Ampersand Magazine - Issue 2

AN ECLECTIC CREATIVE SHOWCASE

THIS ISSUE:

A PIRATE’S LIFE FOR ME!

02

WELCOME

WELCOME TO THE SECOND ISSUE OF AMPERSAND MAGAZINE, A SHOWCASE OF SOME OF THE FRESHEST CREATIVE TALENT FROM AROUND THE WORLD....

Wow. That is the best how we can describe the reaction we have experienced from the first issue of Ampersand after it was released online. It has been fantastic to see so much support for what would seem such a simple idea, giving fresh creative talent a worldwide platform to promote their work and talent.

Over the last month we have seen hundreds of followers join us on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr, helping us achieve a massive audience with the magazine. We have been inundated with submissions to the magazine and creative talent getting in touch to ask how they can get involved.

It is wonderful to see that there are people who are as passionate about design as we are here at Ampersand.

One question we have been asked a fair bit since the release of our first issue online, is that will the magazine be made available in print? Currently we only plan to release the magazine issue by issue online, why you may say? Well, by keeping the magazine online and digital based, we can keep the magazine accessable to all, and reach the widest audience possible for the creative talent you will find in the magazine. Although we do hear you, and we all love print here, so if there is enough interest we may make a special limited run compiling a collection of issues in a sort of compendium available to purchase .

Well, onwards into issue two now, and don’t forget if you want to get involved and showcase your work in Ampersand, you will find all the links on the back page!

Ampersand Team

FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR WITH LOVE...

If you asked people that know me to describe me, you may get a few people talking about the way I look, you may get some people tell you that I can be a little self conscious, you may even get some people (few admittedly!) that may say that I am good fun to have around; but nearly everyone usually comments on that I work incredibly hard and have a huge passion for creativity.

That passion has been the driving force behind the inception and development of Ampersand.

About ten years ago I embarked on a creative journey that would take me from my own education, through to working in industry and into the education of others. When I am not living the international playboy lifestyle that comes with being the editor of Ampersand I am college lecturer, imparting my knowledge of graphic design to students like myself ten years previously. Although I enjoyed working within the creative industry I soon realised I had landed a job that I should have really had a few years later in my career. The agency that I worked for let me work for some major clients and with the freedom a junior designer should only be dreaming of. Unfortunately when the bank comes calling the last in first out policy really comes into force and it was as quick as a 15 minute meeting that I was informed that the company could not meet my salary any more.

As I was offered positions in other agencies I came to realise that I was going to be really limited in the opportunities in terms of projects, as my previous work seemed to hold no weight with them. If I was to be a junior designer, I had to come to terms with I would get the raw end of the deal for a few years to come. I also started to learn about the arrogance of some within the creative industry. Not everyone, but there were definitely some people I spoke to that did not care of your experience, but rather the institution that you attended, who you knew, rather than what you knew. It was at this point where I was seriously doubting my creative passion that an opportunity fell into my lap.

That opportunity was teaching and education.

I always wanted to teach, it just came around a lot sooner than I ever thought it would - the ÂŁ7500 bursary was also an added incentive! So over the next year I realised that I could actually utilise my passion for creativity to help others realise their passions, and find their creative side.

This career change I saw as a way to reinvigorate my own ever so slightly waning creative side.

What I did not count on though is how little schools and the national curriculum inhibit creativity amongst pupils and staff alike.

So I was back in the same position. Passionate about something that no one else, it seemed, to really care about. Schools may say they like creativity, but they like high grades more. My students were learning to be creative, but the numbers of pupils who just did not care, saw design as a lesson they took because they had to, not because they wanted to. It was this that caused me to walk away from this form of education, an archaic formula that did not care if every project was identical, as long as it achieved a high grade. This was me selling my soul. I was not enthusiastic, I resented teaching the subject, and closed the creative cupboard.

After taking a couple of months out to sort myself out I got a phone call out of the blue, asking me whether I would like to attend an interview for a lecturing position.

I went, not really expecting much, but to my amazement I was sat there with three other guys who sat there talking to me about creativity with the same passion I had locked away. As we continued to talk, I could see that this was the type of outlet that I had been searching for, a job that encouraged creativity more than anything. As I talked with them about my experiences, I noticed something unfamiliar, they spoke with no arrogance in regard to their previous experience, their sole purpose was to encourage each student to be as creative as they could, no matter their ability, their background or experience.

