Portfolio Visit - Pentagram

The last of our visits before we returned to Manchester was at Pentagram. Unfortunately there was no time to go through our portfolios there and then but we were able to leave a copy with them. We were given a tour around the studio which was just having some new screens fitted for better presentations. There was a large presentation/gallery room at the front where they hold big meetings and lectures to students etc.

Something I haven't seen at any other agencies is an archive within the building. Years of work were kept in huge metal cabinets which can be used for referencing and also presentations and pitches. Then behind this was the canteen area where they all meet for lunch and catch up on gossip etc. To the back of the building was a woodwork which is another first that I have seen in a design agency. He explained that this is where the architectural designers create models of their designs. He showed us some of the models in a storage room next to the workshop.

We then went upstairs and looked around the open plan studio. There was some interesting work on show and it looked like a good atmosphere to work in. We then asked a few questions about what it was like to work there and what they got involved in. We received some good advice and would like to go back in the future.

At the end of the visit we were each given two fantastic Pentagram books which was completely unexpected but a really nice gesture that we really appreciated.

Portfolio Visit - Saatchi & Saatchi

We signed into the reception at Saatchi & Saatchi and sat down with a huge screen showreeling their ads to the right and a full wall of D&AD pencils to our left. This reinforced our knowledge of the place being a major agency in the world.

We were then greeted by the creative team we had contacted and we went up in their lift to their enclosed glass fronted office. We started off by talking about our course which is exactly the same one as they did. Again, this shows that you don't have to study advertising to get into it. Due to this, they were able to give us some good advice on turning our book into an ad book rather than a design book. They also gave us a handout to look at with some unwritten rules of advertising which offers great advice.

They then went through our book. Sometimes we talk about our work as people look at our book but in this case it was silent and they looked through it carefully which I appreciated more as the ideas should be communicated without talking about them anyway. We were then given feedback on each idea. They explained that the ideas seemed like one-offs in some cases and that they could be expanded into some great campaigns. The Berghaus was an exception to this as they really liked it.

They wanted to see more 'big' ideas in our book. An example they gave us was the Kwik Fit campaign 'Look What We Can Do'. This one sentence was then used in lots of different ways. The core thought behind it is the type of thing we need to make our book more ad based. This would also include new media as well as online content to support the idea through different mediums.

They liked the Blood Drive, London F1 and innocent work but it all needs more of a point to create a call to action as nobody does advertising without a reason.

Overall from this meeting I feel that we have gained a lot more knowledge about advertising and I think that we need to make a serious decision very soon of which route to take because they don't physically do much designing themselves. So mostly it is one thing or the other although the two are now slightly merging together.

Agency Visit - Dew Gibbons

The tutors arranged a few visits for groups of people on our course whilst we were in London. The agency we visited was called Dew Gibbons which design lots of packaging and products for clients such as Boots and Vidal Sassoon. We walked up quite a few flights of stairs into the top floor of the agency which looked like a flat with a table, sofas and a balcony. This is where the library was kept and looks like a place to relax and research.

We were then shown a presentation on a laptop of past and new work. He showed us expected salaries and their client. We saw mainly packaging design and some 3D design. He also spoke about going on nights out and the design community getting together.

He had actually previously studied at Somerset College where our current tutor Guy Lawrence used to teach. We spoke about his experiences with Guy and we told him ours. We then asked a few questions about his experiences of the industry and the feedback was very good. He advised us to be positive and know what you want to do and you will be fine.

After the talk we had a tour of the studio and met all of the other workers who said they would be happy to take on placements etc which could be an option in the future.

Portfolio Visit - BBH

We were fortunate enough to meet with a senior creative director who actually did the same course as us at Stockport College a few years ago. So it is possible to make the jump from Graphic Design into advertising.

In Manchester he worked at BDH before it turned into TBWA but he decided to make the move to London. We briefly spoke about our course and what it entails. We spoke about the competitions and the BBC work we were getting involved in.

He then went through our joint portfolio which he liked the finish of. Although he felt it was almost too finished and could include rough sketches that show a big idea. At the moment he felt it was a Graphic Design book with good ideas in it rather than the other way round. He advised us to expand on our briefs into new media and applications to keep up to date with current trends and show that our ideas have some mileage and sustainability in them. Of all of the work the favourite was the Berghaus ads and the Age Concern campaign he felt was the weakest.

After a lot of advice on where to go with our portfolio. We were then given a tour around the offices which was surreal as we had never seen such a big agency. The inside looked like it could have been a shopping centre with stairs leading around upto 3 floors of glass fronted rooms. He showed some creative team offices that were in the process of being removed as the future is about collaboration and not confining people into one space. From my own experiences I feel that this is a good idea.

He advised us to do a placement for a month but don't do anymore unless it has likely work at the end of it. He explained that there are lots of nationalities working at BBH because they need to communicate their ads and their business across the entire world. The subject of pitching was brought up and he told us that they have to get involved in this as everyone loses clients as companies like to vary who they advertise with.

Portfolio Visit - Williams Murray Hamm

The first thing we noticed about WMH was the light in their reception that is very bright and flashed their company initials. It warmed the whole room up and is unlike anything I have seen before.

