day 7

Deritend

Day 6

Today I worked on an identity project for Kitchen Matters another Kitchen Designer. The in house team had already started work and decided that creating a logo with 'KM' being the main emphasis. Although I have touched on logo design in my self-promotion project, I found the task much more difficult that i had expected.

Day 5

Today I started off by making some amendments to the Kitchen Ect work I'd being working on the previous week. The concept were pretty much finalized so it didn't take to long as i was only inserting logos and adjusting layout.

Roger had noticed I'm pretty good when it comes to using photoshop software so he handed me over to laura who has some image editing and resizing for me to do. They were fairly simple tasks that were more technical than creative but I was more than happy to do them as I knew laura had a lot of deadlines approaching. My first job for laura was to condense web banners to fit the correct dimensions for a website that was currently being worked on for a company called IRS.

As laura was only working a half day she left me with the responsibility of going through her emails and doing all the small jobs Lisa had emailed her to do.

The next job was to buy some images off www.istockphotos.com, once again a simple task but it meant i was trusted with the company user name and password in order to buy the images.

I then had resize and edit landscape images into portrait banners for a client called Morgan Carbon. The first image was very straight forward, it only involved cropping and expanding block colour.

The second image involved alot of editing. The text needed removing and the image had to include all 5 of the brothers in the portrait format. To make this possible i edited the image so that the brothers appeared closer together. I fairly simple but timely process.

I then returned to working on the IRS website creating icons in photoshop

Day 4

Today i got straight into drawing up scamps for the Directochef.com brief. I then presented them to rodger; a couple of them got put to the side but there were 2 particular concept he felt were really strong and asked me to develop one a bit further for the business side of things.

{images}

The next brief was also for a new company called kitchens ect based in Cardiff. They're an up-market contemporary kitchen designer with the USP that they will not only design the kitchen but if required structurally re-design the entire room to create the vision. 

An idea came to me straight away, but i wasn't able to scamp it effectively so i jumped straight into digitally visualizing it on the mac.

DESIGN WITHOUT COMPROMISE

I then hit a bit of a creative wall...nothing was coming to mind. Eventually I admitted defeat and presented the single concept to Rodger. The phrase 'quality not quantity' came to mind after Rodger's feedback and i wish i hadn't wasted and hour trying to force more concepts when my inital idea was so well received. 

We had a quick look through my scribbles and rodger picked up on 'Design without limitations' and 'the skys the limit' which I had scrawled down during my block and together we came up with a second concept.

DESIGN WITHOUT LIMITS

Day 3

Considering the problems i have at the end of yesterday with the design brief, today went really well.

All the issues i was having the day before completely disappeared I produced 4 different layout designs. Feed back from laura was great and she then passed them on to Lisa the account director. Laura gave them a couple of minor tweaks and they're going to be presented to the client next week! even if Commerical doesn't like them, which knowing there track record is expected, I'm really proud that my first attempt at professional design has made it so far!

Next I went back to the advertising side of things with a brief for a new company called Directochef.com. They're a new company that provide 'a posh takeaway'. The idea is you order meals directly from a local chef via the internet and they arrive at your home with the meals fully prepared and serve to you at your table. Origanly the service was developed was for the business side of things but they have decided to also include a domestic service as well.

I spent the last couple of hours of the day brainstorming and coming up with inital concepts.

Day 2

I started off the day by using the work I'd done the previous day and converting it for use with the in house email marketing soft ware call MI|emailer. 

{inset images}

I also added additions 'buttons' to the layout to give the receiver a wider choice of links.

To convert the photoshop files into interactive emails i used the slice tool. Then exported all the separate components into a html format.

once i'd completed the Three Sector Match brief I moved on to helping out Laura the in house graphic designer. She was currently working on a project for the company Commercial. Laura described commercial as the most 'awkward client ever' and she told me how they were very blunt if they didn't like work - so not too much pressure! 

She asked me to play about with some layout design for some case-study sheets that would be used at exhibitions ect. 

