Potential email for Craig Ward

Hi Craig. 

My name's Steph and I'm a student at Leeds College of Art. I have a strong interest in type as image and been a admirer of your work since I saw The art of typography issue of Computer Arts Projects magazine. I particularly like the (RED) pieces - it's nice to see craftsmanship is still used. I wondered if you could have a look over the PDF of my work I've attached as I would be very grateful of some comments / feedback as to how I can progress or any helpful tips.

Regards 

Steph Bourne 

[Do I sound too wierd? I don't want to come across as being strange - I want to build a rapor with a view to potentially go and meet up with him to discuss design issues further in NYC]

Non Format - U.S.A and Norway - music!!!

Finally a starting point of how to design for music!!!

Might just get them to look over my PDF rather than asking them if I can go over to see them.

Non format designed one of my favourite album covers of last year - Delphic!

Someone I 'look up to'

I love Alex Trochut's work. I have for ages now. Along with Craig Ward, he's inspired me to do better at type as image works and illustration. He's in New york as well... so maybe I could get in contact... I'm only there 5 days so at this rate I'm not going to see any of New York but hopefully I would get to meet some amazing illustrators / typographers.

Enterprise Lecture 8 - Stash the cash

Looking after your money.

• If you have the language people have more faith in you.
• INVOICE - the bill - your business address, customers address, invoice date, total amount due.
• STATEMENT - a reminder - day before due. Business address, customer address, list of recent invoices, details of invoices paid/unpaid, total amount due.
• TERMS AND CONDITIONS - (on back of invoice) to protect your rights and interests, costs, delivery arrangements, payment terms, what happens is orders are canceled, credit limits, right to charge interest or compensation on overdue amounts, commitment to quality.
• ACCOUNTING - keep track of who owes you money, see how much your spending, money in and out.
• Quickbooks, bank tree, Sage etc (accounting software). Any are good to start a small business and allow you to create a statement or your years business.
• ACCOUNTANT - certified or chartered. Chartered does more than tax return, large practice with money skills... pension scheme, advice on investments, train your accounting staff, more expensive. Certified - tax returns for small businesses - lower costs.
• START UP COSTS - one time, one off expenses, new equipment, website, register company name, logo, decorate premises, launch party, get a loan to cover these initial expenses, pay back each month over 2-3 years.
• WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM?
• Banks
• Funding organisations and investors - Yorkshire Forward - regional development agency if employing others - small practice.
  
• WHAT THE BANKS NEED TO KNOW: 
• Marketing plan 
• How much you need
• How much you have - similar account to your need - sharing the risk. 
• How much you will spend
• How will you pay it back.
  
• INDIRECT COSTS - money that goes out regardless of business (known as overheads) utilities, insurance, rent, telephone, marketing.
• DIRECT COSTS - cost directly attributable to the manufacturing of products, or what the customer takes away from them.
• TANGIBLE ASSETS - physical existence and maintain substantial value even though depreciating at a calculable rate.
• INTANGIBLE ASSETS - copyright, trademarks, good will,, competitive advantage (often add up to more than the tangible assets).
• COST - anything you spend.
• PRICE - Money charged.
• CAPITAL - money, properties and valuable which collectively represent the wealth of an individual or business.
• CAPITAL ASSETS - money, properties and valuables.
• RECEIPTS - money coming in.
• PAYMENTS - money going out.
• CASH FLOW OR NET CASH FLOW - cash receipts minus payments (need this to show to the banks in order to get a loan). 
• TAXES - income tax - personal income, corporation tax - profits of limited company.
• VAT - on sales.
• COUNCIL TAX - value of property.
• BUSINESS RATES - value of business property.

WHAT TO DO:

• Open a seperate bank account.
• Find a certified accountant. 
• Find a local solicitior. 
• Register business with Inland Revenue.

Enterprise Group meeting 2

My sections to look at:

• Finance - where to get it. Bank loans / money etc.
• Cash flow 
• Daily rate.
• Tax
• Legal and accountant representation

Hazel - clients and competitors, price / costs of start up.
Jonny - PEST & SWOT of clients and competitors.
Jo - where, property, overheads bills etc.

I need to redo so many pieces of work...

I cannot repeat cannot send out a PDF with any of the work I have created since starting this course. I think what I need to do is go back over what I've created and rephotograph / tweak etc a few pieces so that I can add images I'm actually proud of and feel reflects me as a designer rather than what I've got now. I also need to brand myself really - I feel a bit flat at the moment and feel there's nothing to really reflect me...
I'm thinking maybe create a little zine to send out? Kind of love what Little White Lies are doing - could be a source of inspiration?
Would also show an interest in layout and editorial?

Who am I ... really?

I'm beginning to be confused with what it is I want to do...

I like:
Type as Image
Illustration
Music Design
Editorial (despite not having a massive knowledge of grid and hierarchy)

How can I define myself when I like so much - or do I promote myself as being able to do all of this?

What to put in my PDFs?

Who can I go see when I visit America?

