Snow, illness and tonsils!

Argh!  A combination of snow on the roads, snow in my lungs (or something like that) and dodgy tonsils have conspired to stop me going into college for quite a while now O_o
At least it's the christmas holiday now, gives me some time (hopefully, as long as I don't get ill AGAIN) to finish off some work - I almost have a workable site, just have to complete the showcase with past work and then I'm done...TO THE WEBATORIUM!!

Online portfolio and Yesterday's Visitor (Andrew Fuller)

Argh I spent all evening developing an idea for my website...which went nowhere!  A whole evening wasted!!
On the bright side at least I now have a working site (I spent the last part of the evening tweaking the other idea I was working on and I think it is now usable - I am going to sort out the other pages and go from there.  There is the beauty of style sheets in one!  I'm not totally sure if the site is ready colour scheme wise - but because I'm using one style sheet for the entire site I can go back and change just that to re-theme the whole site!!
If I can find a bug-free and simple way of including it I'm also going to put in a style switcher - giving the ability to switch the orange theme for a) a green one and b) a black and white "high-contrast" type layout.

Well anyway enough annoyance and grr-ing, here's my notes from yesterday:

Andrew Fuller - Design Bull (designbull.co.uk)

Andrew started out as a bit of a "jack of all trades".  He took on graphic design jobs, illustrator-type jobs, web design and anything that came his way.  He decided (as apparently many people do after a while) that it would be more sensible to specialise in one area, which he chose as logo-design and branding.
He gets a lot of business from single-person or startup businesses and for these he does a lot of branding, websites and business stationary.
He uses a questionnaire to help him extract what the client wants - this makes the job a lot easier for him as he doesn't have to keep talking to the client constantly to ask what they want.
Out of the whole business, he said that he finds the accounting side the most difficult!
When designing websites, he told us that it often works out much easier to use CMS-type software (Content Management Systems) as this means there is less back-end work to be done, and this allows him to focus on the front-end of the website.  The only CMS I have used in the past is Dragonfly - based on PHPNuke, but I think for most clients this would be too feature-heavy and "clunky".
Andrew often uses "Light CMS" to build websites for clients, it is very easy to use and includes many pre-made templates.  The only drawback of this approach is that if you create more than three pages it charges you monthly.
A lot of people worry about losing business by giving the client the ability to update their own pages etc - but apparently this is an empty worry as 90% of clients will get stuck or require updates - which will end in them calling you back!  It seems more professional to give the client the room to do things themselves and be honest with them (train them how to use the software etc) - as opposed to the approach many people take, telling the clients the bare basics to guarantee themselves return business.  If clients notice this, it may put them off of returning to you anyway - which is pretty self defeating!
Andrew currently charges a £60 hourly rate, after starting years ago at around £10 an hour.  He said that there is no "nationally accepted" pay rate for web design, and that you basically set your own fee.  It is largely down to confidence and experience! (ie. confidence/experience = higher rate)  Although it does not hurt to research local graphic/web designers online to find out how much they charge!!

There is software available - Andrew uses one called "Billings" - that can be set up to create invoices based on your hourly rate/other fees.  He told us that with new clients it is sensible to charge a percentage up front - most commonly 50% - as this covers you if anything goes wrong.  This could be something as simple as the customer skipping your payment, or the client going into liquidation and being unable to pay.
It is also sensible to give an estimate to the client - laying out how many hours you think each part will take, your hourly rate and any other charges.  If deadlines are exceeded, it is best to be honest with the customer and attempt to explain why - if it is because of changes they have requested, then the estimate can be referred to and then modified to compensate for this.
Andrew reminded us that although it can be important to work for free at the start (to find clients and get your name out there) it is not sensible to do this as much as you become more experienced - unless it is for an impressive client!
We were also told that there are many networking/breakfast networking groups in bath that we could join.  This is apparently a very good way of getting ourselves known and gathering valuable insights and contacts.
Some of the groups in the Bath area are:

• Creative Bath -  This is a new group, it is apparently not so good for finding work, but is good for meeting other professionals.
• 4networking - This is a national networking group, but they do hold events in bath!
• Small Business Focus - Another new group, unlike many of them this group charges only for events as opposed to a monthly/yearly fee.