It was this point that I remembered those opportunities that many other creative individuals and I had experienced from some cont

Adam James by Laura Childs

of these arrogant areas. Belittling their creativity just because of their experience or education. It started off a brainwave that culminated in what you are reading now, a showcase for creative talent.

I feel that there are so many creative people out there that do not get the recognition they deserve, or the breaks to get a foothold into the industry. One such individual was Laura. You will have seen her feature in the first issue, and she has been kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to capture me in the illustration you see on the previous.

Whilst looking for an outlet for my creativity I signed up to Tumblr, and I used it as a place I could get out and to share things that inspired me along with some of my work. What I did not expect though, was to meet so many like minded people out there, many who have become firm friends and colleagues. It was through Tumblr I became acquainted with Laura’s illustrations.

Here was a talent that crazily enough was no more than a few miles from myself, that I could have gone for years never seeing, but via my worldwide search for like-minded people I ended up finding this amazing talent right on my doorstep. With every illustration I saw I was determined that she should have been snapped up by some media outlet already, but the limiting factor? No one was there to give her the breaks, sound familiar?

Over the past year I have been looking into many ideas, but Ampersand is one that has always stuck and sounded less crazy than the others!

I have always found design based magazines either too focused on one area, or focussing on more well known designers with the obligatory ‘new faces’ segment almost as an after thought.

I thought why do we want to know about someone you only have to type their first name into Google and you get fifty thousand results?

I’m much more interested in the people we do not know! There are some amazingly talented creatives out there that get no recognition, who eventually give up on their dreams and join the masses, their creativity lost forever. I am always reminded of Dawn from ‘The Office’ where she refers to herself as an ‘illustrator who is a receptionist on the side,’ but then coming to terms that she has become a ‘receptionist that does illustration on the side.’

This is a notion that I think needed to be addressed, and this is why Ampersand exists.

To give a platform for fresh and unsung creative talent to scream for attention from!

I see this magazine as a unique little voice demanding to be heard by the masses. Covering all aspects of creativity from music to design, art to photography and fashion to beauty. It leaves no creatively painted or positioned stone unturned.

It is this reason that as the editor of the magazine I thought it was important to communicate just what the magazine is all about and where it has come from. I want people to understand that the creativity is driving us all to deliver a fantastic showcase of creativity that gives the opportunity to all no matter your background, talent and location in the world.

Each issue takes a lot of work and time and without everyone pulling together nothing would ever get finished! We are most definitely burning the candle at both ends......if not to mention the middle as well! Even in this short space of time we have had an overwhelming response to the magazine, thousands of readers of the entire magazine, and also almost a quarter of a million views of pages, it means that we are not the only ones who feel that creativity is not being recognised enough!

As you will have probably followed through the month just passed, we not only have a lovely neat new little website, but we (Ampersand) were made affiliate members of the British University Artists organisation in recognition of what we are doing to promote new talent. An honour that we are incredibly proud of!

Coming full circle though, I think you may have recognised that I have totally rediscovered my passion for creativity through Ampersand.

Working together with other creative people in lots of different sectors has really reminded me why I so passionately wanted to work within the creative industry. So as you will find, every issue of Ampersand will most definitely be eclectic as possible and open your eyes to some amazing new talents, as well as some that have been quietly going about their business for years without any deserved recognition. As long as creativity needs a voice, I will do my best to promote it!

Follow me over at twitter.com/@adamjame5

ART

Cave by Christine Montgomery maxplusmira.tumblr.com

ILLUSTRATION

Round by The River

By Sarah Copson

Highly commended by the A.O.I exhibited in The London Transport Museum as part of the River Thames poster collection 2011.

Sarah: ‘Using colour, shape, symbols and mark making I wanted to convey the versatility, inspiration and positivity that London oozes. I decided to use The River Thames as a core to the dynamic city, showing how it positively enriches the city providing flow and substance to the different regions.’ Explore more work at: www.sarahcopson.co.uk

“The power of print, is the power to change the world.”

Adam Cluley

adamcluley.com Twitter: @AdamCluley

QUESTION

What is the best thing about print?

