Featuring - What makes a good logo - David Carson interview - Tutorial Matt Hill photographer - How to make your designs stand out amongst Creating a portfolio that will stand out - The in’s and outs of Illustration
MATT ILL
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EW WITH MATTHEW HILL AUGHT PHOTOGRAPHER ARES WHO HE IS AND SPIRES HIM
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Contents
Who students in years 10 & 12 parents school leavers
pa ur k yo tracersity t fast univ us to ug
A 24 pm 5-7
Where Wagga TAFE campus Plumbing Technology Facility Coleman Street
Contact 02 6938 1300
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04 DAVID CARSON A G U I D E TO Chris Scane
CREAT IN G 06 WHAT MAKES A GOOD LOGO A PORTFOLIO Ben Trevaskis
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A N D E Q U A L LY I M P O R TA N T, W H A T T O L E A V E O U T
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In the design world designing a portfolio is quiet a challenge, as everyone has his or her own opinion on how it should be done. There is no right or wrong way to design your portfolio but there are defiantly some guidelines to follow to help you understand the needs of those you are going to work for.
INTEGRITY Mitchell Harvey
Research As the Graphic Design industry grows so does the competitiveness to get into the industry, with many young eager designers out of collage looking for that dream job, it makes it important to research your prospective employer before contacting them or applying for the job. Basically the more you know about your potential employer before an interview the better your chances are at impressing them and giving you a better chance over other applicants, it will also make you morew confident and able to target your portfolio to suit the needs of the company.
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MATT HILL Skye Spencer TUTORIAL Mixed media
Exhibitions and Competitions Many employers attend Student exhibitions to look for junior designers to employee, so it is always a good idea to stand close to your stand on opening night and hand out promotional material to anyone who takes an interest in your work. Entering competitions can help you raise your profile in the design world.
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A WALK OF INSPIRATION Jenna Unsworth STANDING OUT Chris Scane
The Right Portfolio When creating a portfolio there is no right or wrong way, you can be as creative as you like. You do not have to follow the conventual standard black portfolio, you could create custom handmade books or portfolio cases, their are endless options to choose from. No matter what your idea remember that your goal is to focus on your work.
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ILLUSTRATION Mitchell Harvey
Limit Work There is no need to show all your work, you only need to select your best work. It is important to select the right work for your portfolio. Ask teachers, friends, family members and designer friends for their advice and remember to add content relevant for to the job your applying for. Most Clients and employers encourage 10 pieces of work to be shown during an interview, be prepared to talk about your work and how you came up with the design from the original brief given.
UP AND COMING DESIGNERS Some of the best young talent
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Order Your strongest piece should be added to the start of your portfolio so that once they open your portfolio they are instantly impressed by your work. The last page is equally as important as you want the viewer to be left with a good impression of your work. Presentation Talking about your work can be a daunting task but if your well prepared and confident in your work, speaking about your work will come naturally. If your not confident you need to practice talking about the client, the brief, what the concept was and your part in the project. Practice makes perfect so practice talking about your work with family, friends or other peers.
CREATING A PORTFOLIO Skye Spencer Promotion Material
Promotional items can act as an introduction to an employer or a reminder of an interview. Having a promotional item can show a potential employer you are creative and willing to go
CHAIN REACTION Design competition
26 the extra mile. Promotion items do not need to be a huge promotional gimmick they can be simple print outs or postcards to novelty items such as pens, mugs and mouse pads, the list goes on. Most importantly remember to put your name and contact details on all promotion material. Post presentation Pointers After an interview send a thank you note, either by email or post. This enables you to send them more samples of your work and over time it will open more opportunities to send them updates website details, awards competitions and stay in touch. Website Having an online presence is a necessary for all creative fields as accessing the website is available to everyone around the world and is quick and easy. It is an easy source for employers to check back on your work and follow your latest work.
