Michael Wolff
"people don't remember what you said or what you did but they remember how it made them feel"
Interviewing professionals in industry:
starter ideas?
– Find out what they were doing at your age
– How does their practice reflect their own personal life if it even does
– Plan! Think about the nature of what an interview is itself
– Be attentive; listen to what they say and respond accordingly
– Empathy; be able to manage silences - prompts, probes, checks - above all non-judgemental
- managing prompts; ask for an example, clarification, more details?
- managing understanding; checking, summarise in-between thoughts
- the formalities - introductions and formalities - confirm it is ok to record - set the tone for the interview - trust and rapport
- prepare the recording equipment before
- the first question is significant - it should put the interviewee at ease - something they will have little difficulty talking about
- have goals that you tick off as to not repeat yourself
- have eye on time and make sure you solve the kew points
- ask interviewer if they have anything they want to add
- Transcribing - consider interview length
- written grammar versus verbal grammar
By getting a system or your ‘practice’
in place that clients can understand and
accept through your working ‘Manifesto’
or ‘Mission statement’ that they see as
‘HOW’ you work and conduct business
from the very outset.
A 'mission statement' is a short paragraph
used by business to explain in simple and
concise terms its purpose.
They can have a dual purpose by helping
employees to also stay focussed on tasks to
achieve this mission by employing innovation
toward increasing productive achievement.
Externally it sets out the specific
image and direction that drives your
practice as a ‘brand’. A ‘manifesto’ is a published verbal
declaration of the intentions,
motives, or views of the issuer.
My Manifesto:
(in 100 words)
- Stay ethical. The purpose of your design should help people in some way, and not be at the cost of others
- Try to be environmental with materials/ packaging/ strategy
- Promote social inclusion when possible. This covers racism, homophobia, sexism and so on – keep all-inclusive design that does not stereotype or marginalise groups
- Promote positive values and steer clear of political bias. This is not to say be apolitical, but allow a forum where people can deduce their own ideology based on information and visual literacy produced.
- Always think outside the box - 'a smile in the mind' type design - point of difference.
Creative Volunteer Work:
June 21-26 I was working at Glastonbury Festival on a sustainable produce stall. The company promotes sustainability with a focus on the importance of recycling. This summer it was encouraging people to grow their own produce, compost their natural waste and mak this appealing to kids. We designed and produce the set of the stall with papier-mache characters as well as vibrant and inviting colours.
The stall had fruit, vegetables and herbs growing, such as tomatoes, basil and courgettes. People would come around, we'd show them how easy it is to tend to their own, kids would have a go and there were plenty photo opportunities to spread the agenda.
Next year the agenda is on sustainable fashion and reducing waste by recycling clothing. Hopefully I will be able to join the team again at their chosen festival next summer to promote sustainable recycling through design.
Nomadic Community Gardens is a small-scale community run artist playground and allotment growing vegetables and flowers, based in East London. In August myself and a small group of creatives sorted through donated costumes from Rio Carnival that had been flown all the way from Brazil, in order to select outfits for underprivileged and disabled children taking part in the Notting Hill Carnival. This was a truly rewarding experience, which was both fun, flamboyant and impactful. We also spend some afternoons designing and spray-painting a mural in the gardens itself. The bird painted was set to communicate equality, peace and unity amongst people.
Then, attending Notting Hill Carnival, we got to see our work in practice. Seeing the kids so happy made the experience extremely rewarding. Using design in this way was an insight into another angle as to how aesthetics (colour, form) can effect a user experience.
As I was asked to take some photos of this experience for the charities website, this made me want to explore and experiment with film. Normal images seem too ordinary and easy to me. The idea of not knowing if you got the perfect shot until its out of your control feels a lot more natural to me, making the photos a lot more appreciated and special.
