Iain Budgen External Postioning EGRD 3013
The future... 1.
Studio Job
Freelance
Independent
I believe that in order to develop and improve my current practice I need to work within a studio system to discover more about what my work represents. After much consideration about my future, I have reviewed much of my work and come to the concluson that typography has become a large part of it. My focus had previously been manipulating text and transforming text from recognition but with my active research, I have now become experimenting and creating my own. I would certainly consider a career in typography, creating font and styles for clients. Companies like DaltonMaag create really clean and functional fonts catered to invididual clients, taking into account their specific needs and functions. This is something I could really see myself a part of, although failing that I could see myself in general working on projects that are largely text based. The above charts would track where I would see my career both long and short term. This is of course subject to change, and I feel that if I had a job within a studio I was genuinely excited about I would be more committed to a long term future.
Another area I would like to explore would be advertising. Given that I have an interest in structure and form I think I could offer something in a professional environment. I like companies like ThinkingJuice, that work on both digital and traditional campagins. They seem well thought out too with their 10-point plan really helping to break potential relationships with clients.
Studio Job
Freelance
2.
Independent
When looking towards the future, to be in a position like Kate Moross (Below) would be good. In control of your work, getting comissioned on the basis of your independent practice and running your own business. The chance to explore different medias is also something that appeals to me. I want that ressaurance of being commissioned because the company in question likes what you have done previously, as opposed to having to tailor your style to each client. It is an ambition of mine to be recognised off the back of your own work rather than the company you work for. For that reason it might be better to intially start work at a company that allows you to take credit for the work you produced, such as Intro.
Studio Job
Freelance
3.
Independent
DaltonMaag One company I particuarly admire is DaltonMaag. Firstly I like that most of their fonts are clean and functional, even when labelled as display fonts. I can imagine using and applying them in my own work. It is something that I would aspire to achieve in my own font creation. I find their mission statement refreshing also. Their approach towards clients seems attentive and caring, and the care taken into the fonts seems to extend beyond the brief. They seem to want to provide their clients with fonts that last for decades and remain versatile and recognisable. I think it is important for designers to strive to create a legacy with their work and this is something that I feel they did with their BT Sans font. It is something that almost everyone in the UK has seen in their time, and has impact all our lives in some way - whether we lead through the phone book daily, or it sits under our telephone. It is all very inspirational to me. The Vodafone font is another piece of work that I like. I like how clean and functional the font is, it is clear that they are trying to address the needs of the client. Another fascinating side to their work is the newsletter that they release every few months. Not only does it detail internal things within the company, it also looks at projects they have been working on, helping showcase and advertise their work. In all it has really opened my eyes to the idea of a font being just a method of communication, that the style and use reflects the user or company involved. I would like to think that this newfound interest in type is reflected in my approach for this portfolio. I chose Arial over say, Georgia because if felt a San Serif was more mordern and looked better alongside my work. In addition, many pages feature 16 point leading to help with legability. Whilst I am aware a lot of the typography/ layout is not going to be perfect, I am working hard on that side of my presentation.
Charity Poster I was asked by my employers to create a poster for a charity raffle. I was essentially given a free reign to do what I wanted with it. With no restrictions, I was free to show my skills to the best of my ability. With this poster I kind of went head first into the project without a second thought. Literally started working on illustrator. The original concept was to make it eye catching and simply informative, hence the bold orange and block text. The first thing that came to mind was western style wanted posters, hence the font choice. The layout was simple, using a basic grid structure but it does not look professionally made, and it was only when taking a step back and evaluating the design did I realise how basic it looked. The final version was just an attempt really at trying to make it look my sophisticated and give it all a bit more character. The Sainsbury’s logo featured in these versions of the poster was an attempt to show a corporate identity and brand association. The change from raffle to prize draw is as a result of looking into the licensing of raffles and lotteries and learning that there is certain guidelines you have to follow legally. It turns out it is more difficult to run a raffle or tombola than originally thought. I understand that as an advertising agency that kind of logistics and legal stuff would be taken care of prior to the brief being handed down, but it has been an important learning curve that wording can have legal ramifications.