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A design comp then has to in each issue get
Please send yo
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SIMPLE MEMORABLE SIMPLE
MEMORABLE
A simple logo design allows for easy recognition and allows the logo to be versatile & memorable. Good logos feature something unique without being overdrawn. While in college in the mid-70’s an instructor introduced me to the K.I.S.S. Principle of design; which translates to: Keep It Simple, Stupid. It does convey a very important design consideration. Simple logos are often easily recognized, incredibly memorable and the most effective in conveying the requirements of the client. A refined and distilled identity will also catch the attention of a viewer zipping by signage at 70 miles per hour, on packaging on the crowded shelves of a store, or in any other vehicle used for advertising, marketing and promotion. Remember, the basis of the hugely effective international branding for the world’s largest shoe manufacturer is a very simple graphic swoosh. ~ Jeff Fisher
Following closely behind the principle of simplicity, is that of memorability. An effective logo design should be memorable and this is achieved by having a simple yet appropriate logo. Surprising to many, the subject matter of a logo is of relatively little importance, and even appropriateness of content does not always play a significant role. This does not imply that appropriateness is undesirable. It merely indicates that a one-to-one relationship between a symbol and what it symbolized is very often impossible to achieve and, under certain conditions, objectionable. Ultimately, the only mandate in the design of logos, it seems, is that they be distinctive, memorable, and clear. ~ Paul Rand
APPROPRIATE TIMELESS VERSATILE APPROPRIATE
VERSATILE
How you position the logo should be appropriate for its intended purpose. For example, if you are designing a logo for children’s toys store, it would be appropriate to use a childish font & colour scheme. This would not be so appropriate for a law firm. It is also important to state that a logo doesn’t need to show what a business sells or offers as a service. ie. Car logos don’t need to show cars, computer logos don’t need to show computers. The Harley Davidson logo isn’t a motorcycle, nor is the Nokia logo a mobile phone. A logo is purely for identification. For further evidence of this, take the top 50 brands of the world – 94% of the logos do not describe what the company does. Should a logo be self-explanatory? It is only by association with a product, a service, a business, or a corporation that a logo takes on any real meaning. A logo derives its meaning and usefulness from the quality of that which it symbolizes. If a company is second rate, the logo will eventually be perceived as second rate. It is foolhardy to believe that a logo will do its job immediately, before an audience has been properly conditioned. ~ Paul Rand
An effective logo should be able to work across a variety of mediums and applications. The logo should be functional. For this reason a logo should be designed in vector format, to ensure that it can be scaled to any size. The logo should be able to work both in horizontal and vertical formats. Ask yourself is a logo still effective if: - Printed in one colour? - Printed on the something the size of a postage stamp? - Printed on something as large as a billboard? - Printed in reverse (ie. light logo on dark background) One way around creating a versatile logo is to begin designing in black and white only. This allows one to focus on the concept and shape, rather than the subjective nature of colour. One must also remember printing costs, the more colors used the more expensive it will be for the business over the long term. I like to work first in black and white to ensure that the logo will look good in its simplest form. Color is very subjective and emotional. This can distract from the overall design, say if you saw your logo in all red, that color may be the first thing that you respond to and not the composition of the design elements. I will not even consider submitting color suggestions to a client for review until they have signed off on a final black and white logo. ~ Patrick Winfield
TIMELESS An effective logo should be timeless that is, it will endure the ages. Will the logo still be effective in 10, 20, 50 years? Leave trends to the fashion industry.Trends come and go, and when you’re talking about changing a pair of jeans, or buying a new dress, that’s fine, but where your brand identity is concerned, longevity is key. Don’t follow the pack. Stand out. ~ David Airey
www.carnavaldebarranquilla.org
INTEGRITY Believe In
yourself
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SAYNO TO FREE
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MATT HILL INTERVIEW WITH MATTHEW HILL A SELF TAUGHT PHOTOGRAPHER WHO SHARES WHO HE IS AND WHAT INSPIRES HIM
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“My greatest lesson in life is to fail at trying once and to perfect the attempt the second time round”
Tell us about yourself? Hey Everyone! My names Matt Hill! Fun loving down to earth guy born and raised in country NSW, Wagga Wagga. I absolutely loved my childhood growing up and wouldn’t change it for the world. My mum Carol was extremely creative, having her own business in everything craft, from sign writing and painting to sewing and sculpting and pretty much everything else hands on. She encouraged all us kids to get creative from a young age which I’m forever grateful for now because if it wasn’t for mum I wouldn’t have such a passion for creating my photos! It’s been since I moved to Melbourne in 2010 I’ve literally taken the dive into the industry, surrounding myself with other creative minds in styling, hair styling, make up, designers and of course other amazing photographers. I feel most comfortable behind the camera and adore the process from start to finish. I’m yet to study photography however my greatest lesson in life is to fail at trying once and to perfect the attempt the second time round. So to me making mistakes is a given, no ones perfect, life is one big lesson and to be able to move forward and learn from these mistakes is the best ability anyone can have. To me lifes fun, taking photos, hanging out with friends, meeting new people making unforgettable memories to last a lifetime is a life worth living. My outlook is big. And with what you all see as a sample of my work is just that.
