Creative CV workshop// 6/3/12..

Today we had a workshop where we started to discuss creative CV's. We spoke about what a creative CV is and what should be included in a creative CV.

Creative CV's are a very important part of my practice because I will be sending my own creative CV out to studios that I either want to visit or I would like to gain a placement with them.

We were given a brief for the creative CV and a task to identify things about ourselves as designers and people that we could potentially add to our CV.

After the workshop we were told to start thinking about the things that we would include in our own creative CV. Here is what we had to do:

1// Identify 5 practical skills I have
2// Identify 5 creative skills I have
3// Identify 5 personal qualities I have
4// Identify 5 facts about myself
5// Write 5 statements about myself

I decided to tackle this task by first brain storming some ideas, I find it hard sometimes to think on the spot so it has taken a while for me to identify all of the things above. I also find it hard to 'big myself up', but I guess I have to have confidence in myself if I want to get a placement at an amazing studio!

Here are some of my initial ideas (it was hard to put some of them into the above categories):

- Self motivator (I can motivate myself and others)
- A laugh
- People person (I am good at talking with new people)
- Punctual (I am always on time)
- Helpful (I enjoy helping people)
- Friendly (I am easy to get on with)
- Approachable
- Love hand crafted design
- Good at paper crafting (I made 100 pairs of card glasses in first year)
- Comfortable with using Adobe Creative Suite
- I am conceptual
- I am good at idea generation
- I enjoy image based design (I enjoy photography, doodling, creating illustrative characters)
- Organised (Most of the time)
- I enjoy researching (If it is something that I am interested in)

These are my first initial ideas when we were set the task. Since then I have had the chance to really think about what I would want and need to put on my creative CV. There are really obvious things that would need to go onto my CV, like contact details including email, phone number and address.

We were told that it would be wise to make a new email address that is solely for design purposes, as this is more professional.

Enterprise and Innovation// END OF MODULE SELF EVALUATION..

1// What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

I have learnt many new skills throughout this module, the main thing that I have learnt is that starting your own business is hard work but achievable! After doing the business plan brief I feel like I now have a better understanding of what it takes to start up a business and for that business to be successful. Like researching, it has been so helpful to research within that particular brief, I found out how much things cost and all of the overhead costs which I wouldnt have thought of. Something that I have also developed which has been a good learning experience was working in a 3. We had a lot of ups and downs due to differences, but in the end we pulled it off. Working as a team has helped me to understand that not only cant you do things on your own when starting a business but also that differences arent a bad thing but instead a positive thing.

There was then all of the PEST and SWOT analysis's that we learnt which has been interesting, we used these in our business plan, along with all of the other things we learnt.

2// What approaches to/ methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

I think that the main things that I actually designed through this module was the actual business plan and its folder and I also had a go at designing a brand identity for our business. This was all an important part of the business plan as everything had to work together even though we were all designing things seperately as a group. We did have disagreements as a group on the logo for our business but soon came to realise that it didnt matter who actually designed it as long as it communicated the right message. During this module I have also designed business cards and invoice designs for my dad who is a plasterer, this module made me think of aspects of his business card design that would effect the communication of his business.

My dad was really pleased with his business cards, and I just need to get them printed out now.

3// What strengths can you identify in your work and how will you capitalise on these?

I think that my main strength throughout this module would have been writing up the business plan for the group brief. I wrote it on my own and presented it in a creative way which engaged with our target audience. I think this has been helpful because it goes to show that a Graphic Designer can make boring things look interesting through design.

4// What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

My biggest downfall to begin with was working in a group of three. They say three is a crowd, and it was at the start. We found it hard to communicate with each other which lead to us all getting stressed and frustrated, which we then took out on one another and made the situation even worse. In the future during group briefs, I will set aside any differences I have and focus fully on the matter at hand which will be the brief. That is the most important thing I will take away from this module.

5// Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1. Be more punctual, I did miss one lecture when I shouldnt have.

2. Work harder when I am in a group, sometimes I find it frustrating when everyone is trying to do loads of different things. I need to stay focused and enjoy designing!

