DARREN BURCHETT GRAPHIC DESIGNER VECTOR EDITORIAL BRANDING MOTION
DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO
I
am an easy going, optimistic chap from the south east of England whose always carried a passion for graphic design. I spent the younger years of my life designing for fun with the idea that this is something I wanted to do professionally. But it wasn’t until 2011 that I grew tired of working jobs that’d take me nowhere. So, I took myself off to university. This would be the place to give me direction, refine my skills, and teach me the fundamentals. The next three years were very eye opening, and I was very lucky to have wise tutors with decades of industry experience behind them. I was introduced to the likes of Illustrator and InDesign, and you could imagine my embarrassment when I’d admitted to designing exclusively in Photoshop for years. I absorbed everything there was to learn about these programs, and I was determined to turn theory into a second language. I was buzzing with excitement and I’d finally seen what it was all about. It was time to make up for the years of direction-less hobby making. Come the last half of the final year, and my mind was filled with both worries and enthusiasm. The chapter was coming to a close and
I had no idea where I’d go from here. Graphic design jobs are far and few between in Kent, and with a class of budding designers about to hit the streets it was about to get even more competitive. But then one day I got an email. It was from the Graphic Editor of The Times and he was seeking A junior designer for his team. Without a second thought, I sent off some examples of my work and within a week I landed the job. I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t even done with university and I’d already got myself a job at a national newspaper! It’s safe to say that the next few months were challenging. Despite already finding work, I was determined to finish university on a high note. I’d be lying if my brain wasn’t like scrambled eggs as I crawled out the other end, but it was worth it, and I was proud of what I’d done. I’ve been at The Times for three years now and it has flown by. I’m still learning something new every day and it’s because of this job that I found another passion - motion graphics. I fell into it by complete chance and am now the only in-house motion designer for the company. I’ve still got a lot to learn and I’m more than happy to make that happen.
WHO IS DARREN BURCHETT?
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BRASS TACKS EXPERIENCE
TECHNICAL ABILITY
VECTOR ILLUSTRATION
ILLUSTRATOR
INDESIGN
INFOGRAPHICS
MOTION GRAPHICS
PHOTOSHOP
PHOTO EDITING
VIDEO EDITING AFTER EFFECTS
AUDITION EDITORIAL
BRANDING
PREMIERE PRO
EMPLOYMENT
TIMELINE EDUCATION
EMPLOYMENT
ASTOR COLLEGE FOR THE ARTS SIXTH FORM
2014 - NOW THE TIMES LONDON INFOGRAPHIC/MOTION DESIGN A renowned, national newspaper is the definition of a high-pressure environment. Most work goes from brief to completion in a single day, must be pin-point accurate and finished to a high standard. Graphics will range from tiny charts to full blown spreads and all offer unique challenges.
GRADUATION CANTERBURY COLLEGE HE & BA MEGGER
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FOLKESTONE FIXINGS
OUTPOST EDITOR & DESIGN
2016 - NOW
As the owner of Outpost, I've taken on the role as editor and oversee all content published on both site and magazine. I also write articles and carry out all design work such as branding, editorial and photo editing. It's a very challenging role, especially as I do all of this in my spare time, but it's incredibly fun and rewarding. The sleepless nights are totally worth it.
BLACKS OUTDOORS SUPERVISOR
ASTOR COLLEGE FOR THE ARTS SECONDARY
WOOLWORTHS
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THE TIMES LONDON BLACKS OUTDOORS
INTERESTS VIDEO GAMES
TV SHOWS/MOVIES
WRITING
PODCASTS
ZOMBIES
2012 - 2014
MEGGER INSTRUMENTS 2009 - 2011 MANUFACTORING ASSISTANT FOLKESTONE FIXINGS WAREHOUSE OPERATIVE
2008 - 2009
WOOLWORTHS SALES ASSISTANT
2007 - 2008
NOW PLAYING SIREN GRAVEYARD KLINE SPEELBURG LYDIA HIGHLY SUSPECT COME DOWN ANDERSON .PAAK DOWN THE BURING ROPES JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW 3
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ THETIMES
THE TIMES INFOGRAPHICS AND MOTION DESIGN A renowned, national newspaper is the definition of a high-pressure environment. Most work goes from brief to completion in a single day and must be pin-point accurate and finished to a high standard. Graphics will range from tiny charts to full blown spreads and all offer unique challenges. I have also adopted the role as the only in-house motion designer for the company. I handle a variety of projects for sport analysis, Facebook, General Election, as well as a variety of lower thirds and titles. Working in this kind of environment means that I’ve learnt to design at high speeds while coping with high levels of stress. There’s little time for breaking down and hiding under my desk, so I’ve learnt to stay focused and manage my time effectively. This experience has been invaluable.
