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 - Elmwood

Elmwood had been in to set us a brief titled 'brand the boring', where I was given the profession of a removal company. From this, I was lucky enough to be selected to go and pitch my final idea at the studio based in Leeds. Initially I was nervous, however when we arrived Steph was extremely accommodating and friendly which put me at ease. Before the presentations, we were given the opportunity to take a look around the studio to see the working environment, where a vast array of creatives were hard at work. The atmosphere was very inspiring and the surroundings were extremely motivational.

The pitch itself was quite casual and I felt confident in getting my concept across. It was great to get some feedback straight away, taking note on how I could build upon, expand and change my ideas. This experience really helped with my presentation skills, both in terms of speaking and visuals, which will become extremely useful when it comes to pitching my ideas to clients.

Feedback

- Works just as well without the tagline
- 'Shift It' is extremely effective, maybe doesn't need the rest
- Beautiful illustrations
- How could you expand on your illustrations?
- Could stack illustrations on top of each other to create something more animated
- Make use of the pattern more on application of the vehicles

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.

STUDIO VISITS - email correspondance

Me:
Hello there!

I am Beth, a third year Graphic Design student at Leeds College of Art, whose hometown is Carlisle. I have been looking around at your website, and I am extremely interested in the work you are producing, particularly the foil blocked wedding invitations and the stuff you have done for Tullie House.

I would love it if we could organise a suitable time for me to come and visit your studio. It would be great to see how your studio is run, and see all the wonderful stuff you are creating! Really looking forward to hearing back from you.

Thanks,

Beth Hayden

James:

Hi Beth,

Thanks for getting in touch. 

I'm not entirely sure what there is to be gained from looking round our humble basement studio (that is in dire need of redecorating), but I'm sure we can work something out.

When were you wanting to come and visit?

Me:

Hi James,

thanks for the response. It will be great to come and have a chat with you about the work you're doing! I have two weeks off from the 17th January, would Saturday 18th be ok or would a weekday be better for you?

Thanks for your time,

Beth

James:

Hi Beth,

A weekday would be better for us, how are you fixed for the week of the 20th?

Me:

I'm free all that week apart from the Friday. Monday 20th would work for me if that's alright with you? 

Thanks,

Beth

James:

Hi Beth,

Monday 20th works for us too. Shall we say 11am?

Me:

Sounds great, James. See you then.

Thanks,

Beth

STUDIO VISIT - Numiko

After Numiko came to visit us, they made it clear that digital design wasn't always what it seemed. I was intrigued by the fact that designing for web doesn't necessarily mean that you have to code or in fact know how to code. They also opened up another side of web for me in terms of illustration. I always thought that my skills and interests didn't reflect onto digital, however illustration was used often within their work.

From this, myself, Imogen and Jenna decided to organise a studio visit in order to gain a better insight into the work being produce at Numiko, as well as to see the studio environment and how each individual works as part of a team.

I found this to be a really interesting and beneficial experience. Initially I was very nervous, yet going with my peers gave me the confidence to ask questions and interact with those in the studio. I feel that this will go on to ease me into other visits. It was all very new to me as I had never seen an existing working environment. We were introduced to different members of the team, who had their own work spaces, each taking on different roles. We were also given the opportunity to speak to an intern who had just recently graduated which was a great insight into how they had progressed since university.

About Numiko

We’re an established/award winning digital agency solving problems for our clients through user research, design and technology.

We have a team of 27 talented people working across a variety of disciplines.

- Research: knowing who your users are, what they think and what they do is incredibly useful. Never skip; do not pass go.

- Strategy: how best to engage with your users to persuade them do something.
User Experience: understanding how users move through systems and services.

- Digital Design and Brand development: brands can and should be developed to take advantage of interaction. So often they are not.

- Bullet proof tech: we prefer and therefore only use open source, largely Drupal. We can make it go very fast without falling over. We can make it do what we and our clients want, rather than us working for the machines.