Negotiated Brief Report

Report;



For my first, third year project I had been set a brief called ‘Negotiated Brief’. This involved me addressing my strengths and what I want to carry forward to then create numerous briefs (two in my case) and communicate with the design world to get professional feedback on my work, and to also create a spot on professional outcome at the end of the project.


I decided to carry on with creating computer aided prints for fashion but have a professional outcome of my designs been printed onto material. My second brief in the end was based on structure. I decided to keep these two subjects separate and have two individual projects running alongside each other. For the fact I didn’t think at that moment in time I had the right skills to combine print with structure. It just made sense to get the most out of the projects to keep them separate and when I’ve gained more experience, to then combine the two.


The first brief I decided to tackle was my structure brief instead of my digital prints, I thought seen as I didn’t know a lot about structure I would see how this brief went first. It was a slow start. I found it difficult to really engage in the process. It was because I just didn’t know how to approach it sampling structure. I just couldn’t find my way in. I tried paper samples but I was trying to be perfect at my outcomes, which was silly because you always start with rough crummy ideas that progress on to bigger and better things. This ate up a lot of my time in the beginning. I overcame this in the end and started to collect found objects that I was intrigued by the objects structure in some way, and then I got a feel for unusual materials/ objects and I think I really developed my Ideas well. I think it came across that I really engaged with this part of the project. I think I came out with some really fun, quirky structures for fashion, which I don’t think I would have got if I combined the two projects.


My second brief: Digital print flat pattern for high-end fashion. For this project my goal was to create 8-10 digital designs that were based on a primary sketchbook and photos , and influences from 2011/2012 summer trends, to then get them digital printed by a company. Hindsight, being the great thing it is I probably should have started this project first. For the reasons that I was finding it difficult to access future trends without having to pay hefty amounts of money that just isn’t accessible to some students. There are some great future trend websites for fashion. It’s just a shame they don’t think of students. I came across View textile magazine which has future trends from women’s fashion to men’s to colour trends etc. This really helped me engage with what the trends would be, even though they are very vague in some cases they still give you an essence of what’s to come. I was in my forte then, the fact I knew the trends and had my sketchbook work I created some really good designs. I’d say the only problem with my designs was the colour. I was finding it hard to find colour trends, or trying to fit it to my work. I probably fell into old habits of using acidic colours which I love. That’s something I’m really going to have to rein in if working to commercial trends. Another problem was digital printers. I pretty much at the beginning of my brief contacted company after company. I’ve learnt that time is of the essence if the digital printing world. I discovered that you have to at least have a 4-6 week gap for your prints to be done on time. There was a Company Citrus rain that came through but let me down at the last minute, so always have a backup plan as well. This resulted me printing my designs from the computer. This didn’t do my designs any justice what so ever. I do think my designs in the end catered for the high-end world and that I stuck to the trends, I think scale could have been looked at more deeply, because when I printed them out in A3 they were a lot bigger than what I imagined. So I’ve learnt that whilst in the design process to print them out the actual size to get the right scale, because if that was the digital printers in affect I would of wasted a lot of money in hindsight.


In reflection for the business, professional side of both projects I did find it difficult to find any designers/artist that I could approach to ask for their professional opinions, I did seem to focus more for my digital brief side. I think this was because I wasn’t sure where my structure samples fitted in, or where I was going with it. So Overall I probably wasn’t as confident with the structure side to my work as I was with my digital prints. For my digital print brief I approached high-end companies: Coast, Topshop, LiIpsy, Me & Thee, Alex Russel, Print tank. Coast got back to me saying I had to write to head office, so I would think the same applies to any mainstream chain. For the fact I got no reply was probably because of timing, when I finally got the net back it edging near Christmas, a bad time to approach any company. Nothing worked in my favour.


As far as future goals, hopes and my fears at the beginning of the 3rd year I knew I wanted to go into creating high-end fashion digital prints for women’s wear, but after looking at structure and the quirky results that came out of it, I’m slightly in Limbo about the direction I want to go in. The two subjects are at two different ends of the fashion spectrum. High-end commercial flat fashion prints for a company, or boutique one offs which would make me a freelancer. Something I’ve not really thought about doing. So it’s thrown a spanner in the works so to speak. In my mind it would make sense to concentrate on designing digital prints because I could make a steady living out of that, whereas boutique one offs, is more risky. I love doing both. I know with my structure samples there’s a way to go before there wearable. So in away there a working progress and maybe it’s something I could do as a side project to my day to day job of digital print designing.


