Creative Convos - Day 3 - Robot Food

Robot Food is an independent branding, packaging and creative agency based in Leeds. Clients include Cadbury, The Co-Op, Mr Kipling, Tomy, Saxa and many more. 

Eve Warren and Chris Shuttleworth, both designers at Robot Food, came in to talk about their journeys and the agency. Both Eve and Chris studied graphic design at and graduated from Leeds College of Art/Leeds Arts University in 2014.

After graduating, Eve did a 3 month placement at Field Work in Manchester, followed by further placements in and around the North. She didn't want to go to London, and so began freelancing - based in Manchester. She has now been at Robot Food for a year. 

After short placements at Big Fish, London, and The Chase, Preston, Chris secured a job at Robot Food. He's been at the agency for 2 years.

The brand strategy at Robot Food is to simplify and amplify. Before designing, the team do a brand workshop, where they identify and define a brands personality and traits, look at its competitors and explore current trends within the appropriate industries. They add small touches to their work which add personality. 

Advice

• Shout about the USP of product/brand to draw out their unique characteristics.
• Consider the tone of voice.
• Disrupt the category.
• Keep engagement with consumers. 
• Design for consumers and the category.
• Introduce unexpected visual style into stagnant category.
• Identify what the consumer is missing and create something unique to make it stand out.
• Keep design simple and memorable.
• Look at what everyone else is doing, and do something different.
• Keep messaging minimal. 
• Design for audience. 

Eve and Chris also spoke to us about the agencies recent project, 'Project Disrupt,' in which the team tackled 3 briefs in 3 groups over 5 days.

Creative Convos - Day 2 - Rose Nordin of OOMK

Rose Nordin is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator based in London, with a particular interest in self-publishing and DIY culture. 

She is co-founder of One of My Kind (OOMK) a collaborative publishing practice, alongside Sofia Niazi and Heiba Lamara. Working together since 2014, they make, publish and distribute books and printed works developed from self-initiated projects. Additionally, the practice commission new works by female artists, and also co-curate DIY Cultures - one of the UK’s largest annual independent publishing fairs. OOMK also work with galleries, museums, educational institutions and self-organised groups to deliver workshops and produce collaborative publications.

The OOMK zine is a biannually-printed, highly visual, handcrafted small-press publication. Its content is supplied via the imaginations, creativity and spirituality of women, with each issue centering around a different creative theme, with more general content exploring topics of faith, activism and identity. 

In addition to OOMK, Rose also co-founded and runs Rabbits Road Press, a community Risograph printing press in East London.

Advice:

• Don't use mock-ups if possible.
• Show relationship with mediums.
• Know your daily rate (as a freelancer).
• Avoid doing any work for free.
• Artists residencies are great - British Council, Book works

Zine Workshop - A Lexicon of Design

Inspired by one of Rose's projects critically considering issues around work, The Lexicon of Labour, we spent the afternoon making our own Zine, A Lexicon of Design.

First, we individually listed an A-Z of words relating to the design industry:

A - Animation

B - Book Binding

C - Collaboration

D - Digital Design

E - Employability, Experimental, Editorial

F - Finishing

G - Graphic, Galleries 

H - Holistic

I - Infographics

J - Journey

K - Kerning

L - Layout 

M - Motion

N - Not for Profit

O - Opportuntiy 

P  - Print

Q - Questions 

R - Residency 

S - Social

T - Typography

U - User Experience  

V - Versatility 

W - Work

X - Xerox (Print)

Y - Youth

Z - Zines

Following these, we each volunteered to design a page representing just one of the words, which would then be photocopied and formatted into the zine. I letter 'F' for finishing, as this is of great importance to my practice.

For the design, I listed 9 finishing techniques, each featuring a letter from the word 'finishing.' I ordered the words accordingly to spell out the word with emphasised letters spelling out the word. These letters mimicked foil via a gradient representing shine/light reflection.  These letters were further emphasised through contrasting typographic style (these were sans-serif, while the rest of the word(s) were serif).

