Portfolio by tara francis-smith

TARA FRANCIS-SMITH P O R T F O L I O

FASH 20031

CONTENTS SELF-PROMOTION WHAT AM I LIKE...................................5 LOGO DEVELOPMENT..............................7 BUSINESS CARD...................................13 DESIGN PACKAGE..................................15 BUSINESS CV......................................19 VISUAL CV..........................................22 COVERING LETTER................................23 ONLINE PORTFOLIO...............................25 SUMMER WORK.....................................27 FASHION ARTEFACTS..............................29 MOVING MANIFESTO...............................31

ALL WALKS ‘WHAT IS BEAUTY?’ PHOTOSHOOT.............35 VICE MAGAZINE....................................39 BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS...........................41 DIVERSITY NOW....................................43 LORD WHITNEY.....................................45

SELF-PROMOTION To promote yourself as a brand is one of the most important things you can do when trying to enter into an industry that is fast-paced, forward-thinking and most of all, fiercely competitive. We have focussed a lot on how to visually communicate brand messages and develop our research skills in the critical analysis of graphics practice and design development, but havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet applied it to ourselves. This module allowed us to start critically thinking about how we want to perceived in industry, refining our visual style and promoting ourselves as a brand. Taking a look at all my design work over first and second year at University gave a clear representation of my aesthetic style, a collection of simplistic but bold designs which embody elements of a graphic nature but remain minimal at the same time. I seem to be visually drawn to designs that embody symmetry and precision, but I find when juxtaposed with opposite elements is when something really comes to life. I have really enjoyed translating my visual style in to my entire body of work and have remained consistent to show a focussed representation of myself as a brand.

What Am I Like? Taking the question what am I like and turning it into a creative representation of myself acted as a great starting point for my self-promotion work. The brief simply asked us to visually represent ten things about ourselves and it allowed me to creatively explore the things that make me the person I am. Photography is a big part of my life so I incorporated this medium to form the basis of my idea. Taking all the different elements of my personality and interests, I took individual photographs and manipulated them on Photoshop into Polaroid frames. Printing these out, I hung them with small wooden pegs to pieces of string in my bedroom and took a photograph of the finished piece. They casted a lovely shadow on the wall behind which makes the composition come to life and adds a three dimensional aspect to it. The images show some of my illustrations, photography, home comforts and most valued possessions and each element allows viewers a small insight in to the sort of person I am. Picking ten significant things about myself and visually representing them in an image, allowed me to reflect on certain aspects of my personality and started my thinking process towards promoting myself as a brand.

Logo Devlopment

As part of this module we have been asked to promote ourselves as a Fashion Communicator and Promoter within a broader fashion landscape, exploring and refining ourselves as a brand. In order to develop my own identity I have taken everything I’ve learnt from this module including my ‘What am I like’ piece of work and started to channel this into promoting myself as a brand. Creating a logo and business card to visually represent myself will enhance my employability skills and give employers an insight into my aesthetic style. To get some inspiration I began looking at innovative business card designs and logos, looking for potential colour ideas and type faces. I wanted to make sure I kept to the style of work that I developed throughout first year and have continued to refine throughout this year. I created some illustrations and collages that embody the colour palette I enjoy working with, which I then scanned in to use as a starting point for the development of my logo.

After looking through some of my previous visual work, I started to get a better idea of what style I wanted to portray in my business card. These are some of my initial designs. I was immediately drawn to the diamond shape I had seen in some previous images, the graphic lines and minimal style resounded with me and formed the basis of my development work. My style is quite simple and minimal with strong graphic elements so I decided to expand on the diamond shape and make it my own. Using the lines in my initials I began joining them together, experimenting with stroke weight and duplicating shapes. I wanted to create my own shape as the diamond itself isn’t an original representative of myself; I just liked the structural composition and graphic lines. Using my scanned in illustrations I started to insert colour and texture to get a better idea of what colour palette to use in the final product.

Logo Devlopment

Taking inspiration from my initial designs I started to create my own shapes, incorporating geometric lines in a simplistic composition. I really liked the first shape I created out of the four triangles and later realised how they had formed the letter T in the middle. Exploring this idea further, I removed the top triangles and replaced them with a simple line which created an interesting symbol that I have translated into these designs. I experimented with extending the lines within the circle similar to my initial design with the diamond and played around with colour to start thinking about a potential business card. I like the striking juxtaposition of black and white but I feel having a slight injection of colour is more representative of me.

Business Card Development

Final Logo Designs

After putting my logo designs into the dimensions of a standard business card with different coloured backgrounds, I realised it would look more aesthetically pleasing to have a white card with the background design inside my logo instead. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel like the busy and bright backgrounds represented my design aesthetic so I started to place my illustrations into the shape of my logo. I played around with different parts of them in triangular shapes in the bottom three designs to see which colours worked best. I have chosen to stick with a triangle as the outer shape instead of a circle as I feel it works better with the coloured design in the background and complements the angles within my logo.

