Monthly Archives: September 2010

First Impressions

In true Cilla Black (Blind Date) style: What’s your name and where do you come from?

First impressions are really important… no matter what people say, they deffinitely judge you the first time they meet you. It’s unavoidable, so the best thing to do is make a good first impression. In terms of an interview, this means wear smart clothes, be polite and enthusiastic. In terms of the first project at University it means knock their socks off (rough translation).

We were sent a summer project entitled ‘The brand of me’. Basically we have to create 4 ‘visuals’ and then somehow combine them  to make a name badge. Doesn’t sound that bad, you say? It’s bloody hard! It’d be ok if I was amazingly interesting… but it’s hard to find yourself interesting? Haha You’re trying to portray your style, ability and personality in a badge that is 58mm across – tiny! I know they have made it such a small size to make it harder but urgh I hate trying to sell myself… and you have to impress your tutors and classmates. The first project is when the bench marks are set… who’s worth watching, who’s going to be in competition. Right now I wish it had been any other project… even a tshirt project (and I hate designing tshirts)!

We received the project around 20th August but honestly not a lot of progress has happened. Me and Dani spent a couple of hours in my flat kitchen the other night trying to brainstorm ideas but nothing really jumped out.


Just incase you don’t understand what’s going on here… It’s Dani and me in my flat kitchen panicking about having no ideas!

The project needs to be handed in Tuesday but we haven’t got lessons until Wednesday so I’m gathering it will be until then. I will let you know how I get on..

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Filed under BA (Hons) Graphic Design, Graphic Design, Typography, University

Fresh(ers) Start

What a month September has been! I have missed blogging, but it’s been so busy it’s been hard to find the time to explain everything!!

A new chapter in my life (as cheesy as it sounds) is starting – Hello Lincoln!

I moved in on Sunday, managing to fit an unbelievable amount of stuff in my mum’s car – it was jam packed! I’m still not properly unpacked… half of my stuff is stationery or Graphicy stuff!

Anyway… We have been to a couple of ‘lectures’ this week and have been given our timetable, aswell as another project! (Oh, I didn’t even explain about the last project actually! We were given a summer project to brand ourselves and make a badge… I will blog about that separately!)  Us Graphic Designers must be the hardest working kind of student!? :)

We were given a sketchbook with University of Lincoln BA (Hons) Graphic Design foil blocked onto it (makes me feel like I’m part of the club now! Haha), also a pocket book which I’m sure will come in handy and a folder of useful email addresses and a LSAD zine type thing called Hootenanny which has some work from the class that have just graduated from Lincoln. Very nice :)

Oh and who wants to see my amazing room? (It’s not actually this tidy at the moment – considering it’s quite a small space I’m finding it hard to keep it tidy!):

You will notice there’s something NEW… I am no longer a PC, but a mac now!  Still getting used to it but gradually converting to apple ways!

Here is all the free stuff I got from the Fresher’s Fayre:

I think I did quite well… enough money off coupons to last me forever probably, a decent amount of sweets and a blow up magic 8 ball!

I cooked my first Uni meal.. Spag Bol :) Didn’t poison anyone (Cooked for Bobbins and Dani)… although did burn the Garlic Bread (after the fire safety meeting too – oops, but no casualties phew!)

Oh actually I lie about the ‘no casualties’ thing – one casualty! When I was chopping the onion up I snapped my knife haha

But basically… I LOVE Lincoln. Having such a great time here and can’t wait to get stuck in with the work!

Our course has been split into 4 groups and I’m in Group C – aka the BEST group :) So all the other groups need to watch out! Let the competition commence….

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Filed under BA (Hons) Graphic Design, Graphic Design, Me, Typography, University

J’adore… OSC, Reading

OSC, Reading?

Let me explain… Oakford Social Club, Reading.

As many of you will know, last week/weekend was Reading Festival 2010! I have been to Reading Festival for 3 consecutive years now, but this year I did wonder if I was at Glastonbury instead – the mud was pretty bad!

Apparently I should have expected it to be muddy, ‘it’s all part of a festival’, but 2008 and 2009 were dry, sunny and lovely! Nevermind! Anyway I went to Reading the Wednesday (early bird ticket) and it rained basically all day and continued until Thursday evening so that’s the reason why it was so muddy! When the bands started Friday it perked up – a burst of sun!!!! and then the weather managed to hold up for the rest of the weekend luckily! However by this time my hair was a complete state from getting wet – it gets curly/frizzy! I looked a total mess when I met Kids In Glass Houses at the NME Signing tent with my friends Nadia and Sanna…

Ray Ban Crew (Mine are Primark of course)!

Sorry, I am kind of losing the point of this post!

OSC. Oakford Social Club.

What a wonderful place! Not only because they serve a great fry up when you’re fed up of noodles OR because they have a chaise lounge in the toilet!!!!, but because it has a great atmosphere and nice branding!
The place is quite heavily influenced by music, playing host to many gigs (including performances from the likes of… Adele, Everything Everything, Florence and the Machine, Friendly Fires, Hadouken and Jack Penate!) and more importantly art. There are flyers on the walls arranged randomly/nicely…

(Are they arranged nicely or am I just really in love with this place? haha)

…and a beautiful typographic menu!!

Luckily the guys (Khaleel, Katie and Jason) know I am a bit of a type geek and weren’t phased by me taking photos of the menu…

I love the whole branding of this place! I wanted to take one of the menus home… but I controlled myself! I have found a pdf version on their website anyway, so you can feast your eyes on it close up too!

I love the quirky-ness of this place… :)

This wall here is made up of what seemed to be photocopied illustrations just collaged ontop of each other (I had a good feel) and I love the photoframes!

On Sundays they have an ‘Art Market’. We didn’t know this, so when we walked in with the place full of canvases we was a bit puzzled. Basically they provide canvases and invite people to draw some art.  This is for charity; you can buy any of the canvases and you just pay what you think it’s worth! So you can buy your own or let it be displayed, in the hope someone else might buy it or buy one of the other canvases. There is no min or max value, so it just depends on how generous you are feeling really! 

Myself, Katie and Jason are creative types (Khaleel wasn’t allowed to contribute haha) so this was up our street! Katie started our canvas off with flowers and it just carried on from there…

Above is me attempting to draw!

And this is the finished article. A joint effort! I wonder if anyone will buy it…. who knows, it might be worth something when we are famous? haha

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Filed under Cool Stuff, Graphic Design, Illustration, J'adore, Me, Typography