Process Magazine

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process

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MAGAZINE

JULIA POTURAJ

ON HER WORKSPACE, AND PROCRASTIBAKING

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3RD YEAR GRAPHIC DESIGN STUDENT, ASPRIRING MAGA ZING EDITOR, MA JOR PROCRASTINATOR

Designing from start to finish

By Ellie Wacom

Julia Poturaj is a third year visual communication student, majoring in graphic design at UniSA. When she isn’t disecting briefs or worrying about printing problems, she is rolling pretzels on weekends for a casual wage.

She is a PC user with a MacBook and she is partial to using Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, but absolutely hates Illustrator and prefers to use CorelDRAW X7 instead.

Her process relies on organisation and knowing all the right information. Gathering and laying out all the information helps her get a gist of what is to come, just like taglines on a magazine cover communicating to a reader. It isn’t until she as wrapped her head around a brief that she can actually begin to work productively.

Her obsessive nature and ‘perfectionist’ tendencies do not always serve her well. Instead of ending up with a perfectly layed out, typeset and finished document, there is usually a string of started and deleted files, scrunched up new ideas and a computer left deserted in a fit of frustration.

However, she is happy to say she has never missed a deadline, but admits that most of her work is completed at the last minute due to the realisation that university assignments can only be avoided up until a certain point if she is to complete her degree in no more than three years.

She is this months guest contributor and is discussing the elements of her design process, beginning with her productivity playlist.

Sketching ideas is always followed up by a quick search on Behance, to see how other designers interpreted the same problems and to make sure that that brilliant idea she thought she came up with isn’t something that at least 10 other people already thought of.

WHAT I LISTEN TO WHILE I CREATE Supersonic Casualties - Delta Riggs

Toast - San Cisco

Superbass - Nikki Minaj

Black Widow - Iggy Azalea

California Queen - Wolfmother

Rize of the Pheonix - Tenacious D

Bang Bang Bang - Mark Ronson

Change Ya Life - Iggy Azalea

Shiver - Coldplay

Couler Couler - Yelle ft. Crookers

Dimension - Wolfmother

Brianstorm - Arctc Monkeys

The Last of Us Soundtrack

Switch Lanes - Tkay Maidza

Flawless - Beyonce

Ballad of Hollywood Jack - Tenacious D

Talk is Cheap - Chet Faker

+ Anything by the Hilltop

From My Mould - Delta Riggs

No Diggity - Chet Faker

Hoods or Black Keys

RUN - San Cisco

Ignition (Remix) - Jinja Safari

Work - Iggy Azalea

Hush - Deep Purple

CREATING THE RIGHT WORKSPACE IS THE FIRST STAGE OF MY DESIGN PROCESS

Workspace essentials

By Julia Poturaj

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“Mental organisation is really important to me. I like to write and lay everything out infront of myself so I can get an idea of what is expected from me and what I need to do. And mental organisation comes from physical organisation” 1. Notebooks I use notebooks to write endless amounts of lists, create mindmaps and sketch ideas. I don’t prefer working on lined or grid paper instead of blank paper. It allows me to structure my ideas in a way that keeps them somewhat organised. I try to write everything out as neatly as possible. I have been known to rip pages out and rewrite them until I am satisfied with the neatness. Slightly obsessive compulsive?

Nah. Mental organisation is really important to me. I like to write and lay everything out infront of myself so I can get an idea of what is expected from me and what I need to do.

And mental organisation comes from physical organisation*

2. Pens When writing out my lists and mind maps, I am very particular with my pens. I like to use a black biro (will use blue if nothing else available) along with a coloured biro for headings and side notes.

3. Diary I feel better about all the work I have to do if I am able to see it all written down in one place among all other appointments, plans and commitments.

It helps me feel prepared for what is to come.

4. Inspiration

5. Hair ties and bobby pins My hair is long and most of the time, unruly.

In order to be productive and efficient, it must be tied up and pinned out of my face.

6. Laptop with a mouse. I hate working only with a trackpad. My 2011 Macbook really only serves as a research and word processing tool. Other tasks such as editing photos, creating InDesign documents, and so on are done on my desktop PC.

7. Social Media Apart from unplanned Instagram and Facebook feed breaks, I actually find social media very helpful in my process, as I am constantly sharing work and asking for opinions from uni friends in order to make sure I’m on the right track.

8. Tea Green, preferrably with jasmine, no sugar. Or if I’m feeling stressed, Chamomile, fresh mint or melissa leaves. Don’t like coffee or black tea.

9. Cameras Photography is my favourite medium to work with so in the initial stages of my process I usually try to figure out a way I can incorporate it into my final product.

I have multiple subscriptions to different magazines and also buy more whenever I see one I like. I draw a lot of inspriation from the articles, photographs and layout design.

*SOMETIMES PL ANNING & ORGANISING GETS IN THE WAY (OR TAKES UP TOO MUCH TIME) OF DOING THE AC TUAL WORK AND THIS IS SOMETHING FOR ME TO WORK ON.

PRO·CRAS·TI·NATING: PUT TING OFF DOING SOMETHING, ESPECIALLY OUT OF HABITUAL CARELESSNESS OR L A ZINESS, TO POSTPONE OR DEL AY NEEDLESSLY.

PRO·CRAS·TI·BAKING: THE ART OF BAKING DELICIOUS TREATS WHEN YOU REALLY SHOULD BE DOING WORK, BUT HEY AT LEAST YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SHOW FOR IT (?), OR AN INTEGRAL PART OF JULIA’S DESIGN PROCESS.

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Pizza from scratch

By Julia Poturaj

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Line 2 pizza trays. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar in a warm cup of water. Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of yeast and set aside for 10 minutes.

2. Once yeast has frothed, mix in 2 cups of flour and combine to form a dough.

Knead the dough until elastic. Set aside in a warm place for 40 - 60 minutes.

3. While waiting for the dough to rise, instead of doing something productive, like sketching ideas for your assignment, scroll Facebook and Instagram, or watch a show on television that you don’t even like (such as Masterchef).

4. Once the dough has doubled in size, add olive oil and salt and knead for another 5 minutes. Use a rolling pin to roll out dough to your desired thickness and shape. Top each base with your favourite toppings and bake for 20 - 30 minutes.

5. When your pizza is cooked, take out of the oven, cut into pieces, put some aside for tomorrow’s lunch at uni, and eat the rest and try not to think about all the work you should be doing. that you should be doing instead.

buon appetito!

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