Thursday, 14 December 2017
Thoughts about contacts
I personally don't feel in a position to be contacting relevant agencies, companies practitioner etc just yet, as i would like to have a much more solid and complete portfolio and skill set, as well as spend a little more time refining my online/creative presences and visual identity.
If I don't know who I am or where I fit creatively - how can I approach the right people?
I also feel I would like some time to build up a nice collection of key contacts, ready for the big mailout when I am ready!
I am seeing this as almost a "little black book" of contacts, obviously the more people I contact the better - however I am not in the business of bombarding anyone and everyone - these contacts have to be relevant to my practice and what I want to achieve in terms of my illustrative / creative career post uni.
Key decisions:
I have no specific area I feel drawn to being in. My practice is so versatile and varied that I feel I could fit into many pockets as it were. Before this year, I always thought it necessary to leave uni and get my foot in the door with a design agency. I have always felt that this would be a great way to start, build myself as a practitioner as well as my client base and portfolio - it is always good to have support and a platform for finding work after all. However in this past year I feel the creative industry is changing. More and more people are becoming successful as their own businesses / bosses, as freelancers, or as collectives and I would be happy to attempt all of these (depending on which is likely to make me more successful). That is after all the aim - I want to be successful in a practice that is in no way just a "job" to me - it is a passion.
If I don't know who I am or where I fit creatively - how can I approach the right people?
I also feel I would like some time to build up a nice collection of key contacts, ready for the big mailout when I am ready!
I am seeing this as almost a "little black book" of contacts, obviously the more people I contact the better - however I am not in the business of bombarding anyone and everyone - these contacts have to be relevant to my practice and what I want to achieve in terms of my illustrative / creative career post uni.
Key decisions:
I have no specific area I feel drawn to being in. My practice is so versatile and varied that I feel I could fit into many pockets as it were. Before this year, I always thought it necessary to leave uni and get my foot in the door with a design agency. I have always felt that this would be a great way to start, build myself as a practitioner as well as my client base and portfolio - it is always good to have support and a platform for finding work after all. However in this past year I feel the creative industry is changing. More and more people are becoming successful as their own businesses / bosses, as freelancers, or as collectives and I would be happy to attempt all of these (depending on which is likely to make me more successful). That is after all the aim - I want to be successful in a practice that is in no way just a "job" to me - it is a passion.
Monday, 11 December 2017
Thursday, 7 December 2017
Saw this and it made me laugh
http://www.sadanduseless.com/2016/10/real-drawings/
Dad turns kids drawings into reality.
Sometimes creativity isn't about the showcasing of skill but instead the strength of an initial idea.
Reminds me of the pieces by designer Gianluca Gimini that I came across earlier this year who turned bikes drawn from memory drawn by his friends - into reality. What a lovely idea!
A similar project by ikea who used kids drawings to create plush toys to be sold in stores and create funds for charity. I remember seeing these on a trip to Ikea last year and loving the personality and playfulness of the designs.
What I find intriguing is that these toys provide us with something different from the norm. The toys, aimed at children will have new appeal being designed by children also. The target market is bang on point just because of the nature of the toys-however the difference is that because of the design aspect and cleaver idea, these toys aren't just plush toys of animals for kids, they appeal to anyone. Hey I even wanted one! They seem more on par with "Felt Mistresses" cunning characters than your average cuddly animal toy - all thanks to the character and personality that comes through in the design.
Thursday, 23 November 2017
PROGRESS: My Personal Practice
As my COP3 module progresses I am beginning to realise some key elements and trends within my practice and the way I approach my creative work especially with regards to new briefs.
RESEARCH
COP3 has highlighted how much value I gain from research in my creative process. This is something which hasn't really stood out to me before, however has become really obvious as I delve deeper into my subject matter and chosen direction for this module in my final year. What usually stems form a lack in my confidence and the desire to "get it right" pushes me to become an expert in my subject - and this can be applied when undertaking new briefs wether self directed, live competition or commission. Through research I can gain knowledge about other practitioners who have also explored similar directions in their creative approach, a better understanding of the context of where my work sits and what tone of voice is appropriate. Through research I build a relationship with my project as a whole, before making any key directional choices.
