Talk from Louise Lockhart

NOTES

- Print All Over Me 

- To get to the point of a finished looking website, there is a long process of torture 

- Matisse Collage inspiration

- Keep inspirational books around because they are a lot more rich than a screen

- Incorporates textures into her work that she finds, back of photo albums etc. 

- She submitted alot of work for The Skinny (Student newspaper) which is really good for publicity, aswell as Secret 7. 

- Risograph printing has really nice texture, especially when it mismatches, and textures.

- Teatowel printing

- Importance of Instagram, really good tool to use for Illustrators. Networking/Sales/Jobs

- Art Fairs: At first her work was cringey, but people still bought it!

- Hopes people don't realise that she uses photoshop

I'm so glad I attended this talk by Louise Lockhart, as I am a huge fan of her work and love the way she incorporates texture into her work. It was really refreshing to hear how honest she is about certain things, especially the way that she hopes people don't realise she uses photoshop. Also the idea of her work being 'cringey at first', is quite inspiring, because at times I can feel like that about my work. 

Facing Forward - Starting to think about my website

Recently I have really been thinking about professionalizing my online presence, and the importance it will have on my networking. I have used social media constantly since around the age of 12 including facebook, twitter, tumblr, and instagram for another long period of time. However, when using them, admittedly I wasn't conscious of how my posts would be received in a professional sense. So I have been working on that. I have started with a new twitter and instagram account (which I'm really struggling to stay active on as it's quite boring completely starting again).

Another platform I definitely need to fine tune is my website; my shop window. 

"Great art deserves a great audience!"

Website 

http://glmartn.tumblr.com/

This was my response to my Creative Presence last year, which admittedly does not function as a professional website very effectively. However, when looking at it I think it's clean, fresh and displays my work in an almost effective way. So when developing my actual website I intend to take elements from this and obviously improve on them. 

The thought of creating a professional website does seem slightly daunting to me because I don't feel that my work is that up to scratch to be out there just yet. Honestly I'm struggling to have confidence in my work, which I need(WANT) to gain before I start contacting art directors/employers etc. 

I used tumblr as the platform for this last year, and although it looks adequate, it's not a very professional platform, so research into site builders will be crucial. 

LinkedIn

So i'm officially on linkedIn! The stuff I've found on there so far is really exciting, especially seeing the thoughts and opinions of other people on current issues. I feel that using it daily will also give me more of a knowledge of current issues, and give me the awareness I need to be a successful practitioner, aswell as giving me the opportunity to make synergetic contacts! I'm still yet to make a post in order to engage with people on the network, not sure I have the confidence to put something really opinionated up there though? If i'm writing something I need to make sure my opinions are valid otherwise i'll just look like an idiot...

Stan Chow

Illustrator - Editorial, Advertising
- Practising for 20 years
- Used to paint but could see technology taking over. Found digital to be a more efficient way of working.
- Through Social Media, he established a print shop, because of high demand for his prints
- His work appeals to a vast audience, Pop culture/Celebrities. VERY in demand.
- He feels he is successful because of his skill in getting the likeness of a person. 
- Doesn't have time to invest in big projects.
- His creative process used to involve sketching, however he finds it easier to go straight to a computer now.
- His favourite pieces are ones with most reduced shape. 
- His most satisfying jobs are the ones 'If he needs more the client, more than they need him' (big companies)
- Illustrate things you want to illustrate otherwise you will get work for things that you don't want to draw / If you do enough of it, you will get noticed!
- His inspirations are comic artists
- He finds that Manchester is a better place for an illustrator, as opposed to London, because there is more time to breathe. Not enough time to focus on being an illustrator in London. 

A really inspiring talk, which I found really eye opening in terms of learning about how different one persons practice can be compared to another. Also the idea of vectors/digital artwork being in high demand, despite the idea of society perhaps getting bored of digital work. 

Should Illustrators be treated like designers?

http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/should-illustrators-be-treated-like-designers-opinion

"At first it felt like a lot of the audience were ready for things to change in the industry, whether that’s how illustration is priced and licensed, or how we can embrace new ways of working. Then we moved on to discussing how illustration is commissioned for its outcome—the image. At the moment, the focus is on the end point rather than everything leading up to it. 


"After all, that’s what illustrators are paid to do. And of course there are successful illustrators who have no need or interest in being employed for anything other than their artwork. But there seems to be a lot of people who are looking for a different route."

 A really interesting article that has really given me a little bit more confidence in my practice. I see my practice positioned in the 'grey area' of design, wanting to be a designer and an illustrator (an illustrator who adds their own text to their images??)

Career Coaching with Ingrid

Today I had a career coaching session with Ingrid, which was really useful in terms of organising my head and creating an action plan for the upcoming year. My main focus was getting an internship/work experience.