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Describe your Style? My style is classic yet modern, beautiful yet quirky. I love the process of beautifying a moment and creating looks that haven’t been seen before, and to be honest, my thought process isn’t that of a lengthy one. My mind and I agree I speak it though with everyone involved and its then created into images for everyone to see. I love fashion Photography, and all concepts involved in that, having a creative partner helps with the thought process also, Mitchell James has been with me from the start creating all the amazing hair styles for our shoots, he also does the makeup for some shoots also. How did you start out? When I lived in Wagga I edited short movies, birthday celebrations and video memorabilia of all kinds. Having such an intense and time consuming process, sitting in front of my computer for hours and hours on end I wanted to come more involved on set, away from the computer, so my brother and I purchased our very first Digital SLR from the states. The way I see it for me, it was the beginning of the end, trading my video editing for photography entirely.
girl Amy in Wagga. She was interested in having some portfolio work done and we put together some concepts and shot away with a surprising result! I think that was the moment I knew this is what I love, this is what I want to do in my life. What Inspires you? I could literally be here all day with this question. I like to think life in general inspires me. I like to take the littlest things in life for granted and appreciate the statement “reading between the lines” I’m very open minded so the unique elements of life and people inspire me to appreciate that, I like to think other photographers inspire me, Peter Coulson is one of many, He’s 30 years strong in the industry and creates absolutely stunning images. www.petercoulson.com.au if you wish to check his work out! Where can we see more of your stuff? I’m in the process of building a website, and growing a healthy portfolio of work in the meantime. For the time being, simply click on Matt Hill Photography on facebook and you can browse through my galleries.
What’s the first photograph you remember taking? I’ve always taken photos from a ripe young age with my pops big old brick of a camera but with some sort of structure in place my first photo “shoot” was with a 15
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Every Time You Give Blood Australian Red Cross
BLOOD SERVICE
Place: Time:
BEN TREVASKIS What first drew you to the creative industry? I figured out most people in sociality work 40 hours a week and I was going to be one of them. So I decided to try and find something I enjoyed to do, not just a mind numbing tasks that would give you a pay check at the end of the week. I enjoy in the creative industry that you are in control of your own work and what you produce. Whats the best advice you’ve been given? They may only be rissole’s but it’s what you do with them. Its basically to keep it simple but do different things with simple design elements. Whats your dream job? To work in a team with high design standards, that is forever lifting the bar on their designs, and having the time to do so. Where do you see you’re your in career in 5 years? Firstly happy and healthy, but my dream job at the
moment is to be a freelancer and just work from my laptop where ever I am in the world. What stage of the creative process is your favorite? My favorite is when I’m trying to figure out a how to make a project work. Then after a while of researching, sketching ideas and playing around you and then comes the eureka moment when you have the idea to make the project go from good to excellent. Where do you gain your inspiration for your designs? It’s a mix books, magazines, online research and just being aware of all the design around you all day and drawing from that. What advice do you have for creative students trying to crack into the industry? Don’t make it your job make it your lifestyle, as a designer you will never clock off. Open your eyes to all kinds of designs and let in influence you.