Research is key for me as at this stage in my practice - my approach to creativity is incredibly diverse. This can often lead to a "stunted" phase where I am unsure of the best way to get started. With so many avenues open to me with regards to media and skill set - Research = Knowing my project but also understanding and aligning myself and my key creative skills with the aim of producing unique outcomes and tone of voice.
notes to self
my practice and its development / realisation from COP3 research
research, investigation and methodology - experimentation - underpins my practice and it is through this that i gain a better understanding of my project as well as employing a visual method to better educate and convey a message / portrait / picture of someone for the audience.
instead of fighting my variety of approach to media in my practice - this celebrates it and combines lots of approaches which can then create collage pieces and collections themselves.
when considered each can come together and form a bigger stronger picture of the subject depicted.
play on this in my self marketing
- variety of business cards - a different piece on each one / cut in the shape of something i've drawn
- showcases the variety of skill i have across the board
website
flashing tiles act as a cabinet of curiosities - my approaches and individual pieces showcased as "specimens" // examples of my practice.
RESEARCH
COP3 has highlighted how much value I gain from research in my creative process. This is something which hasn't really stood out to me before, however has become really obvious as I delve deeper into my subject matter and chosen direction for this module in my final year. What usually stems form a lack in my confidence and the desire to "get it right" pushes me to become an expert in my subject - and this can be applied when undertaking new briefs wether self directed, live competition or commission. Through research I can gain knowledge about other practitioners who have also explored similar directions in their creative approach, a better understanding of the context of where my work sits and what tone of voice is appropriate. Through research I build a relationship with my project as a whole, before making any key directional choices.
Research is key for me as at this stage in my practice - my approach to creativity is incredibly diverse. This can often lead to a "stunted" phase where I am unsure of the best way to get started. With so many avenues open to me with regards to media and skill set - Research = Knowing my project but also understanding and aligning myself and my key creative skills with the aim of producing unique outcomes and tone of voice.
notes to self
my practice and its development / realisation from COP3 research
research, investigation and methodology - experimentation - underpins my practice and it is through this that i gain a better understanding of my project as well as employing a visual method to better educate and convey a message / portrait / picture of someone for the audience.
instead of fighting my variety of approach to media in my practice - this celebrates it and combines lots of approaches which can then create collage pieces and collections themselves.
when considered each can come together and form a bigger stronger picture of the subject depicted.
play on this in my self marketing
- variety of business cards - a different piece on each one / cut in the shape of something i've drawn
- showcases the variety of skill i have across the board
website
flashing tiles act as a cabinet of curiosities - my approaches and individual pieces showcased as "specimens" // examples of my practice.
Monday, 20 November 2017
Pastoral Meeting with John
Had a really lovely catch up with John regarding my time on the course and where i consider my practice to be. I went into the session determined to straighten my head out about the lingering issue I have regarding the diversity of my practice.
I came away with the following:
I came away with the following:
- My diverse skillset is gold dust
- Don't ask too many questions of yourself and enjoy the process of making and becoming OK with who I am
- Use my presence and website as a way to showcase my diversity and individualism
- If I am varied in my practice - show this and have an appropriate tone of voice
- Consider a website that suits - agency website showcase a variety of practitioners portfolios as tiles on one page which then navigate out to their specific portfolio. This layout could work for me and showcase my work as individual projects.
- My communication skills are great - use this to promote myself and begin the discussions regarding my work
- Its time to own who I am and stop fighting it
- Diversity is not a bad thing n industry and means you are well equipped for a variety of purposes primed and ready to go
Friday, 10 November 2017
Websites
Towards the end of PPP2 in level 5, I began to understand the importance of a website - an online representation of who I am creatively and a platform to advertise and point others towards, to help gain exposure, commissions and interest in my work. I was lucky enough to get my hands on some domain names for my future website which include:
Since buying the domain names and completing level 5, I have progressed with the representational name for myself "essca" and I subsequently go by this name or "essca.art" on my professional/portfolio instagram account and on tumblr.
https://www.instagram.com/essca.art
Despite choosing this name for myself before the summer, I didn't feel ready to commit to it fully. I am not sure if I like it or if it holds whatever a creative "name" should for a practitioner, therefore this is still in the works. The indecisiveness and uncertainty as to where my practice is best directed or how it is moving forward has also stopped me from going ahead with a website. This and the fact that I want my website to showcase my portfolio at its best and I am not feeling my work is at this stage just yet.
