Claire Wood Semester 2 Work by Change your Password

Overview of Semester 2 Type of Brief Previously, I think that I responded better to briefs which had clear guidelines as to what was required. However, now I would argue that I respond equally as well to briefs that are more open. I enjoy the briefs where the demands are clearly outlined and it’s a case of piecing it all together and filling in the gaps. I also enjoy the briefs where you are given a starting point and it is up to you to find the end point and I believe that in both scenarios I am up to the design challenge. For example, when completing the Ride and Glide brief, the client was extremely specific about what he wanted even down to the colour and imagery and it was up to me to bring his ideas to life. At the same time when doing briefs like the Race for Life T-Shirt competition or the items for the Ulverston Walkfest I have thrived on the lack of information provided and have loved putting my own spin and personality into the design process. I always thought that I would respond better to tight briefs perhaps because it was in my comfort zone but the majority of briefs I have done this semester have been open and I have loved every minute. I think the fact that I can work on either type of brief suggests I am able to cope with most challenges thrown my way. Integral Elements An integral part to my work is the range of media. I like working with a variety of materials and I like how they can create different aesthetics. I think that my work has a handmade feel about it. For example, I prefer to produce my own hand rendered typography rather than use digital type and, I work mainly analogue using Photoshop to fine-tune certain aspects. Every project starts with ideas and I enjoy generating as many as I can with sketches, thumbnails and doodles. After this I tend to pick an idea or two and experiment with elements within the image. I have grown very fond of my watercolour set as it allows me to visualize quickly in colour and you can create some great textures. I will work on all the elements of an illustration in analogue and then scan them in to work with on my computer. I need to continue generating a range of ideas and to also trust in my preliminary sketches, as sometimes the best ideas are those that are not overworked. Success I like to think I have a number of strengths as an illustrator. I have an eye for detail and think that the little elements within an illustration are just as important as the big ones. Over the years I have definitely learnt that less is more and sometimes my work can be simplistic or minimalist but this has proved successful. For example both my designs for the Race for Life Competition and the Tigerprint Competition were fairly simple yet both of them had an element of intricacy. I like the fact that I manage to combine both in my work and hope this comes across. My skills in hand drawn typography have definitely progressed and I continue to enjoy generating my own type for projects. I think that I have an eye for shape, pattern and colour and am getting more confident at making choices within a project. I am really proud of the work I have produced this semester and the range of projects I have undertaken. The Military Insignia booklet was a great way to exhibit my quirky detailed illustrations and hand drawn type. I also loved working on the Ulverston Walkfest. It was definitely not a project I would have normally picked but it showed me that I could harness my illustrative skills within a design environment. I have been most successful when I have trusted in my ideas and have had fun. Problems I think one of the problems I have encountered has been not trusting my judgment. A lot of the time I am quick to put my work or abilities down and will underestimate myself. I think I have got better though this semester and my successes in competitions have definitely given me a well-needed boost. I need to be proud of my achievements and learn from my mistakes. Sometimes printing work out can be frustrating when the colours aren’t quite what you wanted. To solve this I have tried to edit some of my work or simply accept that what you see on screen isn’t always going to come out the other end. Another problem I have faced is getting stuck in a rut. If a project isn’t progressing I should take a step back, do something else and come back to it. It has helped at times to work on something else or get inspiration from elsewhere which has then given me the creative fuel to complete a brief. I know that if I get stuck with ideas I should do some more research, stick my head in a book and be inspired by others which always gives me new ideas and avenues to try out. Finally, I think that designing can be problematic if I undertake the same types of project. I have really tried to undertake a range of projects. I know I don’t work well when I stick to my comfort zone so by taking a chance and working on something that I might not think would suit me, for example the Ulverston brief, I am generally pleasantly surprised. I enjoy myself more and discover new ways of working. Personality The main thing is that I love design and I love designing. I like typography, mainly hand drawn and the endless possibilities that this entails. It can really make a piece of illustration successful or more visually stimulating. I’m always going to love pattern and see shapes in everything that I look at. Mixed media is also something that I love and I’m interested in how you can achieve different looks with different materials. I like working with paint, with collage, with textiles. I like drawing with a brush, with a pencil and with a sewing machine. I think that my work has definitely started to develop a style and it has some of my personality. It is quirky, handmade ans sometimes simplistic yet obsessive and detailed at the same time. I really hope that my work is starting to reflect more of me and may it continue and progress. As for which creative direction I want to proceed in, I want to have the opportunity to design for people. To work on lots of different projects. I don’t know where I fit into in the design world, so to speak, but I know there are lots of avenues I could take. After having done my work experience at WEC International it made me realize that as long as I am designing, in however smaller company I will be happy. I would never have thought to have approached a charity or small organization like them until I did. I intend to send my work out to similar organizations. There are always going to be things that need designing for people and rather than thinking of the obvious like editorial illustrations for the Guardian or becoming the next Harriet Russell, I could have my work in a small publication or I could design a logo and branding for a local shop. I’ve got to keep doing what I’m doing, developing my skills and keep my hand in wherever possible.