Charity Poster
After re-evaluating the poster design I decided that it look too ametuerish. The thing that always irritates me about local charity promotion is that it always looks like it has been made on Publisher, and as a graphic designer, I should strive for more. I began researching old boxing posters and the general imagery. In particular it was the rigid geometic layout that interested me, taking into account the general style, paying close attention to the font. This is the first time to be honest that I have taken so much time in researching and indentiftying a font for the right look and feel of my work. In this instance I settled for News gothic bold, used in various boxing posters and logos, including the ABBA logo. I also focused on the letter and word spacing, paying close attention to make it all consistant, legible and visually stimulating. The removal of the Sainsbury’s
logo was because the poster would only be on show instore, so people entering the draw would already be aware of who was running the draw. I suppose what this all shows is I can adapt my style of work and make it functional and work in a commercial environment. It also shows that I know how to structure a poster and can show information informitively.
Intial redevelpment took a bit more of a pictogram approach. I still had the aim of making the image as simple as poosible. As a bit of a minimalist my aim is to normally cut down on the amount of information given, but with set requirements it is not the case, and it is about manipulating the space to achieve what you want. Personally I did not think that all the information would be clear to the audience, and that was the reason for the development. The grid structure was something that was a focus from the beginning but the study of boxing posters showed me how to break up information a but more. I later toyed with the idea of a tabloid style poster but the idea did not stick because I felt it would be too cheesy. The image bottom left was me toying with the idea of use of negative colour in my work. This later became the part of the work once I started making the work on illustrator. I like having a core idea down on paper but it very rarely stays the same once made. In honesty, I am much more a doer than a thinker. I feel it is much more proactive. For that reason I am probably best suited to a company with a quick turnaround. The two images to the left are further development. The addition of stars in the image bottom left was an attempt to a bit more glamour to the proceedings. I think it work it helps fill the empty space a little and keep it visually interesting. There is a general association with stars and success and victory, so I thought it would be appropriate. The date was made using a font called Artistamp. It was chosen because I wanted an uneven font that was still relatively serious. It looks as though someone has crudely stamped the date and suits the imagery of the rest of the poster. The layout for the gift voucher and prizes changes throughout, just to try and get a a feel for what looks right.
Charity Poster
Deciding it was not quite finished, I delved further into the imagery of boxing posters, mimicing the colours very closely. The result is something I feel stands out more than the average charity poster and something which could lure people in. The reinclusion of the Sainsbury’s logo was to make sure customers were aware that it was a Sainsbury’s prize draw amd not someone unassociated with them. What this whole process shows to potential employers is that I can constantly review my work and strive for the finished product. It also gives me an impression on commissioned work. And although every commission won’t be the same, I have learnt about being considerate and intelligent with the information given.
Externalisation
To get some critique on my work about ten months ago I uploaded my work onto kanyetothe.com. Whilst not a traditonal art or graphics forum I admired the work of others there and thought it was a great opportunity to have my work viewed from an external perspective. It has helped steer the course of my projects with the comments given. Whilst I realise that most of the feedback is not very constructive, the fact that people acknowledged and liked my work was a major confidence boost. If anything it encouraged me to continue with the abstract style that is prominent in my work as honestly, I often feel insecure about the quality of my work as I do not know where it will fit with the graphics community. Lack of direction I feel has got me into this point. I came from a more illustrative background than the work I do now, and I feel it is only now am I beginning to fit my work within graphics context. As shown in these images, the forum has helped steer the course of my active research. I have also recieved several offers of promotion or work as a result of this thread including the one to the right. This was posted as a general thread but I thought as he was looking for something pattern focused it would play to my strengths.
