Transcript of my presentation

1.Hello everyone!
As everybody knows my name is "María" and I am here as an Erasmus student from Spain. (general presentation about me)

2. I already finish my degree as an illustrator 4 years ago in the school of art: Arte 10 in Madrid.
It was a great time in my life because finally I was doing all that I wanted to do in my life: to draw.

3. And since I finished my degree I have been working as freelance for diferent companies (as Telefónica or Red cross) and mates. So I feel very lucky about that.
Also in the last two years I have still worked as freelance but sharing the studio with a lots of talented illustrators (as Marta altes or Caroline Selmes), photographers, designers, etc...

4. So, during the time that I have been working in that co-working studio (utopic_us) I learnt a lot from the people that was around me and also I had the opportunity to work for some of them in some occasions.

5. Also during this time I have been a very active person, visiting exhibitions and conferences, and the most important thing for me... Participating in masterly workshops of amazing illustrators that I really admire their works.
As Noemi VIllamuza or Oliver Jeffers, as one of my big references as illustrator.
           
6. I think this is an amazing ans wonderfull way to improve my career because I learn directly from artists that I really like and I have been following them from a long time ago.


7. And probably all this experience has helped to improve my skills as illustrator.
Also I attended a short course in Central Saint martins in London (Graphic Witness: The art of reportage illustration), which made me improve my skills when I do  sketches.


8. Because I think my sketches are one of my straightness. I think that I am a fast thinker with a very fresh and sponteneus style. Also I consider myself a hard worker with good communication skills and work hard to meet deadlines.

9. And also i think one of the other of my straights is that I am very analog illustrator.
And why this is a straight and not a weakness? I think now it is a lot of people who works by computer and some companies or agencies apreciate the work by hand.

10. So this is one of the reasons that I decided last year to start to study Graphic communication.
Because a part that I am a person that can´t to stop to learn new things about the subjets that I really love like this, I think that I am not that good graphic designer as i am on illustratos and I was really keen to improve my skills as a designer. And here I am!


11. During my time in Bath Spa I feel like I have learnt a lot!
Lithography, screen printing, how 3D design program works, stop motion video (that actually I really enjoyed...) or also how to create a magazine for ipad.

12. But I realized and I ca saya that I am not digital at all. Because I quite like to learn how works but I think is not for me.
I love to have darty hands when I am working.

13. And I think is really good to know what you want to be or do.
For me... I don´t remmeber the first time that I said my mum..."mum" I want to be an artist"
It is something that always I have wish it.

14. Because... I don´t know but when i am into a etching workshop I feel very happy! I love the smell. I really love it! I am very passionate about it!

15. So if you ask me what kind of illustrator I would like to be... I want to be...Happy! and happy mean do wherever I want to do. Draw, travel...and learn everything in relation with art.

16. And I don´t mind if I am designing beautifull tomato sauce tag´s or illustration children books because both are illustration and Probably I would be happy with both.

17. About if work as freelance or for a company. For my earlier experience I think I would preffer work as freelance because you can manage your time and is more compatible to travel that is my other passion.

Also still attending wokshops, conferences and events if I am available to do it without have to ask any manager or boss.

18. But anyway I am open to work in any way and still learning things. Because always work arround people is very rich.

19. Also I have had the opportunity to teach in several workshops (illustration techniques) and it was a very very good experience.

So to finish... I am very open to any opportunity in relation with my subjet and try to enjoy it as much as possible!

20. Hope you like my pressentation. Sorry for my terrible english and I really hope not having this face today!

Cheers!

Session 9. Tutorials (with S.Henley and Matt)

In the last session before our Pecha Kucha presentation we did a great exercise.

We start thinking in a speach 2 minutes long about something we are really passionate about it. I didn't have any doubt, I choose "illustration".

My two  minutes:

"When you said: you need to chose something that you are very passionate about it... I had no doubts!

ILLUSTRATION.

I can´t understand people who need time to think about what are their passions.

I think if you need to think it...you are not really passionate about it.

I am very passionate of illustration.

I don´t remember the first time that I had a pencil in my hands...

Usually when I am walking by the street I can see some people who looks like characters in my mind. I know! sounds crazy.

I really really love drawing because it is a way to be myself and espress who I am.

Even if I am sad....if I am happy it is a way to go away.

I love when I am into a etching or fine art workshps and i can smell the inks... I don´t know why but the smell makes me feel happy!

