Last week a few of us creative folk jumped on a train and made our way across to Preston for a most pleasant day that D&AD were putting on all around the university campus (which I thoroughly enjoyed). It was a great eye opener for what D&AD can offer students, as I didn't really have a clue what they were really about other then the awards but more importantly the whole event didn't cost a penny. The day was packed full of lectures, workshops and a portfolio surgery with helpful advice professionals that thankfully involved no operating.
I found the morning lecture really valuable as one of the D&AD organisers (Rianan I think) opened the talk introducing what they’ve done past, present but more specifically future plans including the White Pencil awards. It was pretty insightful to see the behind the scene side of the awards and just how much work and effort goes into putting the awards together.
Jack Renwick followed this up with an inspirational talk on how she’d worked her way up through the industry to become an art director, former creative director at The Partners and creator of a her own agency. It was nice to hear a talk from such a down to earth person that you could relate to. She gave advice on how to deal with clients and how to really push your ideas across and create a bond with them, working as part of a team being crucial and your working showing your personality. It gave me faith that I could hopefully do something similar if I’m dedicated enough and try hard. Even though she made it clear that she’d started from rock bottom and climbed her way up the mountain of job positions she made it sound like a pretty smooth process. I hope that when it comes to my turn, similar opportunities pop up so frequently for me. Jack is one of the judges at D&AD and has won awards herself in the past as a student and work associated with The Partners.
Jack started out her career in the art industry by making wheelchair ramps and sign designs then moving her way up by getting work for The Partners (design agency based in London and New York). She talked about some of the projects that shes worked on involving typography, corporate design work and logo designs.
One piece that I really liked was a brief to create packaging for Indian flavoured sausages. As well as making designs for the outer packaging they focused on giving each indivudal falavour of sasuage its own style. They did this by printed onto the skin of the meat using an edible ink to look like henna tattoos. I think this work shows how to stand out against the rest and that they really pushed the idea as far as they could. In doing so they've created something thats pretty unique and shows they really care about their work and reputation.
I found her talk really inspirational and the ideas used massive imaginitve. You can tell she takes pride in her work and puts passion into it and it definitely pays off. I look forward to seeing what the future holds with her new solo agency.
Later on there was a workshop hosted by the Manchester based design agency WeAreThoughtful. Unfortunately, at this point I was dying of starvation and had to take a swift pit stop at the nearest Wetherspoons to refuel myself for my portfolio visit with Jordan from Music Studios (more to come on this). The portfolio surgeries were an opportunity for students from across the region to have a chat and gain some industry input from a gathering of great design agencies. The advice was offered from The Chase, Music, Because Studio and many more. It was also a chance to talk to other students that are completely in the same boat on how they’re coping with the trials and tribulations of third year and preparation for the future. It’s reassuring to hear that you’re not the only person stressing about the next steps that follow after uni. The designers on hand gave some good advice about how portfolios could be strengthened and what my work would benefit from with slight tweaks here and there.
Jack started out her career in the art industry by making wheelchair ramps and sign designs then moving her way up by getting work for The Partners (design agency based in London and New York). She talked about some of the projects that shes worked on involving typography, corporate design work and logo designs.
One piece that I really liked was a brief to create packaging for Indian flavoured sausages. As well as making designs for the outer packaging they focused on giving each indivudal falavour of sasuage its own style. They did this by printed onto the skin of the meat using an edible ink to look like henna tattoos. I think this work shows how to stand out against the rest and that they really pushed the idea as far as they could. In doing so they've created something thats pretty unique and shows they really care about their work and reputation.
I found her talk really inspirational and the ideas used massive imaginitve. You can tell she takes pride in her work and puts passion into it and it definitely pays off. I look forward to seeing what the future holds with her new solo agency.
Later on there was a workshop hosted by the Manchester based design agency WeAreThoughtful. Unfortunately, at this point I was dying of starvation and had to take a swift pit stop at the nearest Wetherspoons to refuel myself for my portfolio visit with Jordan from Music Studios (more to come on this). The portfolio surgeries were an opportunity for students from across the region to have a chat and gain some industry input from a gathering of great design agencies. The advice was offered from The Chase, Music, Because Studio and many more. It was also a chance to talk to other students that are completely in the same boat on how they’re coping with the trials and tribulations of third year and preparation for the future. It’s reassuring to hear that you’re not the only person stressing about the next steps that follow after uni. The designers on hand gave some good advice about how portfolios could be strengthened and what my work would benefit from with slight tweaks here and there.
Overall I thought the day had been coordinated very well making it hugely beneficial to all us post grads that turned up. There were plenty of speakers on hand concerning pretty much all pathways that were processional and knowledgeable but more importantly approachable. If D&AD are doing any other events in the near future I shall definitely be attending.
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