I asked Andrew for advice on liability when creating websites.  The example I used was if I was to create a website for a client, which later there was a fault with and they lost personal data/money.  Would I be liable and how would I cover myself against this.
He informed me that you can get insurance (called Professional Indemnity Cover) which will cover you against this sort of thing.  There are also a set of Terms and Conditions on his website which he told me I could use (obviously changing relevant names etc) to help cover myself.
Design Bull has recently become a Ltd company - this means that if anything like this does happen, the company will be penalised, not Andrew directly.  This seems like a sensible thing to do in the future!

Edit:  A few other free CMS websites I have found:
http://www.cmsmadesimple.org/ - Appears to be totally free
http://www.cushycms.com/ - Free, but charges for professional use

Interviewing a professional

A result of one of my emails asking about placement work I have been offered to meet with a local professional (in the Radstock area) for a coffee - although they cannot offer me placement work, they have told me that they may be able to recommend a few places where I could and also could answer some questions I may have about the industry.

New Website - Behind on Posts

Had a busy couple of weeks so I've dropped behind on posts...had lots of university work to do and I've been working on my website, which will hopefully become my online portfolio when it is finished.
First off the website is located at http://fruitfulcreations.co.uk - it isn't finished yet so dont expect anything spectacular!!
I really wanted to link this feed to the site, but having trouble finding a decent way of doing that - I may either use a script to publish the last post or two, or just place a link to it in my link list.
Been busy learning new skills with web design, teaching myself to create things in new ways - like using lists for links (the link menu on my site is a combination of several nested lists and a lot of CSS)
Once I've finished the basic template, I'm going to start adding the sections - one about work I have done, skills etc - and I still am going to look at migrating my blog to there (I may just install my own simple blog and just link to this one as an archive).  Unfortunately I've gotta do it along side bags of uni work...so this looks like it could be fun! :P

Anyway!  On to the missing blog posts from the last two visitors!


Ben Darby and Joe Ashford - Former FDA Digital Design Students

Ben and Joe are both co-founders of "Purple Egg Design".  They are currently working on designing their website which acts as their online portfolio - this is a popular idea with many designers and can work out to be much easier and more flexible!  When applying for jobs, they will often send a "cover letter" email, containing a link to the portfolio.
They advised us to make sure we turn up to all of the guest lectures as these talks can provide valuable information for us to learn the business!  They also said, if possible, that we should go to as many events and exhibitions as we could then document everything on our blogs as this helps not only to track how much work we're doing, but shows that we are taking our learning seriously!
They also told us that with regards to showcasing our own work, there are spaces available in places like Cabot Circus to display work which are quite cheap.
We were also told that we should apply for placements as soon as possible (obviously I need to finish my online portfolio first as the places I have asked all wanted to see one!) - and to remember that when we do apply for placements we should always get a name!  Applying just "To sir/madam" will just not cut it!
They also told us that humour and chatty language are not a problem as design is a creative business and being a quirky person can be a bonus.
The rest of their talk was focused around the third year of the course - which I did not feel is relevant to me as I am not doing it!


Louise Myers - Former FDA Digital Design Student

Louise came to talk to us about the projects last year and to give us advice on completing them well.  She told us that many of the students overlooked the point of the self-directed project - unfortunately many of them produced amazing work, but missed out the research and development side (which is one of the most important parts!).  She advised us to keep evidence and notes of everything we do as part of this final project.
Her research proposal was to look into different animators and their styles, perhaps learning and experimenting with as many of these as possible.  She did say that it felt later on that she had given herself a little too much work - which is also something to bear in mind when deciding our research proposals.
She said that it is a good idea to set dates/times to aim our work on this project for so we can complete it all in the right amount of time.
Louise then showed us a showcase of work from last year's students which was interesting to see - although there seemed to be much more focus on animation, which I haven't seen from any students on our year of the course!

Arghh!!!

Well today I would have been continuing searching for work placements and working on finding competition entries etc...but somehow managed to get a rootkit, which turned out to be one of those new annoying "you can never completely remove me" ones!  So I had to spend my entire day backing up files, reinstalling windows and changing all of my important passwords on the net... <sarcasm> WONDERFUL!! </sarcasm>

Design Competitions

Today I decided to enter a design competition...I think my submission was ok, but it has showed me that I do work well as part of a team!!  Sometimes other input can be really useful on tweaking things, pointing out design flaws and colour ideas before I end up getting stuck into it and lose sight of the bigger picture :P
But all the same it's entered, and when I have a bit more time I'll probably enter a few more!!  Muahahahaha!

