At our University we have many different lecturers take time out to come in and speak to us about different aspects of their jobs. I have referenced different parts of their talks and then chose two different lectures to compare. Not all designers work the same, never mind speak about their work the same. Some ways appeal to myself more than others. On the 26th Novemeber Mike Rigby came in to speak to us and on the 9th March Allun Cocks came in to also show us how he works. These two really stood out to me as they presented very differently.
Mike began his talk by speaking about his education, how he studied at Preston for 4 years on a Graphic Design course, he had a one year placement between the 2nd and last year and finally graduated in 2002. Since graduating he has worked for Imagination London, Chase Manchester, Landor Sydney, Moon Design Sydney, Pentagram, Mark Studio and True North. He continued on about this – his past work experiences. I was extremely interested to hear about Mike's experiences whilst working aboard. He advised us that taking a break is really important , as whilst he did this it resulted in him finding work abroad. Instead of showing us through his work he spoke more about his experiences. Mike had put together some of his pictures he had taken whilst on his travels, I was amazed. The beginning part of this lecture really got me interested as travelling is something I have always wanted to do. I think the importance of speaking to a group of students is to keep them all interested. I found that how he began the lecture got me engaged straight away, which is key.
Alun Cocks is a former student from Stockport College who later went on to study a Graphic Arts BA at Leeds University. He is one of the founders of Dust, a small company that was established in 2000, due to it being such a small company it is quite hands on. He began his talk telling us about the different actions the Dust team take from starting a project to finishing it. He started with a project he had worked on for Manchester United - this was a very illustrative piece using mainly mark making, figures and facts, this included goals and who scored ect. As Alun began the lecture by using a power point image of his work I was not engaged at all. However learning about different ways to work does interest me, so I continued to listen. Alun took us through the journey of his projects, which was interesting, as this is not something that we usually listen to.
I find that lectures from designers should not just be about the design process but about the life style, the ups and the downs and tips on graduation. Mike Rigby did this really well and as he kept changing subjects it kept me interested throughout unlike Alun Cocks’s lecture.
Mike went on to talk to us about the positives and negatives of working in the design world. I find it interesting to hear both sides. A lot of which we had heard before, working in the design world is interesting and challenging, you meet and collaborate with different people and are forever learning. As with everything there is always some negatives, as we are always told graphic design is a very competitive industry, with long hours with unpaid overtime, there is a lot of pressure, client interference and sometimes the pay isn't great. Though if you are passionate about the job and are willing to put the effort in you will succeed. This last comment is one that should always be thought about and it will be something that I will never forget. No matter how difficult something may be. For Mike to say this really made me think about everything. We are forever told about negatives but as he has shown us everything he has done in his life – not just design it gave me confidence.
With the lectures we have I like getting advice from different people rather than seeing their work as this part in my life is very important and I need to take as much as I can out of these lectures. As Alun spoke about his work I was interested to see how long it takes him to produce the work he does – it is all very personal. A lot of screen-printing was shown throughout his work, this is something that is not as common in Graphic Design anymore. It was different to see how he worked, as he explained the work that he does is very hands on, he selects everything right down to the paper stock used. When working in a large design agency it is proved that you don’t really see your work from start to finish. Alun explained how he liked the fact he created the whole of his work.
Mike spoke ts about placements, they are essential to help in finding a job after graduation, they increase your pace of working and you get the experience of working on live briefs with real deadlines. This is something that is said by many graphic designers.
The lecture we had from Mike Rigby was in the graphics room we study in, therefore so it was smaller group than in the lecture theatre. This may be why I enjoyed it more. We looked at the places he worked and the work he did there. He only showed us his final work. This was very different to the work showed to us by Alun as he even showed us variations of different briefs and how he got from one point to another. It is good to see this, as that’s how we work as students. Overall I really enjoyed Mike Rigby’s lecture, I really took on board the advice that he gave us. He was soon moving back over to Australia to work, which I think is great for him. It just proves how quickly things can change.
The two lectures were very different. I suppose this was to do with the work they both do and the way in which they do it is very different.
Mike’s work is very graphic, the packaging above that he did for a carpet re brand shows this where as Aluns below is more line drawing and has an illustration feel to it.
When asked Alun said that he did not see him self as an illustrator however him and his partner do enjoy this area of design. Mike spoke to us about his journey to where he is today and Alun spoke about his journey of getting from start to finish on a brief.
No comments:
Post a Comment