I may not feel ready for a website but I enjoy posting my work-in-progress and current pieces to visual blogs such as instagram. Keeping this up over the summer and into this first semester of 3rd year is slowly helping me to gain more confidence in showing my work and getting myself out there - which I have been really struggling with throughout my time at uni.
What I need to do in order to feel ready to go live with my own website:
• Choose the best pieces of work I have created so far
- Filter out pieces in my ever growing portfolio that I no longer feel best represent me, my
practice and what I am interested in progressing further with in my career as a creative
- Try and stick to more recent pieces as these are more likely to best showcase my
current skills
• Photograph the pieces I have chosen
- High quality photographs of my work in good even lighting are needed to help
professionalise my portfolio and best show what it is I am trying to promote - my
creativity
• Decide on a website layout with elements I feel are most important for promoting my work
• Decide and commit to a name - (or continue with "Jooos" until one better comes along?)
• Create a new brand aesthetic & logo
- The branding I came up with towards the end of Level 5 is ok but I don't feel it best
represents the conceptual, playful, innovative and versatile aspects of my practice. The
aesthetics are too floral and feminine/delicate almost so I would like to create brand
visuals which appear more fresh, unique, bold, interesting and simple so that it can be
easily transferable across promotional products (such as business cards, letter heads,
other online outlets and social media)
• Have other online creative presence areas ready and complete so as to be linked to
directly via my website (behance, tumblr, professional facebook page)
• Have a shop up and running ready to be linked to via the website (big cartel, etsy, etc) so
that people directed to my site have a quick and easy way of finding my work for sale.
Completing the above will help me to feel a lot more prepared to start up my own website therefore over the next few weeks I plan on completing these as soon as possible. Not having a website is proving a lot more frustrating and stunting than I anticipated this year as I know I will feel so much more confident contacting other practitioners or agents or anyone interested in my work, if i can point them in the direction of my website which can do all the persuading for me. I need to let my work speak for itself and social media alone isn't enough.
Website Key Tips
• Be yourself
• Let people know you are available
• Show your personality
• Be concise
• Keep it fresh
• Show off
• Show your pedigree
• Show your recommendations
• Show live examples (be careful of clients wishes)
• Get your creative message out there
• A website is like a living cv - a vehicle for demonstrating your professional talent, projects
and skills.
• A website acts as a professional online shop "window" / market place. To add a personal
side - include a blog-diary extension / link.
Website generators and templates
• www.wix.com
• www.indexhibit.org
• www.cargocollective.com
• www.squarespace.com
• www.berta.me
• www.tumblr.com
With this in mind I have been thinking about what kind of website I want to have once I am ready...
Do I need a website?
YES! A website will provide me with a strong platform to best represent myself as a practitioner, gain interest, sell pieces and promote my work for future agents and clients.
What do I want to include on my website? - Headings
• An area which clearly and simply showcases my creative work, projects and professional
portfolio
- This should be the default page/tab/heading for when people are first directed to my site
and the first thing they see
• An "about me" // "bio" section to give an insight into me and my profession / history
• A diary / "blog" section to help provide a personal insight into my daily life as a creative
• A "news" section - to inform visitors to the site of any new up and coming projects, things
to watch out for, events, exhibitions, new product range on sale, media coverage, etc
• A link to my online shop
• Contact icons and links to other creative presence online pages / sites (email, Facebook,
tumblr, instagram, Linkedin, etc) - not to appear as "tabs" but as simple icons just below
my name / header on the main title page
Tone of voice
• Fun, playful and colourful
• Clear, simple, usable interface
• True to my personality and my creative nature
• Energetic - I want the experience of visiting my website to be one that is memorable - this
could be achieved through interactive elements ,moving image, gifs, videos, sliding
visuals and possibly sound (a new track each week?)
