DISPLAY BOARDS Statement Of Intent This module will make up the bulk of my graduate portfolio, so I aim to evidence a versatile skillset as well as methods I work comfortably in. I have found throughout my degree that I walk the line between Illustration and Graphic Design, so I will take on creative projects that allow me to evidence my knowledge of application and layout design. My immediate aims post graduation include merchandise design, so I will take on commissions that let me explore this and gain experience. I would also like to freelance within design studios, and after being given the opportunity to placement at UK Greetings I aim to dedicate a project to
expanding a greetings card range, responding to their advice and direction, which I hope will showcase my commercial ability. I also aim to enter competitions from YCN or D&AD as they push projects to be professionally finished and my YCN commendations from last year resulted in a job opportunity. On versatility, I want to explore multiple medias including traditional print and animation, both of which I enjoyed at level 5. Animation and GIF making is vital for creating online content so before I leave university I hope to have refreshed my skills in After Effects too.
The subject matter of my work tends to revolve around humour, friendship and relatability to 1530 year olds. I aim to develop this tone of voice within each project, insuring that outcomes are personality driven. I admire commercial illustrators such as Gemma Correll who produce simple visuals that are successful for their signature tone of voice. I have developed a plan where projects do not overlap so that each can have my full attention, which suits the way I tend to work in bursts.
Polly Vadasz
259578
LAU603
MAIN BRIEFS Completed main projects that have separate design boards.
UK GREETINGS
A commission brief from UK Greetings. To develop a range of ‘general birthday’ cards from three ranges I had pitched to them. It involved working with a creative director both in house and remotely.
YCN - BUMBLE
A YCN entry for Bumble, a networking app, that asked for a rebrand advertising the platform as a sum of three parts: Bumble, Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz. Outcomes include posters, billboards, icons and an animation.
PAPERGANG
A competition entry pitching a stationery subscription box design for the month of October to Papergang. These included the box sleeve, desk pad, coaster, greetings card and enamel pin.
COLOUR BLOCK
A collection of colour and shape driven compositions based on the vibrant architecture of Valencia, Spain. This was an experimental process lead project that resulted in a range of inspired commercial outcomes.
SMALLER BRIEFS Shorter commissions + projects that didn’t take off.
IWD PRINTS A series of motivating, female focused prints to give away at the International Women’s Day exhibition I had at Ollie Quinn Leeds. The tone of voice aims to represent my perspective on female empowerment. The purpose of the free prints was to increase footfall into the Ollie Quinn store and promote myself as a featured illustrator. Through use of text, colour and bold composition, the set aims to encourage femininity, assertiveness and self belief. The fact the postcards could be taken home furthers this, as they can be displayed as a reminder, rather than forgotten as a static poster in a shop.
SELF DIRECTED 1 WEEK
PUNKY PINS I was commissioned by Punky Pins to illustrate their ‘Death Before Defaf’ collection. They gave me the details of each pin, such as ‘matching pins that say BFF’ and ‘Caffeine and kindness with a coffee cup’, and I illustrated the form of each pin. I sketched out multiple options for each pin, using the friendly spot graphic style my brand ‘sighh’ is known for, as this was a named collaboration, but keeping consistent to their brand with bold feminine colours. This was a very smooth collaboration from a design perspective as they approved them without any changes. They are now for sale online at punkypins.co.uk
COMMISSION 3 WEEKS
ROUGHS FOR EACH PIN Apologies for the poor quality photos, these were the photos I traced with an iPad pro and I’ve lost the original sheets.
BOOKISH PIN I was commissioned to create an enamel pin as merchandise for Sanne, Books & Quills on youtube. The design direction was to use the quote ‘Don’t crack the spine’. Her viewers are book lovers, so I decided to go literal and create a book icon. The shade was supposed to be ‘millenial pink’, a trendy coral colour, however it came out more red toned in production. I designed the backing pin with her community in mind, to give the pin context, showing it’s for ‘book lovers & protectors’. This gives the pin even more meaning to her community so they wear it with pride!
COMMISSION 2 WEEKS
COLOUR OPTIONS
BACKING CARD
NEIBOURHOOD ILLUSTRATIONS BUDAPEST
This project began in the summer sketchbook, and I aimed to continue it throughout the year, illustrating characterful buildings from cities I visited. It stemmed from a personal draw to homely architecture, and I wanted to develop my illustration style over the process, however without an end goal I found it very difficult to keep up. Keeping a sketchbook isn’t something I’ve ever done, as I prefer to draw on loose pages when ideas spark, and very rarely draw from referance. Possibly the pressure of producing final year work stifled this series, and I would like to pick it back up casually in the future. The merge with the Colour Block project evolved the concept into an exciting, experimental commercial investigation which suited the way I work, as a designer, much more.
NEWCASTLE
PHOTOS FROM BUDAPEST
I aimed to digitise the illustrations, using the original colours but enhanced, however preferred the original line drawings which contributed to the fatigue of the project.
DENTAL PRACTICE A commission to produce content for a dental practice waiting room, including 6 A3 prints, an animation and information booklets. This brief was intended to be one of my main projects of the year, however as the Colour Block project advanced I decided exploring colour would teach me more than this project, which I planned to approach in my usual friendly, lettering driven style. However through the roughing stage I developed a proposal for the content. I intend to use humour driven, friendly editorial for Low Fear Arousal health advertising as a method of encouraging engagement from all ages, but specifically children.
COMMISSION 1 WEEK DEV
FUTURE PROJ