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ THETIMES
F1 2017 CAR CHANGES GUIDE This video details the sweeping changes of F1 regulation car design. Taking inspiration from Tron and old computer wire frame graphics, the cars would morph from one design to the other, going from blue to orange. It was a lengthy process as there were many layers and moving parts. But, it was essential in making the cars morph in a believable way.
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PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYER ANALYSIS Our Player Analysis series spanned across two seasons of the Premier League. Each video focused on either a single player or team, and offered insight/criticism on their performance. Each week, we’d feature a different sports writer and it was my job to create all effects and graphics, much like Match of the Day. On-pitch effects were created using 3D Camera Tracking and keying/ rotoscoping. The intro was made much in the same way as my Wizard Mode intro, as it was an effective way to create a montage with a lot of movement. This would become the ongoing style for all other sport analysis videos.
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ THETIMES
TOM DALEY’S FIREWORK DIVE The aim of this video was to provide a breakdown of Tom Daley’s “Firework” that was performed at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In its entirety, the dive is completed in under two seconds, so a series of annotated freeze-frames were essential in describing the key moments. For perspective, an illustrated side profile was added to follow the main animation. This would help highlight Daley’s form and timing for each step. Various sound effects, like the heartbeat, were used to add a personal touch and provide a throughline for the opening quotes to the dive itself.
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HOW TO BEAT SARACENS This is another series of sport analysis videos, and made use of the tunnel intro and on-pitch effects. Each video presented unique challenges as each clip had to be created in slightly different ways.
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ FF
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ FF
FIFTY FATHOMS CLOTHING BRAND PROJECT Fifty Fathoms was a multistaged project from my final year at university. The goal was to create a brand that encouraged exploration, community and creativity. The company would function as a platform for artists to create, while allowing customers to support them and a charity of their choice. For the project, I focused on a nauticle theme and created the logo, a range of tees, packaging, and a website mock up.
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ FF
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PACKAGING DESIGN The design of the packaging is screenprinted on both sides, and aims to further encourage the brand’s themes. The outside of the box is made to look like a treasure chest, while the inside is an ocean scene. The tissue paper acts as the ocean while the product itself is the treasure.
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO
FREELA PERSONA
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ANCE & AL WORK
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ LOGOS
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ OUTPOST
OUTPOST VIDEO GAME BLOG AND MAGAZINE Outpost (formerly ‘Beastby’) started as a personal blog to supplement my Youtube channel. Within a few months my humble website has turned into a five-man team and continues to grow. We aim to put a slightly different spin on video game coverage and offer something on a more personal level. We’re interested in what it means to be a gamer and the moments that solidify that choice. We are “your video game checkpoint.” A home away from home. Somewhere to celebrate video games.
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ OUTPOST
OUR FREE DIGITAL MAGAZINE While still under the ‘Beastby’ name, we launched our free digital magazine. It’s a passion project within a passion project, and gives our audience an alternative way to read our content. I designed and curated each issue myself, top to bottom. It was a massive undertaking but also incredibly rewarding.
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ OUTPOST
MAGAZINE REDESIGN MOCKUPS As our content strategy changed it’s only natural that the magazine should too. Here is the work in progress so far. Essentially, our content is simplifying and I wanted the magazine to reflect that. Everything has more breathing room and is much cleaner overall. What we have is something that is potentially focused towards a more mature audience.
