Personal & Professional Practice: May 2018

Monday, 21 May 2018

Health and second year

One of the defining periods of Level 5 for me was the first month of the first term.

At the end of summer I began to get ill and ended up being in bed for the first 3 weeks of university. I struggled to do anything and was in pain, so didn't come to university at all. As a result I fell behind and struggled to catch up in the first module, producing work I was not happy with. Being bed ridden also really affected my mental health and my anxiety reached a peak. This really impacted the way I was living.

However after recovering from this, I feel as if my personal life, wellbeing and more significantly, university work has vastly improved. I have been very happy and able to produce more work, and to a higher standard.

This was a pivotal moment in this year and I am glad it happened at the beginning of the year as it has been a learning curve for me and has shaped my development this year.

Creative Report: Designer

Xvavier
I was first introduced to Xvavier through a friend who had bought an item of clothing from the clothing line he had recently brought out. He recommended him as he knew I was a designer and thought I would appreciate his Instagram and work he has done.

After looking at his feed I loved his simple aesthetic and he gave peeks to his design work on his Instagram story as opposed to his Instagram page which piqued my curiosity more.

After he rebranded his studio - Xvavi - I researched into the website and found a portfolio of all his projects.

I thought that the variety of projects across all disciplines was great, in particular his branding for the Rum Kitchen.

Creative Report: Establishing a Rapport with Xvavier

The first step of opening up a rapport with Xvavier came with following eachother on Instagram. Whilst seemingly maybe insignificant, this simple act has allowed us to see into eachothers lives and I can follow on his creative processes on a more personal level.

I did consider messaging him on Instagram as opposed to an email considering I already had this following, but thought that email may be more professional and I wasnt limited by character or word count.

In order to reach out I thought that I should mention one piece of his work I really liked. In my earlier research I discovered he had done bradning for the Rum Kitchen so I mentioned that in my initial email - this shows I had researched him and was familiar with his work, which would make him more likely to respond.

My email:

Hi Xvavier!

My name is Charlotte and I am a level 5 Graphic Design student at Leeds Arts University. As part of my Personal and Professional Practice module this year, I need to conduct an interview with a studio or designer that I admire. I came across your work when my friend Niall Ashmore showed me your Instagram page and have followed you since, your Rum Kitchen project is one of my favourites in particular. Is there any possibility you would be interested in me interviewing you for this module? Preferably the interview would be conducted in person, I am visiting Niall in London on the 11th of May if you are free at all. If you are interested but busy at this point, the interview could also easily be conducted via email to suit you.

Thank you for your time and hope to hear from you soon either way.

Charlotte Price

@charlotte.e.p

From here we decided to meet at the Rum Kitchen on Carnaby Street at 1:15pm on Friday May 11th.

However on the morning I received this email:

Hi Charlotte,

I'm so sorry but something has come up with a client which means I am unable to make today. Could we rearrange or alternatively do it over the phone or by email?

Apologies again

This was disappointing but I had to compose a professional and considered response which would show my understanding of the situation.

Hi Xvavier,

That’s disappointing to hear, but can’t be helped. I can’t rearrange as it would mean coming down from Leeds again and I have limited money as a student, could we do by email instead? Questions below. Hope all is well.

I then listed the questions. However after a few days, he had not responded so I chased him up.

Hi Xvavier,

My deadline for this module is Monday 21st, and I still have to make some sort of outcome (ie a book or presentation) from your response. It would be so helpful if you could get back to me with a response in the next few days?

Thanks,

Charlotte

After this email he replied within 10 minutes, showing he had already responded to the questions but had not yet sent, again proving to me how busy he was. The responses were great and we talked on a more personal level in a jokey manner after I had read the responses.
I am hoping to continue this rapport with Xvavier as I really admire his work and work ethic, especially after his responses to the interview I respect him more.

Module Evaluation

PPP

Overall I enjoyed PPP this year, getting to connect with professionals in the creative world was something I had not done up until this module. I gained valuable advice from the creative I interviewed and this will stick with me. In the creative report I encountered a few problems, namely being cancelled on on the day of the interview, however this shows that the professional world is unpredictable and that the creative prioritised his clients. I felt I could have gained more from the interview had I been able to conduct it face to face as the conversation would have flowed and opened up more questions naturally, but I think the end result was something I was happy with.

Life’s a pitch was great getting to work in a group and converse with others to create a design for a real world scenario, we managed to create something fun and unique and I enjoyed putting the presentation together to present. The presentation helped me gain confidence for my end of year presentation.

The end of year presentation was surprisingly not nerve wracking, I normally get nervous when presenting but the practice in Life’s a Pitch really helped me to be concise and clear.

