Lecture Comments
Reflections on Case Studies
There was a sense of not needing a huge space to get started, refreshing to hear from Simon Manchipp that you can almost start anywhere. Creativity is how you start and build it. Make the space work for you and build with it (if required)
Through my 5 years of working as a freelancer and gaining clients is take opportunities but also learn when it’s time to say no. I didn’t start with no clients either, I had small clients which allowed me to reduce a more perm role to focus on freelance. I had to hustle daily to make it work (but for me that was the exciting part)
Gem spoke about being honest with yourself – I think this is super important but it also takes time to do this. I still struggle to be honest and trust myself to push forward with the right ideas. I think this is maybe due to taking the wrong direction and almost forcing the design to work. On the course so far I’ve discovered a love for design again which I think I lost? I chased the work from big corporates.
Words from lecture I took away – At your own pace, organic process, be true to yourself, trust the process, move out of comfort zone
Design Development (workshop challenge)
Have your values changed since beginning the course? Is there a strategic approach your company would communicate to potential commissioners or clients?
Thinking about how my values have changed since joining the course.
Values have evolved and changed around my approach to design and what it can be and do
personally I feel stronger in how I discuss and interact with design
More of a appreciation more materials to create and present design
Analysing existing ‘about’ paragraphs from agencies / freelancers
The Co-Foundry – Located in Bath, Somerset
They establish what they do and how instantly within the words. Very precise which evokes trust and professionalism. They tie in their brand name into the wording (co-creation) You get a sense the agency is all about collaboration and partnering of creatives to deliver a full service. They also touch on the type of people they work for – this helping define their area of work and area to look for future work.
Ice House Design – Located in Bath, Somerset
Ice House quickly discuss and outline a set of values within the first paragraph. A design agency that wants to work with brands which align with their ethos. Punchy and strong. A sense of confidence. Uniqueness of creation when working with Ice House. Work across a wide sector – willing to tackle any project and support with their expertise.
Mytton Williams, Bath, Somerset
Slightly different approach in how they explain who they are. They talk about design as a whole in their second paragraph and how the work they do aligns with that. Also touch upon ethical considerations in relation to their business? A more form and corporate approach but also more personal to the client? Again key words used to wrap up their values. Simple, smart and effective.
Pentagram – Global
Globally recognised agency. They go over what they deliver as an agency and how they structure their work. They have the creators as the owners meaning a full circle of creativity? For me this is an honest, open and creative business wanting to support in the design process through the passionate designers involved. It’s clear, to the point and ensues trust.
Analysing my current ‘about’ on my freelance website – Volley Design
Current ‘about’
James Shaw is an established freelance graphic designer with a passion and drive for creative education and career development. With 5+ Years
in design, James has transitioned from working within design agencies to establishing himself as
a Freelance Graphic Designer and founder of Volley Design in Trowbridge, Wiltshire working with startups and global companies to implement and deliver branding, print design and corporate presentations. James’s other passions lie in the creative education sector and has delivered multiple talks on Freelancing, the transition from education to careers and the importance of finding your own career journey.
Founded in 2017, Volley design is a creative and collaborative freelance design service supporting startups and SME’s in the implementation of graphic design across branding, print design and corporate presentations.
Thoughts on current ‘about’
Currently this doesn’t reflect the designer I am. I have this cross over of design I have been trying to discover – a more experimental approach to design – which I have really started to establish on this course.
I think where it’s successful is where I talk about collaboration and passion
Feels too corporate? Is it trying to talk too much to corporate businesses? It needs to talk about my passion for tactile, hands on approach to design. I am very experimental but this doesn’t come through here. My values as a designer have changed and that doesn’t reflect here? I have almost seen a change in my approach to work since starting the course
Thoughts on new ‘about’ paragraph.
Where am I now and where do I want to be?
A more experimental and hands on designer. Over the past year I’ve found working with materials / researching into mundane and complex items has led to a more curious and creative approach to statements / problems.
I’ve always had a side to my working that is more experimental and I’ve always seen it as a separate strand to my personal brand, never brining it into client work (this being due to the clients being more corporate)
I’ve created a few projects on the masters which have pushed my into new ways of thinking and the boundaries of graphic design (this including the exploration of sounds and music – these for me being my most successful self initiated projects. How can I going forward make this the overriding and concrete brand.
