OUGD502 - PPP2: Studio Session With John

This morning we had a session with John. Firstly he did an introduction about our first year and our experiences. He asked whether anyone had done any placements, and then continued to talk about why they are helpful and how it is really important to arrange studio visits just as much, as you can get a feel for a place as soon as you walk in.

Whilst he was talking about contacts more names came to my mind and I thought about how I could contact a girl I know that has been involved with designing for well known brands recently. I bumped in to her a while ago now so her situation may have changed but it is worth inquiring. I also thought about another girl I know through my mum who works on adverts, she may be able to introduce me to some people within the industry.

John then started talking about how we will be introduced to quite specific information concerning business cards and what we should include on them, how we should present ourselves, as well as look at the negatives of having them. Having done work experience over Summer as well as some free lance work I thought then that it would be worthwhile to create my own business cards, however I want to get them just right before getting them professionally printed.

After this session John said that if we had any questions he would be there until 11, so I decided to take up this opportunity and have a chat with him about anything that was concerning me at the moment. I spoke to him about my interest in packaging at the moment and asked him if he had any contacts which he could put me in touch with. He said he would pull some contacts together for me and then pass on the information. I found this discussion really helpful, as he spoke about past students with me and how they had gone on to work abroad a lot of the time.

This led me on to talk to him about how I had researched in to studios in Vancouver over Summer and I also asked him whether it would be worthwhile for me to contact them for just placement even if I can't see myself living there in the long term. His response was, if I can afford it then do it and if I can find somewhere to live then it would definitely be worthwhile. I explained how I don't want to stay in this country working for the rest of my life, and if possible I would like to travel to at least one other country to get some work experience as well as life experience.

I then went on to talk about how I have been wanting to contact one of my favourite designers, as I feel as though we have a lot in common where our style is concerned. John said it would be worthwhile to write him a letter and perhaps send him some examples of my work. As he lives in France I would be able to go and visit easier than say if we was further away in the world. This then made John think about someone he knows that has ended up working in Paris, he also said it might be worth putting me in touch with him. I think this would be really beneficial to me, because even if I don't end up going there it is simply another contact.

Suggestions we came up with within the discussion:

• John also told me to look at Michael Wolff on youtube and watch some of his videos.
• I told him about my print brief that I am working on at the moment and explained how I have experimented with creating my own ink. He said it would be worthwhile for me to ask down in the print room for some advice on how to thicken the ink, but if this fails then it is always worthwhile for to contact an ink manufacturer that deals with vegetable inks as this is also another way of collaborating with a professional in the industry. 
• John also suggested that I look at designindaba conference where people get together from all over the world in Capetown to discuss all of their different disciplines and ideas.
• Two studios that came up in conversation which are in Leeds, were Elmwood and Robot. I am going to make sure I look in to both of these studios for potential visits.

After this discussion I got in touch with Natalie (one of the girls mentioned above) to ask her whether there would be any chance that I could get together and talk to her about her work, or even visit the studio or company where she currently works. I am hoping that by simply conversing with her in this way will benefit me in the long run anyway, as I can keep in touch and she is now aware that I am interested in any opportunities that arise.

This afternoon we had another session with John. He showed us a selection of different videos of different designers talking at Design Indaba. This is what John had mentioned to me earlier on today. The videos we watched were so inspirational.

• Alex Chen on the possibilities of a line
• Marti Gurxe at Design Indaba 2013 - This linked very closely to packaging (food is a mass produced object linking to mass produced graphic design)
• Masashi Kawamura: Making new ways of making things - Strobe light created using cameras and using video involving the audience
• Stefan Sagmeister - Bring the personal and the human in to design (the food in this video can be influential for my print brief

The main thing we should have gained from this afternoon's session is to try out as much as we possibly can whilst we are at university. John also then discussed how we was involved in creating an exhibition and setting it up. He wanted it to be different, so he decided to project the work on to the stands to make people go back. This is because the stands would constantly change and perhaps be in different languages to reach a wide audience.