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.