3. Generate more ideas: Every time I get an idea I should be jotting it down and I know I didnt always do this in this module. This will give me more choice when deciding on final outcomes and it also pushes me to think outside of the box.

4. Do more research, I feel like I did a lot during the business plan brief but not so much for the rest of the module. I will always benefit from researching as much as I can.

5. Engage more, at some points during this module I felt as though it were all pointless so I didnt engage as much as I could or should of. But this module has made me so excited for the future and what is possible!

Attendance: 3

Punctuality: 3

Motivation: 3

Commitment: 3

Quantity of work produced: 3

Quality of work produced: 3

Contribution to the group: 3

Enterprise// Business: Business Plan..

Here is the business plan for our business. I have written the business plan using the groups research.

Enterprise// Business: How much money?..

After researching into all the costs we would need to consider each month, year and for starting up the business, I have worked out (approximately) how much we would need to borrow, how long it would take to repay it, the monthly costs of running out business and how much we would charge an hour.

Over head costs//

Business insurance: ~ £12pcm
Professional and product liability: ~ £34pcm
Public liability: ~ £12.50pcm

Premises costs:

Rent/ business rates/ electricity/ gas/ repair/ security

Rent: £750pcm/ £9000pa

Utility bills: ~ £130pcm

Total: ~ £10,560pa

Telephone: ~ £20pcm
Mobile phone: ~ £25pcm

IT costs:

Software: ~ £1810 (Adobe creative suite, one off) x2
Computer: ~ £1250 iMac x2 (two team members already have laptops with software)
Repair: ~ £300pa

Research costs:

Books and magazines/ materials for research/ travel for research

~ £1000pa

Professional advice/ accountant and solicitor: ~ £500pa

Promotional costs: ~ £2000pa

Studio equipment: ~ £600 (one off)


I worked out that in order to get the business up and running we would need to borrow around £25,000 from a bank. The bank we looked at was Barclays, they would charge a 5% interest rate over the amount we borrow over 5 years. Meaning that we would borrow £25,000 but pay back £30,000 over the 5 years. This means that our monthly repayments would be £500.

This makes our monthly payments for all of the above:

~ £1785pcm

Meaning each day we would need to make ~ £60 to break even

After working out how much we would need to make to break even, we decided on an amount of which we would like to be paid per day and our hourly rate as a business.

For example if we wanted to earn ~ £25,000pa each, we would need to charge £125 a day each. Making our hourly rate ~ £18.

Enterprise// Business: Our competition..

As part of my research for the business plan brief, I have been looking at local businesses that our business will be in competition with. I have completed a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis for each one. I have found 3 local businesses to analyise, one is part of a large company that is very well known, Paperchase, and the other two are smaller 'one off' businesses.



The Red Door Gallery//

- The Red Door Gallery is one of Edinburghs most distinctive boutique galleries.

- The best place to pick up artisan jewellery, prints, paintings, sculpture and completely individual greetings cards, all by local artists. Regularly changing exhibitions.

- Support the work of independant and emerging designers and are dedicated to presenting original, inspirational and affordable artwork.

- Also have a fantastic collection of artists books, accessories, affordable prints, jewellery, homewares, lomography cameras and cards which compliment not only the artwork but also our unique space.

- The Red Door Gallery is always keen to see new work and great products from both emerging and established artists and designers who are exploring fresh and contemporary styles and ideas.

- The review process can take up to a month. Work is assessed for its quality, craftsmanship and potential to enhance the collection exhibited by the gallery.

Address: 42 Victoria Street, Edinburgh
Website: reddoorgallery.blogspot.com

Information taken from reddoorgallery.blogspot.com


SWOT Analysis:

Strengths:

- Good location, close to the city centre and Edinburgh College of Art.
- Wide target audience, including students and local artists and designers.
- Offer good design and good value.

Weaknesses:

- Reviewing of work submitted can take up to a month.

Opportunities:

- Having such a wide target audience gives them the opportunity to make closer relationships with places like universities and graduate students.