So... I'm off to America! Thought I could get in contact with a few design companies and try and visit a few while I'm out there - for a few hours or so...

http://www.wordsarepictures.co.uk/

Wouldn't mind getting in contact with Craig Ward. I've admired his work for a few years now and especially since undertaking the image module, I've developed an interest in type as image and find his work beautiful. I reckon it will be a big ask though to ask someone in the states to visit them for a bit though?
A few examples of Craig's work:

info @ words are pictures dot co dot uk


Another one I've kind of 'stumbled' across to great delight is Graphic Therapy - another New York based company who seems to deal predominantly in the music industry! Win! Also having a range of print and web based design - which is good for me at the moment as I'm not overly sure what it is I want to do!
I like the contemporary style they adopt - using digital vectors and photography.
Some examples:

http://graphictherapy.com/

Enterprise group meeting 1

Joonny, Jo, Hazel

• Design with purpose
• Look at each others PPD to see what we all like.
• Want:
  Personal relations
  Work to briefs
  Appropriate and thoughtful
  No set style
  Type and image
  Multidisplinary - adaptable
• We Don't want:
  Big corporations
  We want to build profile of small companies and worldwide cause.
• Location- Manchester? outskirts?

YCN - OUGD203 - Learning to be more professional.

Tackling a new brief in collaboration with Roz:

Why have you chosen to work with your creative partner? What are your aims?
Me and Roz have never worked together before. I find her work very fresh and I like her approach to the briefs done before. I really like her style of minimalistic and photography and feel she can inspire me to tackle new approaches. I feel she is highly committed and I know she works very hard so I can trust her 100%.

What are your specific areas of creative interest in this brief?
Image
Concept
Working across a huge range of distribution methods.

What specific design skills do you have to offer in relation to your chosen brief? How do you intend to use them?
Illustration
Design for screen
Print knowledge.

What specific non design skills do you have to offer in relation to your chosen brief? How do you intend to use them?
Organised
Hard working
Motivation

What will your specific roles in the collaboration in relation to the brief?
Steph - Image, screen, print
Roz - Ethics / sustainability, Type and layout, packaging.

What will your individual responsibilities be in relation to your brief?
Doing the work agreed on and stick to deadlines.

What will your joint responsibilities be?
Committing to meeting up.
Try and organise crits with other groups - for quick feedback.
Split costs - keep a record.
Blog everyday.

THE CONTRACT!

 THE BRIEF!

 Things to think about:
Strategy - what are you doing? Why are you doing it?
Clarity - Audience - who is the current audience? What do they do? How old are they?
Who are they - demographic? What do they spend on?
Function- inform, educate, persuade, promote, include, activate.
Context - retail, exhibition, mail (where?)
Relevance -
Audience, Context, Content, Tone of voice, Brand Identity, Geography, Ethics.

THE BRIEF REWRITTEN:

 ACTION PLAN:

TIMETABLE: So far we've agreed to just work up to Tuesday - hopefully when our crit is - as we decided things might change after the crit - I'm quite happy with this work flow at the moment - as I feel we are tackling the brief in manageable chunks and it seems a much easy task to do.

Enterprise - lecture 7 - Don't get ripped off

• Intellectual property - creations of your mind.
• 4 Categories:
  Patents
  Trademarks
  Copyrights
  Registered designs
• Patents - new inventions.
  Sole rights to produce or someone else to produce for a fee.
• Trademarks
  TM - pending an investigation for originality.
  R in a circle - Registered trademark and original.
• Trademarks - all details - colours, shapes, etc all registered to that company. 
• Registered designs - arrangement of detail under a name.
• Copyright - c (in a circle) date and sign work to prove. Given immediately.
• Intellectual property website - ipo.gov.uk
• Patents - 20 years protected before people can start to use it.
• Trademarks and logos - protected forever - have to be renewed every 10 years.
• Design rights - protected up to 25 years - renew every 5 years.
• Copyright - protected 70 years after death - apart from music - 50 years after creation.

Quiz I undertook:

Enterprise Lecture 6 - Don't just get a job

• Do something your passionate about. 
• It's a great time to start a business when at college - collaborate with other students.
• 4 P's - place, product, price, promotion.
• Marketing - Brand longevity, scarcity, copyright matters.
• Risk - take a risk and learn. Overseas trade? 
• People are spending more on experiences rather than goods.
• Write a business plan.
• Find small business financing - bytestart.co.uk    betterbusiness.co.uk
• Status of business determined by what you so with profits:
  Sole Trader
  Partnership
  LTD Company
  Limited Liability partnership
  Public limited company
  Social enterprise.
• Business plan - 4 parts
  Skills required, mission and values
  Resources
  Money needed - where from?
  Marketing - 4p's
• Plan - focus efforts, track progress, clear objectives, raise finances, attract collaborators.
• Where to find a business plan - high street bank. Arts council. businessballs.com   businesslink.gov.uk (shows how to write one).
• Where to find funding
  high street bank
  Arts council
  European fund
  Media Trust
• Matrix culture - people come together - no boss.
• Person culture - most likely to work in (as designers) number of people who all do the same thing.

Daily charge rate

Today we figured out on the basis of 3 graduates setting up a business how much we would have to charge per day just to cover our salaries and overheads. It was a huge eye opener - seems a bit impossible though to me at the moment though...

Enterprise Task 4 - what makes me different

After looking at a SWOT analysis of a few companies it is difficult at the moment to say exactly how I could compete with them because I don't have nearly as much experience as them nor do I think my work looks that professional - but then again this will all come in time - more money, time etc to make better quality work.
The only thing that sets me aside from these companies is my thought, my ideas and what I'm interested in - I'm really into music and films and hopefully this is where I'd like to head in - so while I would be competing with these companies - I'm also aiming to potentially work for them.
The way I promote myself and the style of my work which is being developed all the time will set me aside from competitors and make me stand out hopefully.