- Work Experience is ideal for any progression oppurtunity. Look into volunteering?
- Contacting people > Marketing/production managers
- DO YOUR RESEARCH, find out names
- Prospects.ac.uk (Really useful websites in providing employment information) 
  - Use the career planner & possible career options
  - Also use Jobs/work experience section, (advertsises oppurtunities)
- Use prospects to understand what's involved in Advertising roles
- Look into Industry papers, Drum / Advertising Weekly. Understand what's going on in the industry at the moment. Be up to date. What's up and coming.
- When applying for oppurtunities, FOLLOW IT UP. People aren't annoyed by you asking, they are genuinely too busy. Be a polite nuisance. 
- Typical salaries for Post Graduates is 22/23,000 
- Send applications even when job roles are not advertised - The speculative approach.
- When sending CV's, tailor them to specific companies/employers. Send with Covering Letter. Be clear, and show your skills. 
- Grad Schemes are very competitive, and will expect 2:1 and work experience. 
- Look at Guardian top 100 employers to work for. 
- Glass Door(?) Website where people write about their experiences of interviews with employers. 
- When researching look for Company Specific books, e.g Saatchi and Saatchi

ACTION PLAN

1. Research - Companies/Agencies you want to work for. Find out EVERYTHING. Specific people to address.
2. Make contact - Introduce yourself. Meet up(?) to talk about the roles within company/any possible vacancies/opportunities for graduates?
3. Check in with Ingrid as soon as you can
4. Send CVs + apply to wherever you can/want to work. 

Understanding Advertising Agencies Roles

Over summer I've thought alot about working in the advertising industry. I like the idea of it but am not sure how I would fit in as an Illustrator/designer? What do I apply for? What preparation do I need to undertake in order to be able to apply for such roles??

I thought it would be a good idea to do some research into the different roles into a standard Advertising Agency, I found these roles on prospects.co.uk:

Client Service or Account Management
The account handler represents the client at the agency. They have a key role in the development of the advertising campaign and are the people who are in charge of the relationship with the client. Account handlers are responsible for developing an in-depth understanding of the client's marketplace and their business, their objectives and then working closely with planners to translate the client's marketing briefs into agency creative briefs.

Strategic Planning
Strategic planners represent the consumer in the agency. They are responsible for developing the key strategic insight which lies behind the advertising idea. They need to get under the skin of the consumer and understand as much as possible about them.

Media Planning and Buying
Media Planners map how to connect the consumer to the creative idea. Planners in a media agency will take a brief from the client which highlights the message that they want to communicate to the consumer. Normally the client will have a budget in mind, but sometimes they will ask the media agency to give advice on budget setting. The media buyers are responsible for negotiating with the media owners of the relevant channels in order to get the best position, timing and price for their client's media space and therefore realise the maximum value and impact from the budget available.

Creative
The creative department of an agency is where the campaign comes together. It's where that great idea or stunning visual is dreamt up. Creatives are generally hired in pairs — a copywriter and an art director. They take the client brief and work with it to invent ideas to address the brand's business problems. From here, they work with media planners/buyers and the production department in order to turn those ideas into a reality. To get a job as a creative, the most important thing is your 'book' — a portfolio of all your ads to showcase your talent.

Creative Services & Production
It is the job of creative services and production to ensure that the internal process is smooth and the ads are made to the highest quality, on time, and within budget. The people in this process need a variety of skills and can be split into three main areas — those who control the internal process within an agency, those who source the outside talent for production and those who oversee the production itself, including Creative Services Director, Creative Services Manager, Art Buying, TV Production, StudioProject Management, Traffic Management and 

Print Production.

User Experience (UX)
The UX guys are responsible for research and design activity required to deliver great online experiences. They are the digital equivalent of retail merchandisers who guide you intuitively around a supermarket.

Social Media Strategist
They have to understand how consumers interact with social platforms. It is essential that they understand how new technologies shape the user experience online. They craft ideas which are social by design and engage with the online consumers.

Web Developer
They are responsible for technically implementing digital ideas by working with creatives and UX. They take ownership of the entire build phase of creating websites.

Studio AKA Production

I found this production company after looking into advertisements I admire. This company were behind the current illustrated Lloyds TSB campaign, that I think is really heartwarming and beautifully executed. 

It was good to find out that they offer internships which could be something to look out for in the near future - but with a production studio like this, I'd be interested to find out where an Illustrator would fit in - especially if they cannot animate (I feel like this is a stupid question though and from looking at the FAQ's on their website, I don't think they seem very approachable/friendly). 

PPP3 - Who are you now?

As stated previously, this summer has been a massive turning point for me in terms of developing a professional attitude towards working/uni work, which admittedly was not fully there before. I've done alot of speculating around my practice over the summer (mainly because I've been completely terrified) and have found that commercial work like branding/advertising is what I enjoy. I have engaged with a few work opportunities over summer such as Sign Painting and graphic design briefs, e.g The Llama Park sign boards, which gave me abit of experience in communicating with clients. 

My future plans at the moment are focused towards working in advertising or branding. I have a passion for graphic design and feel that I have the mind set for it, I'm good at asking the right questions in order to develop a project etc. So for the next year I would like to focus on work experience and internships in the field. Naturally I am drawn to the creative production side of it, however, marketing and PR are other elements that I am slightly drawn to. I am not sure how much the 2 elements cross over, which is something I need to research alot more into. I have a career coaching session booked this week where I intend to ask alot of these questions.