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ BEASTBY
BEASTBY YOUTUBE CHANNEL YEAR ONE After university I wanted a hobby that would blend my interests, allow me to be creative, and develop my design & editing skills. So, I started a Youtube channel under the name ‘Beastby.’ I wanted a name that was fun, memorable and passionate. I’ve also been an avid gamer all my life so there wasn’t even a second thought about the subject matter. I focused on creating highly edited videos with clean graphics and effects. And, with a new-found interest in motion graphics, I had created a range of animated intros and end slates too.
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ BEASTBY
BEASTBY YOUTUBE CHANNEL YEAR TWO After a year, I decided to completely re-brand the channel and focus on more cinematic and topical videos. My thumbnails and artwork has always been inspired by classic movie posters, but wanted to lean in on it. I also felt that the channel needed a personal touch, so I created a range of portraits to use on banners, profile pictures and end slates.
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ HAROLD
HAROLD CHARACTER DESIGN
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GENERAL SAM YOUTUBE CONTENT CREATOR General Sam is a Youtuber with about 400,000 subscribers and counting. At the start of 2017 he was able to turn Youtube into a full time job and wanted to start live streaming on the side. For this he needed a full graphics package. He’s a huge fan of 1950’s retro futurism and wanted a stream UI to reflect that. I aimed to keep everything bold and clean, while using chromatic aberration to add some subtle distortion.
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PORTFOLIO/ DARREN BURCHETT
VID
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DEO
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ VIDEO
VIDEO BATTLEFIELD STORIES: GHOSTS At the time of making this video, I was listening to an audiobook called “Forgotten Voices of the Great War.” There was particular interview that stuck with me, and I knew I had to share it. Using Battlefield 1’s cinematic camera tools, I captured tons of footage on one of the game’s maps. It was my intent to complement the war story while also showing off the games’ beautiful visuals.
COLOUR GRADING COMPARISON
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GTA V: A THRUST FOR GLORY This is a video I had a lot of fun with. I wanted to riff off of 80’s montage but add a twist and a touch of weird. It was certainly a lengthy process as there were many stages of production involved. I can’t begin to count the hours spent on this. It was all worth it in the end as Rockstar, the game’s developer, loved it so much they featured it on their website.
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ VIDEO
ABZU MUSIC VIDEO I made this video using raw, unaltered footage from gameplay and a song from the soundtrack. ABZU is so beautifully made I thought I’d let it speak for itself. My goal here was to convey mystery while showing off some breathtaking moments.
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THE ADVENTURES OF BEASTVIK INTRO As I my interest in cinematography grew, I decided to find ways to use it in all kinds of videos. In this case, I created a title sequence and multiple cut scenes for a regular let’s play.
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ VIDEO
Doom (2016) REVIEW I loved this game so much that I thought this a perfect opportunity to try my hand at video reviews. This required me to write and record an entire script, capture hours of footage and animate a few gags with After Effects. Arguably, the video is four minutes too long, but I had a lot to say!
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THE SPOTLIGHT I found myself watching a lot of topical content over the months leading up to this video. I aimed to create a tightly edited video with high production motion graphics in this pilot for a potential series. The premise is simple and encourages conversation. I propose a question, give my take on it, and then pass it to the audience. Surprisingly, this video was well received among my subscribers, and many felt compelled to chime in.
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DARREN BURCHETT/ PORTFOLIO/ VIDEO
RETRO ARCADE INTRO This is a short, catchy intro created for general gaming videos. I created the retro arcade effect by rendering everything at high speed on a low frame rate. Then, I’d slow the clips down to create a framey animation that mimics a lot of early 16-bit games.
HORROR GAMEPLAY INTRO I wanted to design an intro that would set the mood for the rest of the video. I created a blend of paranormal and cat-and-mouse thriller so that it was versatile across different videos.
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CASUAL FRIDAY INTRO Casual Friday was an ongoing series that was a stripped down version of my usual content. I wanted to create a classic TV theme that was fun and played on the excitement of the impending weekend.
WIZARD MODE PODCAST INTRO This is a high intensity intro for a podcast/gaming talk show that myself and a few friends use to run. The idea was that a user would click the OK prompt, and get transported into another world. Much like the Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole sequence, the user would get sucked through a vortex.
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THANKS FOR CHECKING OUT MY PORTFOLIO. To get in touch please email
dburchett88@gmail.com and I’ll get back to you ASAP.