Back to School

This week we were invited to All Saints C.E Primary School in Stockport to run the typographic faces workshop with their year 5 & 6 children (aged 9,10,& 11). We had previously run the exact same workshop with our year 1 undergraduates (aged 18,19 & 20) 2 weeks prior (see earlier post).

The results of the workshop were spectacular, firstly the children approached the task with no inhibitions, they were willing to ask for help, they also asked lots of poignant questions and they worked quickly.

As an educator I found it fascinating that, in the main, the exact opposite could be said of the undergraduates. Who approached the same project with caution, saw it as a weakness to ask for help, didn't really ask enough questions or interrogate their own work and were slow at making design decisions.

So what is it that has changes within an individuals attitude to learning in those intervening years, between Primary education and Higher education?

I have my theories, but am unwilling to share them at this precise moment.

Placement: the website

Former students Jordan Stokes and Matt Johnson have been in touch as they've put together a brilliant online resource of advice, tips and anecdotes for placement students.

Having already put together the Placement newspaper in 2012 as an extension of their last project whilst here at UCLan, they've been able to add more stories and quotes in the meantime:

Placement is a collaborative project centered around internships in the creative industry. It is run by Sydney based, North of England raised designers Matt Johnson and Jordan Stokes.

Placement was started in 2007 when we were both at University and on placement in London.

On arrival in London we quickly realised that we were completely unprepared for the intern life. So we decided to make a guide, for students, by students with the backing and help of people who would be employing you as interns/junior designers. We asked (emailed, called, collared in the street/pub) as many designers, internationally but mainly from the UK (and now Australia) for a contribution on the theme of placements or internships.

Some are funny, some are serious and scary, some offer valid advice, some make certain people sound **Ahem**. All in all though we got some amazing results back from some really great people and collated it along with written accounts of our own experiences into a book for our final major project.

Then in 2012 UCLan asked us whether they could commission a printed version project to go to print as a promotional piece for our course, so we collected more stuff and printed it as an oversized newspaper.

This website is the latest iteration of the project, which will hopefully allow the knowledge and wisdom within the project to be added to and shared by everyone. It definitely took long enough.

We'll be continuing to add to the project from now on, so stay tuned.

If you'd like to find out more we'd love to hear from you

Twitter: @placement_

Facebook: @placementproject

Instagram: @placement_project

info@placementproject.com

Check it out

www.placementproject.com

ADvent

ADvent is the latest project from third year UCLan advertising students Gail McFadzean and Olivia Hampson. A series of clips and quotes featuring advice from members of the design and advertising industry - useful for students and peers alike. 

Running every day throughout December, the videos features tips for students on how to enter the industry along with opinions on where the advertising and design industry is heading.

Follow @uclanadvent on Instagram and Twitter for daily instalments, starting this Friday.

HBU/UCLan

Hebei University in Baoding, China are running the same modules as UCLan across Graphic Design, Advertising, Animation, Interior Design and Film and Media. I’ve been a visiting lecturer for two months delivering Contextual Studies and Graphic Design. This is an exciting year because they will produce the first batch of graduates from the partnership. The Year 4 (3rd years) students are on course with their Honours Project, the Year 3 (2nd years) are showing potential with their branding exercise and Year 2 (1st years) are developing lateral thinking. (Click above image to scroll for more)

HBU-UCLan School of Media, Communication and Creative Industries located in A1 building on far left of the six blocks.

Their cultural input excites me, they are producing ideas of Chinese origin with Western influence. Not surprisingly they can struggle with Typography, but considering there are over 50,000 Chinese characters, our 26 letters are almost dull in comparison. You will find many Chinese design dominated by a single character (a meaning), either incorporating an idea or assembled with other characters to evolve the meaning (like creating a new letter by combination - see below, Honours Project by Ellis, a final Year Graphics student). That is their equivalent of Smile In The Mind wit. I had my preconceived view of what a ‘good idea’ is but that’s based on domestic influence, it’s made clear that universally, a ‘good idea’ must also consider the cultural and societal influence.

There are recurring themes in their conceptual work across all courses. We have to be conscious of the materials they have access to. China exists in an information bubble, what we take for granted are not accessible (Google, Wikipedia, Twitter etc). The population derive information from limited sources and without the freedom we enjoy, they are unfairly portrayed as unimaginative. I was fortunate to work with two brilliant Graphic Design lecturers from Beijing, they enhanced their creative thinking by studying abroad. It’s easy to be dismissive of weak ideas drawn from limitation, but the challenge to think within the limitation can breed creativity. If we collaborate by recognising their challenge and by applying our knowledge, maybe something will blossom.