Threats:

- With good location and a wide target audience, this shop is in the perfect position to steal business. Meaning we would need to come up with a unique selling point to attract customers.


Edinburgh Printmakers//

- Established in 1967 as the first open access studio in Britain, Edinburgh Printmakers (EP) is dedicated to the promotion of contemporary printmaking practice. It achieves this by providing, maintaining and staffing an entrance free gallery and inexpensive, open access print studio, where artists and members of the public can use equipment and source technical expertise in order to develop their hands on printmaking skills.

- Funding from the Scottish Arts Council.

- This funding enables the organisation to highly subsidise the cost of using the print studio, making access to creative facilities affordable to a wide range of people. This includes professional artists, students, community groups and members of the public, who wish to develop new or existing skills.

Addesss: 23 Union Street, Edinburgh EH1 3LR
Website: edinburgh-printmakers.co.uk

Information taken from edinburgh-printmakers.co.uk



Studio One//

- Studio One is a shop dedicated to good design with a sense of theatre. Our aim is to provide an exciting range of stylish accessories for your home and exciting gifts to give to others or yourself.

- Set in a series of basements in the heart of Georgian Edinburgh, each room tells its own story.

- Good design, good value.

Address: 10 Stafford Street, Edinburgh
Website: shopstudio1.com






Information taken from shopstudio1.com

Design Practice 2// Live Briefs I would like to enter..

I had been asked to start looking at Live briefs for the module Design Practice 2, I am guessing that I will be completing the live briefs as part of the module. I have been looking on YCN, D&AD and ISTD to find briefs that I am interested in.

I was told to pick 3 YCN briefs that I would enjoy doing and one that I wouldnt touch with a barge pole!

Here are my four chosen briefs//

Brief one: Heinz Salad Cream

The creative challenge

Today Heinz Salad Cream holds a special place in many people’s hearts as a brand they remember from their childhood; happy carefree summer days. The unique tangy sauce adding taste to favourites like cheese and cold meat sandwiches and salads.
However, over the years as food choices have become more varied and there are more sauce alternatives on the market, many consumers have slowly forgotten about Heinz Salad Cream. Recent research has shown that some consumers perceive it as being old fashioned and less versatile/relevant than other sauces. Although the product is very widely stocked in supermarkets some consumers struggle to find it when dining out (it’s not often found in cafés or pubs) and as a result it’s not at the forefront of many people’s minds.
What we do know is that when people try it, they really love the taste of Heinz Salad Cream and start buying it again! We need to re-engage consumers to remind them of the great taste Heinz Salad Cream has. Our challenge is to get more 18-29 year olds eating Heinz Salad Cream, a young consumer market who may favour mayonnaise instead or haven’t eaten salad cream for years. We want to embed new eating behaviours for Heinz Salad Cream, making it more relevant for ‘today’s’ foods e.g. pizza, chips/potatoes, chicken and fish, sandwiches, wraps or as a dip. Mayonnaise adds moisture to food where salad cream adds both moisture and taste.

Brief

Develop a creative campaign that attracts young people to Heinz Salad Cream, encouraging them to eat it on or with ANY of their favourite foods. Reinforce the message that Heinz Salad Cream is a tasty and versatile sauce for today.

Creative Requirements

Get young people to either discover or rediscover the brand. Generate excitement around this unique quirky brand and engage consumers through upbeat/fun messaging. Get young people talking about Heinz Salad Cream again and be proud to say that they eat it!
The idea can take any format you feel appropriate. It would be ideal to have the potential to work across all manner of channels (new and traditional media, packaging, new products ideas, even the name is up for grabs!). Feel free to incorporate the Heinz Salad Cream Keystone logo, ‘It Has To Be Heinz’ logo and images of our packs into your work where appropriate. All assets can be found in the project pack.

Target Audience

18-29 year old adults, who are looking to add taste/tang to their favourite foods and sandwiches. They are an up-beat and sociable bunch, who love their food.

Brand Benefits

Heinz Salad Cream adds a unique zing to food.

