OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - Shy Bairns #1 Publication Spread Production

The design of the publication was heavily discussed among the members of the collective. There was a mutual feeling of ensuring that the publication was designed well but that the design itself didn't overpower or compromise any of the work. As the only Graphic Designer within the collective I was responsible for creating the spreads for the book in Adobe Indesign.

All work was to be printed in two colours - red and blue - and because of this somewhat heavy colour scheme the collective agreed on a simple layout, with each work presented cleanly across each spread so as to maximise the content for the viewer. The spreads allow for full bleed images and perfect binding.

In total the book contains 66 full colour pages plus cover. The book uses consistent typeface throughout, using Gill Sans for body copy, and Baskerville for titles.


A selection of spreads featuring work from Shy Bairns #1:

Selected spreads from Shy Bairns Volume #1

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - NEST Issue 10 Meeting With Pressision

NEST magazine is printed professionally at Pressision Creative Print and Finishing, a nationally renowned print company located just outside of Leeds city centre. Forming a close relationship with the staff at Pressision is an important part in the role of Editor. Efficient communication with the printers will ensure each issue runs smoothly and to schedule, and as each member of the team also has a background in the creative industries, collaborating with them on certain aspects of the magazine's production will produce the highest quality publication, and even some ideas that I may have though were inconceivable.

During our first meeting I discussed with them some loose ideas for the publications form and I was shown the vast range of finishes that they were able to produce, including printing with white ink, printing on plastics and translucent materials, and embossing and foiling. Although it will be a minimum of several weeks before I am able to start the designs for the magazine, knowing the extent of the production methods that I am able to use has greatly expanded my vision for this project and also allowed me a valuable insight into professional print production that will be invaluable in the creation of other project throughout my degree.

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - Shy Bairns #1 Beginning and Submissions

The Project

The first project we have undertaken as Plank is a publication entitled Shy Bairns: The Only Pizza Shop Where I Live Burnt Down, Volume #1.

The project was conceived from the idea of creating out own inclusive platform in order to allow young creatives to connect with one another and build a community. The publication, therefore, acts as a showcase for the wealth of emerging talent across the North of England. All of the published work will be created by artists who originated in the North or have now moved away from the South in order to embark on a university degree or artistic career.


Submissions

In order to gather content for this publication connected with a range of contacts asking for submissions, some from previous artistic projects and exhibitions, and some from our own universities and degrees. The members of the collective cover a large part of the country, having all originated from near Newcastle and now attending university in Manchester, Leeds and London, and after contacting people to gain some initial interest in the project we received a lot of positive feedback and a very obvious desire for young creatives to be involved.

Considering this we then put out an open call for submissions using our social media platforms. As a start-up collective the cheapest and most efficient way of connecting with a large audience was to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and email to advertise the project. Utilising a combination of friends and family from across the country, as well as creators of other zines that we admired or previously been featured in, the campaign proved to be successful. We wanted the project to flow succinctly and gave an optimistic 8 day submission window from the 29/08/16 - 06/09/16. However we received an unexpected number of submission and closed a week later with enough content to make a publication twice the size of our original idea.

In total we selected 26 artists to be included, ranging from illustration and photography to performance art and academic writing.

An advert from our social media campaign

The official list of contributors

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - NEST Issue 10 Theme and Open Submissions

One of the first tasks to be completed as Editorial Officer was to set a theme for NEST Issue 10.

Looking at previous issues, themes had been set around the title of NEST, such as 'N and E' and 'S and T', and also around general concepts that inform much of art and design, such as 'Light' and 'Form'. As the college runs a wide variety of courses, it is most beneficial to keep the theme as broad as possible in order to encourage submissions from as many students as possible, regardless of degree and ability. I was also aware that certain themes would draw in more course than others, and that some courses, such as photography, would have a more extensive back catalogue of pre-existing work compared to fine art or ceramics (simply due to the nature of the turn-around in the production of work).

Keeping these in mind, I discussed with the union and a selection of peers a range of ideas. We concluded that the theme should be broad and accommodating but should also have clear avenues in which students can take to produce a range of work.

The theme that was eventually decided was FOCUS.

It is an open-ended theme and can be interpreted in many different ways. For example, Focus could refer in a literal sense to the lens focus of an image, or in a broader sense reference a student's personal focus as a member of LCA. The work could be representative of focus within a chosen subject, or could demonstrate a focus on social, political, economic or environmental issues that a student is passionate about. It allows for submission across all courses, including photography, illustration, animation, design, collage, painting, sculpture, ceramics, 3D work, moving image and written text pieces.

In order to keep within the schedule for the production of NEST three weeks were allotted for open submissions. Below is the poster that I designed to advertise for submissions. The poster reflects some reminiscent features from early education - the lines across the page and the outlined text suggest the aids students used when they first learnt how to write - which reflects a 'back to school' nature of starting a new project and a new academic year at LCA. The design is intentionally left relatively blank so as to reflect a clean slate and a new style of design under a different magazine Editor. These posters were placed around the college on all course noticeboards and in strategic communal places with high footfall. A mass email was also sent out to all students in order to reach as wide an audience as possible.

