6A2, 6B2 - OUGD602 - PPP - HAWRAF Discovery Questionnaire

HAWRAF Discovery Questionnaire

HAWRAF uses a discovery questionnaire as a way of getting information about what type of proposal to put forward for the client and other information such as timeline and budget.

By collecting this information, they aim to meet the clients needs.

Questions

About / Team

-        Asks about the individual’s role, company set up and the story of the company

Goals / Challenges

-        Asks about successes, failures and challenges

-        Asks about what they aim to communicate and what they consider to be success

General

-        Asks about their target markets, budget, funding avenues and timeline

Brand

-        Asks about how established the brand is and whether there is already design elements in place

Website

Functionality

-        Asks about the users and what they need from it

Ecommerce

-        Asks about sales through website and what they consider success

Tech Stack

-        Asks about existing domains / if one is wanted or needs to be bought

-        Asks about if they want them to manage and host website

Outro

-        Talk about themselves

Things learnt:

-        Asking specific questions about defined areas of the client / project allows the project to be tailored to each client and more likely to meet their needs

-        To make sure the project is successful in the eyes of the client you need to know what their idea of success is as this will be different to yours. 

-        Important to get an understanding of the setup of a company to know who is the best person to deal with during a project

6A2, 6B2 - OUGD602 - PPP - HAWRAF Capabilities Deck / Capabilities Case Studies

HAWRAF Capabilities Deck / Capabilities Case Studies

Capabilities Deck

-        Their main deck would be edited for different pitches depending on the clients they were going to pitch to

Describing themselves

-        Use a contents at the beginning of the pitch to give an idea of what they will talk about

-        Summarises what they do in a sentence making it easily digestible

-        Outlines who they are, their experience and what they do

-        Define their beliefs and how this relates to their work

-        Lists their services and clients they’ve worked with

Projects

-        Has a contents at the beginning so they can easily find each project

-        Projects are spread across multiple slides, with each slide breaking the project down into different elements 

-        Only key information is written within the presentation such as the client (and what they do), need (what needed to be produced and why) and concept (the idea / outcome). If there are elements that need explaining about a certain application then they briefly explain this.

-        Text is quite informal reflecting their playful aesthetic

-        Full size imagery (often mockups) is used across slides showing the different applications of the project and the idea in a visual way

-        Animated elements work well in breaking up static content

-        Different projects have different coloured backgrounds which breaks the desk up but still has a consistency throughout

-        As well as client work they also list their personal projects using the title ‘We made’ 

Things learnt:

-        Having a main presentation of all of your projects means that the content of a pitch can be picked from this

-        The design of the deck can be quite playful but still look professional if the style is consistent throughout the slides.

-        Keeping the deck text light and visual heavy allows the presentation to be more engaging and allows people to talk alongside this

-        Being able to summarise what you do in a clear and concise way is important in helping people understand

-        Defining your beliefs and how these feed into your work helps to create a more cohesive body of work.

-        Personal work allows you to show your interests, do interesting things and test boundaries which clients will want to see

6A2, 6B2 - OUGD602 - PPP - HAWRAF Small Studio Project Pricing and Every project we ever charged for

HAWRAF Small Studio Project Pricing and Every project we ever charged for 

-        Budget determines how long they will spend on a project

-        Campaigns with large budgets of $150,000 - $250,000 + they will spend up to 3 – 4 months on. Timescales are no longer than 3 – 4 months

-        The shortest length of time for a project is 1 – 2 weeks and that is for gathering information and strategizing for a brand identity

-        Brand Identities, Marketing Execution, Visual Design and Websites are split into different areas which are priced individually allowing clients to pick what they need.

-        Revisions for projects are priced at $4000 even though the timescale is one day

-        They are paid $2000 to just show up to an event and between $1000 - $8000 to talk

-        Charging for different stages of concept pitching

-        Able to buy bits of the process

-        Able to get out of a job when things are broken down into different sections 

  

Things learnt:

-        Timescales need to be considered based on the budget for the project

-        Breaking down a type of project into chunks allows a more focused pricing strategy

-        Being paid for going to things is important as this is time out of doing work

6A2, 6B2 - OUGD602 - Work Experience - Potential Studios to get in contact with / Creative options

Potential Studios / Creative Options 

Areas of interest within Graphic Design Practice
- process based
- 3d working with materials
- physically making and working with materials to create an physical outcome
- experimenting with different processes and techniques within projects

Research into Studios in Leeds and surrounding cities

Compiling a list of studios and understanding the type of work they do will help me see where my practice sits

Leeds Studios

Split Design 

They are a small creative led studio and work on projects in the cultural sector, music , Lesuire / Food  / Fashion and Education / Not for Profit. Had contact with Radhika as part of the Creative Report last year, who was an intern at Split Design. Particularly like their process of printing with wood in their The Leaf Label project and various album artworks which combine abstract photography with type and three dimensional set design with graphic design.