Semester 2 Projects 1. Ride and Glide

5. Race for Life

8. Yorkshire Sayings

6. WEC International

9. Christmas - Four Dwellings

11. Illustrated Pub Signs

2. Tigerprint Gift Packaging 12. Observational Drawing

3. YCN Awards - M&S Picnic

13. Jubilee Bag Competition 7. Ulverston Walkfest

10. Military Insignia

4. Glimpses of Blighty

14. Postcards

Introduction to the Brief Ride and Glide Paul Tolson is planning on doing a sponsored cycle tour around the world for the charity Handicap International. He required a logo/banner (which he specified the aesthetic of) to appear on a future website, a letterhead and t-shirt design for wearing during his expedition. There wasn’t a specific target audience but the logo had to be appropriate to the theme of cycling and gliders that disperse water balloons. Tigerprint Gift Packaging Competition With social media it has never been easier to say hello so, the act of sending or receiving a physical gift has become ever more special. This was a competition brief to design a gift box or envelope that would enhance a special occasion. You had to consider the substrates and manufacturing of your packaging as well as carefully considering which special occasion you were designing for and its intended audience. YCN Awards - M&S Picnic This was a competition brief to design the ultimate picnic pack. You had to design everything that was essential for a perfect picnic, food (sweet and savory), drink, napkins, cutlery etc. The customer has to feel like this was a fantastic treat. You had to consider the carrier and the packaging for all of the components that made up the picnic. It was also important to consider the substrates as Marks and Spencer has a strong eco policy. The target audience of my picnic pack was aimed at the younger customer (20-30). Glimpses of Blighty - Madeira Threads Competition The world’s eyes are focused on Great Britain with the Royal Wedding last April and the Diamond Jubilee and Olympics this summer. This competition brief was to embroider ‘Best of Britain’ past and present. There wasn’t a specific target audience but you had to consider what the term ‘Blighty’ would mean to an individual. Race for Life T-Shirt Competition The Race for Life competition was to simply design a t-shirt for competitors of this annual fundraising event. The target audience was for women of all ages. WEC International The brief was to produce 3 illustrations for Worldwide Magazine and a book cover for WEC Publications. The 3 illustrations consisted of a front cover for the magazine, an illustrated double-paged spread entitled, ‘How to make a missions notice board,’ and an illustration and box-out to accompany an article entitled, ‘Networking for Christ in Turkey.’ The target audience was the readers of the quarterly magazine and people interested in the history of the charity. Ulverston Walkfest The organizers of the Ulverston Walkfest are soon to retire, handing over the running of the walking festival to a new team of organizers. With this in mind, they wanted to re-design the identity of the Ulverston Walkfest to attract more visitors and give it a new lease of life. They required a poster, logo, car sticker and the beginnings of a leaflet, which was to be developed as they finalized the content. The leaflet also required a key of symbols for information to do with the walks and a key for the walking grades. The target audience was keen walkers from beginners and families right through to advanced hikers. Yorkshire Sayings This was a short day brief to explore hand drawn typography. Using well-known Yorkshire sayings, I produced two illustrated typographic responses. Four Dwellings Christmas Concert Four Dwellings High School needed a selection of publicity for their annual school concert. In previous years the design consisted of selected images from clipart and so they wanted something more enticing. The brief was to design a poster, programme front and 3 types of ticket with a Christmas theme and in black and white. The target audience was young people and their spectating families. Military Insignia Facts and information are often displayed in a very regimented and banal format. Using the “Zebra Book of Facts for Boys,” the brief was to illustrate a selection of information in a visually stimulating way. The target audience was people who were interested in the weird and wonderful trivia that books like this provide. Illustrated Pub Signs Pub signs are commonly banal, traditional paintings but what if they were to be illustrated. This brief was to find the names of four pubs and to produce four illustrated responses to the titles. The signs were meant to be alternative interpretations rather than your stereotypical generic masculine versions. Observational Drawing This brief was to simply carry out some observational drawing over a few days and then to use a selection of my research and to display it in an interesting format. Jubilee Bag Competition The year 2012 is a special year as the nation celebrates 60 years reign by the Queen. The Jubilee is a historical event and allows people in the United Kingdom to show their pride and affection through a series of events. The brief was to design a carrier bag themed around this years’ Diamond Jubilee. Postcards This brief was a short day brief providing an opportunity to experiment with hand drawn type, pattern and colour by producing a selection of cards.

Ride and Glide

Tigerprint

YCN Awards - M&S Picnic

Glimpses of Blight - Maderia Threads Competition

Race for Life T-Shirt Competition

WEC International

Ulverston Walkfest

Yorkshire Sayings

Four Dwellings

Military Insignia

Illustrated Pub Signs

Observational Drawing

Jubilee Bag Competition

Postcards

Work Experience

Competitions

I did some work experience at the organisation WEC International last summer for 2 months. Chris Lawrence their in house graphic designer gave me four briefs to work on independently. I produced 3 illustrations for their quarterly publication “Worldwide Magazine” and a book cover for WEC Publications entitled, “Whatever happened to C.T. Studd’s? Lessons from the history of WEC International.

Tigerprint Gift Packaging I submitted two designs to the Tigerprint gift packaging competition. My Lantern Gift Boxes won the runner up prize and my English Cottage was featured in the top ten. Tigerprint Webpage Link

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Front cover of Autumn/Winter issue of Worldwide Magazine.

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“How to...make a missions notice board” illustrated spread.

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Illustration for Networking for Christ in Turkey article.

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Book Cover.

Race for Life T-Shirt Competition I won this years Race for Life competition to design a T-Shirt which will be worn by thousands of competitors this summer.

Blog Appearances My illustration for an article about the Occult Related Crimes Unit was featured on the Creative Review feed.

I was recently featured on Plog Magazine’s blog. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE POST.

Madeira Threads ‘Glimpses of Blighty’ Competition Although I didn’t win this competition, my piece was exhibited at the NEC in Birmingham and is on tour until March 2013.

Just Us Collective recently featured some of my textile work CLICK HERE TO SEE THE POST.