WORK IN PROGRESS

I took part in the Work In Progress exhibition at college. Doing something like this made me feel that I would miss college quite a lot after I had left. It made me thing that I need to be active in the colleges Creative Networks events, and that I should certainly look into becoming an alumni or fellow so that I have a range of resources that I can engage with in my professional life.

ELMWOOD

At the crit today, Steph Oglesby (ex-LCA student and current designer at Elmwood) came in to give a  crit about the brief set by the studio. At the crit, some very questionable design sheets were shown, with two very different concepts in mind. 

The first concept was to exaggerate the idea of the Doggy Hotel. A cliche and somewhat repugnant idea of a dog’s accommodation. This idea, although could be fun to produce was not necessarily a unique response. 

The second concept was to follow the path of a budget-economy dog hotel, for the family who are looking after their cash, and saving it for the holiday. 

Steph gave us guidance and expressed more interest in the economy brand idea. This was due to the way that dog hotels not really branded this way, and it would be an interesting route to take.

What I took away

I took away that I should follow the route that has been less worn. The idea of a pushing a brand idea from where it is usually taken could potentially lead to a more innovative and appropriate response. This not only goes for this brief, but is something that I can build on for branding briefs in the future. 

The experience was a very good opportunity to see what professional studios want. The strength of the idea completely outweighed any visually interesting pieces and it seemed to be the intangible concept that was once again king.

The experience allowed me to reflect on what I would put in a portfolio and how I would present it in a studio environment. 

Presentation for Elmwood

I sent a follow up email to Elmwood to thank them for their opportunity. 

TINAROTHEISENBERG

I am a huge fan of Tina Roth Eisenberg. The fandom comes not from the visuals she makes, but from the business she creates and her overall lifestyle. I have been very interested in people that use their own design skills to design their own lifestyle. Answering problems for the general public leads to business ideas, and these business ideas lead to a degree of financial freedom that means she can be surrounded by the people she wants to work with in a place and environment that she wants to work in. 

Eisenberg worked in a design studio and then owned a design studio, and it was not until she started her blog, Swiss Miss, that she found she did not need to work in a design studio to be a designer. She found that she could create her own products, and design those instead. This is something that I would love to be able to do, and I think that my issue on the course so far is that I have not allowed myself to do that. I would love to create my own products, and indeed, that is what I was doing prior to the course. I feel that after I leave, I would love to reengage with this with the new skills that I have learnt and this should will allow me to feel fulfilled with my professional practice and my personal life.