Even when I am travelling I always try to find a "fine art suplies shop" to buy some pencils or some other materials because I used to do travel sketchbooks but I like to do that with materials that I ´ve find in the city that I am visiting.

Also...."

Some "voluntaries" went to the front to do their speeches in front of a camera.

Then we watch that video and we disscus about corporal language.

I find quite interesting how our bodies talk. How we walk, our moves, how we are stand or sit down...

Body say a lot about our personality or feelings.

This is very important in an interview, conference or anything like that.

If we are talking in a conference we have to stay in a right position, don´t move too much or too less.

Don´t make things like...touching our neck meanwhile we are talking, because this looks like we are not confident about us and we are trying to protect ourselves.

Or say a lot of times "ehhh...." between spaces of time....that looks like very insecure as well.

Also we watched this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc about this subject. Pretty interesting as well.

* Client. Society cafe.

During Easter break I tried to go to cafes with my sketchbook, my watercolors and mi ipod and drawing as usually I used to do.
One day I was in Society cafe, a really cool cafe on town. And I did a little sketch of their coffee machine and I "twitt" it.
The "follow me back", and they told me that they quite liked my work.



(Thanks to this twitt a lot of people in Bath started to follow me).

And the next day...

They were looking for an illustrator to design a little map of the centre of Bath.

Of course I send them the application by email, even someone in twitter recommend me for this.

I was pretty happy for this.

They quite liked my work, so they gave to me the opportunity to design this map.

They gave to me a quick brief, but I had totally liberty. So that make me feel very comfortable because when I feel free I work so much better.

The brief:

Map is going to be used for a little postcard which is going to explain where is our cafe and where is going to be the new one.

We like bicycles and we love coffee of course.

They really appreciates the illustrator work, so it was very easy and nice work for them.

Before start to design my map I did a research of maps on internet.

Also I found this map in the last "Bath Life".

Then I started to do some sketches and finally I choose this idea.

And here is the last piece ready to be printed.
They were very happy with the result and very impressed for the fast work

It was great work for them and a great experience.

Session 8. Tutorials (with S.Henley and Matt)

In this session we still working in our identity.
*more info: http://mariajosegajatemolina.blogspot.co.uk/

Session 7. Tutorials (with S.Henley and Matt)

In this session we work together with Matt.

As I talk in my other blog we started to design our own Identity.
So in this session we choose some of our logos and we discussed and critiqued about them. One of them was mine.

More info in: http://mariajosegajatemolina.blogspot.co.uk/
(in Stage 5. We start to design our personal identity. First part)

Session 6. Tutorials (with S.Henley)

During this session we started to practise in our Pecha Kucha (www.pechakucha.org) presentation by groups.

Every group choose a subject. Something that we are passionate about it.

It  was very difficult to find a passion in common but finally we choose "chocolate".

And we started to work in our presentation. That day we did a shorter Pecha Kucha, just 10 images. So half of the time.

My sketch/ ideas for our Pecha Kucha:

1. Picture of chocolate.

2. What is chocolate? and a little cocoa seeds picture under the question.

3. Beautifull picture about where the cocoa comes from. Little esplication.

4. Aztecas god picture. Info: "pronounced ka-kow. Theodoro ma is greek for "food of gods". (Some interesting info)

5.Picture of someone eating chocolate. "So everyone is a big "god""

6,7,8. Benefits of chocolate.

9. So this is why I really love chocolate! it have a lot of benefits! meanwhile you enjoy it!

10. Some fun conclusion speach and picture.

We choose a member of the team to represent.

And these were our pictures.

Session 5. EXECUTION (with S.Henley)

This session we talked about double diamond.

The Double Diamond is a design process model which focuses on four steps: discover,define, develop and deliver.

Discover: initial ideas or inspiration and establishment of user needs. So, we have  to "discover" what the client needs.

Define: interpretation and alignment of findings to project objectives.

Develop: design-led concepts and proposals iterated and assessed. So,begin developing ideas, review...

Deliver: process outcome(s). Finalized and implemented.

*image of internet

Then we watched a couple videos and we took some notes, thinking in what we learnt in earliers sessions... (s.w.o.t, Competitive Analysis, Double Diamond...)
After that we discuss about it.

