OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - Anthony Burrill + Ace and Tate

The course visit to Berlin coincided with the end of an exhibition of letterpress prints produced in collaboration between bespoke glasses manufacturer Ace and Tate and UK based Graphic Designer Anthony Burrill.

The exhibition displayed a series of statement prints which encouraged people to switch-off and 'live in the now', through not only the messages in the prints but the printing technique itself - a slow, and mindful process that reflects a pre-digital, offline state of mind.

This also provided an opportunity to view the work of one of the most influential letterpress artists in the world ahead of the upcoming workshop with Erik Spiekermann's letterpress studio. It was inspirational to see works produced using a traditional method that is also available within the graphic design course at LCA, and in what context works like these might be displayed within from a curatorial perspective.

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 02 - Interview Email Communication 1

To start a conversation with Will I decided to contact him via an email address on his website, as this would be a formal way to start a dialogue and would allow me to write lengthy questions in a consumable format. I began:

Hello!

My name is Erin and I recently saw some of your work featured on It's Nice That and thought I would get in touch! We actually used to go to the same high school (QEHS) except we were a few years apart, but I thought I'd drop you a message and see if I could have a chat with you about your work.

I'm currently a second year Graphic Design student at Leeds College of Art. I really loved your Divided Kingdom project when I first saw it, both because it's visually very striking and also because it deals with a lot of the same themes that I'm starting to explore within my own work. My current work explores the divide between the North and the South in terms of education, funding, access and opportunities within the arts. 

I've actually started a risograph publication called Shy Bairns which aims to provide a platform for Northern artists to showcase work - you can check it out on instagram at @shybairnsgetnowt if you fancy having a little look!

If you'd be up for a chat I'd love to send you a couple of questions about your work and your processes and your experiences being a northerner but getting an education in the south etc. Let me know if you'd be up for this!

All the best,

Erin Blamire

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - Shy Bairns #2 Submissions

Following on from the success of Shy Bairns volume #1, the collective embarked on the creation of a second issue.

The format of this issue would be very similar to the first, as during the course of the first project we had an overwhelming postive response to the platform we had created. We therefore wanted to continue creating the zine to allow more young creatives to submit work and have the opportunity to be featured. Submission for issue #2 were open for four weeks as apposed to the 2 weeks for the first issue. Again, a range of work was submitted from creatives of all ages and across all disciplines. In total we received just over 90 submissions.

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - NEST Issue 10 Distribution

After the official launch event I began the process of distributing the new issue. The majority of the stock was retained for distribution with LCA, in both the Blenheim Walk and Vernon Street building.

I gave 50 extra copies to Colours May Vary, which they were happy to distribute. I also contacted Village Bookshop and they also agreed to distribute 30 copies.

The previous editor of NEST had been in contact with a Berlin-based bookshop called Coffee Table Mags, and I reached out to this existing contact to enquire about further distribution. The founder, Theo Keller, responded with his address and I sent over 10 copies for him to distribute.

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 02 - Interview Brief

Brief

Building on your continued familiarisation with the creative industries and prompted by the need for even more engagement with professional contacts, you are required to seek out an industry practitioner or practice who you will base a report on.

The completed report should utilise your skills as both a creative and a researcher and make use of material drawn from at least one personal interview with an appropriate spokesperson to then culminate in an insightful overview of a contemporary industry figure or organisation. Your interview can be carried out in person or via phone, Skype or email. Supporting sessions will offer guidance regarding the approaching and interviewing of subjects

You should aim to subsequently develop a report that is engaging in terms of both its style and content. The completed report should be submitted as a digital Issuu publication posted to your PPP blog and needs to communicate your interview subject's route into industry and identify where their creative practice is currently situated.

This project provides a crucial opportunity to reach out and make connections with creatives in the professional industry. There were many people that I could have chosen to interview from a range of Graphic Design studios, however I chose to interview an individual who I related to more personally.

Will Knight is a recent Graphic Design graduate from the University of Brighton. We grew up in the same town in the North of England and attended the same high school where we shared a studio. His current work explores similar topics to my own, including themes of the North and society. Myself and Will share many mutual friends and this brief gave me an opportunity to start a discussion and connect a peer and potential collaborator.

Divided Kingdom

Pirouettes

Flags For The Forgotten

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - Footprint Co-Op Talk

Footprint is a Risograph Workers Cooperative based in Leeds. They provide Risograph printing and binding services for small projects, printing posters, zines and books. 

Workers co-ops, such as Footprint, were formed out of the Labour movement and acted as a response to the exploitation of workers in a capitalist system. These co-op's were originally founded around the Rochdale principles. Footprint as a group are passionate about create a fair and equal work environment - all workers are paid the same wage, above the minimum wage, and they do not take on unpaid interns. All money goes into the worker and the running of the business, and any profit made is distributed to charitable causes (Black Lives Matter, Leeds No Borders, trans health) or 

Footprint have a very strong moral code, and do not print any content that the group does not believe in (homophobic or transphobic content, or any political content, stressing the importance of giving back to the local community. They also give a 10% printing discount to other co-ops and grassroots companies.