Passport 

Passport is a graphic design studio which specialises in branding and print. Within a lot of their projects their is a focus on the production of their work through the use of different print finishes and papers which adds another layer and tactility to their designs. Production of physical elements and the use of materials are important within my own practice.

Journal 

Design agency which creates and represents brands through visual identities, websites and print. Clients such as the National Trust and Leeds Museums and Galleries are of particular interest to me as I am interested in the wildlife, the outdoors, history and heritage. Projects for these clients have included exhibition / event branding and promotion. Work of this type involves considering graphic design in terms of a three dimensional space and how they interact with one another, as well as what materials and processes are needed to produce the design.

Lord Whitney 

Lord Whitney specialise in set design and art direction and have worked with a range of large organisations to create sets for music videos, adverts, installations and experiential work. As a creative I like to physically build and make things three dimensionally so the idea of set design could be a great way to combine my skills and interests. The attention to detail within the designs and the use of props to create and craft different worlds is amazing. The varied nature of their projects shows that set design is broad. 

6A2, 6B2, 6D2 - OUGD602 - PPP - Getting in contact with Lord Whitney

Getting in contact with Lord Whitney 

- After talking with Alec I sent an email to Lord Whitney asking about the possibility of me volunteering with them in any way possible on one of their projects. As I didn't really consider myself to have much work currently in the style of their work but knew I really enjoyed, making and building things and generally getting stuck in with practical work Alec suggested focussing on this within the email.
- Our session on writing emails highlighted the importance of subject line that stood out. For the email I put Need an extra pair of hands? - Work Experience. This summed up that I was offering to help on a project for work experience in a fun way. 

Key points stated in the email:

- wrote the start of the email as 'Hi Lord Whitney' because I wasn't sure who would pick the email up, but listed all the names of team in brackets to make it more thoughtful.
- Mentioned that I had been to there talk at Harewood House about their Seeds of Hope Exhibition and how I loved the immersive experience they created.
- Introduced myself as being a 3rd Year Graphic Design student at Leeds Arts University and that I was looking to get some work experience to know where I sat within the creative industry.
- Asked whether I could help on any projects that they had coming up in the near future to get a sense of the types of project they work on and how their studio works in reality.
- Mentioned how I had done some work experience at Harewood House with their Christmas exhibition and wanted to get more experience in a similar type of role. 
- Outlined how I enjoyed getting stuck into practical work, making , experimenting with processes and am enthusiastic and willing to learn

Key Points from Amy's reply:

- was grateful for me getting in touch 
- said that they occasionally offer placements but that no places were available currently 
- when placements do arise they are advertised on the website and are given through an application process 
- she suggested that volunteers are sometimes needed for projects at that these are posted on Instagram and twitter so to look out for those and that other events are sent through the mailing list.

6A2,6D2 - OUGD602 - Mary Berry's Country House at Christmas

Mary Berry's Country House at Christmas 

On Christmas Day Mary Berry's Country House at Christmas aired on BBC 2. The programme was set at Harewood House and explored Christmas traditions at the house and featured the preparations and set up of the Christmas Exhibition. The programme showed the making and story behind the Christmas Experience and interviewed volunteers from Harewood.  

It was great to see elements of the project which I had a hand in making with the rest of the team at Harewood, being shown on national television. It was also a great finish to a project in which everyone had spent a lot of time and effort in producing.

