PLACEMENT - circumstances

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen family circumstances, I was unable to carry on with my placement as I wasn't able to put 100% into it at the time. This was explained to James and he was extremely understanding about the situation. Fortunately, I am able to reschedule the placement for a time that would be more appropriate, which will be a great opportunity.

PLACEMENT - diary

Design development/research

Looking at Victorian and Steampunk imagery and illustration to see how this could be incorporated into the flyer.

"Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialised Western civilisation during the 19th century. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the 19th century's British Victorian era or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power. Steampunk perhaps most recognisably features anachronistic technologies or retro-futuristic inventions as people in the 19th century might have envisioned them, and is likewise rooted in the era's perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art. Such technology may include fictional machines like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or the modern authors Philip Pullman, Scott Westerfeld, Stephen Hunt and China Miéville. Other examples of steampunk contain alternative history-style presentations of such technology as lighter-than-air airships, analog computers, or such digital mechanical computers as Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine.

Steampunk may also incorporate additional elements from the genres of fantasy, horror, historical fiction, alternate history, or other branches of speculative fiction, making it often a hybrid genre. The term steampunk's first known appearance was in 1987, though it now retroactively refers to many works of fiction created even as far back as the 1950s or 1960s.

Steampunk also refers to any of the artistic styles, clothing fashions, or subcultures, that have developed from the aesthetics of steampunk fiction, Victorian-era fiction, art nouveau design, and films from the mid-20th century. Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk" style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been described as steampunk." - wiki

Starting to develop some possible aesthetics, as well as looking at appropriate colour schemes that have been picked out from the exhibition itself.

Imagery/type/colour development:

Type and header development:

PLACEMENT - diary

As well as visiting the exhibition, I decided to set up a Pinterest board particularly for this brief. The board would feature relevant imagery, including steam punks, gears and circus type and visuals. This would help to inform my design and spur on ideas.

PLACEMENT - diary

I went to visit the Mechanical Circus exhibition after getting a pass off the museum. It was a really interesting experience, and it had a slightly strange atmosphere. It was full of wooden mechanical toys, tents, lights and posters. I was told to try and focus on the inner workings of everything featured in the museum, but also to look at anything else that caught my eye. After visiting the exhibition, I decided to sort the photographs I had taken into two sections in order to help organise and inform my design visuals. The sections were circus type and mechanics.

PLACEMENT - diary

Brief details:

- 18th May
Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery Trust (Gill Sans)

- Museums At Night

- Double sided A5 poster

- Steampunk Circus inspired

Possible starting points:

1. Big top image - circus is coming to town
2. Close up of gears etc

- Audience is 16+ but need to target students

- "Weird" sayings, quotes, imagery, direction

- Vintage, Victorian visuals

- Consider how scroll/type would work on top of image

- How would it work with illustrations?

- Consider colour that would work with this - yellow? Exhibition poster is currently yellow

Museums At Night 2014 = title + 150 words dummy copy
Can use shutter stock images - gears, cogs, steampunk, look at pints on pinterest for photos

Do two versions

1. Illustrative
2. Photographic

Gill Sans - spacing, change kerning to match existing posters

PLACEMENT - diary

Below are the details for the exhibition that the flyer is being designed for.

The Mechanical Circus

Date:  15th February 2014 - 1st June 2014

Location:

Art Gallery

Roll up! Roll up!  All the Fun of the Fair at Tullie House.

The Amazing Flying Reiver has brought his automata friends to town and they have taken over the Art Gallery.

This entertaining, circus-style exhibition combines modern mechanical sculptures with centuries-old physics games and puzzles to prove that science and technology are alive and absorbing – there’s never a dull moment here!

For the first time in the UK, you can see the marvellous, hilarious and at times hair-raising automata of the Mechanical Cabaret Theatre together with the scientific tricks, toys and spectacular experiments of the Museum Boerhaave, the Netherland’s state museum of science and medicine.

