Experience

Recently I took on a commission to design a logo for an independent company, although it didn’t go the way I’d expected or hoped it to, it was a very valuable experience.

I was really excited about taking on this task, it was a little different to anything I’d done before, but something I thought my work would be well suited to. After all, a logo should be eye-catching and not over complicated! I think that actually sums up my approach to my practice fairly accurately. However this is not what the client wanted, they asked for quite a lot of different details to be included in this logo which I was more than happy to accommodate, so they’d have something that was unique to them and their company, whilst advising that all of the different elements may be too much. 

After finishing the logo, my client realised that there was too much detail and was more of an illustration than a logo. They asked for a lot of revisions, which effectively worked out to be a whole redesign of the logo. After informing them that their budget wouldn’t cover all of these changes, and adding an extra charge, they then decided they were unable to carry on with the commission. In my opinion I think the extra charge was fair and necessary. As a student it wasn’t a high charge but still showed that I value my time and work. I wouldn’t expect anyone else to value my work if I don’t value it myself. I need to learn how to price and sell my work professionally, so I’m confident in asking what I’m asking for without underselling myself.

It was a lot different to any of my other work, but because this was a commission I felt like I had to adapt my visual signature to something that it is not. I partly felt like this because the client asked me to do this brief based on a recommendation from a mutual friend, rather than looking at my work, then determining from there whether I’d be able to produce the logo they were looking for. In hindsight I think I should have just evaluated what they’d asked of me and showed them what I could offer looking for a compromise, rather than doing something completely different that didn’t feel was true to my practice. I think if I had stood my ground I’d have been able to produce a logo that was a lot more striking and that might have pleasantly surprised my client, offering an alternate perspective.

This was a really beneficial experience for me! I acted in a professional manner in what is potentially an awkward situation with a client. With this, I also managed to detach myself from my practice enough to try and complete the brief to a high standard, without feeling insulted when the client wasn’t happy. Although it didn’t work out well, I’m pleased I had the opportunity to experience this and handle this, whilst I’m still studying and while there wasn’t such a large amount of money at stake. 

Mission Statement

I find my most successful pieces of work are when I simplify an image and think of my compositions as a combination of different shapes, I enjoy incorporating different textures and pattern to give my work an extra dimension. I’m inspired by Saul Bass and Dutch design, as well as content which relates to where I grew up in Sunderland. Although I’m very content driven it is the process in which it takes to get to the end product which interests me. Most recently I’ve looked at more traditional print techniques and mixed media within my work, this is why I find it so difficult to work digitally, I enjoy the handmade quality with analogue materials. The use of shape is prominent in my work so I would like to explore how the simplicity of this may transfer to a repeat pattern, to be printed onto fabric.

Visiting UK Greetings

Upon my arrival I was met in reception by one of the Studio Directors, after a cup of tea, we then took a tour of the studios. The studios were divided by specific roles played within the company. The largest studio was for a team of general designers, which a small team of illustrators also resided within. It was interesting talking to a couple of the illustrators, they spoke about different ways in which they work from digital to traditional media. They all had sketchbooks used for initial ideas and things that may be used later on in a different brief. I also found out that their illustrations are then passed on to a designer to then be made into a product, I hadn’t realised prior to my visit that the illustrators wouldn’t solely take the lead on designing their products. I was also taken to see the studio which had teams for; character design, humour and Disney. As well as the studio for external brands I.e. Sainsbury’s, and the gift wrap and packaging studio. It was interesting to find that each greetings card produced go through a series of different designers and teams before reaching the end product that will be put on shelves to sell. As a perfectionist I think I would find this aspect of the industry quite difficult to adjust to, because it’s so different to how I’d usually work. Although this process could offer a great chance to collaborate with designers across the whole company. 

The feel of the professional working environment was really exciting, and inspiring. The studios were very open plan which gave a feel of community and even though there were Macs at every desk, there were still some artists painting. It was interesting to see how each designer take a different approach to their work. There are a number of ways to work for UK Greetings, freelancing appealed to me the most as I felt like this would offer the most freedom with the way I work. As a company, they select artists to freelance for them based on which projects are running at a specific time. No matter how good the artists work is, they can’t pay someone to freelance if they can’t find a use for their work, or don’t have a demand for what the artist is producing. This gave me some insight into how the industry works, as it all comes down to what the consumer wants and catering for the widest audience. 

During my portfolio review, it was encouraging to hear it was my character design that really interested the studio directors. This is an area I’m not very confident in, and feel needs improvement. This has given me the confidence to approach character design more often than I would usually. The studio directors also commented on my use of shape and colour, and could see my work transferring to wrapping paper, this is something I had already pondered and would be interested in trying. The experience of being in a creative environment made me think more about what I would like to do after my degree. On reflection, I think I would like to work in a studio with other creatives, so I can work around likeminded people and have the opportunity to get instant feedback. I think I would find this way of working motivating.