6A2, 6C2 , 6D2 - OUGD602 - Start Up Wednesdays - Self Employment Workshop

Start Up Wednesday - Self Employment Session 

- Run by Russell Smith from RS Accountancy
- you can become and expert by saying you are an expert, acts as a self fulfilling prophecy, you can get more work if you are confident about what you do
- when you are self employed you run a business no matter what size
- their are four aspects to a business with people in the centre , sales and marketing in a bubble, delivery and operations as another aspect and finance as the last
- you need to have knowledge of all three of these aspects to run a business however you may be better in some areas than others
- people mostly go out of business because they don't keep track of their finances or have enough money in the bank to pay their tax bill
- if you are getting money from selling or providing a service in any form technically you are self employed
- anything under £11,500 you don't have to pay tax on
- you can become self employed at any time
- you can be both self employed and employed
- its ok to start a small business and build it up over time, it doesn't have to be an all or nothing approach and done all at once
- you can have multiple sources of income to allow you to start up your business
- How can you make money? You have different skills you can make money from

Registering

- Google HMRC registering for self employment
- Get given a Unique Tax Reference Number which is a 10 digit number
- The software online calculates your tax for you
- Having a unique business name isn't that important as anyone can use your name
- Can use Companies House website to search for limited company names
- If you are self employed their is nothing stopping you using the same name as someone else

Tax Return

- Profit = income - expenses
- These are the only numbers that go onto your tax return
- Profit is your wage!
- It is always better to have more profit! Don't worry about the tax brackets as this will not mean you will gain more money by being in a lower tax bracket
- You are only taxed on any money over £11,500 not the whole lot
- You can have a high income but low profit because of expenses
- It is not always about working hard but having good management / structure within the company particularly if you have people working for you
- Use freelancers for projects can be a way of getting help on projects rather than having to employ them 

Tax brackets : £0 - £11,500 = 0%
£11,500 - £46,500 = 20% + 9% for National Insurance
£46,500 + = 42%

- Round up tax return numbers
- On your tax return you have to disclose all your income

You could make money from:
- selling work
- grants
- freelance income
- teaching / workshops
- services

Expenses include:
- Travel
- Materials
- Studio
- employees
- freelancers
- software
- equipment
- laptop - whole value considered expense
- utilities for studio
- website
- phone - estimate on how much personal and how much business
- advertising
- insurance
- event / hiring out venues
- product maintenance
- hotels
- car - add up miles for self employment and times by 45p
- working form home - percentage submitted to cover utilities etc
- delivery , postage, packing
- stationary

- Public Liability Insurance - if you accidentally do damage to something
- Professional Indemnity Insurance - if you are sued for something e.g. a website that you made doesn't work

- there are start up costs for setting up a small business however these vary
- you are taxed on profit not on income
- 9% goes towards National Insurance
- any person that pays you money put roughly 20% away for tax as this will mean you won't run out of money when the tax bill comes, unless you are earning over £46,500 then more needs to be set aside

Keeping Records

- receipts need to be kept or sales from paypal etc
- need a spreadsheet with a list of income and expenses 
- documents need to be kept for 7 years, photographs of the documents can be kept instead of the physical thing as well 
- having a different bank account for the business makes it easier to keep track of your money rather than mixing it all with your personal money 
- you don't have to get a business account it can go into a current account 
- bank account records need to be kept 
- keep all documentation from HMRC
- have a tax bank account as well 
- tick the Student Loan tick box on the tax return

Sales Invoice 

- it is good practice to send a sales invoice to your customers so that they know how much to pay you and have a record of what they have paid to you 
- it should include information such as what you have done for them , how much you have charged and payment terms 
- there are no rules on payment terms e.g. 100% upfront, 50% upfront and 50% after etc 
- payment terms should tell the customer when you want the money and should be included in correspondence with the client / customer 

Pricing 

- people don't buy on logic they buy on emotion 
- it is unlikely you are going to come up with something completely unique and other people do the same things as you however they will come to because of reputation and because they like you 
- people buy from people, you have to instill faith and confidence in them 
- consider who you know and who would help spread word about your business. Taking them out for coffee and telling them about your business will mean they will talk to other people about your business getting you work through word of mouth 
- contact people who have done what you are doing to get tips on how to run your business. Network with people.
- people who do the same thing as you are not your competitors they will also help you get work 

- grants are income and taxable
- prizes are not taxable 

Three tips 

1. Don't read the newspaper / news - the news is not positive about business, profit and self employment in general 
2. People don't always want you to succeed because they are not happy with what they do - work out the people who actually want you to do well 
3. People buy for who you are not what you do - its important to be yourself as this matters more to them than the product 

Things learnt:

- Its really easy to become self employed
- It is important to keep a check on finances within the business, separating money into different accounts, regularly updating spreadsheets / records and keeping all documentation is really important as proof of you earnings
- A businesses income / sales might be really high but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are making lots of profit
- Being in a lower tax bracket doesn't mean you will keep more money than if you were in a higher one, you are only taxed on the money over £11,500
- Being professional in your service and being likable will make people more likely to buy from you 
- Networking and asking people around you to spread the word about what you do is a simple marketing technique
- You can make money from a range of different skills that you might have, you don't necessarily have to be tied to one thing 
- Setting up a business doesn't have to be done all at once, I might find it easier to do it gradually and do work along side this as a source of income as this will put less pressure on it being a success instantly.