I feel this year has been a massive learning curve for me and I have struggled with my physical and mental health and this has reflected in my work, however I have overcome these issues and recognised my strengths and weaknesses which has allowed me to improve the quality and quantity of work I produce. I want to continue on this learning curve for Level 6 as I know what areas of design I want to work in and talking with a creative in a professional context has given me confidence to approach others in future.

Creative Report: Presentation

Sunday, 20 May 2018

Wayfinding: Meeting 02 - Idea Development

In our first set of ideas for the wayfinding system brainstormed within our first meeting, we decided to create a rail system with interchangeable boards that hook onto the rails. The panels would be made of metals and painted wood to create some variety within the system.

These panels would be laser cut with the information for each department, room, etc and the plan was to reuse these cut out letters in other places within the university to reduce waste and help support the universities commitment to sustainability.

Below is a mock up I created for our original idea, showing the system implemented in one instance - using the rails as well as a few panels showing the department as well as room number, and with directions to other rooms also.

After deliberation in meeting 2, we decided to change our concept. After researching into materials and the metals and processes we'd need to create the wayfinding system, we decided to come up with a different idea.

Looking again at the brief we realised that we could create something more original than our existing idea and we also realised we had no budget to limit us with our concept - so we began to look at more innovative and modern ideas.

"Consider what you COULD have, what would be a place to work that comes from your creative imagination. No budget, no restrictions. Consider what could be amazing…be aware of what architects and interiors can be, go nuts BUT remember you must have a real reason to base this presentation on, meaning WHY and also consider technology and what technology can be used not just for now, but consider the next 10 years or more. Get a story together, a rationalised presentation that both engages and wows.''

Our considerations turned to the modern world and the people that would be using the wayfinding system day to day. As the population of the university is primarily young adults as students, we thought that creating a virtual system as opposed to a physical one could be more successful and would be a more fun and interesting idea to pitch.

Our reasons to turn to technology:

- accessible
- constantly updated (longevity)
- low cost
- no physical labour or alterations to the building
- ease of use
- no environmental damage
- time saving

- also no budget if it was to be implemented (even though budget wasn't a limitation)

Many museums and exhibitions already use utilise technology within wayfinding and guiding, using speakers/headphones to guide visitors around the space. We wanted to take elements of this and use within our system, but translate them into visual aids.

Augmented reality

Augmented Reality turns the environment around you into a digital interface by placing virtual objects in the real world, in real-time.

Uses:

Its use within a home environment such as this app created for IKEA allows shoppers to visualise furniture within their homes before buying.

Augmented reality is used above in industry to enable construction workers to visualise machinery/equipment and be able to develop a deeper understanding of it in order to improve and repair.

The above example of using augmented reality within wayfinding in a public setting is one we are going to take inspiration from.

Pokemon Go

One popular and recent use of augmented reality within popular culture has been Pokemon go, an app which places virtual Pokemon within the users environment and encourages users to get outside and collect all Pokemon.

In our next meeting as a group we will be coming up with designs for an app which allows users to be guided through the university building using augmented reality.

Creative Report: My response

1. What sparked your interest in having a creative career?

I think the spark was born the same time I was. Since primary school I was always drawing and sketching. By the time I hit secondary school I was downloading cracked versions of the Adobe Suite teaching myself how to use the software. With that being said I feel creatives are born with a different mindset with an ambition to challenge, create and conquer regardless of industry. They have a vision which is unique and see something different in everything. I feel personally no matter the career and path I followed or created, I would've made the role my own with creativity infused resulting in a “creative career”.

Xvavier's start to having a creative career really interested me as he seems to be successful and widely skilled. I wanted to gain a little personal insight into the beginnings of his working life and see if I could draw any comparisons with my own life: I found similarities with him drawing and sketching since primary school. I have always been interested in drawing ever since I was little and always had an art or design subject through school. I love that Xvavier was downloading Adobe software illegally during school in an effrot to teach himself it, this shows ambition and dedication to design, no matter if it was legal or not.

The main point that stood out to me here was that he thinks 'creatives are born with a different mindset with an ambition to challenge, create and conquer regardless of industry. They have a vision which is unique and see something different in everything.' I loved his way of phrasing how he thinks him and other creatives are different and how much he sees this as a positive attribute. This is something that will stay with me I think.

2. Do you have any major inspirations and why do you look up to these people? Could be in any respect ie. designers, musicians, family etc?

If I was to give you my top inspirational people it would be my father Oscar Henson, mother Sallyann Harris, Kanye and Charles Saatchi, all for very different reasons.

My father has an incredible heart, bravery, loyalty, optimism, morals and aura. He is a great role model and led by example in which I followed in his footsteps in admiration of his positives traits, but he also helped me learn from his mistakes/weaknesses (which obviously there’s few, the man is a god). But to give an example, letting people exploit your kindness then mistake it for weakness.

