OUGD602 - PPP3: Momo Hello Show Manchester (Momentum Worldwide)

Before I came to Leeds College of Art, I worked at a company called Pandora's Box. Whilst I was there, I was introduced to lots of different people, Callum being one of them. He came from a marketing background and so this was his position, focusing on PR, social media as well as marketing. I worked alongside Callum for up to 6 months before leaving to start my degree. Since then, he has also moved on and progressed and now works at Momentum in Manchester. 

During the Summer break I received a message from him asking whether I would like to go along to the Momo Hello Show. The flyer below explains what it is, with all of the details listed. I jumped at the chance and visited the studio! On arrival, each person who had signed up to the event was given a name badge and a drink and then asked to go through to the main reception area and view some examples of their work whilst networking. This was a fantastic opportunity and was also a great chance for me to continue to get used to approaching people and introducing myself. 

I had some business cards printed before the event so that I was able to give my details to the creative director if I was fortunate enough to meet him, which I was. We spoke about their work and about what I am interested in and he invited me to show my work later on in the evening in a separate 'show off' room, where I sat and discussed my designs. 

They seemed very impressed with the work I had to show and we spoke about the possibility of a placement in the future. I also spoke to one of their employee's who started working there straight after uni for a three month internship and then they employed her as a permanent member of staff. She had also just won the latest competition in work, where Momentum's employee's are given the opportunity to pitch for themselves to be flown out to the studio in New Orleans to work there for a couple of months! This would be such an amazing opportunity and something I could imagine myself doing in the future if I was to ever work for Momentum. 

I am constantly in touch with Callum and have also been in contact with Oli, the creative director, and so I am hoping to either visit them again or do a placement with them. However I know that they don't tend to just offer short term placement opportunities and focus on longer internships instead. This could therefore be something I could consider for next Summer. 

Attending this event not only allowed me to meet lots of like-minded people but it also really inspired me! I was exposed to an example of experiential marketing for the first time and this is now something that I am closely focusing on in my COP3 essay as well as for my practical outcome. 

OUGD602 - PPP3: Presentation

OUGD602 - PPP3: TRM Pack

I made a phone call to TRM Pack as they are based in Burscough, near to where I live at home. I asked whether it would be possible for me to visit them and speak to their design team, after being passed around on the phone to several departments, one lady told me that their design team is based down in London. This was a real shame but worth the phone call. 

OUGD602 - PPP3: Clive Cards

20th October

Today we all received an email from Tom Pollard. The college has been contacted to find out whether there is anybody interested in some part time design work. I thought it would be worth replying to so I decided that I would find out more information. 

My response is as follows:

21st October

Today I received a response from Clive, who asked whether I would be able to meet him today. So I decided to go along and discuss the project in more depth. 

We had a meeting in the Smoothie Company. He showed me all of his cards that he sells in many shops in Leeds. He used to work for Hallmark and I instantly thought this would be a great opportunity for me, so I decided to email him later on that day to let him know. Funnily enough, he had stationed himself there to meet various students and choose the person he felt was most appropriate for the job.

He had said in the meeting that he wouldn't be able to afford much, but no figures were actually discussed at the time. 

I received the following email in response, up until now I feel quite positive, but there is a part of me which isn't 100% sure about taking on the work. 

22nd October

Today I responded to the email with a variety of questions that I wanted to clear up before starting the job in hand. 

23rd October

I wanted a full day and hadn't heard anything from Clive which I thought was a little bit strange. Then today I received a response:

30th October

I spoke to John about the whole situation and explained about the pay and how I feel as though I could probably do this myself without the backing of Clive, which is why I feel so unsure about the whole thing. John gave me some advice and told me that I should email Clive with the following:

(John also asked how bothered I would be if I didn't get the work due to the client disagreeing with my suggestions, and I said I wasn't bothered at all, I am more concerned about being treated properly as a graphic designer who is close to graduating and could charge a lot more than he is willing to pay. I am not willing to produce designs for him which will not be fairly rewarded.)

3rd November

Today I received a response from Clive who said that he would have to turn down my offer. I felt a sense of relief as soon as I read the email and this is how I knew I had done the right thing. I went and told John straight away and he said he was really pleased that I had handled the situation with such professionalism. This has definitely been a learning curve for me and something I will look back on as a valuable experience when I graduate.

OUGD602 - PPP3: DR.ME Workshop

Today DR.ME came in to visit us and carry out a one day brief with us. They started the day by introducing themselves in an informal briefing and showing us a presentation with examples of their work. Having visited their website before today to have a look at the work they produce, I already had a rough idea of what they do. A lot of their work is based on music and they design album artwork for various different clients as well as promotional posters.

Although this isn't particularly the area of graphic design I would like to pursue, I found it interesting listening to their background story and how they have reached the stage they are at today. It definitely gave me the confidence to believe that one day I could set up my own business, but at the same time it made me appreciate how invaluable studio work experience really is, and I think it can make a huge impact on quality of work and being able to understand the client's needs. The more experience the better. 

Today just confirmed to me that I certainly want to work in the graphic design industry within studios or large firms (perhaps packaging within the food industry) to gain as much experience before even attempting to set up on my own. I also found it extremely interesting how different studios present themselves in completely different ways, some are very casual and informal, whilst some are quite formal and professional. I think it is important to get the balance right, and in the future when I become well established in my field of interest, I would like people to perceive me as being professional yet approachable. 

Overall, this exercise definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone and I enjoyed working in a pair with someone I wouldn't usually work with. I think that although we may have taken slightly longer with the vinyl artwork and poster, we definitely felt as though we had achieved a lot at the end of the day and put a lot of thought into the concept of the designs.