Mandatories

Heinz to be used in capital letters. Creative/campaign must have food values (but not high brow food). Creative/campaign brings modernity to the brand. The ‘It has to be Heinz’ logo is also included in the brief’s project pack. If you wish to use this, please note that it shouldn’t be used as a standalone logo, but rather within a sentence/context, eg. To zing up your sandwich ‘It has to be Heinz’.

I particularly liked the look of this brief because I love Salad cream (which has to be Heinz :p). I think its true what they have said for the reasoning of the brief, many of the younger generation dont appreciate salad cream like they used to! I think quite a few people prefer mayo, which just isnt the same. That isnt my only reason for picking this brief, it sounds like good fun and it is quite open in terms of what the brief is asking. I think I will be able to show off my creative design approach which will suite Heinz donw to the ground. I dont like my work to be too serious, obviously I will take the brief seriously but I like design that is light hearted and fun and I feel this brief will give me the chance to work in this tone of voice in a creative way.



Brief two: Graze

The creative challenge

Part A:
The graze box is the embodiment of the graze brand; it’s charming, natural, honest, and premium, but we think it can work even harder and bring more excitement to the food inside and to the brand as a whole. So part A of your challenge is to refresh our graze box. All the surfaces can be changed but the structure (size, shape and the way it’s put together) can’t.

Part B:
We like our logo, it says friendly and has charm but we’d love it to be more distinctive and unique. So, part B is to redesign our logo. Make graze stand out from the crowd and better communicate what we are all about.

Part C:
Part C is a bit different... We want to see how these new elements would work in a direct mail marketing campaign. We see it as a really interesting medium and we’re looking for a creative solution that will stand out from ‘junk mail’ and make people leap onto the internet to sign up.

Target audience

The average grazer is female, 25-45 and works in an office, but we have grazers both male and female and of all ages, so be careful not to exclude anyone. Also remember that boxes get sent to people’s homes as well as places of work.

Creative considerations

Part A:
Grazers appreciate the subtleness of the graze box, especially in the work environment where personal mail may be frowned upon. So a musical, neon, sequined box might not be the best solution. The textured brown board has been a key part of the graze brand from the start. We love the natural rough texture and the effect of printing on the surface. If you think you have a better solution however, and brilliant reasons to back it up, go for it. We care for the environment just as much as we care for our grazers, so please bare this in mind. Every graze box goes on a journey through the post so when it arrives it shouldn’t look dirty or unappealing. We want people to jump for joy and shout ‘huzzah!’ (and other such exclamations) when their box turns up in their post. Use the box as a way of highlighting the tastiness and healthiness of the food contained; the box and food should work together in delicious harmony.
Remember to allow space for the address and postage paid stamp. A paper serviette is included in every box. Consider this another canvas to work on.

Part B:
The word graze often causes confusion – people spell it greys and grays. Could the logo help with this in any way? Our tagline ‘nature delivered’ plays a key role in explaining what we do, so we’d prefer it if this was included in some way. graze is a modern digital business: Our boxes are ordered from our website but all our products are sourced from nature. How can you portray the two elements ‘online’ and ‘nature’ within the logo?
The logo should be versatile; it appears on almost everything we produce. Don’t forget the .com (dot com).

Part C:
Visually there are no limitations. Be innovative, explore materials, experiment with layout. Do everything you can to make sure that whoever’s doormat this lands on, it screams ‘Read me!’ (Though perhaps not literally, that might be a bit scary). In terms of content, you must make sure you explain what graze is, what graze does and what graze has to offer. How you do this is up to you. We currently run a promotion alongside the majority of our marketing, which allows new customers to try a box for free. Consider how a promotion may work within this particular media.



The main reason that I was drawn to this brief was because it involved re branding. Branding and identity is one aspect of Graphic Design that I thoroughly enjoy, I think its exciting how you get to give a business/ person an identity like designing a logo etc. I also like how this brief is very open and there are a range of things you need to do. So not only would I get to re design the logo but I also get to work with packaging and promotion.






Brief three: The Feel Good Drinks Company

Background

In 2002 three guys who worked together at Coke decided to leave the rat race and form their own soft drinks company. They wanted to make healthy drinks that actually tasted good, create a brand that people liked and a business that made coming to work fun, even on Mondays.