The page design was then photocopied with another page design on the reverse, and then ordered into the final zine

Creative Convos - Day 1 - Dines of Studio Blup

Studio BLUP is a London based multi-disciplinary design agency who believe in 'the power of design to help grow and build brands.' The studio has worked with a whole host of large clients, including Nike, Universal, D&G, Adidas, Lacoste, P&G, and Hugo Boss. Founder Jonathan Wilkins, a.k.a 'Dines,' came in to share his journey and hacks into the design industry.

Notes:

• Dines is a graphic designer and creative director of Studio Blup.
• Originally from London.
• Obsessed with Manga cartoons, inspiration for work.
• Passion for renaissance paintings.
• Designed poster for Orange Room bar in Southampton - addiction to design stuck.
• Initial collage style.
• He graduated 8 years ago, with a 2:1, from Southampton University.
• Notes that university is/was hard.
• All about the fun vibe, nothing serious.
• After graduating, moved back to London. Set up studio Blup, 50/50 partners with best friend (Alex Evans).
• Believes in being in culture.
• Goals/Mission/Vision: To win awards, inspire millions, provide for his family, to 'live like a "g,"' attain international dominance.

Advice

• Always try to up-sell a job. E.g. Magazine feature - to cover.
• @hotmail/gmail/yahoo emails won't cut it. Custom email address is key.
• Always read the briefs.
• Be prepared.
• Let the world see your brand.
• Keep engagement up.
• Behance/social media is very important.
• Be omni-present. Be everywhere at the same time.
• Commit first, figure it out later.

Studio Noel: Correspondance & Instagram Feature

After my Happy New Year mailers were ignored by 5/6 recipients, Studio Noel thankfully responded. While there was no possibility of a placement at this time, creative director Michelle Noel welcomed me to visit the studio if I was ever in London, during which time they would run through my portfolio with me.




In addition to the kind email from Michelle Noel, the studio also featured my mailer on their instagram. This was a really pleasant surprise following the disheartening experience, and hopefully means I have secured a contact in Michelle going forward.

Contacting Studios: New Year Mailers

In wake of the new year and in attempt to secure a placement, I decided to send out Happy New Year mailers to a number of studios I had identified as having practices that I admire and/or would potentially like to spend time with.

These studios were:

Without Studio https://without.studio

Made Thought http://www.madethought.com

Studio Noel http://studionoel.co.uk

Charlie Smith Design http://www.charliesmithdesign.com

Y Wilson http://y-wilson.com

Wednesday https://wednesdayagency.com

I wrote each of the above 6 studios a personalised letter, introducing myself, detailing particular works of theirs I am interested in/inspired by, and asking about the potential opportunity to spend a small amount of time with them. This was typed, printed, and foiled before signing my name by hand at the bottom for a more personal touch. 

The letters were stuck within a foiled Happy New Year card, using G . F Smith Gmund Treasury, Beauty stock - a part of the tangible Not Just For Show studio identity, utilising both blue and gold colour due to its duplexed-as-standard format. Not only is this method of contact more personal, but also affirms my standing as a print-based designer concerned with finishing and luxury output. 

Additionally, each envelope featured each of the respective studios name foiled on gold stock, visually consistent with the letter inside. 

I also included a business card, giving the studios my contact details so they had the required information to (hopefully) respond to the mailers.

Finally, the mailers were put into an additional envelope, with foiled addresses, and wax sealed with the Not Just For Show wax seal - featuring a crown emblem.

I sent these mailers first class and signed-for, for peace of mind that the studios had received them and wishfully inspiring a greater inclination for the studios to respond.

Sadly, and much dishearteningly, these mailers were ignored by all but one studio, Studio Noel, who very kindly emailed to thank me, though informed me they were unable to have me in for a placement. Michelle Noel, the creative director of the studio, alternatively welcomed me to visit the studio with my portfolio should I ever find myself in London.