There’s many hopes and dreams I have, to further my knowledge and do a Master’s degree. To work my way up in a company already established is something I’ve always aspired to do. I think I main key there would be work experience to get a real idea of what it’s all about.


The two fears I have about this is not being able to get a design job for a few years, that’s something I’ve prepared myself for. Secondly is am I cut for this business, cut throat industry of the fashion world.  It’s something I’m going to have to find it pretty much now by delving in to approaching companies and making sure they see my work and get an idea of what and where I would fit in the design world.

PDP Forest digital printers 'Fashioning the future'

http://www.forestdigital.co.uk/

Hendal Gate Farm
Herons Ghyll
Uckfield
East Sussex
TN224BU

I came across this company by sheer look. They specialise in producing print for fashion garemnents. A closer look at their portfolio and what they produce seems of really high standard, probbaly the second best to RA Smarts to what Ive come across so far. Which makes me think they are probably really busy aswell.
I contacted Scott asking for a list of prices and types of materails. I was really pinning my hopes on them emailing me back, but for one reason or another they didnt. A shame because the worked seemed of a really hight standard andmy work would of fiited in well.
I'll have to look for yet another digital printers.

PDP silkbureau, digital printers.

http://www.silkbureau.co.uk/
1 Church Cottage
Ryden Lane
Charlton
Worcestershire
WR10 3LQ


I came across this company after looking on the notice board at university just outside the printroom.
I had always considered printing on silk for the fact I know digital designs come out such a high standard on silk. I always think silk brings out the quality of any design.
They seem like a really nice small little company, first impressions from the website.
So I contacted them asking fora full list of materials and prices, and they got back intouch within an instance. They gave me all the infomation I needed to know on one email plus how to get designs into a repeat and what format they like them in and DPI etc, which was extremley helpfull and also alot to take in at once.
The danger with me reading about the fact they needed all the designs in spot on repeat to be able to print designs, panicked me because Ive never been that good with repeat. This took alot longer for me to get my 8 designs done but inactual fact becuase I was creating flat fashion patterns I didnt really have to be in repeat and especcially because I was only creating 8 seperate A3 designs. I learnt it only had to be in repeat if it I wanted the design produced by the metre. So I was kind of fustrated of the fact that I spent to much time on my designs than needs be, but on a positive note I now know that repeat takes a long long time and I know how to do a repeat successfully If I ever need too.
I decided not to go with silk bureau, again becuase of time. They would take two weeks earliest to get anything done.
So from this Digital printing process so far, Im thinking that time is a major issue, and that designs need to be done well in advance to get final designs professional done by a deadline.
So the search goes on.

PDP Digi tech

http://www.digetex.com/




an example of digital printed wallpaper from Digetex portfolio


This was a company I came across that I was considering working with because I was unable to go with RA Smarts. From first impression they seem OK. They have changed there website since I last contacted them and I have to say the new website is alot better and sells them more than the last one. Now they only seem to do interior designs prints were as before when I contatced them they did fashion aswell. When I did email them a Alexander Wills got back intouch with me a few days later asking types of material I wanted, and they seem nice people but after looking at the materials they didn't have what I wanted at the time and time wise again, things werent going to get done, so I decided to just look for another company.

RA SMARTS

http://www.rasmart.co.uk/

For my Negotiated project brief I wanted to create digital prints, which is the are I want to go in after I gradute. I thought it would be a really good idea to get my designs proffesionally produced to get the full afect and becuase designs on paper doesn't really do fashion designs any justice. I also thought it would be agood 'rehersal' in away for my Majore final porject, So i will already know how digital companies work, and I will be able to manage my time better so all my designs will get done. So I contatced RA Smarts, a very well known digial company used in the fashion Industry. They have clients from  likes of Matthew Williamson, which obviously indicates to me its a place worth wile to put my designs in their hands.