Feel Good Drinks make 3 different ranges of delicious drinks in lots of fruity flavours including: Orange + Mango, Apple + Blueberry and Cranberry + Lime – we like to leave the boring flavours to everyone else. Every Feel Good Drink is packed full of 100% natural ingredients and absolutely no nasty stuff like artificial chemicals or spoonfuls of added sugar. (We wouldn’t want to drink that stuff, so we don’t expect you to either.)
The company now sells one Feel Good Drink every 2 seconds, but we’d like to sell more, and that’s where you come in.

The challenge

One word. Awareness.
We know that when someone tries one of our drinks, they’ll give it a big thumbs up. The trouble is, not enough people know who we are. So we’re looking for creative ideas that will dramatically raise awareness of our drinks, and just how darn tasty they are. We need you to think big - we want to see ideas that stop people in their tracks and make them feel instantaneously good, so good that they will grin from ear to ear. Below are two briefs. Let your creative taste buds be tickled and take your pick (of course if you’re feeling very industrious, we won’t stop you doing both...)

Brief 1

Make us famous.
Create a campaign that communicates 3 simple things: our brand name, what our drinks look like and that our drinks are choc-full of natural, tasty, fruitiness. And do all this in a way that is unique, memorable and makes people laugh.

Brief 2

Fruit not sugar.
We asked some people if they like their soft drinks to have lots of added sugar in them and they said no. No surprises there, then. Of course, we don’t add any sugar to our drinks – nada de nada, niente
di niente, absolutely zilch.
You might be surprised to hear though, that some of our competitors do add sugar to their ‘healthy’ drinks - and lots of it too. The ASA has banned both Vitamin Water and This Water from using misleading ads, which was in part due to the amount of sugar they heap in their drinks. They found that one bottle of This Water could contain up to 42g, that’s 8.5 teaspoons. A bottle of Vitamin Water was found to contain 23g, so just the 5 teaspoons then.
We know you can make great tasting natural juice drinks without adding sugar – we do it everyday. We think that when someone chooses a healthy drink they don’t want or expect it to have heaps of sugar in it. We want you to come up with an idea that tells people the facts, so they can make an informed choice next time they’re at the chiller. Can you communicate this in a fun and feel good way?

Creative Requirements

Often the best ideas have the potential to work across all manner of channels. Do consider all types of new and traditional media, including on-pack and even point of sale if you want to. You may also have noticed that we’re big fans of digital, spending time with our Facebook and Twitter families and spreading our message virally. The idea is to spread the word, so talking to consumers directly can’t be a bad idea. Feel free to incorporate the Feel Good Drinks logo and images of our bottles into your work where appropriate. For this work, we’d like you to focus on our small bottle still and sparkling juice drinks. Images of these can be found in the brief’s project pack.

Target Audience

16-34 year old adults who are happy to pay a little bit more for a healthy, tasty soft drink that isn’t full of junk. They are an up-beat, look-on-the-brightside, sociable bunch, who like to work hard but always find time for some feel good fun and games.

Tone of voice

PMA people - you can’t call yourself Feel Good Drinks and be miserable! The message should always be friendly, fun, and just a little bit cheeky. Please don’t get all serious on us now. It’s about talking to people on their level, making a connection and making them smile.



I really liked the look of this brief because it sounds like so much fun and its so broad, you can pretty much do anything for it. There are also two briefs for this company, which means I can either pick one of the two or go crazy and do both. I think I will like this brief because the company seem to have a really light hearted, fun tone of voice and they seem really colourful, and this is how I enjoy working.






Brief four (my least favourite): Swarovski

The aim of this brief is to take the repositioning of the brand to the next level, concentrating on attracting the next generation of Swarovski fans to our fashion collection.

Target audience

Swarovski are interested in reaching a new younger audience (20 – 30 year olds) primarily targeting young urban UK females who love their jewellery, like to keep up with the latest trends and fashion, and want to express themselves through their jewellery.