Co-op's are a particularly strong feature in the North of England and Leeds provides a lot of regular work for the Footprint Co-op through music and art scenes. Footprint states that social media fuels a lot of the exposure that the group receive, helping them to connect with potential collaborators and organise events.

Footprint was a company that I had reached out to in connection with my zine project Shy Bairns and subsequently worked with to print the project. This talk provided me with the opportunity to meet some of the workers at Footprint face to face and discuss Risograph printing. They gave me some recommendations of suppliers for Risograph materials and other co-op's and collectives that I might be able to collaborate with. We also talked in length about the benefits of working in a co-op and the importance of cooperative groups, particularly for students and young professionals.

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 02 - Interview 101

The purpose is to record a beneficial and informative interview:


STEP 1:
Contact your interviewee and give them a reason for your contact and why you chose them in particular.

STEP 2:
Arrange a mutual method of connection: in person, skype, email, telephone, or any other method that is acceptable.

STEP 3:
Make a list of what you want to get out of the interview and don't leave until you have an answer to all of your questions.

STEP 4:
Make sure everything is planned in accordance with deadlines so you have plenty of time to conduct an interview around both yours and your interviewees schedules .




Interview Advice:

Start slow, safe and personal - begin with questions that address the interviewee specifically

Coax, don't hammer - a soft style that coaxes can be revealing, newsworthy and give more useful answers

Make some questions open-ended - allows the interviewee to give more than what you have asked

Ask what you don't know - surprising answers can often be the best answers

Let them wander, but be careful - wandering can lead to a deeper conversation, but be mindful of time

The construction of the interview should be based on what you want to achieve from it.

Don't send advance questions - avoid if possible as the interviewee will only answer what you have asked and responses will be limited

View set questions as a guidelines - be open for the interview to reach unexpected territory

Be prepared - most often an interviewees response to a question will beg for a follow up and many times the follow up question will reveal more than the initial answer, so be prepared to go off script

Listen, really listen - re-approach topics that the interviewee appears passionate about and be careful not to revisit topics that the interviewee does not want to discuss

There are dumb questions - avoid repetition or obvious questions that have been answered before




Types of Questions:


Introducing questions - through these questions you introduce a topic

why did you...
can you tell me about...


Follow up questions - allows you to elaborate on certain points and gain more information

would you be able to clarify...
can we go back and talk more about...


Specifying questions - allows you to clarify facts of uncertain points

what happened when you said that...
what did he/she say next...


Indirect questions - you can ask these to get the interviewees true opinion

and what happened next...


Structuring questions - these move the interviewee on to the next subject



Interpreting questions

did you mean that...
moving on to...




Good leading questions:

Whats the best advice you've ever received?
Who inspires you and why?
What's the hardest lesson you've ever learned?
Describe a defining moment in your life?
What is your biggest accomplishment?
Do you have a personal motto?

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - NEST Issue 10 Launch Night

In preparation for the launch I cleared the exhibition space, hung the exhibition pieces and applied the vinyl was applied to the windows. Using the remained of the budget I had set aside for the launch, I also bought a range of drinks for the event.

The official launch night took place on 7th February. The event itself was hugely successful, with over 80 people attending. All of the tote bags were given away and roughly 120 magazines were distributed to the people attending. A photographer was also hired to photograph the launch, however unfortunately on the day they unable to attend the majority of the event and were only able to take a small selection of photographs on a polaroid camera, which produced a interesting physical documentation of the event. Many of the people attending also took photographs and I was able to share a lot of these on the NEST instagram account.

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - Spotlight Film Presentation

To practice and improve presentation and public speaking skills a brief was set to create a presentation about a film of our choice. The presentation should cover a brief summary of the film and any characters crucial to the plot.

For this presentation I selected Spotlight. The presentation started with a definitive title card of the advertising poster for the film and then each main character was highlighted. As I presented the film's plot I used a selection of screenshots from the film to illustrate points and to visual stimulation during the more lengthy points of information. The presentation ended with a final review of the film.

Feedback for this presentation highlighted multiple key areas of success. Despite having a large number of slides the fast pace of the presentation gave a punchy performance that allowed a lot of information to be presented in a short space of time without overloading the audience or over running. Subtle humour and lighthearted nature also ensured that the presentation wasn't dry or too grim given the content of the film, whilst an excellent use of notes ensured the presentation flowed smoothly without interruptions. It was also noted that the obvious structure - with clear beginning, middle and end slides - ensured an organised presentation that felt confident and professional.

OUGD502 - Studio Brief 01 - NEST Issue 10 Launch Posters

To advertise the launch and exhibition event, I also created a series of promotional posters.

The poster design was a variation on the design of the magazine, created in two parts. The cover image from the new issue was printed in A3 full colour. A tracing paper sheet was then overlaid, featuring the information for the event screenprinted in white ink to simulate the white foil used on the belly band. With the help of L5 Graphic Design student Joe Turner, I printed 20 posters and distributed them around LCA and in the Colours May Vary shop.

Layer 1

Layer 2

Finished poster in-situ