Business Card

I chose this design as my final logo and started to translate it onto a business card. I wanted to convey a simple and minimal design with graphic elements and an interesting injection of colour to visually represent my style. Placing one of my illustrations into the background of the logo creating a triangle shape has worked well with the overall composition. I experimented with the transparency levels to make sure the lines inside were clearly visible and werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t being overshadowed. I carried the same minimal aspects of my design onto the back of the card continuing to translate the symmetrical nature of the shapes and lines. When developing my logo I already had a strong idea on what typeface would work well with the different design elements. Tall Films complemented the aesthetic of my logo quite well and as I have used the font throughout my work in second year, I think it is a good representation of my personal visual style.

TARA FRANCIS-SMITH FASHION CREATIVE tfrancissmith@gmail.com +4 4 7 7 9321 4 4 81

DESIGN PACKAGE After finalising my logo and business card designs I started to think about how they would translate onto a piece of promotion. When sending any information out about myself to employers their first impressions will rely heavily on my logo, so it is vital that it visually represents my design ability and aesthetic style. Looking at the logo in different contexts gives me a better idea of how I can promote myself in the best way possible and visually showcase myself as a brand. Having an element of colour in the design creates a nice juxtaposition against a simple, clean document but still remains professional with the angular lines and geometrical nature of the design. Having the illustration in the background allows me to play with different patterns and textures in the future depending on the nature of work I am involved in and will allow me to show a range of styles whilst remaining consistent keeping the linear shapes inside.

DESIGN PACKAGE

BUSINESS CV

Tara Francis-Smith 24 Goldswong Terrace Nottingham NG3 4HB Tel: 01452 571110

Mob: 07793214481

Email: tfrancissmith@gmail.com

Education and Qualifications

2012-present Nottingham Trent University Ba (Hons) Fashion Communication and Promotion -Knowledge in the communication of fashion and lifestyle in a global environment and the development of brand message -Expansive skill set in visual communication -Understanding of the links between branding, advertising, PR and the visual message 2011-2012 Foundation Diploma in Art&Design Distinction 2009-2011

High School for Girls, Denmark Road A Levels: Art and Design (A); Business Studies (A); English Literature (B)

2005-2011

High School for Girls, Denmark Road 12 GCSEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grades A*-B including English Literature and Maths

2013 Fiat and Mazda, Cheltenham -Explored an advanced level of promotion work demonstrating critical thinking when identifying strengths and approaching problems -Expanded skills in service orientation actively finding ways to help customers -Developed a stronger set of speaking skills having to talk to customers on a daily basis to convey information effectively 2013 Okishama and Simmonds, Cheltenham -First-hand experience in the set up and development of a new flower business, identifying complex problems and working under pressure to meet deadlines -Extended organisational and time-management skills, making sure all products were at the right place at the right time -Showed dedication working long hours over my stated contract to complete work to the highest possible standard Additional Skills .Fully conversant with Word, InDesign and Photoshop .Full clean UK driving license and have driven abroad

Employment

2009 The British Heart Foundation, Gloucester -Gave me the opportunity to practice and develop my social skills in a working environment -Gained confidence and developed skills in customer service, dealing with complaints and offering advice -Learned the importance of keeping stock tidy and organised

Sport

Attended gymnastics and horse riding for several years and have a keen interest in fitness, regularly attending the gym

School

Form prefect during sixth form playing a vital role in supporting pupils and organising charity events, raising money for a variety of charities and the school itself. Took part in a team Business Enterprise competition finishing 1st place

2009-11 Sales Assistant, Debenhams, Next, Cheltenham -Gained valuable commercial awareness, understanding how a fast-paced business operates and how commercial decisions are made -Remained calm under pressure and showed a positive, approachable attitude towards customers -Created a supportive team ethos to meet seasonal demands and remained reliable and responsible throughout all tasks Work Experience

Art Foundation

Helped organise and set up a fashion show for primary school children and attended contextual study lectures in Art and Design

2012 Blue Vintage Shop, Stroud -Involved in the set up and development of store working under pressure to meet deadlines and generating awareness around brand -Gained important skills in relation to the level of attention to detail in visual merchandising and window displays

Interests and Achievements

Referees John Stadnicki Lucy Norris (Tutor, Art Foundation) (Lecturer) Stroud Nottingham Trent University Gloucestershire Nottingham Email: jstadnicki@tiscali.co.uk Email: lucy.norris@ntu.ac.uk Tel: 07870832901

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TIO A C U ED

Visual CV As part of our self-promotion work we were asked to produce a visual CV, one that we could send to employers to set ourselves apart from competitors and show our visual style when applying for a creative position that requires design ability. As this is the field I want to go in to, I tried to translate my personal aesthetic into my CV portraying my graphic minimal style with the typeface used and the simple use of colour that translates from my logo. As my Business CV has a lot of information on, I cut it down to present a more focused selection of my experience and abilities to create a more visually pleasing and readable representation of myself.