Mama Sallyann is a remarkable woman. She had my brother aged 16 and myself at 21. We weren’t born into wealth. As a single parent she raised myself and my brother whilst educating herself to get a degree and worked mediocre jobs to put food on the table. She sacrificed herself and her life for others and enabled us to be the people we are and have the life we have today. Me and my brother have a common goal which is to give her the world and everything she deserves within our ability. She is also my voice of reasoning, the angel on my shoulder. May not always agree or do what she advises but she helps me see the full picture. She’s an inspiration and driver behind most things I do.

Kanye West for me is a creative genius. He may not always say the right things but the message he portrays and the thought process behind how he works is like nobody else. He will push the boundaries that need pushing regardless of consequence. Kanye sets trends before you realise they are trends without the acknowledgement that is deserved. He will lay the foundations/the platform or inspire so other artists can build and profit.

Charles Saatchi is humble and honest. He wasn’t academically outstanding but always knew what he was good at in life and how to utilise those abilities to his advantage. With his vision he built an empire resulting in a legacy which his children will inherit and be proud of.

I wasn't expecting such a detailed answer for this question. Xvavier seems to hold his family dear to him and his love and devotion for his parents was especially touching. This response from him also allowed me to see more into his personal life which I think allows me to relate to him more. It sounds cheesy but it also made me appreciate my parents more as I reflected on the opportunities I was given by them to be able to be at this point in my life doing what I am doing. My dad provides everything for my mum, sister and myself and has also had a background in graphic design, doing it at college and going on to work in the printing industry, I get some of my creativity from him. My mum is also creative as she likes arts and crafts and also is very good at floristry. She gave me the best start to life as she got me reading and writing before school which I think has put me at an advantage all my life. She also keeps me grounded and going as I can tend to be very scattered. My dad didn't want me to come to uni to study graphic design as he wanted me to get a high paying job but other than this they have always supported me in my decisions and pushed me to do more. I think this has definitely shaped me as a person and allowed me to do well in my life.

Kanye West and Charles Saatchi I think were the level of inspirations I was expecting from Xvavier. I actually agree with him being inspired by Kanye, I think that he is incredibly individual and while he says some stupid things, he sticks by his guns and creates new and unique clothing and music, 'setting trends before others realise' to paraphrase Xvavier. I do not know much about Charles Saatchi though so researching into him more will be interesting.

3. What has been the most challenging project you’ve ever worked on and why/how so?

I'm currently working on a project with a global brand which has been the biggest project we've worked on and definitely been the most challenging. The bigger the project/company, the more hurdles you have to jump and closed doors you'll greet. That's all I can say there for now unfortunately.

This was an understandable response as some projects need to be kept under wraps while they are in progress. It would have been interesting to know the brand and the details of the project however getting a hint towards working with big brands and the problems you can come across has prepared me in case this happens in future.

4. If you could give me one singular piece of advice for a future career in design what would it be?

One singular piece of advice... Be confident in your abilities, identify your strengths, be honest yet constructive, speak eloquently and intelligently, build on your weaknesses, constantly learn and finally provide a unique and enjoyable customer experience. You can be an incredible designer or creative but this is a growing competitive industry, you must stay humble and identify that there's thousands of people with similar skills or styles to you... but what makes a creative credible or profitable? So I would emphasise on the point of providing a unique and enjoyable customer experience as this will turn you from a creator into a business.

This piece of advice really resonated with me. This year has been a learning curve, going from creating sub par work due to illness and a bad mental state, to recovering and having faith in myself and my abilities and creating work I am far happier with. Whilst I am happier with the work I am creating, I think that I need to have more confidence in myself and my abilities as well as keep experimenting and pushing myself because I know that I can do it if I try.

In my PPP presentation my first slide was about myself as a creative, and identified my strengths and weaknesses, how I felt about these and how I was going to improve or continue to build upon these. Realising these about myself has been a pivotal moment in my creative development this year so for Xvavier to highlight these in his advice was great as I feel like I have already begun to get a start on this. Another aim for me this year was to be more professional in my presentation and writing as this will be translated to a real world context eventually. I also feel like I have fulfilled this aim. The most interesting and significant piece of advice given here was to provide a 'unique and enjoyable customer experience' in order to set yourself apart from the crowd. I feel like I could fulfill this expectation as I am friendly and always looking for new ways to inspire and create, so combining these attributes will come in really handy.

5. What other important interests or passions do you have?

Nothing out of the ordinary really to be honest... Music, fashion, art, football, travel and food.

This response was disappointing to me as I expected more to be revealed, as going by his Instagram feed Xvavier is always out and about visiting events and being very social and active. The lack of response in this was annoying as I would have liked to venture more into what inspires him but I think the fault is mine partly, as I could have asked a more in depth question to provoke a detailed answer. This is something I can take away from this, to improve upon my own skills as an interviewer and word myself and my questions better.