• Professional - in areas such as my biography and the way I list details about my portfolio
pieces on show etc.
• Up to date - the content needs to be kept up to date regularly so as to keep the people
visiting it, coming back for more
Examples of practitioners websites:
Mark Conlan
Peepshow Collective
What works, what I like and why?
• Peepshows website opens with a clean spread of work examples which helps to give a
visitor to the site an obvious overview of the type of work this collective produces
• The sizing of the thumbnails mean a lot of content and examples of work can fit on the
page at one time, but there is enough visual information that each piece is clear
• A nice touch is that when you hover over a thumbnail before clicking it as a link to larger
version of the piece, information and the piece title appears frosted over the
thumbnail itself. Information is revealed when you want it to be which is helpful and stops
unnecessary info clogging up this main portfolio page
• A simple logo appears at the top of the page in the left hand corner no matter what page
you are on - which keeps the aesthetic of this site consistent and provides a "home
page" link for visitors to re-navigate too when visiting different areas of the site
• Contact link "icons" appear at the bottom of each page, frosted out so at so not take
away from the page content too much. This is how I envisage including my contact
details on my own website.
• 5 Simple headings make the content of the website clear and concise
• This website includes a tab/heading for a sign up "mailing list". This could be something
to consider in the future, when / if (*hopefully*) I become a successful practitioner and I
aim to send out info, news letters and mailouts to prospective clients and fans of my work
who have signed up via my site
Mr Gauky
https://www.mrgauky.com/
What works, what I like and why:
• The colour scheme of the whole site reflects the practitioners aesthetic in their work
which is a cleaver thing to consider when thinking about how I want my website to look
• Again a similar feature to the peepshow website - when hovering over a thumbnail,
information about the piece comes into view but in this example the information turns a
neon green which helps it stand out
• I like how drop-down menus are neatly included on the left hand side of each page for
clear and easy access to all areas of the site.
• The artists logo remains in the top left hand corner of the site no matter where you
navigate to which helps keep a constant feel to the aesthetic and reminder of who's work
you are looking at
• The tiled aesthetic of the portfolio page is another thing to consider in my own site. This
doesn't necessarily reflect the "simple & uncluttered" look I am going for, however these
tiles add interest to the page and a large overview of this practitioners work can be seen
at any one time which is helpful and intriguing.
Loish
http://loish.net/
What works, what I like and why:
• This website is great and so clean. It opens with just the left hand side navigation bar overlaid on top of 1 piece of her work - which is simple and inviting for visitors to the site. Not too much information given off on the home page can stop someone being bombarded with too much information and intrigued to find out more by clicking on the menus.
• Directly underneath this artists name in the top left hand corner is all her contact icon links. I think this is a cleaver place to keep these links so that a visitor can find them at all times.
• Again this artists keeps the navigation menu pane on the left hand side as drop down menus. This is helpful because you can see where you are in the site and where else you can visit.
• I am not a fan of the inconsistent font once the drop down menu has been revealed, such as the font used for the various works uploaded to the portfolio part of the site. If I was to use a similar format & layout for my website - I think what would be more successful would be the links within the drop down menus featured with the same font throughout - just in a different font / highlight colour to distinguish the link from others.
• The main part of this website that I love and I think really works well with this artists practice is the portfolio sections. Once a work has been clicked on - the work loads as a scrollable set of pieces including original roughs and digital sketches before the final complete piece. I think this is great and really shows an artists potential as a problem solver and their workings, as well as the piece available for purchase through her shop. This is a nice interactive and different touch to feature on a site - would this be something relevant for my own?
