Issuu Links

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been posting much, it's been a bit hectic lately.

Basically we've just finished a project on Typography & Layout where we created a digital portfolio. If you fancy taking a look of some of my finished pieces which I've been too lazy to post on here, then it'd be cool!

Digital Portfolio

As part of my Uni applications I also had to create a portfolio of work, this time including images of my sketchbook development work, which I think is quite cool so click on this link if you want to look at experiments etc. 

Sketchbook & Work Portfolio

Finally, as part of our 'Typographic Quote' project (which I got a Distinction for, yay!), we were required to submit an essay about the historic development of typography, which was quite fun and interesting to do so click below if you fancy a read. 

The History of Typography

Just for the hell of it I may as well upload my finished pieces for this project since that's what I've been talking about. 

Universities

Over the last few months, I have visited a number of Universities, all of which had good and bad points. I am currently doing a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Graphic and Interactive Design working towards a grade of DDD so far, with projected UCAS points of 380.

The Universities I have visited are:

• DeMontfort, Leicester: Graphics with Illustration
• Loughborough: Graphics with Illustration
• NUA, Norwich: Illustration
• Nottingham Trent: Graphics
• Staffordshire: Illustration

DeMontfort 

Good points 

• Halls are within walking distance to campus and town centre
• Campus is being pedestrianised
• Multiple halls of residence
• Course is interesting and I liked the work on display
• University has good contacts with companies in industry 

Bad points

• A chance you won't be accepted into the second year
• Confusing 'Gurus and Grasshoppers' system
• Unsure how classes are set out: If first years have own studio space or is all years are together

Loughborough

Good points

• Everything you could need is on campus, which in itself is pedestrianised and spacious
• The course structure and content is really interesting
• Offer the Erasmus scheme to study abroad in Year 2
• Halls are homely and reasonably priced

Bad points

• We weren't told in prospectus or at the Open Day the exact wanted grades to get an interview or place on the course.

NUA

Good points

• Give students a lot of competition experience
• Course was interesting

Bad points

• Campus was spread out over town centre and halls were quite far away
• Halls expensive
• Actual work itself wasn't the kind of illustration I wanted to do.

Nottingham Trent

Good points

• Campus was all close together 

Bad points

• Person giving the course talk didn't seem interested at all and skipped through most of the slideshow which showed students work.
• Course was Graphics only
• Studio has all three year groups in the same room

Staffordshire

Good points

• Graphics and Illustration students get a permanent work space
• Topics and projects they do are interesting 
• Studios are spacious and comfortable

Bad points 

• We weren't told which projects are given to Graphics students and which are for Illustration
• Encouraged to make 3D versions of outcomes using wood and metal workshops

Based on these points, I will definitely be applying to DeMontfort and Loughborough, possibly Staffordshire. I wont apply to NUA and Nottingham Trent though. 

Creating a strong portfolio - Top Tips

I went on another open day to Norwich Uni of the Arts, and 

they had a talk there about what to do to improve your portfolio

and make it amazing. I'll share some of these with you now if you're thinking about

doing an Art course.

• Start and end with your best pieces: This will create a good first and last impression which will make your portfolio memorable.

• Don't have contradicting double pages: Try and make your work flow so you have all life-drawing things together and all digital things together etc. If you have some delicate sketches right next to a big, colourful collage, they'd be so different that one is bound to be overlooked by the viewer. 

• Be practical: Make your portfolio easy to carry around, don't take in large pieces of work or delicate sculptures. Photograph these instead! 

• Are plastic sleeves always appropriate? Yes, sleeves look nice and professional, but if you're doing textiles or a lot of collages where the texture has a contributing factor of impact, don't use sleeves if it will take away from the effect.

• Organise it YOUR way! Tutors tend to have a system for how students should organise their work, but this causes all portfolios from that school or college to look the same! Stand out and organise it how you want.

• Show your diversity and push yourself: Universities will be looking for students who are willing to experiment with different materials and techniques. Show that you can take yourself out of your comfort zone by using a style you don't feel confident with and explain this to them when having an interview.

• Is the content appropriate? If you are applying for a course into a certain pathway of design rather than a generic course, it is best to put in work which is relevant to your subject area. It's no good applying for a photography course and having your portfolio filled with sketches.

• Demonstrate conceptual thinking: Show that you've thought about where your designs could be displayed; on bags, billboards? Photoshop your designs in appropriate places. 

• Written work is key: You may be on a design course but writing is still important. Research into artists and show that you have influenced their style. 

• Think outside the box: You can do this in 2 ways: 1) Don't pick obvious artists for contextual influences like Picasso or Richard Hamilton. Think of somebody different so you stand out. 2) Display your portfolio in a unique way, but make it relevant to your content. E.G) if a lot of your work is focused on family holidays or nostalgia, display your work in a suitcase. This will make you memorable.

• Your independent work is important too: Don't rule out good pieces you've done outside of school or college. Show diversity with the kind of work you do. For illustration, observation, abstract and imaginary (character design) are some areas you can look into for this. 

• Remember the obvious points: Put your name on the portfolio! Make sure you can talk confidently about every piece you put in! 15-20 strong pieces is a good amount! Be consistent in what you mount work on and no more than 3 images mounted onto one piece of card! 

GOOD LUCK WITH MAKING YOUR PORTFOLIOS! :) 

De Montfort Uni Open Day: Graphics+ Illustration

Had my first University Open Day today! This one was for De Montfort 

in Leicester. I looked around the Arts Degree Festival and attended 

a talk about my chosen course.

Graphics & Illustration

• Digital Portfolio needed for application
• Should apply with skills and experience in Adobe CS5
• Interview not needed, but a personal statement is
• 85% employment rate
• Exposure to existing companies 
• Lot of independence & peer assessment

• Y1: Exposure to techniques in Graphics & Illustration
• Y2: Developing skills in chosen area
• Y3: Producing final outcomes in your own developed style and best skill set
• - Tutors will monitor your work in Y1, If you struggle you will be asked to leave.
• - International Oppurtunities between Y2 and Y3

I wanted to see what kind of work would be produced from this course, so I went to the Art Festival. I was so happy and excited to see that there were a few examples of book illustration there. I was even more impressed that the students had actually made printed copies of their books instead of just producing the imagery, and they wrote their own stories as opposed to interpreting an existing one.

I love how this student has made her portfolio in the same way; it is very unique and interesting.

Below is another illustration example. This was my favourite project from the whole floor. I found the characters very endearing and I loved the rich colour scheme. I love how each of the characters were hand made and so they could be moved around to suit the story. 

Design Craft

I looked around the other floors as well out of interest. I came across this one project which is totally amazing.  It is a 3-D model made entirely out of paper, influenced by water patterns in waved and rain drops.