“The versatility of paper adds much more than the actual graphic, giving it much more character overall!�

Theo Kennedy Cordner

themindstate.tumblr.com Twitter: @mind5tate

QUESTION What is the best thing about print?

“It is the only thing that can take me back centuries and centuries, and I would not hate a minute of it..” weshallflythisplace.tumblr.com

“Print is magical because it is personal. You can not replicate this digitally.”

Twitter: @jameswng

“I like it when the ink from a newspaper or magazine rubs off on my fingers. It feels like learning” Twitter: @whipstache whipstache.tumblr.com

“I love the beauty of a printing error.” holly-marriott.tumblr.com

“The feeling of paper between my fingers, rubbing a page as I read text & cutting out articles that I love & enjoy.

The printed word will always be timeless to me, as it should be with others.”

Shereen Younes Twitter: @SierraUnes

“There’s a greater satisfaction to holding a printed piece of work in your hands than looking at it on a computer screen.”

Twitter: @johnfolddotcom

“Print by itself gives you a sense of excitement just by a flip of a page....�

Asmahan Safie Twitter: @asmahansafie asmahansafie.weebly.com

QUESTION

“Print is timeless; you can hold a copy of a book in your hands that has been passed on through generations they are not subject to iUpdates!”

Daisy Lola

daisylola.com Twitter: @xdaisylola

What is the best thing about print?

POETRY

Your clothes on my floor Is the cocoon you left When you grew tired Of our life.

I watched you leave Frozen by the season Of Winter, our Love Withered away.

You clung to my back And grew strong, You kept me in the dark For far too long.

When I awoke there It lay simple and true A shell of us, what we had The loveable old ‘you’.

By Shereen Ann Younes thethingsiwriteonhere.tumblr.com

THE AMPERSAND WEBSITE IS NOW LIVE!

We have made contacting us and submitting work and features to us even easier! Keep up to date with all things Ampersand just make sure everyday you.....

VISIT: WWW.AMPERSAND-MAGAZINE.COM

MARIANNA MADRIZ. ILLUSTRATOR. 19. MILTON KEYNES UK

ILLUSTRATION

Marianna in her own words....

“Originally from Venezuela, I moved to England with my family about four years ago, and I was instantly blown away by how I could use my drawing skills and play with my ideas, in order to create characters and situations that could appeal to the masses (or at least that is the goal). I take my inspiration from films, animation, comics, random thoughts, random conversations with friends and even more random train rides. I will start my Illustration degree in the Arts University College Bournemouth this year, so I can evolve in my work - and create more randomness, of course.�

WWW.MIXINGTHESKY.CREVADO.COM

OPINION

HAVE I BECOME A DESIGN SNOB? LOCATION: UK You see, I love design. Properly love it. When I’m out and about I analyse things I see, remember things that may influence stuff I do in future, and talk about it a hell of a lot. But I have this nagging doubt now that the things I used to like, which used to influence me, just don’t anymore.

For example, Kidrobot. Now don’t get me wrong I loved this stuff, you wouldn’t have found anyone more excited when they had a pop up shop in Selfridges in London, or when I found out they were actually opening a London store. However, I don’t want any of it anymore. I look at the Dunny ranges, and feel uninspired with them, I don’t care for them any more. Designers like Huck Gee, even though I would be (and have been in the past)

destroyed for saying my reaction to his work is ‘meh’, I really feel that designers like this are living off their reputation, and are being far from creative anymore. What was once fun and different has been replaced with mundane repetition. I use Huck Gee as an example because this guy could spit on a piece of paper and some fool collectors would pay exorbitant amounts for it. They are buying ‘Huck Gee’ rather than buying what they like.

Now I am not saying for one minute that I don’t think that Huck Gee isn’t a good designer, just one that has found his style, settled into a routine, churns out a few limited or one off pieces, sticks them on ebay, and makes a fortune. He then dishes out designs for the blind boxes, of which none have

OPINION blown me away for a few years. I mean, if you could do that, make the money, then we all would - I just feel that this sends the wrong message out to up and coming designers.

I would never encourage my students to play it safe with design. Design is about taking risks, that’s why we are designers. If I wanted to play it safe, or for them to play it safe I would tell them to go and work in Tesco. As a designer it is the opportunity to inspire those around you with your work and creativity that should drive you forwards. To not play it safe and to set trends and develop them rather than replicate and follow trends.

