Evaluation

PPP this year for me hasn't been given enough attention as a whole, particularly in terms of branding myself as a designer and getting myself out there towards industry professionals. 

There was an apparent lack of contact to studios of my interest. The hesitation in starting a conversation did not help me in starting conversations with designers as well as getting experience doing a placement prior to graduation.

With the amount of pressure in the reality of entering the real world soon and the constant drive to improve your presence as a designer, the design scene in the UK did feel highly competitive. Getting a placement in these studios felt unlikely. 

With my interest in looking at art to influence my design practice, I should have instead tried to contact designers who are known for creating art through design such as David Wolske and Dave Towers. This would have given me more understanding into a possible field that my design practice could morph into and to learn about new techniques to include into my design. 

To curb this hesitation in getting myself out there, going to CV and portfolio workshops would have been a large help, at least in bettering my chances in getting a reply. Going to external design talks/conferences would have opened me up to new ways of contacting.  

My online presence as a designer is limited with just a website being the only platform to view my work. Remembering the talks of creatives who came into uni, I doubt there was one who did not have a clear online presence that allowed them to communicate themselves as a designer and to connect to other professionals. 

Having a proper website however does make me seem more professional and serious about my work and is effectively the portfolio I send through over email. 

Despite these setbacks, this was the year that I've spent most time developing my personal practice. This is the year where I have found a certain niche within design that I want to pursue and the number of art exhibition visits reflect that. I have an identity for my design practice that I feel is a reflection of my maturity after studying on the course. 

The fact that I have an internship lined up means I have a good starting point to get the ball rolling in the industry. And instead of seeing it as a missed opportunity to work abroad, going back home would expose me to Eastern thinking on design, further developing my attitudes and approach. Also, because Singapore's design scene is emerging, it provides real opportunities to create a unique style for the country. Getting an internship at a design studio I align myself with negates much of the limitations of my professional practice. 

Why these art galleries matter

It is apparent that there is more effort placed on visiting art galleries and museums compared to contacting and being exposed to design studios/creatives. 

I think a lot of it comes down to my interest within the arts and willingness to break away from looking at graphic design for inspiration. 

I find it valuable within my practice to look at things from completely different perspectives. This helps break boundaries and to advance my skill in design. It stops me from getting too narrow minded in my inspirations or approach and going to see these art exhibitions give me a better understanding of how I can become a multi disciplinary designer in the future, determining which areas of art can be incorporated into design and how design can be used to display art.

Going to these galleries further betters my possible exploration into spatial design and curation of content, which is beneficial considering how I am aiming to work alongside studios/clients with cultural institutions.

Presentation slides

Talked about the significant aspects in my practice.

My approach and attitudes towards design.

Overarching theme within my work this year is to communicate art through design. This stemmed from the research area in CoP dissertation.

A year filled with art gallery visits to open myself up to new perspectives to incorporate into my design practice. 

Reason why working on an artistic brief such as the Univers one with James has been refreshing. 

Going to these art galleries as well naturally exposed me to more and more names in the industry. And the ones that really stood out to me were the ones who were able to incorporate the East and West into their work. And this concept stayed with me in the year because how similar I felt to the their situation and how there is an opportunity for me to explore that.

Had a chat with Ethan from Build who gave some insight into the professional world of design and working for a small yet demanding studio.

Personal branding.

Had second thoughts about whether to stay in the UK after graduation. Life after Uni won't be the same and thought it would be best to go back home to build a foundation for myself as a designer before going out there again. 

Emailed several studios back at home, Do Not Design showed interest and were my first choice in hoping to get an internship. 

Having the opportunity to do spatial design would be exciting and be a way to apply my visits to art galleries to use. In the end, I managed to get an internship. 

Internship

From the 3 Singaporean studios I contacted only Do Not Design replied.

 

 

 

They are a studio that centres their design approach around 'creating something unexpected and in re-creating an experience.' They are multidisciplinary studio namely providing Branding & Identity design, Art Direction & Graphic Design, Editorial Design, Signage and Wayfinding Design and Spatial Design. Spatial design will be a good opportunity to demonstrate my exposure to art curation in museums and galleries. 

From the email they sent back, there was a definite interest in my work and we exchanged a back forth which ultimately led to an internship offer.  

 

Contacting studios back home

Recently I have been having doubts as to whether I want to stay in the UK to practice design. The lack of replies from studios and general feeling of a highly competitive field over here have put things into perspective. Furthermore, it goes to say that life after uni will be completely different and most likely I'll be on my own. As much as it is good to have the opportunity to practice design overseas, the reality of living totally independently might dampen the experience, especially when I've just graduated. 

Not only that, but learning about those artists and designers whose work was both influenced from the East and West became more alluring to me. This could be an area to explore once I'm back home, to try and create a unique identity for my work that incorporate my learning in the UK and my exposure to Asian culture back at home. 

Therefore I decided to send some emails to design studios who I felt aligned with my interests and disciplines in graphic design, in hopes of an internship.

3 were chosen:

Do Not Design

Fable 

Pupilpeople

Business cards

The business card designs follow the same typographic treatment as the website.

This maintains my identity as a designer for clients to recognise. 

The use of EDH on the cover is aimed to highlight the typographic form of my initials to form a logo. 

Contacting Apfel

Sent an email out to APFEL in hopes of possibly getting their internship role. 

A Practice for Everyday Life are a studio that predominantly works alongside cultural institutions and artists to help create their identity. This range of clientele are the sought I want to work with in the future as they are the closest way to working with artistic content professionally. 

As a way to encourage them to reply, I sought to get their opinion on a brief that I felt would be similar to their clientele. 

Sheila Hicks - Lifelines

Viewing Sheila Hicks work at the Pompidou was an interesting display of colour and form. Having the entire exhibition in one room demonstrated the spatial impact of her material installations. This is reflective how her work is not curated in chronological order, focusing on a 'sensitive experience that fosters direct immersion in the artist's formal, material and chromatic world.'

Her small material swatches can be used for compositional inspiration for poster design. 

Atelier Brancusi

Seeing Brancusi's studio put in perspective of the importance of curation. 

Brancusi's studio was a reflection of his preoccupation with the relation between his sculptures and the space around them. He spent considerable attention to spatial relations and changed the way his works were installed on a daily basis in order to find the installation he felt best suited. 

This sheds light on the process of content curation when designing for editorial for example. Effective content curation can help dictate the flow of reading and liven the reading experience. 

Museé Des Arts Decoratifs

Went to two exhibitions at MAD.

The 'Margiela, les annes Hermes' (Margiela, the Hermes years) detailed Martin Margiela's impact at Hermes from 1997 to 2003. During his time there, he sought to interpret a new definition of the modern woman. 

The clean lines, refined and sophisticated look are a stark contrast to his work at his eponymous label. 

Seeing jewellery made by notable artists was surprising. Never knew the extent of work artists can produce outside of their own specialised discipline. In many ways, jewellery made by these artists become a statement and wearable art.