Jodie13’s Blog

I am doing a work placement at a small design company in Wrexham, on the industrial estate, here is a little about them taken from there website;

“JPDS is a leading and innovative graphic design company. We provide public institutions and multinational and regional clients with graphic design services. Our core services include: Corporate and Brand Identity, Logo Design, Brochure Design & Product Catalogues, Company Profiles/Literature, Product Labelling & Packaging Design, Merchandising & In Store Graphics, Exhibition Graphics, Advertising & Marketing, Newsletters, Leaflet Design, Website Design and Digital Photography. Established in 1999, we have built a loyal client base that welcomes our partnership approach and high level of creativity. Our team has experience with virtually every business and public institution sector giving us the experience to meet your creative, cost and schedule requirements, while achieving your communication and sales objectives. We welcome the most diverse and complex creative communication challenges. JPDS, Communicating by Creative Thinking!”

Monday 1st March 

10-10.45am

The first speaker of the day was Kathryn Halloway from Promofix (www.promofix.com). She started her own marketing business at just the age of 22. She gave a talk about her business and also gave us some advice on job interviews.

Some notes taken:

WORK – Quest 88 limited 

Standing therapy cycling – tricycles 

What we should know:

Being Creative:

•  Is a talent
• Design is all around us-so the opportunities are endless
• Use your ideas in a practical why – adapt to clients needs
•  Be passionate
•  Get out there and understand how businesss’s work
•  Print process’s
•  Pricing structures
•  Expectations 

She talked about business social networks  – LINKEDIN and BUSINESS LINK

She talked about what she had learnt in her career:

•  learn to sell
•  Don’t devalue your work & style
•  Do you want to be a freelancer or in employment 
•  Be yourself
•  It is hard work – but it’s worth it.

Second speaker  11.30 – 12.15

Garry Greenwood Venture Wles ltd – Business Plan 

Introduction/Background

• Business idea / background
• Business details
• Legal status
• Owner / management details
• Product / service details

Business idea

Description of product/service 

• Technical specifications
• Features and benefits
• Unique selling points – smart car unique from any other, can park anywhere 
• Design
• Packaging
• Future development plans

Market & Marketing 

• Social networking LINKED IN
• Advertising
• TV Adverts
• Customers / target market – narrow down not to broad

Proprietory Position  www.patents.gov.uk

• Trademarks 
• Patents
• Copyright
• Design registration
• Intellectual property rights

Cargocollective.com

Operations

• Premises
• Equipment
• Suppliers
• People/staff
• Production processes
• Systems & procedures
• Legal aspects
• Health & safety
• Quality control

Appendices

• Portfolio & photographs

Financial data & forecast 

• Detail of costs, prices and volumes
• Funding requirements
• Sources of finance
• Cash flow forecast
• Profit & loss account
• Balance sheet.

Executive Summary

• Most important
• Put it right at the front
• Gives a snapshot of whole business plan
• Should include

               -purpose of the plan 

               – financial summery

               – obstacles you wish to overcome

Following Garry was a Case study by Vicky Reynolds 

12.15- 1.00pm 

She talked about setting up her own business and how she got there, she worked in schools doing ceramic classes with children whilst at home working on her own unique ceramic work. 

After luch we had talks from Tracy Simpson and Shona Hambleton. Tracy talked about how to apply for grants and shona talked about taxes and bookkeeping. 

Wednesday 3 march

Joe Matthews – How to get a foothold in film and tv.

Joe Matthews started his career with no qualifications, he started as a tea man in film company. He then started to work for the bbc and 5 yrs later got promoted to assistant editor then another 5 to be promoted to editor. He left then bbc and went into freelancing he worked on documentaries and dramas. ( Bedlam Doc)

How to get a career

• work experience – got something to offer them

Second talk I went  to was by Nathalie Tayton, this talk was about commercial storyboards

For a 30sec commercial you will need to draw 20-25 frames.

To become storyboard artist

• life drawing skills
• observational drawing
• drawing movie shots
• drawing from memory

Wednesday 4th november

10am – The first talk was by Fergal Kilroy, he is the student awards Manager for the D&AD Awards. He talked about what they look for in a design entry such as most be good idea and stuck to the brief and to think about the client and if it meets there needs.

2nd talk- Andy Sandoz from Work Club

Some notes taken from talk

-creativity – originality and appropriateness

Quotes from Andy

“the ability to make unexpected connections.”

“making such unexpected connections relies on the ability.”

-4 steps he works to when approaching a brief:

1. INSIGHT -business objectives in brief

2. AUDIENCE – Who you talking to?

3. TECHNOLOGY – What can you do?

4. ADVERTISING – not always the answer.

11.45am – 12.45pm

DBA EDUCATION SEMINAR

Speaker IAN THOMPSON

He is creative director at Thompson Brand Partners.

Notes taken:

-Regional Head of DBA

-you must design effectively to get the best jobs.

case studies- effective design

henry blofield, John blofield

“Look. I have loads of fucking land and no fucking cash.The estate that I am about to inherit hasn’t made money in years and we are slowly going broke. We need your help to make some bloody money.”

Ian Thompson talked about the BeWilDerwood brief – The curious treehouse Adventure http://www.bewilderwood.co.uk

.successful brief from start to finish

Here are some points that as an employer  Ian would look for from a graduate employe:

1. An insatiable desire to learn – learn fast

2. Freshness – skills, skills, skills. -Dreamweaver.

3. An idea of what you can bring to them not the other way round.

4. A willingness to work.

5. No fear of doing the boring stuff for a while.

6. An outline understanding of why people pay us to do this.

7. You talk about the world – not just the design world.

8. You read.

9. You demonstrate a real interest in the ‘brief’.

10. You show you are self-sufficient.

11. You ask questions about the bussiness.

12. You talk about audiences or markets.

Portfolios- high presentation quality, tells a story/narrative and shows the process (where you started and ended up).

Micheal Wolff

D&AD President’s Lecture

7-8pm

Here are photographs taken from the new blood exhibition held in London over the summer, i took photographs of some of the pieces of work that stood out to me.