6A2, 6C2, 6D2 - OUGD602 - PPP - Health Check Tutorial

Health Check Tutorial 

- To get more experience working on exhibitions and galleries perhaps try to shadow a curator to see how the process works 
- Look into Junior Curation schemes 
- Look at the types of institutions that you would like to work at and the kind of exhibitions you would want to be involved in 
- Look at different galleries and research employees job roles to see what they do, as they may have different job names and roles at different places. This will help work out which area you would wnat to go into. 
- Look into Hans Ulrich Obrist and read his book Ways of Curating 
- Still try and get in contact with Leeds Playhouse to see if I can do some work experience in the Production and Scene Painting department 
- If wanting to start my own business could do a brief for extended practice where I create a range of products then do the branding and collateral for this for PPP 

6A2, 6C2, 6D2 - OUGD602 - PPP Website - Website Feedback

Website feedback 

General comments about everyones websites / comments:

- consider image quality 
- consider image consistency 
- consider copy 

Feedback on website:

- 64% 
- consider evening out greys within images on photoshop 
- could get work photographed by someone who has experience in still life photography to make them even better. Would be able to tell them what you wanted e.g. how it was shot and props etc to get really good images for the website 
- within digital work could make the backgrounds better suit the imagery backgrounds e.g. have a slight grey tinge 
- make the contact section more prevalent so people will see it.

6A2 - OUGD602 - Visiting Professional - Nick Deakin of Totally OK - Workshop

Nick Deakin - Totally OK 

- Nick has a studio called Totally OK based in Sheffield 
- He is a Graphic Designer and Illustrator
- Rather than branding himself, having a studio name has allowed him more freedom to do a variety of work 
- The idea of deconstruction within the workshop is used within the context of branding as to often take parts of a brand and reconstitute them to make a unique identity.
- He talked about how using physical techniques which require interaction stimulate you in a different way to computer based work which is stationary and more relaxed.

Workshop 

The aim of the workshop was to play with elements of typeface, deconstructing them and reconstructing them to make something new whilst seeing whether they retained the aesthetic of the original typefaces.

For the workshop we were given the task of drawing elements / characteristics of our choice of three different typefaces (Cooper, Baskerville and Futura). We then had to cut these out to form stencils in a piece of card. Using printing ink we had to use these elements to create something new.

Process Images:

With the first set of three designs I wanted to create a form with all the shapes combined to reflect the essence of the original typefaces in a new form. 

Overlapping the stencils for the Copper typeface created quite fluid, curved designs which combined nicely. The first prints came out quite cleanly so I tried to continue this effect with the other designs to maintain consistency.

Futura was much more angular leading to a more geometric form being created.

Having dot like shapes in both images created consistency across the designs. Combining the different elements of the typefaces created new symbol like forms, which was further emphasised by centering the designs within negative space.

 Finished Pieces:

(last two prints)

Other peoples work:

Interesting outcomes and techniques:

- Using large block forms allowed the composition of the pieces within the frame of the page to be more effective and impactful.

- Using the cutouts rather than the stencils allowed shapes to be created with multiple elements with a black background, which really stood out and created a bold design.

- Letting the ink fade while printing allowed gradients to be created with some people using this to create a shadow effect on shapes or the sense of layered depth between elements within their pieces creating a three dimensional feel to the work in a two dimensional format. 

- Some people were quite forceful with the printing technique which created atmosphere, impact and movement within combined elements.

- Using these elements were also an effective way of creating new stylised letter designs 

Things learnt:

- The simple technique of printing worked really well in generating lots of output in a short amount of time, these could then be refined and developed further.

- Being quick and trying things leads to happy accidents

- Not everything has to be refined initially 

- The techniques used here can easily be used within branding / identity projects as a way of creating logos and brand visuals etc.

http://www.totallyokay.co.uk/