A designer I knew very well, when overlooked for employment at a consultancy that offered me a position, actually said to me ‘Why did they offer YOU a job, I’m a much better designer than you?’.

I have never forgot this, and it still pushes my creativity to this day. The simple answer is that I took risks. I didn’t care if someone told me my end product was crap, as long as I was happy that I had produced something that was my own, oh it may well have had influences from other designers, but the key was to have it inform and direct my own creativity, than try to replicate what I wanted to produce in their style. This is what the other designer used to do. Take whatever was flavour of the month design-wise with them, and shoehorn it in whatever they were working on. Well of course their end product was supremely polished, because they knew what it should look like. Design should be about breaking new ground, opening up new experiences to the masses and encouraging others to explore their creativity. You should be exploring you own end product, and there is nothing more exciting, but fear inducing as the halfway stage in a project where you don’t know whether its going to turn out ok or not.

Which leads me back to my original question, do I think I am a design snob?

Well for all intents and purposes, yes, possibly, probably. Do I care? Not really.

I wish that sometimes that some areas of the design industry would take the chip off their shoulder, the one that rubs so many ‘non-designers’ up the wrong way. Yes we can all laugh at the amateur use of comic sans, or clip art in someone’s design, but when all is said and done, they don’t need an ‘expert’ to patronise them. They know they

aren’t designers, that is why they approach design agencies to assist them and their businesses, but on the token, this is why people are going it alone and not consulting design agencies. I know many people who have been patronised and belittled when dealing with ‘well-known’ consultancies, made to feel stupid, and forced into going along with the ‘style’ of the consultancy. This is where I feel ashamed to have been a part of this industry, people don’t trust designers, not like they used to.

People are more informed these days and rightly can make an informed decision about the direction of their project. There is an air of arrogance that surrounds many designers, who find their own self importance much more of a concern than the needs of Mr Smith the local butcher who wants to revamp his business, but to maintain his heritage, snow ploughing him into things he may not have the fortitude to disagree with, considering they are the ‘professionals’.

Now I am not saying that I have not been guilty of this in the past, because I have been. You almost get pushed to be self confident to a fault in an agency, and because there is such an atmosphere of self competition, it can cause many issues to arise. I left the mainstream industry and I am totally glad that I did. I would not like to become the person I found myself becoming whilst working in the industry ever, and I would rather be snobby about design, and what I like and dislike within design than to think I knew better than everyone else. It is my opinion on design which matters to me, it isn’t my place to tell others what good and bad design is, we are created to be objective, and that is what everyone should be. Just because I don’t like comic sans, doesn’t mean you are wrong to like it……. (but you are).

I don’t know where I stand within design anymore, have I hit a point where the design cycle is passing me by and I am starting to get fed up of current trends? Maybe. All I know is that each and every day I find something new that I love, every day seeing something different, created by some of the most creative people in the world. Do I care that I won’t be fawning over Huck Gee’s new releases?

Not at all, but then again, he probably doesn’t care what I think either.

By Adam James Graphic Designer & Lecturer jamesydesign.tumblr.com Twitter: @adamjame5

Wallpaper skin.

We slap on The bright colours Over the bruises And the marks Tired bodies Are darned with From our reckless hearts Underneath These marks fester Underneath Our walls will crumble, And in cracks our fear grows Paper splits and wounds show.

But there she stands Bare and reckless Her bruises shining Like a necklace Bruised eyes tired And plastered over As the silent world beholds her.

Bare hands tremble Fingers twitching She rips at the paper And the stitching Bright eyed girl Observes the world Bare and bruised and unrelenting.

Shereen Ann Younes thethingsiwriteonhere.tumblr.com

TYPOGRAPHY

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TYPOGRAPHY

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TYPOGRAPHY

TYPOGRAPHY

TYPOGRAPHY

TYPOGRAPHY

POETRY

I. Think, I’m not What people Describe; Not the bad guy Not the good guy I’m just plain old, I. I who feels.

I who breaks I, when broken topples and Shakes.

I who freezing want the warmth of a hand To feel the lips of a lover not the Fist of Demand.

I. when hurt can be lost, feel helpless I. have seen times both Good and Bad relentless.

I. who undeniably, just like you been broken, bleed and bruise Have memories kept, and at moments wept Whole Nights and Mornings through.