SwiftKey 91-95 Southwark Bridge Road London SE1 0AX

Covering Letter As part of my self-promotion work I researched into the company Swift Key and found a Visual Designer position available. I have written a covering letter tailored to the company and the particular role I would be applying for, which would be sent along with my CV. Throughout this year I have been thinking about the area of industry I would like to go in after University and feel my strengths lie within a more creative position which involves using digital technology to visually communicate brand messages, products and services.

tfrancissmith@gmail.com 07793214481

Dear Jon Reynolds, I am writing you this letter regarding the position available for a new Visual Designer at SwiftKey. My name is Tara Francis-Smith and I am currently attending Nottingham Trent University, studying Fashion Communication and Promotion. My course has allowed me to explore all aspects of the communication of brands, products and services and has given me a powerful combination of targeted creative skills and insightful industry perspective. Throughout my course I have developed visual communication skills in research and critical analysis of graphics practice and design development, which is a key skill required for this position. I have a full understanding of what it means to be a part of a team and develop and deliver design ideas effectively. Having completed an Art Foundation course before University, I have enveloped an extensive range of illustration skills and design ability. This will be useful when creating concepts, prototypes and final production versions of a diverse range of digital assets for mobile phone, tablet and future platforms. I am extremely keen to be a part of an innovative company that creates world class language technology, transforming digital applications that successfully target challenging real-world language problems. Your success in the consumer market and production of highly established partnerships within industry shows your brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to the importance of the consumer, which is something I have learnt is vital when creating great customer experiences. My broad knowledge on the use of Adobe Photoshop and InDesign will allow me to design, create and present innovative digital solutions exerting my visual literacy skills and contributing to a team that is passionate about its technology and products. My work experience with Fiat and Mazda has enabled me to expand on my communication and promotion skills demonstrating critical thinking when identifying strengths and approaching problems. Being a part of a supportive team ethos showed me how to thrive in a team driven environment, expanding my written and spoken communications skills to both clients and partners. I would look forward to the opportunity to put my knowledge to use and work within a company that places high importance on the experiences it creates for consumers. Please find attached a copy of my CV.

Yours Sincerely, Tara Francis-Smith

ONLINE PORTFOLIO ht t p: / / car goco lle c tive .c o m/ fra n c iss mith

Summer Work Experience Over Summer I wanted to get some more industry experience to enhance my CV and start putting some of my learnt skills from first year into practice. I managed to get some promotion work at Fiat and Mazda which helped improve my communication skills having to talk to consumers on a regular basis about new products and generate brand awareness. I found it really useful going into an industry that I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know much about and pushing myself to understand the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s values and visual aesthetics and promote their products. I was also involved in the set-up of a new business, Okishama and Simmonds florist company. Seeing first-hand how they developed their brand was a really great experience for me and also improved my time management and organisational skills massively. At the end of the week, after setting up workshops, generating awareness around the brand and promoting their products, I was involved in a promotional photoshoot for their Wedding services.

FASHION ARTEFACTS As part of our ongoing self-promotion work, we were asked to bring in 5 fashion artefacts that represent us and take images of them in interesting places, experimenting with composition and props. Looking at how textures and colours juxtaposed with eachother I began arranging the props in different settings to see how they translated on camera. In these images I decided to play around with the composition placing the items in weird settings and shapes, challenging the obvious in ways I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t before. It started giving me some inspiration for my moving manifesto. The three images of the trousers and shoe sparked ideas of stop frame animation which is something I explored further when moving on to my digital moving image.

Moving Manifesto

Link to Video on Youtube with sound http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVXqk6_RpPI&feature=youtu.be

For my moving manifesto I created a stop frame animation that acted as an extension from my ‘What Am I Like?’ moodboard. Photographing our 5 fashion artefacts presenting a personal visual manifesto acted as a starting point to start making us think about how we could potentially translate it into a moving digital image form. I decided to take a more personal and informal route when creating my animation and allow myself to get creative with a medium I haven’t previously used before. The images that enter the frame are being pulled by myself and represent aspects of my personality that I previously showed in my moodboard. I wanted to portray a night to day sequence using a spotlight to resemble a sun and then repeat the use of tea to create a night sky.

ALL WALKS For the rest of the semester we focused on behaviour change within fashion, communication and promotion and began looking at how diversity is portrayed within these sectors. As fashion communicators and promoters we need to start thinking about how we can stimulate a behaviour change among the masses and start allowing people to appreciate the beauty in difference. We completed a number of briefs, in teams and individually, that required us to think about our responsibilities as industry professionals analysing and interpreting notions of beauty, identity and role models and thinking about how we can change the standard of these in the future.