After collecting a little more information on the project (below), the work to the left was my first stab at it. It was more a release from my independent practice but afterwards he said he wanted something a little more like the B&W stuff I had just produced for my active research. In honesty I did not really put my heart into this, people often ask for work on the internet without it ever coming to anything. I saw this more as an extention of my active research and a chance to have a creative break from what I was doing. Typically my work has a loose grid structure and the fonts have a spacing crontrolled by the grid. It could be argued that this is restrictive and unflexable but I would like to think that these skills and concepts can be applied to different projects, like the charity posters shown previously. This was me really discovering when a client sets an open brief that is not always the case. Fortunately it was not too much effort to match what was wanted but the lack of communication means the project is left in limbo. As previously stated an internet forum is not really a place to scout for work, I thought that with university being a close networked group, the chance for people to see my work outside of that context was too good to miss.
Penguin Cover
I found this book cover a particular challenge because whilst I was aware of the story, I had never read the book. Because of this I largely went ahead and tried to stamp my style on it. I don’t think this project ever took off because of this. The first attempts (Top row) where intially an attempt to crudely capture a feeling of being caged in without much thought being put into it. The bottom row is further development of that, with the light grey streaks trying to reflect light pouring through cell bars. In hindsight, it come across as a bit of mess, when I look at it my eyes get lost in the pockets of darkness between the words. The font was created around a simple grid structure using the grid to determine line position. Looking back whilst the ‘K’ fits in
and looks alright, the ‘V’ and the ‘W’ look strange considering they should have the same form. More care and development should have taken place. The addition of colour was a suggestion but a forum member where I display my work. I realise that there was no context and thought behind the suggestion, it was entirely from an asthetic perspective. In hindsight I should have been more active in my reaserch before attempting this. Having a better understanding would have aided and probably inspired me. A valuable lesson learned.
Above - tried to make it slightly more noirish by blurring it all a bit. I wanted to capture the imagery of film noir in this cover. I was thinking specifically about the soft lighting used to light femme fatales during the golden age of cinema. I think it also helps with the reading of the text, it is marginally darker at the top of the image, and your eye is drawn downwards as you read. Left was some sketches thinking about taking the cover of the book back to the rhyme. Thinking specifically about the lines ‘One flew east, one flew west and one flew over the cuckoo’s nest.’ I did not develop it any further because of my dwindling interest in the project although potentially it could have been one of the better ideas.
SEGA
Development for the SEGA campaign, The ideas were largely disregarded because I did not feel that the crown was fitting. I did not think it would communicate the message of a 20th anniversary very well. I did some research into commemorative t-shirts and stuff sold on football club websites celebrating success. I love the passion fans have for thier club and I thought about applying this to the love people have for Sports Interactive and their games. This was the basis of my work, transfering that passion into the world of video games. Left is some more sketches to get a feel for the project. Some of these things were intergrated into the project, but seperately they did not work. The one idea that I liked was the idea of a the logo being stitched on a football shirt, but I still do not think it would convey the right message.
20 YEARS YEARS STILL TOP STILL TOP OF THE OF THE LEAGUE
LEAGUE
The basis for taking the project on was my love of the games Sports Interactive have created down the years. It is something I wanted to do justice. My first thought was that fans of the game will be aware of the company so referencing the game is not nessarily important. The caption ‘Still top of the league,’ was the first thing that came to my head upon reading the brief and I could never top it. It struck a cord because of all the competition that they have had down the years, they remain the most popular. I like arrogant statements like that, it comes across as commanding, powerful and most of all, simple. That functional message fits the ethos laid out by Thinkingjuice. A lot of research was spent
looking into the font used on the back of Premier League shirts, discovering that many of the clubs use the Optima typeface and for a time, was used universally in the league. So for this reason the font was chosen, so that people could make that association subliminally. I think it is quite important for people to make that connection without having to mention football or the ‘Football Manager’ brand.