Shereen Ann Younes thethingsiwriteonhere.tumblr.com

ILLUSTRATION

Mark Allen. 22.

Illustrator. UK. Mark Allen recently graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a 2:1 in Graphic Design, specialising in Illustration.

His work involves strong use of textures that he has gathered over the years and also pattern work within the design. Although all of his work is photoshop based, every aspect is hand drawn before, with a minute sense of attention to detail.

Mark has been involved in a number of ‘Live Art’ events up in Sheffield, where he would draw on large canvases within bars, Tramline festival and Sheffield’s Student Union.

Children’s book illustration, is especially of interest to Mark and the pirates and the animals you see here are all involved in a project that he is currently working on at the moment.

OPINION PRODUCT REVIEW OF THE MONTH

REKORDERLIG

FLAVOURED CIDER

Whilst the summer was not the greatest here in the UK, there were intermittent days of heart palpitating warm weather.

Thankfully we found a fantastic solution for cooling down on these days nestled in the aisles of our nearest supermarket. This solution? Rekorderlig flavoured cider.

Hailing from Sweden whose main export until now has been the lifestyle juggernaut Ikea.

Rekorderlig eschews the gaudy simplicity of their furniture based relative, and is entirely more palatable than the meatballs smothered in gravy. Upon seeing the bottle you first notice how uncluttered and stylish it looks on the shelf next to some of those other flavoured ciders. Relying on a simple illustrational representation of the fruit flavour found within it oozes class and sophistication, something rarely associated with this type of drink.

As someone who does not usually like unusually flavoured drinks with some trepidation and enticed by the designer in me (and the fantastic offer of three bottles for £5!)

I put three different flavoured bottles into my basket. Strawberry and lime, wild berries and finally pear flavour.

After observing the ‘serve well chilled’ instruction on the front of the bottle I sat down to bask in the unusually warm sunshine, music on, I opened the first bottle. The flavour I had the least amount of hope for was most definitely the strawberry and lime. With a couple of nervous first sips all my fears had been allayed.

This drink firmly announced it’s arrival to my tastebuds, both being über refreshing and providing an overwhelmingly natural and superb taste. You see, most flavoured alcohol seems to suffer from an unnatural plastic taste, none of which Rekorderlig did.

Made using pure Swedish spring water and selected fruits and berries it is very different to many other flavoured ciders on the market. It is also marketed in a very different way. The creative standpoint of the label and brand makes the bottle and brand jump out to any

shopper when you see it on the shelf. It does not hide behind it’s sophistication and creative direction, it positively embraces it. Rekorderlig really is a high quality drink that reflects all of these elements and doesn’t shy away from being different to other brands such as Brothers and Bulmers. Next to the Rekorderlig cider products the Brother’s version of this unusual flavour evokes the memory of the late nineties low quality alcopops.

and pear flavoured versions, I couldn’t help feeling slightly underwhelmed. Do not get me wrong, neither were of less quality than the strawberry and lime, just slightly less exciting.

I think if I had these two flavours before the strawberry and lime it may have been less of a disappointment. But Rekorderlig had knocked the strawberry and lime so far out of the park the two following home runs just did not quite hit those heady heights.

Whilst Rekorderlig seems to be quite a new brand within the UK and perhaps is not seen quite as the household name like Brothers, Bulmers or Kopparberg, it most definitely should be on your radar if you are looking for a refreshing alternative to spend your evening out with. Although their success so far in the UK has primarily been through word of mouth I am sure the initial success and demand of the brand will not have gone unnoticed by Rekorderlig and I am sure they are feverishly working on ways to promote their brand on these shores. I hope that they continue to embrace this creative sophistication and vision through the onslaught of advertising that we are undoubtedly going to see sooner rather than later!

As you can see, the Rekorderlig label and bottle just oozes sophistication when sat with its peers.

As someone who as a designer and passionate about creativity I generally buy with my eyes rather than standing to read all the little bits of information, but thankfully my eyes had not deceived me, this was a fantastic purchase!

As with any responsible drinker, I saved the other two bottles for another occasion, even if I was slightly excited to taste the other two flavours. I popped them into the fridge to ensure when I did feel like trying them they were already chilled as recommended.