What is Beauty?

The first brief we were given in teams was to carry out a photographic shoot based around diversity and the theme ‘What is Beauty?’. We started researching into artists like Jenny Saville and Doug Auld who create impactful, beautifully intimate pieces of work that celebrate the beauty in imperfection. We decided to portray a similar notion in our own set of images, forcing people to confront their emotions when faced with a beauty that isn’t the social norm and start to look past their initial shock and see the journey one takes through healing and personal acceptance. We photographed someone who has had facial scars his entire life and has had to deal with social prejudice and discrimination growing up. His journey through self-acceptance gave us a greater insight into the struggles people who differ from society’s distorted standards face and this developed into a thought evoking set of images.

What is Beauty? A really important element to our photographic shoot was to have this relationship between what is real and what isn’t. Having Charlie as a model, in the previous images, who has had real facial scars since he was a young boy, gave us a greater knowledge on how people feel when their appearance doesn’t fit in with what is classed as ‘beautiful’. We wanted to show people how beautiful the process of healing is and force them to confront their emotions when faced with an ‘imperfect beauty’. Creating gelatin burns on our model Mike portrayed an impactful, raw image to viewers that might generate a subconscious reaction to look away in shock or disgust. We wanted to challenge peoples usual reactions to diversity, hoping that after witnessing the beautiful journey Charlie has been through in terms of healing and accepting his identity, viewers can reassess how they look and judge someone who doesn’t typically live up to society’s usual standards.

VICE MAGAZINE

As part of our photographic shoot and illustrated essay on ‘What is Beauty’ we were asked to individually format our images into the context of the magazine they would most likely be featured in. The magazine we felt was most appropriate for our set of photographs and the concept behind them was Vice, known for its controversial nature and gritty tone of voice, they pride themselves on being a publication that speaks the unspoken truths of our society. I designed my illustrated essay in the format of Vice magazine and these are two of the front covers I created using the finalised images from our ‘What is Beauty’ photoshoot.

Bright Young Things Brief This project was based around retail theatre and the curation of space. In teams we were given a specific designer to research and had to think about how the designer’s space would look in a Selfridge’s store. We were given Williams British Handmade, which is a bespoke luggage company who produce traditional and completely original artefacts. During a trip to London we had the opportunity to research into our designers and start thinking about where their space would go in the store and what it would look like. We created three moodboards to visually represent how the brand’s space would look, taking window displays and a summer space into account as well. The brand is very much based on traditional British heritage merging historical craftsmanship with modern geometrically shaped designs. One of the designer’s bags was based around the Orient Express so we decided to incorporate the idea of travel in our design with luggage popping out of the boot of a vintage car. It also connotes ideas of romance and love, the idea of couples travelling together and embarking on new journeys, which we showed through the idea of luggage tags on the bags with messages from loved ones. Taking inspiration from some of the stores we visited in London and exhibitions, we chose to have bags hanging on clear wire which will cast beautiful shapely designs on the walls as they spin. Although the bags themselves look very minimal and modern, they have all been hand crafted and sewn using traditional techniques of saddle stitching. We wanted to show the brands British heritage through the window display portraying a vintage aesthetic in the form of an old workshop. We felt it showed a really nice juxtaposition of new and old which is at the heart of the brand’s core values

Diversity Now The following image is my personal entry for the Diversity Now competition presented by All Walks Beyond The Catwalk. During this module we have been looking at how we as fashion communicators and promoters have a responsibility to change behaviour and the future of how fashion is communicated to the masses. Diversity has always been a problem in this industry, and we as individuals have a chance to redefine boundaries, step beyond stereotypes and celebrate all beauty and body ideals in age, size and race. In this set of images I have taken intimate portraits of four males from all walks of life, that celebrate and highlight the distinctive beauty of the human form. Each image emphasizes the beauty in originality and the uniqueness in our differences, pushing against the barriers we have formed as a society regarding race. I have put the images together to form a powerful and impactful set that showcases the beauty in each individual, communicating the message that with diversity comes creativity and this should be something that is celebrated in our society.

Lord Whitney Lord Whitney is a collaboration of designers who create innovative set and costume designs. We had a two day workshop with the brand, where we were working in large groups of ten to create a fashion film or photo promoting a specific object. We were asked to produce a set of images of an alarm clock, so we started to brainstorm and think of ways we could visually represent the object without being too literal. We asked ourselves what is associated with the object considering function, form, appearance and colour and tried to look at it from a completely different angle. Deciding to create a stop frame animation and personify the alarm clock, we documented its process through dream to reality. We thought of ways to visually represent night time transitioning to day time using props to show the clock in a dream state. We had loads of fun being creative with materials and working together towards a finished piece that resembled a similar playful energy to some of Lord Whitneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own work.