Festivals - set design influences / attention to detail / sustainability characteristics /
- Glastonbury - ginormous scale, set design (alternative and liberal platforms, political, anarchist, sustainable), small scale (homemade) vs. huge displays like Arcadia, Greenpeace (debating, learning, talks of movements), colours and materials, musical influences
- MoDem - no litter (cigarette tubes, clear recycling bins), compost toilet solutions, meditation circles,
- Love Rave - transformation of a space (forest festival), lighting and site specific design
- Notting Hill Carnival - huge immersion of culture (food, music, costume), photography practising, looking at litter and social control (policing/security)
Exhibitions
- Venice 57th Biennale - artists from around the world representing their country through a display of site specific art - two sites that take 2-4 days to complete, it is essentially an artists playground
- Damien Hirst: Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable - first show in 10 years and the scale and idea behind it was of epic proportions
- Queer British Art - Tate Britain - interesting retrospect of how homosexuality has been perceived and acted from the 16th century to present, from theatre, greek mythology to contemporary artists and documentaries
- Summer Exhibition - Royal Academy - huge range as the annual exhibition presents everyday artists to more established ones
- Picasso Museum - Barcelona - insight into true abstraction and the idea of seeing a subject for its characteristics rather than an exact visual representation (reminiscent of the idea that graphic design should be a smile in the mind)
- Can Graphic Design Save Your Life - Welcome Collection - useful exhibition that shows graphics design place in advertisement, hospitals, medicine, and touches on how it can be used to promote ethical platforms and well-being in the future
- Art Night 2017 - London - a series of events around East London on one night from 6pm-4am, ranging from video art, installations, performances, dance to more traditional pieces / paintings etc
Places
- Italy - Ancona, Rimini, San Marino, Florence, Venice - The Boboli Gardens (Renaissance scultpures)
- Spain - Barcelona, Girona (Pyrenees mountains) - Sagrada Familia and other Goudi architecture
- Croatia - Zadar, Mjesto PrimiĊĦlje / Slunj, Split - interesting varied architecture, very box-like and colourful, beautiful beaches and rich colours in the national park - trees/ waterfalls/ swamps/ pond/ lake - smells of fresh fish
- England - Cambridge, Brighton, Frensham Pond - beautiful gardens and old english architecture aesthetics, grand and traditional/ vibrant city, rich in graffiti and street art as well as colourful houses and shops (the lanes), liberal mentality with very eco-aware residents interesting to see people in shops turn down takeaway bags as 'extra waste'/ the pond had algae hazards that meant people couldn't swim in them this summer, interesting warnage signs that people were ignoring, how our environment effects our experiences and how signage can be effective or not
Other
- Arts & Crafts day - Jewellery making
- Learnt some Swedish - made a pen pal
- Rollie Pollie challenge - how many mornings in a row can you rollie pollie down a hill to sunrise
- Nomadic Community Gardens - transforms disused spaces into urban gardens where people can grow their own produce, create art, share skill sets, and build their own community from the bottom up
Overall a lot of beautiful food, sunsets, people, languages and views.
Despite at first not really understanding the purpose of the module, by the end I can say with confidence I found PPP to be a valuable and necessary part of the first year. Having a forum that pushes you to engage in your chosen discipline outside of the collage guidelines and briefs, is ultimately what motivates one to become passionate and serious about their chosen course. I have alway found myself to be very lazy when it comes to academic work, leaving most things to the last minute. The PPP module has allowed me break that habit by pushing me to constantly be on 'ball' outside of practice. Having that push to be constantly recording, whether that be gallery visits or simply finding things that I like, allows me to build inspiration and research, that then contributes to my practice.
I found the presentations really enjoyable, and I really see the importance in pushing us as students to become comfortable around this skill, as it's something that can really drive our career. Despite being really nervous to put myself out there in the spotlight and under scrutiny from my peers, the adrenaline rush and alleviating sensation afterwards made it really worth it. I personally feel I learned a lot, and became a lot more comfortable around my own work afterwards. Also, seeing how nervous everyone else was really helped ease my insecurities within the class.
Overall, the module really allowed me to reflect of my successes and downfalls of the year. Looking back on work done at the start, really allowed me to understand what I've learnt and how things I rejected at first have now hugely impacted my practice. Despite originally feeling like I was maybe on the wrong course, after undergoing PPP to see my own progress and realising how interested I actually am in the Graphic Design culture, allowed me to feel a lot more secure within my chosen discipline.
