A few things about being a first year...

InDesign

To get a feel for how a page can look when completed there is a 'Fill with placeholder text' option.  This allows you to fill up an area with text, which in turn allows you to change pointsizes, typefaces etc to give a ood picture of the final resolution.  

You can also set a bleed, which means if there is ink running to the edge of the page it will print onto the bleed which is larger than the final, cut-down size.  It means that the ink will definitely still be on the page even when cut-down.

Communication is a virus, creating Oliver Histon.

Character profile of Oliver Histon:
Aspects to remember when attempting to create a fictitious person.  Things that we can alter and manipulate on Nial.

Physical: - 

- Hair colour.

- Eye colour.

- Facial features? Beard// eyebrows.

- Clothes.

- Glasses.

- Skin tone.  Fake tan// pale skin.

- Massive mole/ birthmark.

 

All of these things serve as distractions.  For example, if we gave Oliver Histon a strangely large mole on his cheek people would be staring at that rather than his familiar face.

 

Personal attributes:  

- Married// Single// Divorced.

- Likes and interests.  

- Illustrator// typographer// animator.

- Favourite designers.

- Current job.

- Accent, so therefore:

- Hometown

- Shy// outgoing.

- Dog// Cat?

- Alcohol.  Does he drink.

Nial came up with a script for the seminar, we then went over it and refined where necessary.  The general tone was supposed to be slightly nervous, yet lighthearted.  If the second years felt his nervousness it could possibly distract them, and that's all we need.  Going back to the early research we did on the awareness test- if they're thinking more about how nervous he is they might not notice that he doesn't know what he's talking about at all.

Hello I’m Ollie…

And I’m here today to give you a brief talk about my work and my graphic design world…

I’m a little nervous so bare with me,

Right, a little about me, I’ve already said I’m Ollie, I went to the University of Brighton and I graduated 4 years ago and I have worked free lance ever since leaving.

When I first left university I did a few internships one for (insert GD firm) & (insert GD firm), I can only tell you that internships and placements are an amazing opportunity, even if its just making tea and coffee, just being in and around the environment of a design studio brilliant forum for you to express your ideas and absorb other peoples.

Once my internships finished, I unfortunately was not taken on and given a job.

But I made a few good friends at the companies and someone put my name forward as an up and coming designer to a German company Befreien Sie Entwurf, that roughly translates at free design, so in the summer of 2007 I packed my bags for 4months to the small German town of Fellbach about 25min drive from Stuttgart, where the studio was, and these are just a few pieces of work we did over there for a German music festival.

When I came back I suffered a bit of culture shock after living the German way of life for the past four months, I was approached by Nike UK to come with some posters for once of there campaigns.

So I went from working for a small firm in Germany in a studio with balding German men to working freelance for the UK arm of one of the biggest corporations in the world. This was a big eye opener to me showing how versatile a graphic designer needs to be. Especially if your working freelance because you have to adapt yourself from client to client and some clients are very stubborn and give you little room for manoeuvre.

But anyway this is the work I produced while at Nike. This experience was a great springboard for me opening a few doors and getting me a load more clients.. 

The many faces of Oliver Histon.  We tried many things from died hair to contacts to fake beards.  

Communication is a virus, business card designs

After the final crit it was obvious that we had done very little in the way of actual designs for this brief.  From the feedback it was clear the directions this could go in.  For example, creating a whole professional identity for this man using business cards, C.V's etc.  So i thought i'd have a go for myself and see where it could lead in solidifying this persons identity.

 

In the bottom design I have incorporated the logo for the website, along with its' curved edged square.  This keeps visual consistency and is also a more playful, soft way to present a business card.

Primary research, visualisation of sound.

 

All of these stills have been gathered from Windows Media Player.  They show different ways to visually communicate music as it is happening, it's a really engaging form of visualisation of sound.  I want to communicate music, but within a still image, rather than moving animation, this could prove tricky yet if it is pulled off will look as engaging as an image against the animated WMP versions.  

The idea is essentially 'taking an image of music'- capturing a moment in sound visually.

Communication is a Virus. Branding Oliver Histon, site design

huhuh

Communication is a Virus. Tell a convincing lie.

Some primary research on the font brief 'Try something new':

Communication is a Virus. Branding Oliver Histon

Some web designs:

 We felt that simplicity would be the best look.  If the designs had too much personality it might have become obvious that a less skilled/ knowledgeable designer has created them.

Communication is a Virus. Branding Oliver Histon

Development of Oliver Histon through logo design and web design:

These designs are less about colour, and more, understanding visibility through shapes and typefaces together, and how they can change.

Communication is a Virus. Tell a convincing lie.