I was also introduced to Lorem Ipsum.  Its whats designers use as dummy copy, seems as copy isnt my strong point i can see myself using this website alot in the future!

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris vitae felis libero, tincidunt euismod magna. Aenean pretium mattis leo, quis.

Not having specifically studied design i had a few teething problem then before i knew it was 5.30, time to go home

Day 1

First day, in short went well, a few surprises but wasn't particularly challenging.

The department was small but has a great atmosphere, it was very obviously a space for creatives. As well as myself in there were also three other students there for work experience; a graphics student from cardiff University and two advertising students off my own course. Seeing familiar faces made the first day experience alot easier but I do feel slightly disappointed in the way that i feel i'm just another work experience kid not a temporary member of staff to the agency. I guess I'll just have to work twice as hard to stand out.

As soon as Rodger (the creative director) came into the office we were immediately given an email marketing brief for Three Sector Match; a local company that helps local community projects out by matching them up with companies who have the skills required. The scheme is completely voluntary. 

I quite like my work, but its certainly not the best I can do. I think this is because I'm out of my comfort zone.

Result!

Roger: hello montpellier creative

Me: hi, is that rodger?

Roger: Yep, speaking.

Me: hi, its Rachel, i emailed you last week about doing a bit of work experience with you..

Roger: ah! yes! when are you avalible?

Me: I'm around all day thursday and friday...

Roger: shall we say friday afternoon?

Me: yep, thats good for me...

Roger: lovely, 2 o'clock?

Me: sounds good. do you want me to bring in some of my current work for you to have a look at?

Roger: its not essesial but it would be nice to see what your upto

Me: yep that fine..

Roger: right, see you friday then

Me: see you friday, thanks roger

Roger: thanks rachel bye.

Me: bye.

Ring Ring..

..no answer, phone engaged. No answer phone, I'll try again later.

maybe I should call?

... I meant to call today but the family came to visit and by the time they left it was out of office hours... i must, i must call tomorrow.

p.s happy birthday dad =]

Still no reply...

I guess its only been 2 working days & im pretty sure I'm not a priority... 

no reply yet..

maybe he doesn't work fridays?

surely this is a little too easy?....

Hi,

Thanks for getting back to me so quick! I'm available next week either Monday morning or Thursday and Friday all day. I'm quite happy to bring some examples of my current creative work for you to have a look at, along with anything else you might want to see.

Thanks again,

Rachel 

University of Gloucestershire
Email: s0805712@glos.ac.uk or rachelchapman@live.com | Mobile: 07970 50 22 93

...and got a reply straight away!

Hi Rachel

Are you free to pop in for a chat, we can then work out dates etc. We do a lot of branding, so it sounds like it would be useful experience for you.
Let me know when would be a good time for you.

Cheers
Roger

Roger Taylor
Creative Director
Montpellier Creative
Direct: 01242 211183 
F: 01242 261320
W: www.montpelliercreative.com

Sent my first email to Montpellier Creative..

Dear Rodger,

 
I am a full time student studying BA(hons) Creative Advertising at the University of Gloucestershire. I am enquiring about the possibility of a work experience opportunity alongside your creative team at Montpellier Creative during spring 2010.

I am currently achieving a 2:1 average in a variety of practical and theory modules including;

The Business and Creative Process
Art Direction and Copywriting 
Advertising Design
Brand Communications
Advertising and Visual Culture
Creative Advertising
Television Advertising

As well as being creative, with an understanding of brand image and concept, I can offer you a variety of skills such as excellent organization, time keeping and dedication to the job in hand; in return I hope you can offer me a chance to gain insight and experience of work into the everyday workings of the industry and further my own knowledge and techniques as a creative.

I am particularly interested in working alongside the Branding teams as they are most relevant to my current studies and experience. 

Feel free to contact me at any time for further discussion or information, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

Yours sincerely,
Rachel Chapman

University of Gloucestershire
Email: s0805712@glos.ac.uk or rachelchapman@live.com | Mobile: 07970 50 22 93