Afterlife: Gareth Dunt

The last speaker of Afterlife was Gareth Dunt who discussed how to seek out work that you want to do. His philosophy is that being more passionate about a job will help avoid the feeling of being “burnt-out”. Furthermore, he stated that if we really want to do something we should go for it as in his eyes “well done is better than well said”. In other words, it’s about balance and making time for other interests and finding time to switch off other than working too hard and resulting in work of a worse standard. This year I often find myself in phases where I can overwork too much in one day and produce nothing of real use, and other days I may try a little less and create designs that I am much more proud of. 

Dunt also ensured to push the idea of collaborative projects our way by explaining that they can often be best in order to achieve better work as you are able to share specific skills. According to him, there is no need to do everything alone and this was nice to hear as I really value sharing skills with others, especially when working woth unfamiliar softwares. After three years of design, I have come to realise that I often feel more comfortable at the ideation stage of a project. Following this stage, I usually worry about how I am going to make my ideas a reality. Therefore I have is always believed I would be better suited to working in a small studio or design team. 

His presentation included an inspirational quote by Michael Wolff which stated, “It’s better to be interested than interesting”. Dunt mentioned that this quote can be applied to life by showing willingness to learn from people and continuing to strive for inspiration.

Advice given for portfolio design:

• Begin with CV – Is there anything in my CV that they might ask about during an interview that I can show in my portfolio?
• Present good ideas through good execution
• Keep it simple – Less is more!
• Display project development – sketches/ideas 
• Put projects in order – Helps to build narrative to allow for a natural flow during the interview process
• When showing team based projects be honest in the part that I played.
• Self-initiated projects
• Make sure to tweak it every couple of months. 
• No need for more than 3 pages per project.
• Get feedback. 

Afterlife: Paul Felton – Common Curiosity

Our sixth Afterlife session was held by Paul Felton from Common Curiosity.  Felton discussed tips which linked back to story-telling and the importance giving a brand context and meaning in order to make it memorable. This allowed me to consider suing this tip more within my FMP. I now believe I should feel more confident in spending some extra time to ensure I am portraying the correct narrative through words and visual. Felton continued by mentioning how he often uses a “core thought” to explain why his visuals are the way they are in a few words. The idea of introducing a core thought into my process is greatly needed because I think it could help guide me into making decisions (which I often struggle with) based on a rationale. Furthermore, it would also aid me in staying focussed during my design process. I often struggle to keep myself on track, therefore I think a ‘core thought’ will simplify what I am trying to communicate through my visuals so that anyone who hasn’t been aware of my research will understand. 

• It is important to tell a story. What is the why? Reasons lead to decisions. What is the USP?
• Find inspiration in experiences, adventures, books, interviews, architecture, documentaries, everywhere
• Substance over style
• Share with others and receive more helpful feedback

• Start with pencils, pens and notebook –  it can help to see if an idea working before being distracted by the computer. 
• Remember to think about where the brand can live. What is unique to their environment?
• Experiment!
• Question the brief and challenge convention. 
• Create ‘core thoughts’ – in other words, work with words to articulate an idea. Paul also mentioned how words are also important in a portfolio (short and simple)

Afterlife: Gavin Leisfield – Friendly Giants

For our fifth Afterlife session we had a presentation from Gavin Leisfeild who is a partner at the studio Friendly Giants. On our first year trip to London, we took a visit to LittleHawk studio where Gavin previously worked. I found it interesting to see what he has achieved since his time there and listen to his story of how he came into the position he is in today. 

Leisfield’s personal experience in the industry is very inspiring as he’s has both freelance and studio work experience which he is now seeing the benefits to both. His progression into a studio such as Friendly Giants made me realise how designers must also give back to the community and complete projects which we find most interesting.

Within his presentation Leisfield talked us through the stages of working on a rebrand. I found it insightful hearing him explain the amount of work that goes into it. He continued by elaborating on the amount of refinement, development and research that is often completed within studios when rebranding. Hearing this showed me that the working process I currently have is good but can be more in depth and detailed in order to achieve a fully successful design result. 

During the presentation we were joined by Maria and Kieran who have previously graduated from the course but both have also recently started working for Friendly Giants. I found it inspiring and useful hearing about how they have adapted to the new working environment. I also appreciated that they gave us tips on managing our FMP and D&AD and how they found that communication between their peers was the most useful thing. This is something that I have tried to do as much as possible as I happen to have a group of creative friends to turn to for opinions and advice. 

Afterlife: Maris Latham – Cowshed

Our next Afterlife designer was Maris Latham who was also previously a student at Cardiff Met. Maris shared her comforting words on how it’s okay to not know where you’re going career-wise and proceeded to elaborate on how she came to apply for Cowshed. Her experience was that she was more drawn to studios which followed values and created projects that she admired. This allowed me to come to the realisation that I need to start broadening my horizons by looking into different studios in order to discover where I can visualise myself fitting in. I should ensure that whatever I do and wherever I go after university I should be doing something I care about or enjoy. In relation to this, Maris explained how personal projects can end up presenting opportunities. Therefore, if I leave university and happen to be struggling for creative jobs, then I can try and fill my time by doing personal projects to see if anything can come from it. 