Since buying the domain names and completing level 5, I have progressed with the representational name for myself "essca" and I subsequently go by this name or "essca.art" on my professional/portfolio instagram account and on tumblr.
https://www.instagram.com/essca.art
Despite choosing this name for myself before the summer, I didn't feel ready to commit to it fully. I am not sure if I like it or if it holds whatever a creative "name" should for a practitioner, therefore this is still in the works. The indecisiveness and uncertainty as to where my practice is best directed or how it is moving forward has also stopped me from going ahead with a website. This and the fact that I want my website to showcase my portfolio at its best and I am not feeling my work is at this stage just yet.I may not feel ready for a website but I enjoy posting my work-in-progress and current pieces to visual blogs such as instagram. Keeping this up over the summer and into this first semester of 3rd year is slowly helping me to gain more confidence in showing my work and getting myself out there - which I have been really struggling with throughout my time at uni.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
What I need to do in order to feel ready to go live with my own website:
• Choose the best pieces of work I have created so far
- Filter out pieces in my ever growing portfolio that I no longer feel best represent me, my
practice and what I am interested in progressing further with in my career as a creative
- Try and stick to more recent pieces as these are more likely to best showcase my
current skills
• Photograph the pieces I have chosen
- High quality photographs of my work in good even lighting are needed to help
professionalise my portfolio and best show what it is I am trying to promote - my
creativity
• Decide on a website layout with elements I feel are most important for promoting my work
• Decide and commit to a name - (or continue with "Jooos" until one better comes along?)
• Create a new brand aesthetic & logo
- The branding I came up with towards the end of Level 5 is ok but I don't feel it best
represents the conceptual, playful, innovative and versatile aspects of my practice. The
aesthetics are too floral and feminine/delicate almost so I would like to create brand
visuals which appear more fresh, unique, bold, interesting and simple so that it can be
easily transferable across promotional products (such as business cards, letter heads,
other online outlets and social media)
• Have other online creative presence areas ready and complete so as to be linked to
directly via my website (behance, tumblr, professional facebook page)
• Have a shop up and running ready to be linked to via the website (big cartel, etsy, etc) so
that people directed to my site have a quick and easy way of finding my work for sale.
Completing the above will help me to feel a lot more prepared to start up my own website therefore over the next few weeks I plan on completing these as soon as possible. Not having a website is proving a lot more frustrating and stunting than I anticipated this year as I know I will feel so much more confident contacting other practitioners or agents or anyone interested in my work, if i can point them in the direction of my website which can do all the persuading for me. I need to let my work speak for itself and social media alone isn't enough.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Website Key Tips
• Be yourself
• Let people know you are available
• Show your personality
• Be concise
• Keep it fresh
• Show off
• Show your pedigree
• Show your recommendations
• Show live examples (be careful of clients wishes)
• Get your creative message out there
• A website is like a living cv - a vehicle for demonstrating your professional talent, projects
and skills.
• A website acts as a professional online shop "window" / market place. To add a personal
side - include a blog-diary extension / link.
Website generators and templates
• www.wix.com
• www.indexhibit.org
• www.cargocollective.com
• www.squarespace.com
• www.berta.me
• www.tumblr.com
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Do I need a website?
YES! A website will provide me with a strong platform to best represent myself as a practitioner, gain interest, sell pieces and promote my work for future agents and clients.
What do I want to include on my website? - Headings
• An area which clearly and simply showcases my creative work, projects and professional
portfolio
- This should be the default page/tab/heading for when people are first directed to my site
and the first thing they see
• An "about me" // "bio" section to give an insight into me and my profession / history
• A diary / "blog" section to help provide a personal insight into my daily life as a creative
• A "news" section - to inform visitors to the site of any new up and coming projects, things
to watch out for, events, exhibitions, new product range on sale, media coverage, etc
• A link to my online shop
• Contact icons and links to other creative presence online pages / sites (email, Facebook,
tumblr, instagram, Linkedin, etc) - not to appear as "tabs" but as simple icons just below
my name / header on the main title page
Tone of voice
• Fun, playful and colourful
• Clear, simple, usable interface
• True to my personality and my creative nature
• Energetic - I want the experience of visiting my website to be one that is memorable - this
could be achieved through interactive elements ,moving image, gifs, videos, sliding
visuals and possibly sound (a new track each week?)