SEGA This is a recreation of Manchester United flag. As just a quick mock up to see what it looks like. I would see this as a billboard poster, As opposed to going with the traditional league structure (Eg. 19921993), I decided to go with just the year of the games release. It makes things a little clearer to a viewer who knows little about football league structure. The colour sheme was directly inspired by the Sports Interactive logo.
Est. 1992 Extending the advertising campaign, I thought about the advertising hoardings at football stadiums. They have the power to communicate with millions of people every weekend. A hoarding with the Sports Interactive logo would resonate with fans of the game and intrigue those who are not. The hoarding again uses Optima, to keep peoples association with football, but also because it is quite a serious font. It has a whiff of seniority about it.
Thinking about branching out with communtication, I thought about just a simple promotional piece with just a 20 on the back of a football shirt and the related logos of SEGA and SI. The fonts chosen reflect football culture, Optima as a traditional football shirt font, and a more modern font based around the font seen on the back of Adidas football shirts. I would hope it would make an impact with football fans with the font alone. The colours chosen are to reflect popular international teams of the moment, white and gold of Real Madrid, the red and blue of Spain and the blue of Italy. The colours are of course relatable to English clubs, but I thought maybe it would be sensible to avoid accusations of favouritism. Visually it is effective and striking and most fans of football will recognise and associate the brand. It could be featured with a QR code that when scanned took the viewer to more information about Football Manager. Ideally I would see this as a billboard advertisement. I think it would get the most exposure that way and attract the interest of fans and non-fans alike.
Est. 1992
20 YEARS STILL TOP OF THE LEAGUE
20 YEARS STILL TOP OF THE LEAGUE
There could also be a website advertisment that takes over the boarders of gaming and sporting websites. I think it is an important aspect of raising brand awareness in and outside the community. As with many website advertisments, clicking on the boarders would send you to the Sports Interactive website.with more information on the twenty years of Sports Interactive.
SEGA
1.
2.
3.
20 YEARS STILL TOP OF THE LEAGUE
To conclude the work that I have done on this, Image 1 would be a promotional poster given out in a magazine like Gamesmaster. They have a circulation of around 30,000 and often focus on sports games. Although they have a younger readership than more sophisticated magazines such as EDGE it would be a good way to expand the brand and knowledge of SI and SEGA. It would make them aware of the brand when they come of age. It could also be used as a bridge to the main SI website, with a similar level of awareness on the main page. Image 2 could be a poster or billboard advertisment as could image 3. These would encorportate a QR code to send the viewer to the SI website. It would be a simple way to use 21st century technology to give access to a wide range of information. Finally the image (bottom) would be a football hoarding at stadiums around the country, hoping to resonate with the football going public. I would like to think that this is a consistant project, that there has been a theme that has been done with conviction and care. Maybe I could have used more imagery from the football world as opposed to blocks of flat colour, but I really wanted to keep the message simple and clean.
Est. 1992
Jobs & Skill gaps Whilst doing this work I came across this advert for a job, working for the Ice bar in London. It would be an awesome opportunity but it showed a clear gap in my technical skills. I have little to no knowledge for HTML and dreamweaver. so would not be suitable. It is certainly something that in the next six months I can do my best to address to make myself more employable. This has however opened my eyes to the prospect of working directly for a company rather than working for a studio. It would be a good way to help shape a brand and I think could be more rewarding than moving from project to project as I could help sculpt a brand for a long period of time. Two companies that have a good approach to digital media is ConnorGoddard and FITCH. They are both international companies with studios throughtout the world. This also means they are large studios and whilst I like the approach to the work, I would prefer to work with a smaller company. Working for a large firm though would offer a greater chance of internal promotion something that I may covert if I enjoy my place of work. It again highlights that in order to get work in the advertising world I would need to gain and a good knowledge of HTML and all round digital skills. One last company I found was RBP International who do a lot of work for respected clients around the world. Their focus on PR and advertising and although maybe there work is a little too digital for my taste, I really like the casual work environment that they try to create. I like how the staff memebers have little blogs that they can upload things that are important to them. It is a nice touch.