So I contacted them and I have to say they got back to me the next working day, as I emailed them on a Saturday. I asked if it was possible to go and visit there company so I could talk through what materials and I wanted and to just generally see how it all works but Helen Roe emailed saying that they don't do visits but they gave me a list of all their materials, prices and formats they would like designs in. I thought this women means business and doesn't mess about, which is good for me becuase I got all the infomation I needed pretty much in 2 emails. The only problem was I did email asking about time and how long digital printing will take and Helen said it depended on what material and if designs are on different materials, then it delays the process. I was very happy to go with RA Smarts but they said they had a waiting list of 4-6 weeks and maybe have designs just done before Christmas, but I sadly had to email back saying due to the date of my deadline it be too much of a risk, if they got done in time or not. So I had to look at other digital printers. I did email Helen saying I would come back for future business becuase the way they were effieciecent with responding to emails straight away, they generally seem nice people to work with and gave me a positive first impression.

PDP Beyond The Valley





2 Newburgh Street (off Carnaby Streett)

London W1F 7RD

http://www.beyondthevalley.com/collection

I recentley went back to London to visit exhibitions in the London Design Festival. One exhibition I really wanted to see was a display in Beyond The valleys gallery.

Beyond the Valley is deffinatley one of Londons leading one off boutiques which welcomes new designers to sell and showcase their work.

the exibition explored the 3D aspects of design printed onto silk material exploring the relationship between graphic design and 3D motion graphics in fashion. The concept and final peices shown were created by the founders of Beyond The Valley: Kate Bonhôte and Kristjana S Williams  with collaberation from Matjaz Tancic a 3D photographer. The shop is small but full of wonderfull new, fresh creations.

The exhibition I found amazing, they were only a few garment samples on show and wall art but I found it fasinating the idea of 3D print on a dress, obviuously to get the full affect they handed out free 3D glasses and you could also buy the garment peices but at aprice of around £300, and that being the cheapest, but I wouldnt pay anything less for something thats not accessable to buy from trends point of view. The designers are obviously way ahead when it comes to trends and it looks like 3D print will be a massive hit for sprint /summer 11.

I also picked up Beyond The Valleys business card and the impression I got was that they welcome student designers, newley gradutes to approach them to showcase and sell their work. So I'm deffinatley going to keep them in mind for future work.



New Designers 2010

I decided to attend for the second time running new designers, (a week full of newly graduated designerss howing off their best work) I mainly because In my head I gathered thoughts that I may attend to showcase my work in 2011 show. There was alot of fashion displays this year, deffinatley alot more than last year. It did put into perspective the amount of competition that is out there, and the amount of people that do what I do, which made me realise that I will have to upp my game when it comes to my style, and make my designs and final outcomes special, something that will make me stand out. No pressure then.

Without wanting to sound negative I wasn't as impressed as I was the first time round, I dont know if that because It was second time round and I kind of knew what to expect, but nothing stood out to me, alot was digital print, but similar prints or textiles knitted garments.  It lacked indiviuality and different things going on.  Dont get me wrong everything was at a extremley high standard just nothing special, I maybe being too harsh but I think I just over hyped thinking this year would  top last years, but it this year was media oka. I'm hoping next year will be a different story entiley.

PDP Friedmans Ltd

Friedmans Ltd

Unit 2 Sunaco House
Bletchley Road
Heaton Mersey Industrial Estate
Heaton MerseY
Stockport
SK4 3EF
UK
http://friedmans.co.uk/
 


 A design created by Friedmans

Friedmans is a small friendly company in Stockport, Manchester. They design digital flat prints for dance wear costumes. They are really up my street, They use acidic colours just like me. The company is owned by a couple David Kaitiff (Founder) and Helen Kaitiff.

I arranged to meet up with Helen because there was prospect of a small part time job going, creating digital prints on photoshop.

I thought this was a brilliant opportunity not to only get grips to how a company works but get to know how to work a digital printer and its something I could put on my CV.