After waiting in the open reception, we went into the large basement meeting room with Fiona. We had to walk past huge amounts of awards in the stairway which made you realise what a serious agency this was. We talked about our course and the way we are able to blur the boundaries of each pathway where and when we want to a certain extent which allows us to experiment in line with our ideas. As it was a design agency we opted to show our spearate books rather than the one we show to as agencies.

I went first and Fiona liked the interactive magazine which was good to hold and she felt it is something NewScientist might go with. We spoke about naivety and freedom of our first year experimental work. I showed it in the form of a book whereas James showed his in his portfolio which she preferred. She loved the 'A Thousand Words' subtle design and concept and wanted to see more which is something to look at when updating the portfolio. She also advised us to only put the final work for that concept in as it becomes confusing with other ideas that we show. She was impressed with the Berghaus advertising and was surprised that it hadn't been used for real. We then spoke about how it could work for other brands and products which I will definitely look into. Fiona liked the fact that we had used 3d software for the Shine work. She explained that they usually source workers for this but that it is always a good skill to have. She felt the E4 briefs had a good chance of winning awards which was a great comment.

Something that was another good point was that Fiona thought our Ministry of Sound video was just a mocked up storyboard. We talked through how we used a dance, green screen, filmed and edited everything which again was another skill which is good to have. She liked my logo identities for Mercedes and Angel of the North although she felt they should all have their own page.

Their was some constructive criticism of my work which I always welcome. She felt my furniture poster was purely style based which isn't in line with my other work. She didn't like the overused halo idea in my DreamCreators logo. She liked the table tennis TV advert but felt that the road warning sign looked too similar to my Age Concern work. She felt it was god that this work was used in their newsletter as a good cause and that I should include this in my portfolio. She would prefer to see the o2 work as an animation or interactive board as it is too static at the moment. She liked the inocent work as it was on brand and cheap. The Blood Drive work was appreciated but I was advised to brand the bus etc so people knew exactly what it was about without having to guess. Her favourite piece of work was probably the BBC and she wants us to send her one of the USB's that we get made which we definitely will do to hopefully give something back for all the time and andvice she gave us during our visit.

Portfolio Visit - The Partners

Situated in a nice quiet square in the London, The Partners is an ideal place to work as you bet the best of both worlds. We were greeted by the friendly receptionist who spoke to us about the London Design scene. She explained that some people had left London to go to Manchester such as the owner of Mark Studio. A former worker at The Partners had also moved to Dew Gibbons which is another agency we visited whilst in London. She was also kind enough to give us two more contacts to go and see which unfortunately we couldn't do due to a lack of time. She also showed us the display and library of books in which The Partners are mentioned. The display was a piece of work from each year as they are now 40 years old and were shown in a build up of boxes which was a great way of presenting as you can see in the picture.

We were then greeted by one of the creative teams and went to sit in the meeting room. Initially, we spoke about our course and the flexibility of choosing briefs to fit our strengths as well as getting involved in all different aspects of design. As The Partners is heavily design based, we were advised to go into more of an advertising route as they felt we would be wated just doing designs. They were kind enough to comment that they hadn't seen so many good ideas in one book in a long time but the downside to this is that there is so much work to show. Although it's hard to take out work, less is more. It was interesting to see that they see our book as though it could be an advertising book whereas some ad agencies have thought of it as a design book.

They said it could be an option to start up our own creative agency when we leave and not to bother so much with placements but look to get work or even a 6 month trial. A few people have said to us now that we should set up a business and it is something that does interest me. Especially as I hav ran my own small business for 2 years.

They kept thinking we had already left university as we mentioned the awards and BBC work and were surprised that we were still studying. The main bits of work they liked were Berghaus and Blood Drive in my book. We were asked to send the moving image videos over of the storyboards that we showed them.

Some constructive criticism was to take out 1st year work out as, althought nice and experimental, it doesn't have any idea in it like the rest of the work. It was advised to try and include these experiments within our ideas based work. We were told to have a look at new technolgy within our work too such as phone apps and new uses of media. During our 3 years at university there has been a dramatic change in the way media is used. We agree we need to change our thinking towards this.

We were told to try and get in touch with 4Creative as they felt our work suited their style.

Overall, it was a very positive portfolio visit that we gained a lot from. The advice we received was great and we can now implement these ideas and opinions into a redesigned portfolio.

V&A : Decode

Digitally growing plants and a mechanical eye that mirrors the blink of a visitor's gaze are among the digital works that feature in Decode: Digital Design Sensations. The exhibition shows the latest developments in digital and interactive design, from small screen based graphics to large-scale installations. Curated in collaboration with leading digital arts organisation onedotzero, there is work by established international artists and designers including Daniel Brown, Golan Levin and Daniel Rozin as well as emerging designers such as Troika and Simon Heijdens.

The exhibition is centred in the Porter Gallery with a series of interventions throughout the Museum and garden as well as a number of specially commissioned one-off performances. For the first time, the V&A also commisioned a digital work for its website and this provided remote access to some of the works on display.

I found this exhibition to be the best I have ever seen with every piece being amazing. Using computer generated code to create artwork is extraordinary. It was worthwhile as I can take inspiration and have more of an understanding of this type of work which can help me with my ideas for my Final Major Project which links reality with virtual reality.