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - NEST Issue 10 Project Timeline

Previous Editors of NEST have published two issue per academic year. Based on this I created a rough timeline for the coming year:


Issue 10:

Planning: 27th September 2016 (3 weeks)

Submissions open: 17th October (3 weeks)

Submissions close: 7th November

Designing: 7th November (4 weeks)

Printing: 5th December ( 3 weeks)

Launch: 9th January 2017 (week beginning)



Issue 11:

Planning: 13th Feb (2 weeks)

Submissions open: 1st March (3 weeks)

Submissions close: 3rd April

Designing: 3rd April (3 weeks)

Printing: 24th April (3 weeks)

Launch: 15th May (week beginning)

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - NEST Issue 10 Budget Breakdown

The budget for NEST magazine for an entire academic year must be split in two in order to accomodate two issue of the magazine per year, also taking into consideration any costs that might be involved in the launch and distribution of the magazine.



Original budget:                   £3,514.98

In credit with printers:         £   456.63
________________________________

Final budget:                        £3,971.26




Issue 10:                               £1,500   approx.

Issue 10 Launch:                  £   200   approx.

Issue 11:                               £1,500   approx.

Issue 11 Launch:                  £   200   approx.

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - NEST Issue 10 The Future of the Magazine

NEST as a magazine was created to provide a printed platform for students to showcase their work and gain exposure and recognition throughout the wider professional industries. Recent past issues of the magazine (under the editorship of Josiah Craven) have been highly successful utilising professional design and efficient distribution. However past issues have not been hugely successful in regards to the launch and extended audience reach of the publication.

During my editorship there are many changes that could be made that would further enhance the magazine:

Changes to the physical format of the publication (size, shape, materials, print production - keep it tactile!) could help to re-engage an established audience.

A wider distribution within the UK (Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, London) would help to expand NEST as a platform, as well as distribution within Europe (Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris).

The creation of an online platform to provide additional and previously unpublished content would allow the magazine to feature a broader range of student work, moving image, interviews etc, as well as a digital archive of past issues.

Using social media sites to publicise submissions and new issues and connect with a greater audience, including industry professionals.

A wider collaborative effort with College students, enlisting the skills of designers and photographers to provide support in areas where my own skills are lacking.

Possible collaboration with local or national artists, featuring past work or current projects, which could help to raise the profile of the magazine and the students featured alongside them.

The introduction of in-college workshops run by tutors or practicing professionals, based loosely around the magazine's theme so students have a chance and are allowed time to create work for the submission.

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - LCASU Editorial Officer Role

As of September 2016 I have been elected to take over the position of Leeds College of Art Student's Union Editorial Officer. The job entails being coordinator and Editor-In-Chief of NEST Magazine, the college's student magazine. This involves many duties, including setting themes for each issue, taking submissions and selecting work to be included in the content, arranging the production and the printing of the magazine, organising launch parties and other associated events, and attending regular meetings with the Student's Union, the printers, venue owners and all of the students and staff within the college.

A role such as this comes with many challenges and will test my skills in all areas. However it will also provide me with a wealth of new skills, including increased people skills, effective organisational skills, the ability to designate, and the ability manage a budget - as well as further my ability to create effective editorial design and give me an increased ability to use Adobe software. These are vital skills in being able to successfully manage and run projects and will be transferable throughout all aspects of a creative career in graphic design.

LEVEL 5

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - Shy Bairns Collective

At the beginning of this academic year I formed a creative collective called Shy Bairns. As a four-member, multi-disciplinary group our interests range from fine art, sculpture and ceramics to design, traditional printing and curation. However out main interest is publication design. Our aim as a collective is to provide a much needed platform for young Northern creatives across all mediums to showcase their work and form a network to encourage participations and collaboration.

Due to a lack of resources and funding across the wider arts and particularly within the North of England, accessible northern gallery and studio spaces are limited; Shy Bairns therefore creates a platform that does not rely on institutional support for the promotion of artists.

Being an artist in the North of England is something I consider to be a large part of how I define my practice and myself as a creative. The art community in the North is something that I am passionate about and I am ever conscious of the widening 'divide' between the North and South, in terms of opportunities, funding, exposure and equality.

As I learn further about the professional industry of Graphic Design, and also the different art communities in the North vs the South, I have realised more and more the relevance of creating your own opportunities and the importance of self-motivated and self-driven projects. Gaining exposure is hard for all artists - particularly for women - but it is undeniable that there is greater opportunity within the 'design hub' of London. In order to achieve a successful career away from the South it is crucial that I begin to launch my own initiatives and create my own projects, and networking with the close-knit Northern artist community will provide me with a wealth of collaborative partners who I can work with to create bigger and more successful jobs. Creating contacts across a range of fields - whether that be professional artists, print companies or venue owners - is so important and will also ensure I will have connections that I can utilise throughout my future career.