but my work is going to be viewed by designers in the industry and so I want to do the best I can to succeed and impress with a really good idea. 

My works cut out but I believe it can be done.