PLACEMENT - diary

On my first day I was given a spot in the studio to work at, and was hooked up to a to a monitor so that I could work across two screens. I was told that I was going to be given a brief to work on, and depending on how long this took me, I could be offered more work also. The brief itself was a live brief, with Tullie House being the client. I was extremely excited about this as I have mentioned previously that their connection was one of the reasons I was keen to do a placement here. The brief was to create both a poster and a leaflet for Tullie Houses's 'What's On' events, as well as one of their existing exhibitions - The Mechanical Circus. 

I was given the ins and outs of the brief, in terms of content, colour scheme, type and imagery. I decided that it would be best to go and see the exhibition itself in order to inform my design and gain a better understanding of the brief. The museum itself is only next door, therefore the studio called up and got me a badge pass that allowed me to go round and take some photographs. 

The experience was initially quite daunting, however I was made to feel comfortable and was excited to be given the opportunity to work on a live brief that they had been given by a client as this showed that they trusted my ability to design. 

ELMWOOD - pitch response

PLACEMENT - confirmation

Me:
Hi James,

I have just checked the dates that I am off in Easter. It will be from 31st March - 20th April. Thanks so much for letting me come round for a chat yesterday, I really appreciate it! Look forward to hearing from you soon,

Beth

James:

Hi Beth,

Thanks for letting me know. I'll have a chat with Gemma and see what dates suit us best and let you know closer to the time.

Me:

Hi James,

just to let you know that I'm going to be back in Carlisle for Easter from the 31st March - 11th April. I was just wondering whether or not the opportunity was still available to have a placement with you?

Thanks. Hope to hear from you soon,

Beth

James:

Hi Beth,

Yes, the opportunity is still here - apologies for not being in touch sooner.

I'll have a chat with Gemma today and let you know our preferred dates shortly.

Thanks

Me:

That's great, thanks James!

Beth

James:

Hi Beth,

I think it'll be best for us if you come in the week of the 31st March.

I'm not sure how many days you were wanting to be here, but if you turn up on Monday morning and we can take it from there. Can you bring your mac (I'm assuming you have one, apologies if not), and please let me know what version of Creative Suite you are running?

How does that sound to you?

Thanks

Me:

Hi James,

That sounds great. What time should I come in on Monday? I have a mac so I'll bring it in, currently running CS6! 

Thanks,

Beth

James:

Hi Beth,

We're in from 9, but if you come in at 9.30 that should give us time to get ourselves sorted.

STUDIO VISIT - Vincent & Bell

What do we do?

We design brands, brochures, magazines & websites.

Our clients include:

Roland Ltd, Allianz Musical Insurance, Pure Touch Beauty, Tullie House, Alpha International, St Stephen's Twickenham, Avalon Capital Markets and The NHS.

After getting in touch with Vincent & Bell, they gave me the opportunity to come and visit. Initially they were unsure as to why I wanted to visit, however I assured them that I was interested in their work and practice, and wanted to see a working environment. I was extremely nervous before going to the studio, I lack confidence when it comes to experiences like this, however I knew that I would be fine once I got there. 

I met both James and Gemma, who make up the studio, in their small basement studio, which was full of things that inspired them. They made me feel welcome and we sat down and had a chat about their experiences before coming together as Vincent & Bell, and their reasonings for setting up in Carlisle. It was great to see their passion for Graphic Design, and how they wanted to make Carlisle more aware of the arts. 

They showed me some of the previous projects they had worked on, as well as showing me some current ones, including packaging design for a bakery in the Lake District. They also work closely with Tullie House, a museum I have previously undertaken work experience at, so it was great to see the visuals. They do a lot of designing with their hands, not just wholly digitally, which is something that interested me in terms of their practice. They also work with a range of processes, including foiling. 

We discussed issues such as printing, sourcing stock and the boring bits, such as accounts. Whilst discussing what I was currently unto at university, I mentioned that I would love the opportunity to undertake a placement with them if that would be at all possible. They told me that they had never had anyone come and do a placement before, but they had had an intern. They looked at my work that I had brought in on a CD and both agreed that they would love to have me come and do a placement, which would be organised via email.