‘Graphic Design and the Dotted Line’ Russell Hancock

Russell was energetic, hyperactive and funny! It was a brilliant lecture and I could see the amount of passion he has for what he does! I loved how he kept going off on tangents and telling us stories about his life. It reminded me of my work, I always tend to go off the guidelines but sometimes they can be the best bits! Odd directions are what I feel makes work more interesting, looking at the unexpected and thinking about none cliched routs. 

Just like Dr.Me and Helen Buttorworth, he told us not to be afraid of getting ourselves out there and doing some free work for clients, the free work can sometimes lead into jobs, these are also great when wanting to build up the portfolio and giving yourself exposure. He told us to remember people you’ve worked with and keep in touch, networking came up in the Ten Alps talk so I already knew how important this was. Ten Alps was from a media and T.V point of view, so it was good to hear this from a designers perspective! 

Compared to Joanna Niemeyer who really put me off freelance, Russell made it more appealing! I now feel that I can look at this as an option after initially writing it off after hearing about the troubles Joanna went through. She really put me off it and I’m glad that we had Russell because otherwise my state of mind about freelancing wouldn’t have changed. I now see it as a brilliant opportunity and feel more equipped of how to go about it! Russell was so helpful and I wasn’t hesitant to attend the more exclusive talk in the studio!

Type Matters!

I turned up for my regular feed back session with John and ended up being taken to a lecture with the MA students about Typography! Loved the spontaneity! 

Jim Williams, a Graphic Design Lecturer at Staffordshire University who has achieved recognition in a number of national and international award schemes, was taking the talk. This was the first lecture I’d had on type, considering I was looking at typefaces at the time for my final project, it was essential that I learnt the basics! This lecture seemed to come at the most appropriate time for me! 

His book ‘Type Matters’ gives simple tips on how to keep your type in order. Although the rules of typography are so obvious to me now, before Jim pointed them out, I wouldn’t have noticed these minor yet so important mistakes! So inspired by these rules I requested a £5 copy from Staffordshire University, currently waiting for it to arrive in the post but I think this book is a must have for every Designer! This clarity of typography must carry on, and to do so, knowledge needs to be passed on to up and coming designers. I think Jim is doing a brilliant job!

After the lecture I felt refreshed, typography has always been a fear of mine, this term has helped me to build confidence and the lecture was like the icing on the cake! Looking back over some second year work I have noticed some of these mistakes that I have now corrected, I have been passing on some tips to fellow students who weren’t lucky enough to attend the lecture. Simple tips, but essential ones!

Craig Oldham Lecture

12in12 by Craig Oldham
Taking my time to look through this
now that I have finished Uni!

I remembered Craig from the Dragons Dens experience in the second year! It took me back to how daunted we as a group were when presenting, making me realise how much my confidence has grown over this year.  He gave our group some great feed back and I was looking forward to his lecture which he described as ‘A big fucking jumble sale of nonsense’ 

Much like Russell Hopkin’s lecture, it was energetic and fun and about us, and ways to succeed when we finish university, not about him and his work. He gave us some great tips about how to act in industry, these I did learn when I was on my placement, making cups of tea, getting to know the people around you and taking an interest. Very basic people skills, but essential! 

He spoke about two different types of designers - ‘Bunch A’ were the logical designers who depend on grids and content and ‘Bunch B’ were emotional designers who are more expressive with their designs. I believe that I am in Bunch B! I am a very expressive and playful designer and look to my feelings a lot of the time, when showing the video of Stefan Sagmeister this confirmed it to me! I want to design expressively in my job, this is what I enjoy and it’s where my strengths lie! 

At the beginning of this lecture it hit me that I’m actually leaving university! I felt daunted and worried! However, I left the lecture feeling ready for the real world and excited for the future! Craig really did inspire me, and made me see that being a good hardworking person will go a long way. There is a lot more to learn about Graphic Design, but as long as I am willing to learn and am not afraid to admit to my weaknesses I will get there! 

If you're wanting to read into Craig's 12in12 follow this link! I'm finding it very helpful!

http://www.craigoldham.co.uk/projects/12-in-12/