• Professional - in areas such as my biography and the way I list details about my portfolio
pieces on show etc.
• Up to date - the content needs to be kept up to date regularly so as to keep the people
visiting it, coming back for more
Examples of practitioners websites:
Mark Conlan
 |
| http://markconlan.com |
Peepshow Collective
What works, what I like and why?
• Peepshows website opens with a clean spread of work examples which helps to give a
visitor to the site an obvious overview of the type of work this collective produces
• The sizing of the thumbnails mean a lot of content and examples of work can fit on the
page at one time, but there is enough visual information that each piece is clear
• A nice touch is that when you hover over a thumbnail before clicking it as a link to larger
version of the piece, information and the piece title appears frosted over the
thumbnail itself. Information is revealed when you want it to be which is helpful and stops
unnecessary info clogging up this main portfolio page
• A simple logo appears at the top of the page in the left hand corner no matter what page
you are on - which keeps the aesthetic of this site consistent and provides a "home
page" link for visitors to re-navigate too when visiting different areas of the site
• Contact link "icons" appear at the bottom of each page, frosted out so at so not take
away from the page content too much. This is how I envisage including my contact
details on my own website.
• 5 Simple headings make the content of the website clear and concise
• This website includes a tab/heading for a sign up "mailing list". This could be something
to consider in the future, when / if (*hopefully*) I become a successful practitioner and I
aim to send out info, news letters and mailouts to prospective clients and fans of my work
who have signed up via my site
Mr Gauky
https://www.mrgauky.com/
What works, what I like and why:
• The colour scheme of the whole site reflects the practitioners aesthetic in their work
which is a cleaver thing to consider when thinking about how I want my website to look
• Again a similar feature to the peepshow website - when hovering over a thumbnail,
information about the piece comes into view but in this example the information turns a
neon green which helps it stand out
• I like how drop-down menus are neatly included on the left hand side of each page for
clear and easy access to all areas of the site.
• The artists logo remains in the top left hand corner of the site no matter where you
navigate to which helps keep a constant feel to the aesthetic and reminder of who's work
you are looking at
• The tiled aesthetic of the portfolio page is another thing to consider in my own site. This
doesn't necessarily reflect the "simple & uncluttered" look I am going for, however these
tiles add interest to the page and a large overview of this practitioners work can be seen
at any one time which is helpful and intriguing.
Loish
http://loish.net/
What works, what I like and why:
• This website is great and so clean. It opens with just the left hand side navigation bar overlaid on top of 1 piece of her work - which is simple and inviting for visitors to the site. Not too much information given off on the home page can stop someone being bombarded with too much information and intrigued to find out more by clicking on the menus.
• Directly underneath this artists name in the top left hand corner is all her contact icon links. I think this is a cleaver place to keep these links so that a visitor can find them at all times.
• Again this artists keeps the navigation menu pane on the left hand side as drop down menus. This is helpful because you can see where you are in the site and where else you can visit.
• I am not a fan of the inconsistent font once the drop down menu has been revealed, such as the font used for the various works uploaded to the portfolio part of the site. If I was to use a similar format & layout for my website - I think what would be more successful would be the links within the drop down menus featured with the same font throughout - just in a different font / highlight colour to distinguish the link from others.
• The main part of this website that I love and I think really works well with this artists practice is the portfolio sections. Once a work has been clicked on - the work loads as a scrollable set of pieces including original roughs and digital sketches before the final complete piece. I think this is great and really shows an artists potential as a problem solver and their workings, as well as the piece available for purchase through her shop. This is a nice interactive and different touch to feature on a site - would this be something relevant for my own?
Wednesday, 8 November 2017
Start Up Wednesday: Building A Blog
Below are notes from from a recent Start Up Wednesday Session Re. Building a Blog.
Sarah Bates
Sarah Bates Design
good sites
smart blogger.com
link:
half a page of a really good image
makes you scroll down
image is engaging and we want to see more of whats going on in blog
type isn't huge text together - nicely spaced out. Called "chunking" - white space around text makes us think its easy and less time consuming to read.
