The point design
Week 1
On the day of the placement I turned up at 8:50 am ready to start at 9:00am, it was close enough to my house so it didn’t take me too long to get there. I was pleasantly introduced to Jane Sadler (manager) Malcolm Logan (senior Designer) and Graham boyd (Designer). I settled in quite easily as they were easy going and laid backed, and any questions I had would be answered with full confidences and I felt that everything I needed to know I shortly knew after a few questions.
Our first task was to create a ladies fashion logo, I found this task enjoyable because I love dealing with fashion and creating brands that people would like to wear. We started out researching current brands in the market already, this was a great help for me as it kept me up to date with the every changing design world. My first intention s was to create a fresh and clean expensive brand logo but I shortly realised that the brand we were creating was for a lower market, something not to expensive and something that would appeal to the everyday woman. The task was based over two days however this wasn’t to my advantage as I finished quite early and didn’t have much to do the following two days, only thing I could do was expand my ideas and create new ones. At the end of the two days we had an informal meeting around a table bouncing out ideas off everyone to see if we could expand them some more.
My next task was to create a logo for mike Greatbatch, his business was heritage management and I automatically thought of old rustic buildings that have class and style. The design had to include his full name and his business name as well. I found this easy because I like dealing with type, this was a lot different compared to the previous task as I had to research older designs and logos of a different criteria, once again after two days we had an informal meeting and my ideas got brought forward to be presented in front of the client.
Week 2
By week 2 I got to know the team a lot better and started to ask questions about the programs they use and what type of clients they deal with. I also started to understand how the industry worked, how much time they had on projects, how to deal with clients and how to work in a pressured environment. I also came to grips with how the clients treats the designer, If you have designed something and you are happy and feel as if it’s the best work you have done they can shoot you down with out thought because if they don’t like it then it wont get to print, this is something I have learnt to deal with and I have to think with a design head rather than a personal.
My next task was to create a leaflet for Knight Frank, a to let company in Newcastle, I personally found this task fun and I could quite easily get on with it however I also had to cerate the document in Quark Express, this was a completely new program for me and before the point design I had never heard of it in my life. They were looking for a clean and fresh design that wasn’t busy but still had a strong and powerful feel about it. I started out in illustrator that was for me a very easy and enjoyable source to use, I then moved on to quark and at first it looked confusing but as I got to grips with it I found it easier than illustrator and easier to in design that was the similar program to Quark.
My Next task was to Re design a logo for eastern seals, once again this was a easy task for me and I enjoyed its full potential. I liked how I could create my own interpretation but then I had to just change little things to the original like colour and font size etc. Through out the weeks I was given the majority of cut-out tasks that they needed done quickly, The cut-outs that they needed were used in the magazine layout of ‘The Factory Shop’ this meant that it was an important job and I could later on see some of my work on the website and print outs.
Week 3
I was in my final week of the placement and by now I was comfortable to have a general laugh and discussion about work. My knowledge in Quark by this time was greatly improved and I was confident to use it whenever I feel now. We were also given a final task to produce a front cover for Las Vegas Hologram pack 2011. The design had to be photograph based and I turn my luck to stock photos, they had a wide range of different styles from Vegas but we were then told that a casino front cover would be best because it attracts more attention and because people relate Las Vegas as a gambling city where people can go to relax. I first went for a roulette front cover because it will quickly be recognized. I took the image of the roulette table and developed it in illustrator, I didn’t really enjoy this project because the work base wasn’t very interesting and I felt I could of done better if it didn’t have a gambling theme but this is something I had to adapt because it is what the client wanted.
After 3 weeks of the point I quickly expanded my knowledge in graphics by a great deal, I got to grips with new programs that I had never heard of, I learnt what industry was all about and up most I learnt how to work in a really industry where everything is fast paced, I felt I dealt quite well with the aspects of industry and would defiantly look for another placement in the mean time.
Over all I really enjoyed my placement at the point and gathered a lot of information that was needed so I could enter the real world of graphics with a deep understanding.