When I did get around to trying the wild berries

Rekorderlig cider is available from selected stores, as with any alcohol based product we encourage you drink responsibly and only when you are legal age to within your location. All bottles are 500ml, strawberry & lime and wild berries (4.0% ABV) and pear (4.5% ABV).

BEAUTY

Whenever we think of New York glamour we are reminded of the Sex and the City girls and how they seemed to attend every glamourous occasion, wearing the latest Laboutins, positively dripping in Vera Wang and iced up with every gorgeous diamond accessory you can imagine.

But these glamour pusses would be nothing without the finishing touches of their hair and make-up artists. One such amazing make-up artist situated in the Big Apple is Alexandra Giampaolo.

Already having undertaken some exciting assignments she is definitely a fantastic talent ready to burst into the limelight.

Ampersand sat down with this supremely talented (not to mention gorgeous!) make-up artist to find out a little more about her...

ALEXANDRA GIAMPAOLO MAKE UP ARTIST. 22. NEW YORK. USA Images by Karen Ruffini & Meg Raiano

BEAUTY

BEAUTY

BEAUTY A: Have you always loved make-up? What is your first memory of why you love it?

AG: Yes, makeup has always been a love of mine. Like most young girls, I always looked forward to having my own makeup. The first time I ever put makeup on, I had no clue what I was doing; those were the days where I thought smudging black eye liner all over my eyes looked cool. However, as I grew more curious, I started to experiment with it. I realized I truly loved it when I was exposed to the variety of makeup lines and the glamour that it brings.

A: Why did you decide to explore a career as a make up artist?

AG: Ever since I was a little girl I have had a passion for art not only because of its beauty but for the mere fact that it truly let me express myself. The world of makeup fascinated me even more because it allows me to take my talent off a piece of paper and onto a live canvas. I love the fact that there are no guidelines or rules and that I can just “make it up� as I go along. Nothing is more gratifying than helping my clients express themselves and seeing their faces glow as a result of my talent.

A: What difficulties have you found in pursuing a career being a make up artist?

AG: One of the biggest difficulties I have found in pursuing this career is the competition.

There are a lot of talented make up artists out there and in order to compete with the top talent you must constantly keep up with trends, product lines, fashion industry and techniques. It is important to remain confident, as well as take advantage of opportunities. I also find it beneficial to learn from other artists that are willing to share their creative ideas.

BEAUTY A: Who do you look to for inspiration with your work - is there any fashion houses or celebrities styles who are of particular inspiration?

AG: My inspiration comes from many sources such as: magazines, film, art museums, etc. I especially have a fond appreciation for the 1950’s Hollywood glam. I am intrigued by Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor, as they define classic beauty.

BEAUTY

BEAUTY A: What has been assignment to date?

your

favourite

AG: My favorite assignment was when I was asked to do the makeup for a music video in New York City. Dancers from different countries showed up throughout the day and I was challenged to produce many different looks. The theme and the high energy of the atmosphere were inspirational and the dancers were reliant upon my artistic ability to create a unique look that would set them apart from each other.

The girls were very friendly & complimentary of my work, which turned the 14 hour day into an extremely rewarding experience.

A: In an ideal world what would your dream assignment be?

AG: My dream assignment would be to have a job that affords me the opportunity to travel the world. I would like to gain exposure to other cultures and study their ideas and techniques as it relates to beauty and the makeup world.

A: Where do you see your career as a make-up artist heading, and what advice would you give to people who wanted to also pursue this career path?

AG: My ultimate goal is to open my own studio. I would love to display and teach what I have learned throughout my career to others who want to pursue a career as a makeup artist. The best advice that I could offer at this point in my career is to be open to different ideas and to be confident in your own abilities.

We would just like to say a big thank you to Alexandra for taking the time out to speak to Ampersand!

OPINION Andy McCormack is a graphic designer who over the next few issues is going to give you the low down on the trials and tribulations about getting a foothold in the industry.....

Not quite there yet….

That time of year has just past us. The time of year where all design students hustle about with their final year shows and dissertations, eyes glistening as their course is about to finish and nervous as they get to take their first steps into the big wide world as a ‘Creative’. They drink their final coffee’s as a student and move onto finding a job. But in all realistic terms, how hard is it to get your foot in the door of the industry?

Well in all honesty at present its crazy, some students will fly into jobs straight out of university and well done to them. However there are others for whom it takes a long time.