6. If you weren’t a designer what career could you picture yourself having?

I never knew the answer to this question until recently. So I would be an actor. Not for the fame or prestige, I'm not about that life. More because I find it interesting how you have to detach yourself from yourself and create a new persona, an alter ego, a character. You're constantly learning, developing skills, creating and living a new life for intermittent periods. When you think about it from that aspect it would be a fun life right?

This was a question I thought would delve more into Xvavier's personality outside of a purely creative spectrum. His answer of an actor however still shows that he would be involved the arts in some form, showing that he as a person is inherently creative and couldn't picture himself doing something that didn't involve creativity and creating something. I found this so interesting as I am very interested in personality and psychology and I think that the way people think and act link to their type of personality and by choosing a still creative outlet this proves to me Xvavier's creativity comes as part of him as a person. Also significant to me was his desire to still be 'constantly learning, developing skills, creating and living a new life for intermittent periods.'

7. What short and long term goals do you have for your studio in the future?

Short term goal is to build a talented team of creative individuals that can cater for a range of services across a broad spectrum of industries. Long term goal is to conquer the world and eventually the universe.

For someone under 30 years of age, Xvavier is fairly successful in his field and has built a business he loves. His ambition to further this, though, is evident and I admire his vision and confidence within himself and his abilities, which echoes the advice he gave me in an earlier question.

8. What do you love most about your job?

I love creating on a daily basis. I am fortunate to have clients within a variety of industries that trust Xvavi as a studio to express and deliver ideas from concept through to fruition. As cheesy as it sounds I’ve created a business and life that I love with a healthy balance of freedom, creativity and commitment which brings new and exciting challenges daily.

This question was also important to me as I am a believer in loving what you do instead of working for money. I thought everyone shared this belief however after talking to a friend the other day about the subject, discovered that she did not especially share the same belief. I think that as she is not a creative though this makes her less likely to share it, I feel that creatives have to love what they do as they invest so much of their time into creating something. The aspect of balancing freedom, creativity and commitment is also vital in a successful creative career, the commitment aspect is something of importance I have discovered throughout this year while trying to improve my professionalism.

9. What would you say your greatest strengths and weaknesses are personally?

One of my greatest strengths personally is understanding people and their thought processes. In business this is invaluable as it enables me to understand the clients needs, direction and vision in addition to having the ability to deliver across a variety of speciality areas in design. But those skills aren’t developed overnight. So I guess the desire and ambition to learn and achieve on a daily basis also.

My greatest weakness is not knowing when to stop. Sometimes you just need to “be”. I don’t do that often enough.

As I mentioned earlier, identifying my strengths and weaknesses this year has been vital in evaluating myself and developing myself as a creative, so I wanted to ask Xvavier the same question. His strengths involved understanding clients, which I feel as if I share. I am a people person and some of my personal qualities are that I am social and empathetic so I feel as if I can understand people in this sense. 'The desire and ambition to learn and achieve on a daily basis' is an attribute I have also begun to understand the importance of having this year and something I am continuing to develop. One of my personal goals is to learn more and experiment with new techniques, styles and software this summer.

Creative Report: Problems

In the creative report I encountered problems.
As I thought that I would gain more from an interview conducted in person, as opposed to email, I arranged to meet Xvavier on Friday May 11th in London. I was already heading to London that evening so when I got into contact with Xvavier I suggested we meet earlier in the day.
In my initial emails with him, I took from my research into his work and current projects and highlighted my favourite project of his, branding for the Rum Kitchen. He suggested we meet there which was great as I would get to see his work in person.
On the morning of Friday 11th I was leaving for the station as I had booked an earlier train so that I could interview Xvavier over lunchtime and I received an email from him cancelling our interview. He cited that an issue had arisen with a client, which was disappointing but understandable. I went to London and visited Rum Kitchen regardless, I was disappointed that I did not get to meet Xvavier in person as I really admire his style and work ethic.

Instead of meeting in person, I had to conduct the interview over email so I would get a full transcript. Emailing was also an issue as I could not get a direct response, I had to chase him up for responses, but luckily when I caught hold of him at a good time he was gracious and quick to give detailed responses.

The experience was up and down for me because I had spent extra money and time on rearranging my day to meet Xvavier and to have it cancelled was upsetting and frustrating. I was really looking forward to meeting him as I thought I could have opened up a more in depth and personal dialogue with him as a person and a designer. Xvavier conducts himself very professionally in the sense that he puts his clients first, which is why he cancelled. Obviously this was very frustrating for me, but I could understand this in a professional sense. This also showed how unpredictable working in the professional world is, issues arise that can not be helped or avoided and the manner in which you prioritise and deal with them shows your professionalism.

Creative Report: Transcript