This is a great website looking into various book cover designs.
Monday, 30 May 2011
Career Opportunities
My ideal career opportunity would be:
- in a motivated environment where contemporary print work is produced whether it be album covers, book covers, brochures, leaflets etc.
- I want to expand my skills and experience in the industry.
- Working with various people to get ideas flowing and design something to the best of my ability.
Book covers that got away
I found an interesting article on book covers that had been rejected in the publishing process. I really like some of them. See what you think.
Books
There is something about books that just appeal to me so much.
If I'm walking into the city centre to buy something quickly, I always manage to divert myself to Waterstones. Just walking in there and seeing book after book excites me inside and I just don't know where to start.
I've always loved reading and getting lost in my imagination. Like watching TV in my head. Reading calms me if I've had a tough day but also when you've stopped in a place where it's super exciting, you can't help but think "I NEED to go and read the next bit to see what happens!". It's worse when you know it'll be a few hours/days before you can find out the next segment of the story. I think reading is better than watching a film because you imagine the characters the way you want to, not the way the director in the film has. You can imagine the setting, the way the characters look and how things are said. It's fab.
Now we are getting the covers. I hadn't quite known that I liked book cover designing as much as when we were set a brief to design one. Once I got into re-designing the cover for "100 Years of Solitude", I realised how much fun it was. I could have adjusted it for days, weeks or even years. I went with my initial idea by taking the title literally and playing with typography. I ended up really liking what I produced and feel it is one of my strongest pieces of work this year. Others may disagree and say that it is quite "boring" but like I said in the previous post, I am in full swing in working in minimal and simplistic forms.
Where my passion lies...
My passion lies within the print industry especially published items such as books and magazines. Even DVD covers and movie posters interest me. I enjoy experimenting with text and image. The way magazine articles are laid out in magazines like Vice, Eye and Dazed & Confused excite my mind, giving me new conceptual inspiration. I love the way these covers impact straight away to the viewer. Simplicity is the style I've formed in the past year or two.
I think you can push the boundaries of magazine layouts and editing. Why do we have to conform to the bog standard, stereotypical, boring layouts? I love looking through spreads that are unusual and makes you look into it and appreciate the design. The more unusual the better as it feeds more and more inspiration into designers minds. I think you can appreciate this if you are fond of published print work in a design sense.
Saturday, 28 May 2011
Final gatherings
Tonight is our Summer Ball. One of the last times or even the last time we will all be together at university. What a roller coaster uni life was. Amazingly great high points and unfortunately so very, very low points. I wouldn’t have changed it for the world though.
My experiences through uni, I believe, have made me stronger and able to cope with various things that life may throw at me. Recognising a situation that I can then deal with appropriately.
I’ve had the time of my life and met such amazing people. My boyfriend, Jason Nye, is the star I met in my first year of four years. He’s my rock and keeps me grounded when things go pear shaped. Living with difficult housemates in second and third year at uni was a nightmare but we came through it with our heads held high. We rose above their behaviour and stood our ground. Thank god for this year as I couldn’t have been blessed with cooler girls to live with. They are the same girls I lived with in the first year — started and ended on high notes! Never laughed so hard in my life as I have this year. Social nights out have been great and running the street dance society has been so much fun. I will miss this a lot also.
Trying to be excited about the future but I’m sure there will be tears in a week or two when our lives change forever. We will all go down different paths. I can’t wait to keep in touch with everyone and talk about what we have all been up to. End of an era and the start of a new one.
46B / 64 / Block 31 Singer Hall / Block 6 Singer Hall / Block 20 Singer Hall / 65 St Margs / Floor 6 Priory Hall
Thanks for the memories <3
The future after education…
So I’m about to leave university in 1 week. And what am I doing with my life? Well that’s a very good question. With the way the world is at the moment it’s difficult to keep a positive perspective but I must try my best to go as far as I possibly can with the opportunities that may arise.
The thought of being unleashed into the big, wide world terrifies me but I know that to build my confidence and actually have the best life I can offer myself, I know I must overcome the hurdles. Interviews are scary, trying to locate where I’m offered a placement and means of getting there and talking to incredibly important people within the design industry is truly terrifying. But I would NEVER let my confidence issues hold me back. I would “bite the bullet” as they say.
I didn’t think I’d worry this much. I’m just desperate to make something of my life and live comfortably. I guess it’s worry of failing. I know that every interview I have will go well or even offered a job but I mustn’t get disheartened. I always think, “will I be 23? 24? or even nearer 30 by the time I live comfortably? therefore worrying for almost 8 years constantly?”.
So key things for me to do is:
to think “just go for it, what have you got to lose?!”
know my community of practice well
find my confidence and speak about my work proudly
be myself.
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