PPPPenguin

During a university trip to London on the 4th of March 2009 i visited senior designer/freelance artist Mark Cavanor of the Penguin Group. An ex-student of Stockport College Mark had originally up sticks from Manchester with the dreams and aspirations of becoming a film poster designer, but after repeatedly dieing of boredom and creative restrain he quit and turned swiftly to book publishing. 

The portfolio crit went well and we discussed in some length the work i presented before him. Mark gave well structured advice highlighting areas/points that i could improve upon and develop. I presented both my 2nd year body of work and projects that i am currently working on. Due to Mark working for the country's largest book publishing house my 'On The Road' sleeves we're an obvious focal point. The following advice was given;

*  Produce the books for real in dummy form.

*  Screen print illustrations/collages to enhance textural qualities.

*  Possible work to a grid.

*  Experiment in more depth the use and application of typography.

A current Berghaus opti-stud project generated plenty of discussion too. Mark gave the following advice;

*  Place sky scape's behind surreal banana mountain (long story).

*  Perhaps embossing footprints by hand rather than on the computer.

*  Real looking flag. With movement and shadow.

*  The fact that it is the new opti-stud (information/data etc).

We also discussed direction and which area of design i would like to work in i.e. book, advertising, film, graphics etc and possible building my portfolio with an aim in mind. 

I ain't got a clue? yet!

We exchanged email addresses and i intend to keep in touch. 

Turner Duckworth pt2

On the 5th of March 2009 i visited Jamie McCathie a designer of Turner Duckworth (London). I was originally scheduled to meet Jamie in the studio but, due to the fact the agency had just recently won a Grammy, work was hectic. So we arranged to meet in the pub next door which suited me down to the ground (good times). 

The portfolio viewing itself went well and i am appreciative of the feedback he gave me. I showed both my 2nd year portfolio and the work i was currently working on i.e Berghaus, Homebase packaging and my final Child Obesity campaign. Due to Turner Duckworth setting the D&AD brief and Jamie preliminarily working in packaging i was specifically looking forward to show him my 'mocked-up' seed packets. His response was positive and liked the concept/art direction but, because he is a judge he was unable to go into much more detail. 

My Child Obesity scamps produced good discussion too. Jamie's opinion on a subject such as obesity is that i should possible think about mixing humour with fact? creating outcomes that are not morbid but, informative. A memorable quote from the viewing was "a great idea can be something described in one sentence" a sentiment i now apply to all of my ideas.

Speed is the key within communication, to connect in a glance. 

We exchanged email addresses and i intend to keep in contact. I hope to mail Jamie some examples of my seed packets in the near future. 

See the Jamie from Turner Duckworth post i posted a few days ago.

Astrid Stavro

Studio Astrid Stavro is an independent, multi-disciplinary design and communication consultancy based in Barcelona. Of which, i visited armed with my portfolio in November 08. 

"We believe in ideas-distinctive, intelligent design that makes a difference and solves problems effectively".

The studio is responsible for the creative direction of the international music competition 'Maria Canals', Arcadia's corporate image/book collections, exhibition graphics and catalogues for Palau Robert, the guide design for the permanent art collection of the Reina Sofia museum, in addition to a vast European based client folio.

Originally i thought that there may be some sort of language barrier between myself and the designers, but surprisingly they spoke better English than me. The creative director Astrid studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, 2000-2003, The Royal College of Art, 2003-2005 and was an extremely approachable women. As i arrived at the studio early (after getting lost several times) i was greeted by designer Edward Barcelon who invited me in for a bru and showed me some of Astrids work and the projects he was currently working on (very interesting). The portfolio viewing itself went well and they specifically liked the book/magazine medium that i adopted for the folio. I asked if anything needed to be modified as it was my 2nd year portfolio and they both gave some useful advise and pointers to develop.

* Any boxes encasing the work e.g poster, ideas generation etc should be a maximum of 2pt to ensure the layout aesthetic doesn't destract from the work.

* Logo's, brand identity's should be pushed in a sense of application.

* Personal work such as my screen prints and typography generation may be read better at the back of the folio after set projects.

* Produce more work outside of college to stir the creative juices.

I will take the advise they gave on board fully when i aspire to produce my 3rd year portfolio. We also exchanged email addresses so that we can keep in contact. I will also send them a PDF copy of my final show.

Below are some examples of Astrid's work.

'Maria Canals' poster, international piano competition

Palau de la musica 100 anniversary

Studio postcard (they gave me one as a present)

The graphic identity for the 'forum laus Europe'

Syzygn poster, art directors club of Europe

Astrid occasionally write design articles and reviews for magazines such as Grafik, Visual and Etapes.