I arranged to meet up with Helen and she discussed and showed examples of the work they have done, who they work for and what type of work I would be doing, and examples of briefs from clients. I also showed her some of my primary work and digital work, and got possitive feedback on how it was what they were looking for and very much their style. She seemed pretty impresssed I created all my designs from photoshop. She did say it would be a paid job but temporary but she could offer me something permanment after I graduate. Which I was pleaseantly surprised about.

Even though the job fell through I still found it a positive experience to present my work to some outside the  context of college and get a positive feedback.

A lovley small company that would of been a pleasure to work for.

Design Museum, London

Now this place I liked. I think there could of been more to what was exhibited, but I really got photo happy in this place. Everything grabbed me and got me visually in someway. My main reason I went was to visit  Basso and Brooke exhibiton. They only showcased a few examples of there work, but there work was me down to a T.  There worked I assumed was digital printed and their work was full of colour. They really reminded me of early work from Matthew Williamson, who i'm a big fan of anway.

V&A museum, London

After visiting the V&A for the first time, in all honestly I wasn't bowled over by anything there. Nothing visual excited me or Interested me in the slightest. I expected big things from this place. There was nothing but old steel work, beautiful in some aspects but just didn't excite me. Or neither did the old tapestry textiles are. I just didn't appreciate what was there. Maybe I over estimated my expectations for the place or I visited at the wrong time because looking further into what exhibitions were on and they were all on September onwards. So I'm not going to write this place of straight away. I'm back In London in September so I'm will make another visit and hopefully have  a more positive outlook on the place.

women's present fashion trends

I was just browsing through links on the internet and I came across this wonderful picture of a floral drawing on flckr.com. I think it it really sums up what kind of trends are out at the moment. Summery floral, vibrant colour but a loose watery illusion to it. Its gorgeous. The whole composition and use of colour works well.

Click the link to see the image:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bella_dia/2397632812/

Lauren Moriarty 'Its never a straight line'

Lauren Moriarty was another visiting designer to my course recently.  Lauren is a textile and product designer. She likes to explore using  experimental material, material you wouldn't immediately think of, like rubber or some sort of industrial material and combine it with her love and knowledge of crafts and come up with unique product or design.
She doesn't have a main area that she focuses on but you could mainly say for interiors, but for interiors on many different level. She's mainly known for her lighting products. Lauren has brought lighting to a whole new exciting level with her butterfly lampshade. This product has a optical illusion. The butterfly motif appears as if its moving. With her clever knowledge and experimentation of the materials: of plastic which have been screen printed and layered to give the fluttering effect of a butterfly,(better than your standard lamp at BnQ eh?. I know which one I would rather buy.) She has come up with a unique successful product.
Lauren was a really down to earth, grounded, happy women. She came to chat to us in more depth after her lecture with the year, and was a pleasure to talk to. She did point out that the first year after graduating is the hardest and that it's not going to be easy to get where you want to, but at least in the world of design your not stuck in a office 5days a week, routine after routine. she said 'its never a straight line', the fact you don't know where your going to be from one day or the next, and the fact that 'highs' in the work is worth all the stress you go through to get there.

hard at work with spray paints

I've finally got stuck into draw out floral brief, and I have had a productive day in my back yard (which you can see from the pictures below) which is now my studio when using spray paints. I've produced some really nice drawings by using the spray paints. I'm pleased with the outcomes.

Drawing flowers, and flower and more flowers.

All I see at the moment in my studio space is flowers, and flowers and more flowers, don't get me wrong the place smells great, but I am really struggling in getting to grips with drawing flowers. The body of work I did in the drawing sessions is just not visually exciting me to develop or improve my primary research. So i'm going to do what I always do when I start a project, something I've just discovered in the last year, something I love doing, and that's spray painting with vivid colours. If this does't get me excited about this project then nothing will.
(picture took by me in the studio)

Draw out brief.

I've been recently been given a new brief, a live brief  for a surface design company. The brief  is called 'draw out floral brief'. When I first read the words ' Floral brief' I did slightly panic for the fact I've never really enjoyed creating floral related work. It frankly bores me, but its always healthy to try something new or again in a slightly different context. So I shall see how it goes. fingers crossed it all goes well!