Easy font to read
headings separate information - helps us scan the information and specify what part we want to read
links embedded in text where relevant
plan content, how your going to say it and how you are going to set your blog out
Note: "download The Rebels Manifesto" what is this?
news.microsoft.com
link:
lots of images - mini stories and might make you want to click to find out more. using visual information instead of text
in my blog i may use image instead of wanting to tell everything to someone straight away.
Tate.com
Link:
consider excerpts / snippets of information attached to an image clickable tile.
Yorkshire sculpture Park
link:
no blog just instagram account
this instagram site is different to website
when linking social media to blog or website - think about if it appropriate
differentiate between social and business platforms and what information is where and who it is aimed at / who can access / see it
Language and content needs to be appropriate
bad sites
Moma.org
Link:
looks messy
things don't look altogether
images aren't uniformed
look at sites now - what i like // don't like and utilise in my own blog
use high quality imagery
crop, levels, tidy aesthetic
think about how i'm presenting my work
key things in home page that makes visitors want to search further / find out more
links to social media - if professional
Use wordpress! - work hard for security and has good links / transfers to websites well
domain: my name
host: i.e wordpress
host will put .xxxx into my domain / link name.
paid domain names don't have this
plug in and widgets: extra bits added to the site: pages, search bar, links etc
Task: Make a blog
Name: esscaart
my domain name: esscaart.wordpress.com
(chose to use same name "essca" as my current instagram and creative professional name)
something to remember about domain names:
> "My Site" > themes "customise"
begin to configure the look
themes can be changed afterwards
-------
search engine optimisation
use key words
business pay to get on that first page
choose 6-8 key words and try and use a few of these in every post i make. google will then be more likely to direct people looking for me to my site
use key words on everything and everywhere - tag them everywhere. social media, websites, blogs, on work / at events....use hashtags / hashtags for new projects!
back - links: if a post doesn't make it onto my blog - post the content elsewhere and draw people into my blog
use max - 500 words a post. one or twice a week?
Sarah Bates
Sarah Bates Design
good sites
smart blogger.com
link:
half a page of a really good image
makes you scroll down
image is engaging and we want to see more of whats going on in blog
type isn't huge text together - nicely spaced out. Called "chunking" - white space around text makes us think its easy and less time consuming to read.
Easy font to read
headings separate information - helps us scan the information and specify what part we want to read
links embedded in text where relevant
plan content, how your going to say it and how you are going to set your blog out
Note: "download The Rebels Manifesto" what is this?
news.microsoft.com
link:
lots of images - mini stories and might make you want to click to find out more. using visual information instead of text
in my blog i may use image instead of wanting to tell everything to someone straight away.
Tate.com
Link:
consider excerpts / snippets of information attached to an image clickable tile.
Yorkshire sculpture Park
link:
no blog just instagram account
this instagram site is different to website
when linking social media to blog or website - think about if it appropriate
differentiate between social and business platforms and what information is where and who it is aimed at / who can access / see it
Language and content needs to be appropriate
bad sites
Moma.org
Link:
looks messy
things don't look altogether
images aren't uniformed
look at sites now - what i like // don't like and utilise in my own blog
use high quality imagery
crop, levels, tidy aesthetic
think about how i'm presenting my work
key things in home page that makes visitors want to search further / find out more
links to social media - if professional
Use wordpress! - work hard for security and has good links / transfers to websites well
domain: my name
host: i.e wordpress
host will put .xxxx into my domain / link name.
paid domain names don't have this
plug in and widgets: extra bits added to the site: pages, search bar, links etc
Task: Make a blog
Name: esscaart
my domain name: esscaart.wordpress.com
(chose to use same name "essca" as my current instagram and creative professional name)
something to remember about domain names:
> "My Site" > themes "customise"
begin to configure the look
themes can be changed afterwards
-------
search engine optimisation
use key words
business pay to get on that first page
choose 6-8 key words and try and use a few of these in every post i make. google will then be more likely to direct people looking for me to my site
use key words on everything and everywhere - tag them everywhere. social media, websites, blogs, on work / at events....use hashtags / hashtags for new projects!
back - links: if a post doesn't make it onto my blog - post the content elsewhere and draw people into my blog
use max - 500 words a post. one or twice a week?