The Chinese market is vast, the demand for creativity will only increase. However, it isn’t a case of transplanting our methodology over theirs. The future is convergence because we can’t have a conversation in our tone, we have to use a tone their population would understand. I believe a holistic approach can bridge our creative differences, but it will demand patience and a lot of effort. This is why I wholly support the partnership between both Universities, in time we will see the best of both worlds. (Click above image to scroll for more)
 

Irene, Year 3 - Toy store branding solution first draft

Jim, Year 3 - Branding typeface draft

Year 3 Branding by Polly, Steven and Alysha (Spot the word Iris).

"READ ALL ABOUT IT"!

Here we feature a series of Lancashire Evening Post stand headlines captured by Steve Wilkin on his daily commute into Preston. These truncated copy headlines are at times hilarious, intriguing, baffling and down right odd.

Design talk in Preston

Time & Date: 5-8pm, Thursday 23rd November

Society1 in collaboration with Digital Lancashire and Creative Lancashire are hosting their first creative collaboration evening. Lets Talk ... with guest speaker Andy Walmsley - artist & creative director of award-winning Wash Design

Lets Talk... is a regular post work gathering bringing together creative & digital businesses and freelancers and practioners to discuss and debate the key issues faced by creative practitioners.

The format of the evening will be relaxed and informal providing a space for emerging talent, established businesses and freelancers to share ideas and inspirations.

For each event there will be a different topic to encourage conversation and ideas sharing.

We will begin the discussion by inviting a local business to present about a topical talking point to get the evening started.

Following the talk and Q&A there will be an 'open floor' opportunity to share any relevant news and ideas.

This months topic: What drives us as Creatives?

Andy Walmsley from Wash Design will speak about his experiences and what has driven him to create his style of agency and work they do at Wash. It will be an open floor for discussion so bring with you your thoughts on where the group could help you with any issues in your business or if you have something topical to discuss as inspiration for us all.  

REGISTER HERE

Lets Talk is free to attend but pre registration is essential via the Eventbrite Page

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Andy Walmsley - Creative Director, Wash

Born in Preston 1966, Andy left school in 1982 and started work at Hamilton Press, Preston as a trainee ‘paste-up artist’ working in newspapers and print. Andy now runs his own Design Agency (Wash Design Studio) in the town with clients far and wide.

“As computers are now a main tool to our creative output in my line of work, I felt I needed to get back to using my hands as well as my mind. I started dabbling in oils in 2005, mainly working on portraits. However, I’ve always had a love for the outdoors and the fells, but in 2006 I found a real passion for cycling.

I now spend my time riding around this part of Lancashire, taking photos on my iphone and working them up in oils. I have a strange fascination of what’s just over the next horizon – the urge to keep moving on.

I’m trying to keep my work lose and slightly abstract, I’m not attempting to copy exactly what I see, but attempting to inject that atmosphere you absorb when you are out on the bike, that sense of open space, freedom and colour that surrounds us – even on a bad day.

Having left my educational journey at 16 to then go on working my way through many jobbing studios and eventually in to design studios, I now bring almost 30 years industry experience to the Wash Design Studio team. I've worked with all sorts of clients in all sorts of sectors over the years, from large global companies to public bodies and many SMBs."

I've directed documentaries, art directed photoshoots, managed major brand development projects and worked on countless projects to generate and tailor marketing & communications materials of every sort imaginable."

wash-design.co.uk
behance.net/ANDYWALMSLEY

A self-fulfilling prophecy

This newspaper clip was taken from a national broadsheet shortly after the financial banking crisis of 2010 and neatly summed up the madness that ensued.

Illustrate a phrase or saying

Here we feature 4 solutions to a year 1 lateral thinking exercise from a few years back. The task was to somehow illustrate a famous phrase or saying.

'touch wood'

'third time lucky'

'it takes two to tango'

'jack of all trades & master of none'

Out of Order

Year 2 Graphics celebrate the YBAs at 30

Second year Graphics students have marked the 30th anniversary of the Young British Artists (YBAs or BritArt) by designing the layout for a digital magazine.

This project required researching well known Brit artists such as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, the Chapman Brothers as well as lesser known artists in this Contemporary Art movement.

The brief was to design an article for ‘Design Week’ iPad magazine replacing the former printed magazine.

The students had to design the layout of type and image for the front cover, introduction page and a five-page article on their designated artist.

The aim of the project was to visually communicate the UX, navigation, interactivity and moving image regions on the pages.

The project will be developed later in semester 2 with digital presentations in After Effects to demonstrate the movement and interactivity.