Evauluation
This external positioning has been kind of illuminating, highlighting clear skill gaps but also the wider world of work, potential jobs and career paths. Firstly, it never occured to me just how much of my work is viewed externally. Literally anything put out into the public domain is viewed and critqued by the audience so I should only be looking to put out work that I am truely proud of. It amazed me as well just how much work is actually put out into the public domain. I really did not realise how me posting work onto a forum could be raising awareness of my practice and the effect it could have. I have also realised how knowledge of the source material can bring together a good project. With the Penguin book cover I had no knowledge of the source material and admittedly I struggled, whilst with the SEGA brief I feel I flourished. Because I was passionate about the source material, the outcome benefitted. Obviously in the real world you would not always choose what briefs you get, so I think in future it would be worth investing time into the source material to get the most out of briefs. The briefs that I had been asked to do were an interesting insight into the world of freelance. The project from my employers was easy enough, but the challenge was that there was never an end point. That was down to me and I found it difficult to find a cut off point. As for the one from the internet forum that was just a chance to get my name out in the public domain. It irritates me that the whole project seems to have stalled, but I can see that it is the nature of the beast. It does not always go the way you planned. Whether all of this has got me ready for the world of work remains to be seen. I know roughly what I would want to do with my career but it is all about getting a break into the industry. I am aware that to do what I want I need to continue to improve my technical ability and style. An immediate area to improve is in HTML, so that when another good opportunity comes along I am poised to take advantage. To summarise, I believe I am headed in the right direction. One last big piece of personal development for myself is that I am going to have to compromise some of my minimalist attitudes in order to further my career. Too many times I believe I have become restricted as a result of my creative attitudes and I need to overcome that in order to become a more effective designer.
References
ConnorGoddard, 2011, ConnorGoddard [online] Available at: www.connorgoddard.com/ [Accessed 25th November] Liverpool FC, 2011, Liverpool FC [online] Available at: www.store.liverpoolfc.tv/products/mens/menstshirts/fab-five-tee/pid-35741 [Accessed 20th November] MUFC Shop, 2011, MUFC [online] Available at: http://store.manutd.com/stores/manutd/products/product_details. aspx?pid=93832&cid=24609 [Accessed 20th November] Kate Moross, 2011, Kate Moross [online] Available at: www.katemoross.com [Accessed 30th October] Thinkingjuice, 2011, Thinkingjuice [online] Available at: www.thinkingjuice.co.uk [Accessed 30th November] Gamesmaster Circulation, 2011, Magazinesabout [online] Available at: www.magazinesabout.co.uk/magazines/view/Gamesmaster [Accessed 1st December] Poster design, 2011, Poster Design tips [online] Available at: www.poster-designers.com/tips-for-poster-design.html [Accessed 5th November] FITCH, 2011, FITCH [online] Available at: www.fitch.com [Accessed 25th November] RBP, 2011, RBP international [online] Available at: www.rbpinternational.com {Accessed 15th December] One that flew over the cuckoo’s nest, 2011, One that flew over the cuckoo’s nest wiki [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/One_Flew_Over_the_Cuckoo%27s_Nest_(novel) {Accessed 30th October] Targetjobs advertising, 2011, Target Jobs [online] Available at: http://targetjobs.co.uk/career-sectors/advertising-and-pr/specialfeatures/advertising-probably-the-best-graduate-career-in- {Accessed 20th October] Font problem, 2011, Pitch invasion [online] Available at: http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2012/01/04/fixing-major-league-soccers-fontproblem/ {accessed 15th December} DaltonMaag, 2012, DaltonMaag [online] Available at: Daltonmaag.com {Accessed 15th Feb} Carsten Nicoli, The Grid Index, (Die Gestalten Verlag) Victoria Squire, Getting It Right With Type (Laurence King) , p91-107
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