Random image discovery

Just some images I came across on the internet that I thought reflected some current women fashion trends at the moment.

CUBE Gallery visit: Alan Fletcher: Fifty years of graphic work (and play)

As part of my new brief design in context: Floral Drawing project (Live) I decided to visit the Alan Fletcher exhibition, celebrating 50 years of his work and collaborations.

design in context final outcome

After a full on 4 weeks I finally finished my design in context brief, and I have to say its the first final outcome of a project that I'm really proud of. I Wanted to show the box in a space with a combination of Industrial v Quaint floral country style. I wanted to do this because its a total contrast between the two, and by putting my final piece which is visually more industrial with the essence of floral, it brings out the industrial look of the piece but does not overpower the setting.

Alex Russell Review

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Alex Russell, and for all you people who don't know who he is, he's a very successful freelance designer and specifies in interior and fashion. He was invited my tutors on my course to speak to us about his work and generally tell us how free lance designers work and the ups and downs of being in the world of design.
Alex's work is vary varied in the ways in which he creates his designs. He draws on anything and everything he can get his hands on and usually scans his raw material to the computer ready for the process stage. He admitted he is 'a bit of a geek' when it comes to using Photoshop and Illustrator, he did state that he mainly uses Illustrator. (This is something I'm becoming more of aware of at late, that Illustrator is a vital tool when designing, more so than Photoshop it seems, typical really, I'm quite rusty when it comes to Illustrator, but Its something I'm going to have to know inside out soon enough.)
He showed us vast amount of work, old and fresh new designs he only just finished. Every piece was brilliant. Alex had me captivated straight from the fact he seems to love the use of colour, like me. No design was the same and each design worked, faultless work. His work has a a hint of humour involved, especially his his illustrative pieces, quite random and cheeky, but none the less brilliant work.
Alex did point out something which was 'be adaptable'. A obvious thing to say I know, but if your not willing to be adaptable and willing to modify designs or to to listen to your clients, your set to fail.
Alex did expand on to the business side and in my opinion more complex side of the being a freelance designer: His prices for his designs depends on what field its in, so interior would be dearer than fashion, goes with out saying really. He said that Interior would  range from £600-£900 per design and fashion would be a from £300 - £500, all depending on the quality of design and the client, that also plays a part.
Overall Alex was a down to earth bubbly, optimistic guy that loved everything and anything to do with design. H was also very helpful in giving a good insight what it would take to be a freelance designer and the amount of work and chasing involved to get your designs out there for people to admire and enjoy.
He did say  'nothing beats having a cup of coffee in the morning, with the radio on and designing something on the computer', and that to me sounds like a good job to wake up to n the morning, don't you agree?.

http://www.alexrussell.com

more secondary images that have inspired me

More work by Tom Price

Random images that inspired me

Design in context: Exploration and my final outcome

My original idea of having glue sticks as a outer exterior, slightly changed due to an factor that I did not plan on happening. When pouring the plaster, when to runny is hit through the cracks. Something I wanted to avoid at all cost, but after the plaster set I liked the random line structures it made. So I decided to to keep it but balance it out by waring the plaster down so it looked like it already naturally there. Glue sticks combine the plaster lines I thought would of been too much and detracted from the actual purpose of the container.

Contemporary Interior Design Furniture Preview of Interiors 2010 by Lazerian

Lazerian is a Manchester UK based interior design studio. With their 2019 collection they have worked alongside with Camira fabrics and a cardboard manufactures called Hargreaves. This is a furniture peice created from cardboard. What interests me is the overall structure, the ridged uneaven lines. This image could really inspire me with my current brief: design in context, because I really want to explore a 3D element in my work.

My Fabolous chosen Container!

For my recent brieF: Design in context, I had to obtain a container of any kind. Immediatley wanted a vintage wooden crate or a rusty aged metal box. The image I had set in mind....I wasn't easily going to get. So thought I would have a look on ebay and I came across this Vintage wooden Jaffa crate: Perfect!

Collecting a Container - Design In Context Brief

Ignites Change - Water Brief

Random Image Descovery

Louisa Gray - A peice Ive Only Just Descovered

Persian Puzzle Rug