PRESENTATION: PROGRESS SO FAR

CREATIVE PLATFORMS - CHARLOTTE HAWTHORNE - UP679308

INDUSTRY
I am currently a third year BSc Digital Media student at the University of Portsmouth. After I finish University I aim to get a job in the design
area of the creative industry and eventually aim to have my own business one day. I am currently interested in two main careers.

Web designer
Some of the main roles:
Designing sample page layouts
Presenting initial ideas
Editing content and redesigning
websites
Creating detailed web specifications
Designing graphics, animations and
manipulating photos

A web designer creates and designs webpages whilst considering the functionality
of the website, to suit the clients requirements and needs.
To get into being a web designer:
Relevant degree
Portfolio relevant/high quality work
Any work experience
Career development:
There is always the potential for designers
to do freelance work/own their own
businesses. In companies there is also the
opportunity to develop and progress
towards becoming a senior designer which
takes years of hard work and passion. After
this, there is the potential to specialise in
various areas i.e. interactive design.

Technical Skills needed: (depends on role)

Coding: HTML, JavaScript, jQuery,
Dreamweaver.
Design & Graphics: InDesign, Illustrator,
Photoshop, Fireworks, Flash.
CMS: WordPress, Adobe Business
Catalyst, Drupal, Zope.
Programming: Python, PHP.
Personal:
Communication skills
Attention to detail
Creativity
Analysis
Ability to teach yourself new skills

Graphic designer
A graphic designer could be defined as someone who creates design solutions for
clients through a variety of products.
Some of the main roles:
Producing new ideas and design concepts
by thinking innovatively and creatively
Being able to pitch/present the design
idea to managers, clients and other team
members
Be able to work with a range of different
media
Demonstrate ideas with sketches
The ability to be able to develop a
appropriate brief

To get into being a graphic designer:

Degree that is relevant
Experience
Strong portfolio
Career development:
Many graphic designers do freelance work and
become self-employed and aim to have their own
studios/businesses. On the other hand, there are
designers who work in companies and depending on
the companies size could aim to be senior designer
after 3-5 years of working for the company.

Technical Skills needed:

Drawing skills
Knowledge of a wide range of relevant
software; Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator etc.
IT skills
Knowledge
Personal:
Enthusiasm, creative flair, passion, patience
Attention to detail
Communication and time management
skills

MY PROGRESS SO FAR
My Blog
For my blog I decided to create it with WordPress as I have used it previously
and Im familiar with the website. As WordPress is CMS based it makes it very
simple and easy to change and edit the content on the website.
In addition to updating my blog about the work I am doing for this unit, I am
also using it to showcase work on other projects and industry related
experiences i.e. Design Academy. The layout for the blog is simple and works
effectively as it was originally my favourite out of the templates given.
However, I am having second thoughts about the layout, as all my posts are on
one page it can cause a lot of scrolling therefore I need to think about editing
this or potentially adding other pages.
Some of the posts I have wrote so far:
-Research into the creative industry
-Feedback for original CV
-Feedback for my current portfolio
-CV Inspiration
-Freelance work
-Design Academy

https://charlottehawthorneblog.wordpress.com/

Original CV

Current CV

CV
Firstly, I handed in my original CV near the beginning of the academic year in order
to gain feedback.This CV was originally created for my search of a placement. I
tried to be creative in the presentation of the information. I still feel/aim to have a
creative CV therefore all my research I have done is on creative CVs.
I have started to sort the content out due to the feedback in which I was given; I
decided to do this on a normal word document so then I can transfer it and design
it on Adobe Photoshop once it has been approved. Whilst using the research in
which I have done to gather inspiration from other CVs.

Initial Logo designs

These are some of my initial ideas when designing my logo, I have started by
drawing them by hand first and once I have decided which ideas I like the most I will
try to create them digitally. I tried using just my initials of C H then did a few
designs with my full name. I have struggled so far to settle on a solid idea for my
logo as I have found due to my name being quite long it is causing a few design
problems.
I have tried to experiment with some of the graphics I have drawn e.g. I tried a play
on words with my last name and used a flower that grows on a hawthorn tree.
Additionally I have found that I much prefer the calligraphy/handwritten styled font
in comparison to others and I think I will pick a font under that style.

Freelance Work
I have currently undertaken a freelance job which involves redesigning a website for Arden Windows Ltd. I feel that by taking this freelance
work on, it will give me some experience of working with real clients. I was asked via a family member which has led to the owner asking me
to come up with some designs. In addition, I have also been asked to look into e-commerce and some mobile phone application
developments. I have included this within my blog and with my other work as I feel that showing client work within a portfolio is really good
and it also gives me chance to show more of my design work whilst working with a client. I am currently still designing and plan to come up
with at least 2 more designs.
Current website

Rough sketches

Design 1

Design 2

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Strengths

My work showcases a varied amount of skill due to the different

projects I have been apart of.
I feel that my design work for various projects, is the strongest pieces of
work I have produced. My passion for design has steered me to pursue
either of these careerss after I graduate.
The numerous different pieces of work from various areas I feel gives
me an advantage.
My work shows that I pay attention to detail within my designs.
The use of WordPress for my blog can show I have an understanding of
CMS systems which is a potential specification for a web designer.
I have been able to share and gather some experience from the industry
in relation to the freelance work I am currently doing and the design
academy.
One of my most notable achievements was an award I gained for my A2
Level Product Design coursework.