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A G U I D E TO
CRE AT I NG A PORTFOLIO A N D E Q U A L LY I M P O R T A N T, W H A T T O L E A V E O U T
In the design world designing a portfolio is quiet a challenge, as everyone has his or her own opinion on how it should be done. There is no right or wrong way to design your portfolio but there are defiantly some guidelines to follow to help you understand the needs of those you are going to work for.
Research As the Graphic Design industry grows so does the competitiveness to get into the industry, with many young eager designers out of collage looking for that dream job, it makes it important to research your prospective employer before contacting them or applying for the job. Basically the more you know about your potential employer before an interview the better your chances are at impressing them and giving you a better chance over other applicants, it will also make you morew confident and able to target your portfolio to suit the needs of the company. Exhibitions and Competitions Many employers attend Student exhibitions to look for junior designers to employee, so it is always a good idea to stand close to your stand on opening night and hand out promotional material to anyone who takes an interest in your work. Entering competitions can help you raise your profile in the design world.
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The Right Portfolio When creating a portfolio there is no right or wrong way, you can be as creative as you like. You do not have to follow the conventual standard black portfolio, you could create custom handmade books or portfolio cases, their are endless options to choose from. No matter what your idea remember that your goal is to focus on your work. Limit Work There is no need to show all your work, you only need to select your best work. It is important to select the right work for your portfolio. Ask teachers, friends, family members and designer friends for their advice and remember to add content relevant for to the job your applying for. Most Clients and employers encourage 10 pieces of work to be shown during an interview, be prepared to talk about your work and how you came up with the design from the original brief given.
& ONDPO C HS BEY EX ay
thw
IT ng y orki ud St etw &N
Who students in years 10 & 12 parents school leavers
Order Your strongest piece should be added to the start of your portfolio so that once they open your portfolio they are instantly impressed by your work. The last page is equally as important as you want the viewer to be left with a good impression of your work. Presentation Talking about your work can be a daunting task but if your well prepared and confident in your work, speaking about your work will come naturally. If your not confident you need to practice talking about the client, the brief, what the concept was and your part in the project. Practice makes perfect so practice talking about your work with family, friends or other peers. Promotion Material Promotional items can act as an introduction to an employer or a reminder of an interview. Having a promotional item can show a potential employer you are creative and willing to go
a rp ou ky rac ity t t ers t fas univ s u to ug
A 24 7 pm 5-
Where Wagga TAFE campus Plumbing Technology Facility Coleman Street
Contact 02 6938 1300
the extra mile. Promotion items do not need to be a huge promotional gimmick they can be simple print outs or postcards to novelty items such as pens, mugs and mouse pads, the list goes on. Most importantly remember to put your name and contact details on all promotion material. Post presentation Pointers After an interview send a thank you note, either by email or post. This enables you to send them more samples of your work and over time it will open more opportunities to send them updates website details, awards competitions and stay in touch. Website Having an online presence is a necessary for all creative fields as accessing the website is available to everyone around the world and is quick and easy. It is an easy source for employers to check back on your work and follow your latest work.
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A design competition were you the designer is given a list of ever growing elements then has to interpret them however they want to create an image. The winner of each issue gets to add an element for the next issue. Please send your image to chainreaction@shiftmag.com
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ONE Jenna Unsworth www.jennaunsworth.com.au
ONE, CITY Ben Trevaskis www.bentrevaskis.com
ONE, CITY, FEATHER Mitch Harvey www.mitchharvey.com
ONE, CITY, FEATHER, CAMERA Chris Scane www.chrisscane.com
Next issues list of elements
ONE, CITY, FEATHER, CAMERA, PINK, CLUB All entrances due by the 15th of May 2012
ONE, CITY, FEATHER, CAMERA, PINK Skye Spencer www.skyespencer.com 29