They just seem to just sit back and watch the world pass them by. Not by choice but by ‘fate’ or ‘luck’ just does not want to give you a helping hand and leave you sat there unknowing and flustered. It’s nothing to worry about, it is just what happens. I myself am in this situation, trying to get my foot in the door. Problem is that the door isn’t opening to allow me to get my foot in. So what do you do? What do you do when the big solid door remains shut to you?

When the one thing you have been studying, training for seems so far out of reach? Answer, remove the door, or at least try to.

I have tried to remove the door, hoping that if I make enough noise that someone will come out to see what is going on but no luck. I sat there wondering why it’s not working. Then I began to blame everything else, the current job climate, my university for obviously neglecting to tell me a ‘sure fired’ trick that will get me instant employment. I then had days of trudging through job applications thinking in the back of my mind that “I’m not going to get any of these, I am too crap at what I do” and when I heard nothing back I thought “Obviously I was right”. One of the worst things for me personally when applying for jobs is when you apply for the job and two minutes later you receive a phone call asking you loads of questions quoting “ I think your perfect for the job” getting your hopes up never to hear from them again.

The other worst thing for me is the pressure I put myself under, constantly feeling like a failure and that I have let everybody else down because I haven’t got a job yet. I even started to try and change myself out of desperation, change my appearance, my self and the way I interact with people. I generally thought at one point that the reason I wasn’t getting a job in design was because I’m 5ft tall and can’t fit into a pair of drainpipe jeans and didn’t have a fringe, even though they had never seen a picture of me!

I know, seems crazy but that’s how stressed I was from constantly applying, crying that nothing came about and feeling like I could

never achieve. All the while people telling me my design work is good and that it just takes a bit of time, and me sat thinking “well it’s been over a year now, how much longer should I wait?”. All the while working in retail serving the people who have the jobs I want. It’s really distressing, and utterly soul destroying.

However I did find a couple of clients from working in retail, it’s strange but you meet a lot of people and sometimes get lucky. It was just by pure chance and a bit of confidence that I spoke to my client about his personal work as he said he was looking to purchase a camcorder for his business. I asked what he did and then with no hesitation told him I could help him with what he was doing, amazingly we exchanged details, and now work with each other. It was one of best moments so far in my ‘career’. Finally someone was offering me a chance, and even after seeing my work was still willing to work with me. That is one of the best feelings you can ever have after struggling to achieve something. That feeling where someone likes your work enough to offer you a job. I now spend my time working on his businesses literature and am constantly thinking of new ways to help his business expand, and hopefully he is more than happy about working with me. We are still talking so that’s a good sign.

After that I calmed down, that was enough to stop me from completely losing it. That was when I realised that it would take time, that I am just one of those people who have to work a fair amount harder than most to get the breaks. You realise things like this when you sit back and re-evaluate your life and approach to things. I heard a quote and it sticks with me to this day - It took Michael Buble 10 years to make it big as a singer. That’s an incredible amount of time to keep trying, and I sort of related to it. That it can take a long time to make it, but I look at it like this ~ if it took him 10 years to make it I have another 9 before I should call it quits.

The only advice I can actually give is this, just keep at it. Find new ways to beat that catch-22 “ To get a job I need experience but I need a job to get experience”.

Find Andy at: little88.tumblr.com

LARA-JANE VAN ANTWERPEN. GRAPHIC DESIGNER. 19. UK

I’m about to start a Graphic Design degree course at UCA, Epsom. To stop myself being bored where I live at the moment, I love watching films.

Film is where I got my first taste of graphics design. It’s this that

spurred my dream of working in the film industry where its opening credits, film posters or just in film graphics.

What’s more exciting is that 3D is huge, which is opening up a whole new level of design.....

TO FIND OUT MORE VISIT

LARAJANE1.TUMBLR.COM & LARAPORTFOLIO.TUMBLR.COM

FASHION

WILL JACK WILLS

BE HERE NEXT YEAR? University Outfitters, the slogan for the babies on the high-street, Jack Wills. The brand which saw a surge in sales of anything with pink & navy stripes on, and a rise in even more penniless parents.

