Design Strategy; Manchester print fair and Papercut exhibition.

A group of us went through to Manchester to the print fair and Papercut exhibition. We weren't sure what to expect from the print fair as we'd never been before but although it was small, there was a lot of great work and designers so in true style, I went round collecting various business cards and used it as an opportunity to pick up new contacts. Seeing this was also good because they hold them regularly so it's something we could all get involved in, in the future. Going to such events reminds me why I love print so much! We then went on to the Papercut exhibition and although this was a bit more arty, it was still applicable again due to my love of stock. There was some amazing work and it's surprising what can be done with paper, some of it was so detailed. I really enjoyed this day out so would like to do something similar in the future. 

Detailed statement of intent; week by week.

As a starting point for my statement of intent I decided to draw myself a timetable of what i'm going to do week on week. It's quite specific in the things I need to do so that I don't miss anything out and make sure i'm keeping on top of everything. I haven't timetabled reading week in as I plan to be working hard on my dissertation but if necessary I will catch up on anything I fall behind on in this module, hopefully it will all go to plan though for the most part. I've left myself time for things to go wrong in other weeks so I don't have to rush to get things done and can finalise things to the best of my ability. I hope to stick to this plan as it makes me feel as though I will be able to complete everything I need to do for my briefs. 

Task

Task one
Five things I didn't know before the summer break that I know now;
- The type of studio I would like to work for when I graduate.
- A definate area of design i'm going to presue.
- A brief history of Coca-Cola.
- I'd prefer to be based in the North when I graduate.
- I would like to work in a studio and possibly freelance on the side.

Five things I would address differently than I did this summer;
- Contact more studios and pester people.
- Visit more exhibitions//galleries.
- Spend a lot more time illustrating.
- Keep a constant flow of research going through my blog so I keep up to date with current design.
- Secure a definate work placement. 

Five specific things I will address this semester; 
- Create a body of personal research into illustration for inspiration. 
- Contact more studios about visits. 
- Illustrate more in my spare time. 
- Go on a few visits.
- Utilise time spent in uni. 

Five things we could address as a group; 
- Contacting printers
- Hourly rate
- Meeting straight talking designers to give us a realistic view of the industry and their experiences
- More print visits to refresh this area of our knowledge
- Possibly being able to invite our own contacts in to give a talk

Design Strategy; future visit to Newcastle.

I'm also going to try and plan a visit to the Newcastle gallery for contemporary art (the Baltic) in dissertation week. Although i'm not sure if there is anything directly linked to my dissertation topic, I still feel the visit should inspire my general design practice and it will be good to see what is happening at the moment. 

Design Strategy; future visit to Manchester.

A group of us have decided we are going to visit Manchester at the end of the month for both the papercut exhibition at the art gallery and the print fair. Due to my interest in print based design this should be a really good day out!