Tuesday 30 August 2011

DRACO logo.


Created a simple logo for local musician 'Draco' last week. Simple design in both PNG and JPEG file format, as requested. Was a good excuse to get back playing on Photoshop for transparencies- I've been a bit rusty!

Saturday 27 August 2011

In other news...


Finally starting to feel like a designer...long time coming, but it's here.
Hope I can just keep it up now.

Ten ambitions for my second year of Graphic Design.


For a more productive, better all-rounder way of living and learning.

1. Take my *NEW* Macbook into Uni- set a limit to my day's work and don't do any Uni work in my bedroom- it won't help me to relax.
2. Gain some more work experience.
3. Become the master of my Wacom tablet. It shall take orders from me...not the other way round.
4. Make my own website to advertise and promote my work.
5. Sleep for at least four hours a day (or constantly think I'm about to die, a la last year).
6. Make a thirty second illustrative animation.
7. Take at least one day off a week.
8. Publish an issue of a magazine/zine.
9. Sell my work at my own stall at a craft fair.
10. Create my own typeface...that isn't shite this time.

Sure...it may sound like taking time off and sleeping will reduce my workload...but you will be surprised. Last year, I believe, was seriously affected by my lack of sleep, and general unhappiness because of it. Sleep= motivation to work= more experimentation= a happy, shiny portfolio. BINGO.

Thursday 25 August 2011

Behance.



I now have a Behance profile, yay! Going to try and add at least one project a week- enough to keep me motivated and continue with freelance comissions and designs, as well as Uni projects. Got a few projects backed up already, so I don't have to sweat the sweet stuff too much in terms of designing as of yet.

Click here to see what I do:

Tuesday 23 August 2011

Yay!


This is where my design work is going to be sold within the next couple of weeks! YAY! Today, the girls at the Nook&Cranny store (specialising in card, sationary and homeware sales) contacted me to ask about selling my work in their shop in The Bluecoat Arms Centre, Liverpool. HOW BLOODY EXCITING.
Working on a sale or return basis, it's a really exciting oppurtunity for me to get started in "the real world" of business- the shop taking a small percentage, which will ensure that I keep my accountancy and financing tip-top. Really, excited is not the word.

Monday 22 August 2011

Work experience day (at Cosmopolitan magazine).


Came back Thursday evening from a long, long day in London working on Broadwick Street for Comsopolitan magazine. However daunting and nerve-wracking it was, it was amazing. An amazing atmosphere, great support, lovely people…talented people.
And I learnt more on InDesign in those eight hours then I have done through the entirety of my year at Uni.
Hopefully I’ll be going back next year to work on Elle. (After a personal recommendation) I can’t wait!

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Things that make me happy.


Happy day for me. Getting great feedback is sometimes even better than the dollar, dollar bills y'all. 
Sales have been great this summer- almost at my 100 sales target! I am a very happy bunny indeed-io.

Tuesday 16 August 2011

FILMS: Progress.

1.    Jaws
2.    Goodfellas
3.    Apocolypse Now
4.    Raging Bull
5.    The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
6.    Die Hard
7.    Alien
8.    Aliens
9.    Heat
10.  Vertigo
11.  The 400 Blows
12.  Psycho
13.  On The Waterfront
14.  Let the Right One In
15.  His Girl Friday
16.  12 Angry Men
17.  L.A Confidential
18.  Blue Velvet
19.  Raising Arizona
20.  A Bout De Souffle
21.  Almost Famous
22.  Sophie’s Choice
23.  Betty Blue
24.  Being There
25.  A Nightmare on Elm Street
26.  Don’t Look Now
27.  Tootsie
28.  Dirty Harry
29.  Eraserhead
30.  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
31.  Moulin Rouge!
32.  M
33.  Brighton Rock
34.  The Philadelphia Story
35.  The Blues Brothers
36.  The Virgin Suicides
37.  My Neighbour Totoro
38.  Rebecca
39.  300
40.  Fatal Attraction
41.  All about Eve
42.  Arthur
43.  Bugsy Malone
44.  Un Chein Andalou
45.  Sunshine
46.  Good Morning, Vietnam
47.  Cabaret
48.  Rocky
49.  Hot Fuzz
50.  Rain Man
51.  The English Patient
52.  Mulholland Drive
53.  Jerry Maguire
54.  Hairspray
55.  Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
56.  Superbad
57.  Submarine
58.  Norweigan Wood 
59.  Blue Valentine 
60. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou 
61. Lars and the Real Girl 
62. Synedoche, New York 
63. A Single Man

Although this may seem far removed from Graphic Design work, one of my other ambitions over the summer
is to see this list of 63-films: films I have wanted to see, but never quite got round to doing it.

I am a huge film fan, and have been fortunate enough to work alongside close friend and filmmaker Robert 
Savage for the past year in development for his upcoming feature film, 'Strings'. For me, film-watching is like 
a research, to gain an understanding of his work, and what inspires him, as well as a personal love of
cinematography and art direction. A constant source of inspiration. 
The text above comes from an ambition from the start of the summer. The film titles now highlighted in 
bold are the ones that, so far, I have managed to see...month to go now!

Wednesday 10 August 2011

First Etsy commission!


A day to celebrate! Made my first Etsy commission today- a pack of five Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter birthday cards- really simple to make from my original template and good working to a deadline again (personally set, may I add!) My ambition to make one hundred Etsy sales before the summer is looking good, seventy down, thirty left to go!

Sunday 7 August 2011

Back-up plan.


Y'know, just in case I freak out and fail all of the next two year's worth of Graphics (please dear Lord, aka Fred, don't let this be). I have decided my future back-up plans if all GD hell breaks loose:

1. Photographer
2. Wedding Planner
3. Housewife/Bearer of Von Trapp-esque family.

It's always good to have a back-up plan, three if you're keen.