Weaknesses

At the moment I am very busy so keeping my blog and work

updated has become a bit of an issue and I need to get this
back on track.
My work is very varied so I may need to produce and create
some more work which is specified to the two jobs I am
interested in.
I havent got a lot of feedback for my work yet, and need to do
this really soon. From both my lecturer and from the industry.
In order to do this I need to start completing some of my CV
etc.
I would say that the development side of website building/the
coding aspect is a slight weakness, as I do know parts however I
am not an expert.
I feel that personally, a weakness is being quiet shy at first, I feel
that this could potentially impact my performance as I could be
shy to offer ideas etc. Additionally, I tend to be a perfectionist
when it comes to my work, therefore this can aspects such as
decisions and time management.

OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS

Opportunities

University has given me various opportunities to gain experience

in the creative industry e.g. taking part in the Digital Media
Production House and The Design Academy.
There is the opportunity for us students to do the Adobe exams
in various different software's.
I feel that doing a Masters could potentially be an advantage
however I feel that for the career in which I am looking for I do
not necessarily need it. I feel that getting out there and gaining
experience is more vital.
Depending on the size of the company I work for, will depend on
the advancement on my career. As smaller companies may not as
many opportunities, or I could end up doing freelance work
which will hopefully lead to owning my own business.
Social media is a massive aspect of people's everyday lives, and as
it used by nearly everyone and checked frequently. Being able to
promote ourselves and show off our work online is definitely an
opportunity in which we should be taking advantage of.

Threats

Keeping up to date in the latest technologies and softwares

is vital in the career in which I am choosing to pursue, as it
is constantly changing.
A main obstacle I feel is getting into the industry, especially
seeing as I do not have a specified degree in graphic design.
I think that I will end up doing a lot more freelance work to
start off with.
I think that the technical skill of being able to code and
having the knowledge of code is definitely asked for more.
However I feel that with some design jobs it may give me a
slight advantage in knowing some basic code.

RESEARCH SHOW REELS, CVS, BUSINESS CARDS

A massive part of this unit is completing the relevant research in order to ensure that all the elements are up to date with the right
type of information and are being aimed at the right industry and applying this research to my own work. I have done research for CVs,
business cards and Logos in order to gain inspiration from their current designs. In addition to this, I have done a bit of research into
show reels, however I feel that show reels are more appropriate for animators and graphic designers, not so much web designers.

Example show reels

I am unsure in what work I wish to put into my show reel at the
moment but I do know that I want a variety of both website designs
and graphic work. I have been looking at some show reels and here
are some that I have found and liked:

Sebas and Clim: Motion Graphics: https://vimeo.com/65817072

Media Design School: Graphic Design: https://vimeo.com/60712252

I need to start organising the work via a storyboard/sketches in

order to get a rough idea on how I want it to look and how I want it
to appear on screen.
Links to Pinterest boards for more research/inspiration:
CV https://uk.pinterest.com/lotdotdot1602/cv-inspiration/
Logos https://uk.pinterest.com/lotdotdot1602/logo-inspiration/
Business cards - https://uk.pinterest.com/lotdotdot1602/business-card-inspiration/

Example Inspirational CVs & Business cards

WHAT NEXT
In order to complete my CV, show reel and business cards I still have a lot of work to do. I have created a gantt chart, as it is a easier
way of visually being able to see what I need to do next and when by. This will hopefully keep my time management up to date and
help to keep progressing with the unit. The next steps for me in this process are shown in the Gantt chart:
Task
Get the content checked/approved
More Logo designs
Design the CV
Digital designs for logo and CV
Adapt and finalise logo design
Finalise CV design
Get industry feedback for CV
Experience in the industry
Design business cards
Finalise business card designs
Research business card printers
Print business cards
Adapt CV/logo if needed
Research varied portfolio hosting websites
Buy domain name for website
Filter work to put onto website
Create more work if needed
SWOT Analysis
Presentation hand in
Finalise everything ready for hand in
Final hand in

Start date Duration (days) End date

15/02/16
2
17/02/16
09/02/16
9
18/02/16
22/02/16
7
29/02/16
01/03/16
14
15/03/16
26/03/16
3
29/03/16
01/04/16
9
10/04/16
11/04/16
4
15/04/16
28/03/16
13
10/04/16
01/04/16
7
08/04/16
09/04/16
3
12/04/16
14/04/16
2
16/04/16
17/04/16
5
22/04/16
26/03/16
2
28/04/16
01/04/16
6
07/04/16
12/04/16
1
13/04/16
02/04/16
14
16/04/16
05/04/16
9
16/04/16
17/02/16
3
20/02/16
05/02/16
7
12/02/16
08/05/16
2
10/05/16
12/05/16
1
13/05/16