Personal Devlopment III//Propaganda Studio Visit.

www.propaganda.co.uk

Yesterday afternoon I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to take a studio visit to the branding design studio, Propaganda, at Calls Wharf in Leeds.

A fan of Propaganda, and particularly their established creative make up brand, Illamasqua, for some time, along with their incredibly talented designers and excellence in marketing, it was a real privilege to go along to meet Lee Bennett, the Design Director of the studio, and to be able to showcase my portfolio and have a talk about the industry, and my potential place within it. 

He offered some really great advice, and being totally personable, I felt (perhaps for the first time on a studio visit!) completely relaxed, at ease and confident about presenting myself and my work. 

A really great opportunity to get some really great insight, Lee suggested promoting more of a brand development throughout my portfolio, to showcase my thought process, and also to expand upon evidence of my software knowledge and application of design (e.g. stop motion, web design, exploring more diverse processes). 

Feeling really motivated, I can't wait to get involved in the industry now!

Personal Development III//Freelance Recruitment

In light of my recent decision to move to London, along with being offered a temporary internship, I have started to consider the "long run" of living in the city, and, of course, the affordability.

Having met up with a friend in Shoreditch last week, who is a member of the (Advertising) design community, he recommended signing up with freelance recruitment agencies, which I felt was a great idea to ensure my presence is known and I have the potential to gain not only income, but further company contacts and networking credentials within the city.

So far, I have signed up to a few sites for profile building and job searches (see screenshot examples above and below), and will readily pursue this further within the next few weeks and months.

Personal Development III//Tumblr Edits

www.sophiewilsondesign.tumblr.com

I spent some time this morning working on refining my existing tumblr blog for personal work, to ensure consistency throughout my personal branding as I actively seek more freelance work and design opportunities upon graduating from University in just a few short weeks.

Not only does this new layout allow for a header/logo bar, but also increases the pixel width of my images, allowing for the highest level of detail to be seen in my work- perfect for mock ups and detailed design, such as my recent web design work for photographer, Jessie Leong (see image below).

Personal Development III//James Maxwell Business Cards

Yesterday morning,  I received the moo printed luxe business cards for James Maxwell through the post, and was able to go on to cut down the designs (with the corner trim).
I was really impressed with the duplex finish by moo (the cards seem to be getting better and better!), and I hope that James will be as pleased with the results too.

Personal Development III//PPD Presentation

In light of my recent internship offer in London, I have made (very slight!) changes to my Personal & Professional Development presentation, to be made next week.

In the midst of real excitement for the future and career prospects, I'm really looking forward to seeing where my peers also currently stand, as well as presenting myself.

PPD//Updated CV

After my interview in London earlier in the week, and considering my experience within the industry to date, I reconsidered my portfolio, and added the 2012 event of my freelance design work being featured in Stylist Magazine as part of an Etsy stockist feature. Hoping that expanding upon, and broadcasting my professional print exposure and experience that it will open up to even greater opportunities.

PPD//Further

www.furthercreative.co.uk

I'm really excited that, yesterday, after my internship interview on Tuesday, that I've been offered a four week paid internship at Further in Holborn.

Due to the length of the placement, I have also decided to take the plunge and move to London (for a minimum of six months), also having a potential job lined up in August (working as a design assistant for a freelancer whose work I really admire, in Notting Hill), I feel really inspired and motivated to work as hard as possible, and to try to be as actively involved in the design industry as possible.

A very exciting time... I'm really looking forward to trying something new.