It’s 2006. Jack Wills launches itself onto my local high-street in Cheltenham. I’ve never heard of the brand, which occupies a gigantic two-story store in the centre of town, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Laura Ashley, Reiss, Hobbs and White Stuff. The store used to be a huge Waterstone’s, so you can imagine it’s size. I go in on open day, intrigued by it’s indie music and dark interior and on opening an antique wardrobe, I find a rather nice-looking hoodie, priced at a jaw-dropping £69. Boxers were £19. Socks £14. T-Shirts £29. Without even wanting to travel the 50 metres to the other end of the store, I’d walked out, wondering why the apparel was so expensive? Yes, I’d paid £29 for t-shirts before, but they were from reputable brands such as UCLA, Ralph Lauren or Fred Perry. The problem was that this store had no brand foundations - nobody knew who it was or how cool it was to become - well, except for one target market: the privately educated.

Within days, students from local private schools were parading down the promenade with large cream ‘Jack Wills’ bags and were often seen hugging their Fathers for forking out the hundreds of pounds on new clothing. It’d become THE place to shop and that had been caused by us regular people wanting a bit of the luxury. Luxury that was affordable, just.

Within six months, if you had a Jack Wills carrier bag, you were presumed rich. Agree with me or not, but it was. Walking down the high-street, you’d see girls tucking their JW sweatpants into their UGG boots, flaunting one of the stores carrier bags, full of new clothes.

Jack Wills was an exclusive brand. A club. If you were regulars, you’d hang out in the games room upstairs, whilst your friends tried on a new shirt. Staff would greet you with “hey there, nice t-shirt” - a product of great staff training, but it felt like they really meant it. I hope they did.

I remember going into Jack Wills at 6am on boxing day, ready to buy more of the stock at reduced prices.

I’d been given an exclusive extra 20% if I arrived early. I did of course.

Jack Wills was beginning to take over my life. I wore it religiously. It was THE thing to be seen in. I’d trawl the forums on its website, talking to fellow addicts.

I’d seen the photos of the parties they held at the store, wanting a piece of the action. I’d planned to visit other stores, whilst wearing the club uniform.

But then, it all changed. Jack Wills was no longer exclusive. More regular people like me had decided it was worth paying the extra for. The high-street was full of parading preps. I didn’t feel like I was standing out anymore, I was blending in. Then I saw a chav sporting a £79 hoodie with some trackies and that was the last of it. I’d spent around £600 on Jack Wills and I gave it all away.

Jack Wills will always be one style and it’s no longer the trend, and when in retail if your products become THE thing, your sales will rocket. But when that trend ends and the followers move onto another brand, you may as well call it a day. I can’t see Jack Wills being around for much longer. It’s target market has changed and the fashion-obsessed 13-22 year olds have moved on and realised that individuality is the key to their style. The one thing Jack Wills has FAILED to establish is that their target market was always University students. University students famously live on a ridiculously low budget and cannot afford the sky-high prices of JW clothing, and if they can, they’d rather spend their money on a bottle of Vodka than a new hoodie.

It’d be a huge shame to see it go, but JW needs to radicalise it’s self and make it more affordable for everyone else, if it’s to see it’s sale rise. People no longer can justify the high-prices for it’s clothing, especially when it’s no longer THE trend. It needs to diversify it’s style and focus on it’s clothing, than it’s new line of accessories & stationary. Their clothing is of high quality and I still love Jack Wills, but it’s no longer for me anymore.

I’ve kept my first hoodie, for sentimental value. It reminds me of a time when I was a prep.

Article by Mason Moore www.masonmoore.co.uk

THE END. Follow the Magazine and get involved by submitting for a future issue at:

www.ampersand-magazine.com www.twitter.com/@ampersand_mag Contributors to this issue:

www.jamesydesign.tumblr.com www.lauraechilds.com www.daisylola.com www.holly-marriott.tumblr.com www.themindstate.tumblr.com www.weshallflythisplace.tumblr.com www.asmahansafie.weebly.com www.whipstache.tumblr.com www.maxplusmira.tumblr.com www.sarahcopson.co.uk www.mixingthesky.crevado.com www.markallenillustration.co.uk www.thethingsiwriteonhere.tumblr.com www.adamcluley.com www.alexandrafelice.tumblr.com www.laraportfolio.tumblr.com www.masonmoore.co.uk www.little88.tumblr.com A big thank you to you all!!