Sunday, 22 October 2017
Study Task 1: Mission Statement
I am passionate about the landscape, nature and world which surrounds me, the intricacies, beauty and social issues of which I often try and emulate within my practice. I try to employ a deeper meaning within the content of my creative work, wether that be a sense of narrative, challenging views or educating the audience of an interesting and relevant subject matter. Whilst maintaining a pleasing aesthetic and broad range of application for my work, I aim to create a lasting impression with the audience, either through a display of creative skill or interactive techniques to help put a message across. Areas of my practice I enjoy and look forward to improving upon are my digital skills, print making skills, pen and ink, paper cut, craft and formatting techniques.
I have a very varied and broad approach to media within my practice, meaning I am more content / 'brief led' when undertaking new projects - letting the brief determine which media approach is best appropriate for the task. This lack of identity, tone of voice, direction and consistency within my work can be really disconcerting, confusing and difficult to manage, therefore I look forward to gaining some focus and direction - "a style" - within my practice throughout this final year of study.
I have a very varied and broad approach to media within my practice, meaning I am more content / 'brief led' when undertaking new projects - letting the brief determine which media approach is best appropriate for the task. This lack of identity, tone of voice, direction and consistency within my work can be really disconcerting, confusing and difficult to manage, therefore I look forward to gaining some focus and direction - "a style" - within my practice throughout this final year of study.
Monday, 9 October 2017
LAUIL602 PP3: Module Briefing Notes
Be Professional - the way YOU conduct yourself professionally and get yourself in line with were you want to go. How I’m going to achieve this.
200 hours of learning
Where will my practice sit in 5 years time
Where do I want to be? What are my aspirations? What do I want to achieve?
Who do I want to work with - collaboratively or independently?
Who are my clients?
Where is it taking me?
What path am I walking down?
> Start thinking about this now. Research possibilities - refresh myself of what the choice and paths are!
If I want to be an independent Illustration - go does this work? How do we fund that? How do I manage this time? PP3 will cover this and set me up efficiently ready for the creative industry.
Presentation deadline is in on the Monday of deadline week then no alterations can be made.
Final submission is 21.05.17 - 13:00
Timetable in first semester for PP3 is Monday running every alternate week.
Second semester is more 1 to 1s running throughout.
-London studio trips
-AOI visits
-visiting professionals
-Yorkshire dales visit
2 BRIEFS:
Contacting professionals:
10 is not enough - should be a lot more!
Speak professionally. Ask things like:
Here is some examples of my work, would this be right for you / your business / agency?
If not, ask:
Who would you suggest that would be interested in my work? Do you have any suggestions of who / where to approach?
BLOG: 1000 assessed words
Use blog as an archive
Blog is a professional document so keep it professional
Have a narrative with key moments / stages occurring - for assessment
What are we going to do with our creative presence
How are we going to organise it?
Portfolio? Zine? Online? Create something that reflects the kind of work I do.
What portfolios should be:
Some people / agents
- want to see a range of work
- want to see specific work depending on where they are from - if an editorial house - they only want to see editorial.
Always keep some work back. Don’t put everything in it. Keep some back incase of revisiting and wanting to show new work.
In terms of creative presence : make decisions relevant to me and what I feel is best for my practice and getting the exposure I want. Some people want a promo pack. Some people will only want a good functioning website. Whatever I choose / don’t choose - just need to justify why.
If you want to get somewhere - need to understand where / what that place is. RESEARCH!!!
Think Product, Range & Distribution
Be creative when trying to contact professionals as well as promoting my own work
Through research - establish a tone of voice appropriate and familiar to the people I am approaching
Ask questions:
Who do I aspire to be? Who inspires me? Who has the job I want? This will help me create the work I want to create, job specific work and go in the direction I want to be in.
Be aspirational - think big
What is my work suited for?
Evidence for submission:
Creative "personality"
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