(design: http://99designs.com/users/480728/folio/designs/5941379 )

Another visitor! (and the search for a placement begins!)

Today we were visited by Tom Morris from Sunhouse Design.

Tom started by telling us that finding placements could be difficult with many businesses in the area as a lot of them are either small design houses or freelancers - keeping the companies small to minimize costs - advising us to aim mainly for the bigger agencies if possible!
He started out with a degree in graphic design and managed to get a placement with the BBC, who are apparently a great first time employer as there is a very diverse range of positions and types of work within the company as they are very large.
Eventually he left the BBC and joined a company called "Epoch Design" (who have since merged with a company called Loewy) and worked there for a while before finally deciding to strike out and form his design house with a few colleagues.
The initial stages of setting up the design company were very difficult, often having to offer services for free to obtain publicity and recommendations as opposed to actually earning money!  Thankfully for him he had been working in the design industry long enough to have built up what he termed as a "Black Book" of contacts within the industry - this gave him a starting point in finding new work.
One thing which he pointed out during his talk was that in the world of design, "You are only as good as your previous job" - which is a helpful thing to remember when choosing jobs once you start to make a name for yourself!
Sunhouse design now do a range of different jobs for many different types of company - some examples of this being the BBC, Danone and even work on the Marmite brand!
The later part of his talk was focused around giving pitches and trying to win work, he told us:

• It is much better to pitch on a physical medium if possible (instead of a digital medium) - Sunhouse almost always print A1 boards to use in their pitches as this gives you more control over the pacing of the pitch and protects against many common issues like colour loss from projectors and data issues (broken files etc).
• The pitch should contain more than one solution to the problem - also including progressions of ideas, justification and explanation.
• When designing the solution it is best to first analyse the brand or employer (who are they, what is it etc) - which could take the form of a brainstorm - and also to try and analyse the consumer, their patterns, likely places they will be impacted by advertising etc.
• Often it is not a problem to take large amounts of inspiration from existing products/designs - this should be done carefully to avoid possible legal complications and accusations of plagiarism!
• It can be best to show different "routes" of ideas - for instance he showed us an example where route one of the design concepts was following the current format of the brand (minor changes) and then other major ideas were grouped into their routes.
• Sometimes when creating concepts for a pitch it can be much quicker to draw them non-digitally! 

He also said that although many pitches are paid (some for the pitch and some to the winning pitch) - they can often be very time consuming and expensive!  The two pieces of advice he offered for this were that it is often unwise  to pitch on a project which already has many other companies doing the same, and not to pitch if the project is too far out of your "comfort zone".


And finally!  I have started properly looking for placements today!  They seem to be quite few and far between at the moment (one company told me that this is the wrong time of year at the moment as many houses are busy focusing on Christmas projects at the moment!) but I have called quite a few places, and out of those phone calls have been told to send various information (CV/Portfolio etc) to three of them - which is a start I guess!!

First Post, First visitor! (Jack Owen - Icehouse Design)

Today we met Jack Owen from Icehouse Design - it was interesting and informative to talk to someone who has been in the business for a while.  Icehouse design focus mainly on print-based clients - among these are the NHS and National Trust.  He showed us a recent project, an annual review for the local NHS trust, where some small changes had been made during the process, some of these before consulting the customer.  He said that this can be part of the job - sometimes small changes need to be pushed to create a better finished product for the customer - but sometimes it can backfire and it is important to always sign off changes with the client!

He told us that design can be a very difficult profession to start out in and that there can be times when you may earn very little - he also said that at some point we are likely to end up dealing with a customer who doesn't pay, or could end up in a situation where our integrity as a designer may lead us to withdraw our services if talking and explaining to the client does not present a compromise.  This is because any work you do can obviously have a positive or negative impact on your portfolio - so if a customer demands something that you know to be terrible it can occasionally be less damaging to refuse the work.

The situation may also arise in the future where some requests by potential clients may have to be rejected because they do not bring in enough money to meet overheads etc.

Most of the Icehouse clients are found by word of mouth from previous clients - including their larger customers, large brands like Marks and Spencer, Boots and Tesco.  Jack told us that advertising can often be a massive waste of money and that the most important piece of advertising we could buy would be business cards.

In regards to looking for placements or a job as a studio junior, he told us the most important thing is attitude as the skills required for the job can be taught in house.