The creative challenge

We’d like you to creatively demonstrate how you think Swarovski can relevantly and powerfully engage their fashion range with younger UK consumers. You are free to explore all marketing channels, demonstrating the media and environments that you think the target audience will be most receptive to messaging and engagement. You can consider all elements of marketing, PR, advertising, in-store applications, point of sale, packaging, social media, experiential ideas and everything in between.
You might have one simple, brilliant creative idea that cuts through in one independent channel, or alternatively wish to demonstrate your thinking as a fuller, more integrated 360 degree campaign approach. This is deliberately a very open brief, and you’re encouraged to approach it creatively and freely.
Daniel Swarovski I said: “Evolution never ceases. Reforms in one area lead to further reforms in other areas. One must, however always be alert to the opportunities”.

Creative Requirements

Your work should fit within the Swarovski brand identity, and you can find this here. Should you wish to incorporate it into your work, the Swarovski logo can be found in brief’s project pack.



The reason that I dont like this brief is the fact it is to do with fashion. I am not really into fashion that much and I dont really know what is in and what isnt. It just seems a little boring or its just the fact I have no interest in its context.

Enterprise// Business: Start up costs..

As a new business there are going to be many things that we need to take into consideration when it comes to money. I have been looking at funding, accountants and costs of a property to rent for our business. But there is more things to take into account, including all of the other start up costs which will cover things like furniture and equipment that we will need to start up our business.

Here is a list of things that I believe we need to take into account before we can open our business:

- A property to rent/ rent costs
- Utility bills
- Insurance
- Computer design programmes
- Marketing
- Studio and shop furniture/ desks, chairs etc
- Computers and printers/ Macs!
- General office equipment/ pens, paper etc
- Registering business name

etc

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Costs of studio design equipment//

iMacs and design suite:

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http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/


Ikea is the perfect place to go furniture shopping, there is something for everyone and the different price bands make it affordable for everyone. We could buy studio and shop furniture from here. Above are some items that we would need to buy which will be included in the start up costs. For the shop space rental, we will provide the furniture needed, i.e shelves and tables, but will be unable to buy new furniture for specific needs (if the costing is unpractical).

http://www.argos.co.uk


We would need things like a printer to print invoices. An example is Kodak, they are the cheapest printers to run because the ink is so cheap. Which would save us money in the long run. It may seem like I am looking in too much detail but its the little things that make the big difference!

Office supplies can be bought from Staples which offer good deals.

Staples also have a store card that you can apply for which means you can buy in bulk and spread the costs over a few months, which is very handy. Obviously you would still have to be mindful on how much you spent.

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Printers//


We will need to have a printers on hand for our marketing material and we will obviously still need them through out the business. I Googled printers in Edinburgh and found a few that we could possibly use:

http://www.prontaprint.com/edinburgh/Pages/Map.aspx?lat=55.95598&lng=-3.20173

This printers is fairly close to our property, which would mean we would save money on print delivery as we could just pick it up ourselves and it also means we could easily pop in to the printers which would allow the chance to make a good relationship with them.

This printers is located closer to the city centre and a bit further away from our property. It says they offer competitive pricing and they offer a wide variety of services which is very handy.

Printing and copying; binding and finishing; digital poster printing; banner printing; roll up banner stands; canvas printing; custom cut out stickers; flag printing; leaflets and posters; business cards; letterheads; compliment slips; booklets; postcards; window graphics and shop front signage.

http://www.crescentprint.co.uk/

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Insurance//

Finding insurance quotes has proved quite difficult whilst researching because they ask for a lot of details to do with the property (which I dont know a lot of). I have found out that business bank accounts offer insurance with the business account package or they offer it at a discounted price.

// Insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the insurance; the insured, or policyholder, is the person or entity buying the insurance policy. The amount to be charged for a certain amount of insurance coverage is called the premium. Risk management, the practice of appraising and controlling risk, has evolved as a discrete field of study and practice.


// Public liability insurance covers a business or organization against claims should its operations injure a member of the public or damage their property in some way.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurance#Liability