OUGD602 PPP3 EVALUATION

Through out my time at university the PPP module has been beneficial to my growth as both a person and a designer. This year in particular I have used the module to self reflect on my practice and professionalism.

One particular strength I have developed through this year is my presentation skills. I feel I can deliver a strong, concise and clear presentation. These are skills i have developed through various presentations for PPP and extended practice. I can utilise this skills in my professional career when delivering client pitches or potential employer interviews. I think I could further improve my skills by making sure I prepare prior to an presentation. Presentational skills have helped me grow in confidence when conducting myself in a professional environment.

I have taken many opportunities this year out side of university such as attending Design Manchester and Neubau - year in the forest. These events have been really useful to my professionalism. They are a great opportunity to network, as well as a good chance to meet like minded and passionate people.

The PPP module has pushed me to network and connect with industry professionals. At the start of the year this was something I actively avoided, worried about putting my self out there to be judged. However over time i have grown proud of the work i have amassed over the last year and am more than happy to connect with professionals and ask to visit their studios to talk through my work and enquire about internships and jobs. As of this I recently secured two placements for the summer after my course, I am quite apprehensive about them, but excited to experience graphic design out side of education. I feel that i could have engaged with networking and placements earlier on in the year, but feel more confident now to carry them out.

My personal branding this year is a true reflection of me. In previous years I have tried to design an identity that was to stylistic and not a true reflection of my design practice. This year however I have designed an identity that is clean, minimal and timeless. 

Over all i think that this module has really helped me develop as a designer. It has set me up for the future and prepared me to take the step in to industry. I think it has been a great opportunity to reflect on my practice and evaluate my personal and professional growth from 1st year to this point. I now view my self as a young professional rather than a student and am ready to progress, using the reflective devises learnt throughout this module to evaluate my progression and growth through out my career.

OUGD602 PERSONAL BRANDING WEB PRESENCE

OUGD602
PESONAL BRANDING 
WEB PRESENCE

I have recently purchased the domain name samcook.co and the email address hello@samcook.co. I am now developing my website. I also rely on Behance as an online platform. I decided to keep the design of the website very structured and gridded and keep to the colour schemes of my branding.

This is the homepage interface, the images are all examples of my work and will work as links to the main work page with more information of the project. The grid structure in place displays m work in a uniformed and tidy manner, it will also scroll to show more projects.

The image will fade and a short header will appear when you hover over the image, each image will also be a link to the work page providing more information on the brief and more images of the project.

The about page uses to columns one for the image and one for the information. The information provided includes an overview accompanied by a short bio.

The contact page includes an interactive google map with an icon to show where i am based, it follows the same column and grid structure as the previous page in order to create a uniformed and cohesive design.


Over all i am really happy with the proposed web site. I have utilised cannons and grids through experiment with wireframes, as a result I think the website perfectly suits my design style. It is neat, structured and gridded. It also fits with my brand identity and creates synthesis between my online presence and printed presence. At this moment in time I do not have the skills to code this website, however i have made a contact who will help develop it for a small fee.

OUGD602 PERSONAL BRANDING PPP3

OUGD602
PERSONAL BRANDING
PPP3


Over all when i started my personal branding i wanted some clean, concise and to the point. I am really happy with the end result and think it reflects my design practice very well.

OUGD602 PERSONAL BRANDING - PRINT TESTS

OUGD602
PESONAL BRANDING 
PRINT TESTS

From my research I really liked a business card that was spot varnished black on black. This was a technique I really liked. However due to time constraints and costing I decided to print black on to black. The technique worked really well for the front of the logo, however the back, where all the important information was wasn't as clear.

I then decided to try creating a duplex stock. I tried with a mixture of grey and white tones. I then decided that the white business card was by far the strongest. I am really pleased to have discovered this technique. They are easy to recreate and inexpensive to print.

OUGD602 - PLACEMENT OPPERTUNITY - B&W STUDIO

OUGD602
PLACEMENT OPPERTUNITY
B&W STUDIO

B&W studio is another studio that i have been following closely they are a small studio based in Leeds but have some great clients. I see my self fitting in to a smaller studio far more than a large one. I feel that i would be more of a valid member of a design team in a small studio rather than a large one. I used the same PDF portfolio that i used for Uniform studio as it had been successful for me then.

I sent an email and digital portfolio to the studio and had a quick response, I have planned to visit the studio at the end of May, this gives me time to develop my portfolio and prepare for the interview.

OUGD602 - PLACEMENT OPPERTUNITY - UNIFORM STUDIO

OUGD602
PLACEMENT OPPERTUNITY
UNIFORM

Uniform in Liverpool is unlike the other studios i have been looking in to. It is a much larger company with some great clients. I feel that i could learn a lot from this studio so took the decision to get in contact with them. I feel like I learnt a lot from The Archipelago conversations and feel better equipped for this one.

For this interview I decided to create a small PDF portfolio to send to Uniform studio. I decided to do this so I have a wider range of design to show them when i visit.

Because of the high amount of work and stress that i am currently under due to the looming deadline i asked Pete if i could visit at the end of may after my hand in. He obliged and a date was set for the 27th of May. Due to the positive feedback from Pete i am very confident and looking forward to the opportunity to show my work and hopefully secure the placement.

OUGD602 - PERSONAL BRANDING - DEVELOPMENT

OUGD602
PESONAL BRANDING 
DEVELOPMENT


For my personal branding I knew 2 things. I knew that I wanted it to be simple and clean, and I knew that I wanted it to be monochrome. From this I created a large variety of visual developments.

In the end I decided to make it as functional and concise as possible I chose a clean, modern an serif typeface Apercu. 

Front:

Back:

These are the final logo designs. I find it always best to start a branding project by focusing on the business cards. In my opinion business cards are one of the most important tools for networking, and the rest of the branding can grow from there.