RACHAEL WOOLLARD
MANIFESTO
‘Design should never say, “Look at me.” It should always say, “Look at this.”’ – David Craib I have particular interest in the design work held in editorial spreads, the variation, the way that you can present issues to appeal to the masses. An awareness of the power of an image and how to use the space around it, including typography, this is best demonstrated in fashion spreads. Magazines are part of the everyday for me, however each genre caters to the audience intended, whether based upon age, sex, hobby or job, each targets their audience with its own specific flair. One day I hope to create something that will influence a young designer to take this career path, just like how I have been.
Editorial spreads umbrella a number of skills to obtain the best possible outcome. I believe in order to achieve this all areas of a spread have to be harmonious, not a singular element of the design work should stand above the issue or main theme of the spread, but create a spread that works together. Communication within all areas of the design is key, respect all aspects of the feature and peers skills in other fields, linking hand in hand with this is negotiation. A great understanding of type, colour and image placement is fundamental in achieving a professional finish, also to at times put personal preference aside in order to make a project that a client is truly happy with. Having an individual approach in work is indispensable for me but all decisions of your design fitting the brief in a clear and concise manner. In order to maintain freshness, and understanding of modern culture is essential, having a broad knowledge of what is happening in the world can have a huge influence in my design process. Ideas for design can generate from practically anything. For me however, practise and experience will be the main factor in achieving my goal.
I’m using all chances to make my self known to a wider audience, using creative methods were possible and branding myself in the correct way in order to attract the prospects of employment. Networking is a huge area that can be accessed via social media, as well as internships and here the cliché “its not what know, its who you know” rings true. Finding gaps in the market is good, but using them for promotional and progression is even better. Calibration allows a flow of new ideas as well as contacts, non-paying employment help considerably with this process.
The most important things about challenges in the creative industry are developing systems to over come them. My personal difficulties lie in presenting my ideas to a large people, having confidence to project an idea. Dealing with my own emotions in failure is very important when it comes to looking for employment. I’m aware that the main issue is all-competitive industries is the threat of others, this why I think it is key to update my skills and ideas. Over coming these challenges can be eased by research, of new or existing companies, artists, and also for financial aid. Gaining knowledge from others in terms of feedback, and constantly updating technical understanding.
Attributes that I recognize in my own skill set are; typography, being able to choose the right typeface for a work which has relevance to the piece in a creative and informed way., photography knowledge in the technical field, also the aesthetics of the image, composition and lighting, therefore being able to use imagery to magnify the level of potency of a design work. Being competent in computer programs allow me to complete tasks in a highly professional way, having this knowledge creates better time management. I intend to use my own experiences in life to inform every quality of my design.Trial and error will always come about when producing my work, the design work i produce will not always be perfect, but in my mind nothing will ever be perfect but some things can be made better. Working with others comes to me with ease, as I have a laid back approach with a good sense of humor as well as being confident with my ideas.I will be confident in saying that I am not a boring person and that I could start a conversation with a pigeon if i had to. My design process often starts with physical materials, such as drawing, collage and found objects, which I interact with before translating to the screen. One aspect that I particularly enjoy is colour work, perceptive and imaginative ways of looking at spreads to create something that is fitting yet fresh. I work with colour on daily basis from when I get dressed to start the day to the last hour when I go to bed, I love colour.
At this stage of my development in graphic design it is crucial to gain as much experience as possible, in order to ensure confidence and conviction in my own ideas and abilities. As well as learning the conduct of a working Graphic design company or studio. aside from the technical, social skills for every occasion in the work environment ,having charisma and approachable personality for clients. . However these opportunities can be hard to come by so I intend to start designing my own magazine to refine my style. With having this ability for adaptation, I also believe in the strength of my own design and willing to make mistakes until I am happy with the result. Amongst all the work I will produce I hope to have a signature project that I will be known for, creating a defining moment in my career, helping with self-promotion. With the ingredients of hard work, intelligent decision making and perseverance.
In order to gain a powerful promotional item I have played up to my strengths, this I believe residing in colour. The bright colours used are in balance with the subtle grey. I created the pattern from the logo on my CV and business card, this allows for a theme in my promotional items. The use of triangles and liner shapes makes an up-to-date comment on my practice, also these shape are easy to manipulate. Pattern work is a practice that I have infinity with, using this as almost a material and fashion oriented design. The decision to produce postcards was based around the idea of transferability, making small items that could be posted anywhere but still containing my containing my contact details. I hope to create products with more of my designed patterns on to further my experimentation of promotional items, I will consider reaching out for guidance in my pattern work being transferred on to garments or even branching out further to product design.