When discussing her Final major project, I found it inspiring that she didn’t have experience with type but took a risk and still tried it anyway. I intend on keeping this in mind when starting my own FMP as I would like to attempt something I have never done before in order to create some variety within my portfolio and learn new skills. 

Finally Maris advised that we make sure to keep a work/life balance and remember to have fun. Due to the pandemic this year, I have noticed how my uni days have not been balanced and I’ve felt that I have missed that social side of life that allows you to break away from things. I also experienced this when finishing my dissertation as I was hoping to have a short break, but because we couldn’t really celebrate it, it has just felt very overwhelming. In future, I intend on creating more daily tasks and sticking to their time schedules as then I may be able to keep on track and find more time for recreational things.

Afterlife: James Greenfield – Studio Koto

Our third Afterlife session was held by brand designer James Greenfield. Being a key value of his own studio, Greenfield discussed the ‘experience’ element of the design industry in depth. Koto explained that he usually admires experience over aesthetics and this is something I recognised I must pay more attention to moving forward. He continued by elaborating on the importance of the internal branding elements such as brand story and ethos. For example, in order to make long lasting brands you must be meaningful when discussing with others. In other words, designers should communicate a verbal identity as well as visual in order to achieve emotional components and build trust. 

In addition, Greenfield brought up the significance of collaboration. From what he discussed, I gathered that communication is key when with clients and within the creative teams themselves, therefore I should keep this in mind for future projects. What I like about working within a team is that you can have different strengths which can help push ideas forward and overcome creative blocks. Some of the key elements key he advised to help deliver a successful branding project were talking, writing, designing and selling.

After the presentation I came to realise that I need to consider what my own design values may be. I liked James’s comment that “everyone deserves good design” as I personally feel more passionate about helping smaller brands as they will often appreciate the results of the design more than bigger brands.

Afterlife: Michael C Place – Studio Build

Our next Afterlife speaker was Michael C Place who is the creative director of Studio Build but more specifically works as a typographic designer. I found his discussion very interesting but the most comforting part of it was that Place assured us that  you designers don’t necessarily need to work in London if I do not wish to. I am a home bird and like to be around family, I also feel put off by the idea of paying so much rent when working there. Due to the fact that I am fully aware of how a London job would be a great opportunity, it is not completely out of the question. However, I know personally I would rather try and find something closer to Cardiff. The support from my friends and family is a huge part of my creative process and I know I would miss it too much if I was away.

I found it so interesting to hear Place’s passion for music and architecture, that it allowed me to reflect on what influences me in my own practice. What I discovered is that I have not yet come to terms with what they may be. I understand that I usually gravitate towards minimalistic designs and bold colours but I have not yet truly discovered what are my main sources of influence. In future I may attempt to create more designs for personal projects in order to get to the root of what really inspires me in the industry/creative process. Another thing that Place mentioned is the importance of finding your own path and being your own designer. As a designer it is important to be independent and know that you can create work that can change the perspectives of design and its limits.

Something that stood out in Place’s presentation is that he expressed the importance of building relationships. This was a really nice topic to discuss as I have discovered that even in such a short amount of time I have met so many talented designers and creative people with different specialities. I really hope to stay in contact with these friends and individuals after graduation as it would be beneficial to support each other in the future. From this presentation and my three years in graphic design, I have come to realise that sharing skills with other creatives allows me to continue learning new skills. 

Finally Place advised that a task may be hard, but you continue to work at it, then the outcome can become more meaningful to you when you achieve it. Already I feel like I have experienced this throughout my time in university so I could really relate to his wise words. 

Afterlife: Jack Renwick

When I discovered that Jack Renwick would be leading our first Afterlife session, I was very excited. We saw her present in the past during our London trip in first year where we attended the 4 Designers Conference. Then and now, I still admire how she discusses the design industry in an honest way as she often elaborates on her personal journey and how she has been able to reach the design achievements she has today. Renwick discloses that the industry can be difficult and that she began to learn design during her time working at a shoe shop. This story was not only interesting but very inspiring, which helped put some of my worries about careers to rest. 

By watching Jack present previously, I knew about the Millbank Farm project that her studio had done. It was inciteful to see the design results and specifically how the customer relationship had progressed throughout the pandemic. They utilized their chance to create  effect and I think this demonstrates their studio ethics well.

Some of the advice given by Renwick are;

• Ask many questions in order to get more information from the client to see what you can do differently. 
• Share ideas with others – colleagues may find value in something that you haven’t. 
• Find research that is relevant – Question what the graphic language is like in that world/area. 
• To include personal projects within my portfolio.
• Keep it simple and discover what is the graphic glue to hold the project together.

A suggestion given by Renwick which stood out was to get your name out there and begin to network and becomeactive on social media. Personally I have found it difficult to keep up with my design Instagram account due to university work, however after graduating I will make more of an effort to post regularly.