Initial first thoughts on new way of re imagining my creative practice
A creative practice exploring the possibilities and boundaries of what graphic design can be. Through experimental placement, captured thoughts and research the practice endeavours to collaborate and deliver interdisciplinary design outcomes across a multitude of touchpoints.
The explorations take place through the application of research, materials and design. Using mediums across print, digital and music to pursue and push for intrigue into communications.
Tactility and local geographical locations and communities inspire and advance the development of exploratory outcomes.
An interdisciplinary practice exploring the possibilities and boundaries of what graphic design can be. Through experimental placement, captured thoughts and research the practice endeavours to collaborate and deliver interdisciplinary design outcomes across a multitude of touchpoints, using mediums of print, digital and music to pursue and push for intrigue.
Focussing on local geographical locations and communities to draw upon inspiration and advance the development of exploratory outcomes.
Diagram (Below) exploring titles of what I am today?
I feel there are blurred lines between a few which I am yet to discover? At times my work is abstract with no context but it can also be work which is looking into a story or problem locally? Where do I sit as a creative?
An interdisciplinary experimental design practice pushing the boundaries of what graphic design can be today. Drawing upon research from local geographical locations to inform design processes across tactile, digital and print outputs. Inspired and ignited by objects and stories to help construct and communicate ideas and solve problems. Our creative ambition brings our clients into the collaborative process sparking conversations and intrigue from delivery to implementation. Our drive comes from the discovery and possibilities of how objects, stories and ideas can be explored to solve problems and communicate across a spectrum of mediums.
We invite you to collaborate with us and be part of our creative discovery.
Re evaluating current statement. Went back slightly as I wanted to bring in more words which captured my new approach.
Keys words such as community, championing, purpose, impact, narratives.
I also have been influenced by design agency Kessels Kramer who’s approach to design is unique and pushes boundaries. There wording resignated with me and I want to take a similar approach to how I present myself as a designer
Final ‘about’ paragraph
An interdisciplinary design practice pushing and blurring the boundaries of what graphic design can be today. Drawing upon research and community engagement from geographical locations to inform design processes across tactile, digital and print outputs which have purpose and impact.
Our creative ambition brings our clients into the collaborative process sparking conversations and intrigue from delivery to implementation, helping discover the possibilities of how objects, narratives and ideas can be explored to solve problems and communicate across a spectrum of mediums.
Design Practice diagram
Alongside my ‘about’ I wanted to start thinking about the layers to my practice and how this may look. Centrally placed is the location / community / narrative with circles expanding out from here depicting the ideas, solutions, problems, research and connections. These also draw upon the different mediums and methods which will be used in delivery.
Research
Koto discuss that they went from working in a smaller space (which worked for them) but not for their clients. Growth meant they needed to move to larger premises to accommodate client interactions and a larger team. I wonder that if now they need such a big space? Could these now be scaled back with more remote working? A hybrid way of working? Do we need these large spaces to be ‘creative’ and ‘successful’
They discuss this sense of creativity and fun within the studio – embedded within their values and culture is this idea of being who you are – This for me is how it should be? A stale environment won’t help you produce your best work and allow you to feel free to experiment new mediums and touchpoints.
Nice Tuesdays speak with Design Agency – Collins
“Design is what we make possible”
The agency look and think about real life consequences of design – Design that has impact on both a small and larger scale – This I related to with a more community based approach to my work within the last 6 months. Tackling projects and themes to spark conversations and intrigue.
Refreshing to hear from the agency that it’s not always about the design elements (physical made parts) It’s about what they can communicate and the impact that can be made.
Kessels Kramer was referenced in a conversation I was having about my future practice, I explored Kessels Kramer and was blown away by the work, the interest, excitement, range and possibilities shown connected with me and where I wanted to go as a designer.
Working across multiple disciplines and applying output to different mediums only sparked more ideas about the design I want to pursue and develop.
“something that can engage and become part of a community, rather than just rack up “likes”.
Kessels Kramer
There approach to work is in a similar form to how I’ve been approaching my work across the MA, not safe, taking risks and trialling new mediums to explore the output. Their work looks at communities and how they can change mindsets – a brave move which is open to interpretation and pushes the boundaries of what graphic design is and can be.
How can my practice look towards an approach like this? Can graphic design be installation? Can graphic design be music? how do mediums like this work together to produce intrique and new ways of thinking.
Weekly Reflections
James Shaw 