Video 1: 

Re-branding Walmart highlighted the process of creating a new visual identity very well. 

http://bcove.me/33uyq4gp

http://www.aiga.org/video-gain-2010-mathews-mcclain/ 

Video 2: 

NYC. Marketing and tourism, focused on the creation of the new NYC tourism centre in Times Square, NY.

http://bcove.me/wyth9dbd

http://www.aiga.org/video-gain-2010-wong-barton/

Session4. BRIEF (with S.Henley)

During this session we were working in the importance of briefing by groups (in my group: Jack H; Donna H. and me)

Our work about briefing was in 3 stages: client Brief, familiarisation and the design brief.

Stage 1. CLIENT BRIEF.

We organized into corporate group and we written our brief from the perspective of the corporation, following the next guiance: reflective/ future strategy/ pragmatics for success.

As many people in our class was involved in the forest of imagination project, we decided to use this project for create our briefing.

• Reflective

COMPANY: info about organization´s, history, brand values,methods of operation...

CUSTOMERS: info about the organization´s target customers.

COMPETITION: review of the organizations competitors and their unique selling points (UPS).

The Forest of Imagination is in its first year. Focusing on the importance of keeping creativity in Bath. People around creative world would be there.

The tagline is: "The Seriously Playful Festival".

Would be a festival for everyone. Friendly, exciting and showing everything that Bath can offer.  We are aware of other events and businesses out there wanting an audience similar to ours, cinemas, theatres, sporting events, and other festivals such as BathFest /which would be in the same weekend).

But our audience is more wider, and excitin and innovate for all.

• Future strategy

OPORTUNNITY: info about project background and the opportunity identified

POSITIONING: info about the proposed strategy and plan for action.

CHALLENGE: info about project objectives, scope of work, expected outcomes and specifications

This project starts with a Kickstarter campaign called "ArtSpace", as a plan for a permanent artspace in Bath.

So a space for Bath´s creatives.

For this reason Forest of imagination is an important event, because they want to still open the possibilities to create this space.

The proposed action plan is to create a website to inform people about what is going to happen during the festival and sell the tickets for the event.

It is going to be necessary a good marketing campaign and a good social media, that makes the people would like to be a part of this event.

And, of course, create a festival that everyone remember and  would like to come back next time.

Also transform the future Art Space into the Forest of Imagination.

• Pragmatics for success

TIMELINE: outline of the project´s stages, phases and milestones.

COSTS: list of fees, expenses and production costs

METRICS FOR SUCCES: outline of how the project´s success will be measured

The festival is going to be on the 30th May- 2nd June, so everything will need to be in place before this date.

Website and identity should be finished and online as soon as possible.

Elements to the project such as wayfinding, some marketing, the actual space, and merchandise can wait till nearer the time but would be great to see marketing and signage in the centre of Bath by earlier May.

They raised £10,000 via the Kickstarter fund, however, unfortunately very little of this can be used for design work. 

Stage 2. FAMILIARIZATION.
We organized into design group and we examined our client brief, raise questions, challenge any assumptions, does the client brief identify all the appropriate os possible strategic problems, for example:
Mission statement? visual identity? logo? web-site? printed collateral? advertising, print, screen, online? assumptions about current or future customers? technology past, present and future? other...?

For this stage of the brief creation progress we in our groups became the design group. In this group we took the Client Brief (stage one) from another group and looked at it as if we were the design team. We began by examining the brief, raising any questions or concerns we may have, challenging assumptions, and trying to decipher all the problems and potential solutions within the project. 
For this we were able to return to the other group and ask them questions as if they were the client, for example, the design team looking at our client brief for the Forest of Imagination were unsure about the broadness of the target audience. From here we looked at specifying to them what we meant focusing on "Creatives and Families" rather than" Everyone Ever". They then returned with a list of possible things to consider, for example apparel, wayfinding and a logo, stuff we had not considered in much detail in our initial brief.

For our design team at this stage, we were provided with a client brief similar to ours but for a family run bakery called "Oxford's Bakery". We began picking out elements from their brief which we saw as their mission statement. 

"Things to consider; identity, website and promotion. We expect the outcome to encompass our traditional values and heritage and the quality of our products". "Wanting to appeal to younger generations and families". "Bring in new customers". "Make it more recognisable".

We found a great opportunity here, for a logo design, web-site, social networking, packaging, signare and promotion.

And we saw the main focus from the client brief to be about creating a new identity which still maintained connotations of tradition, family values and quality, but was able to appeal to new customers and younger generations of customers.

We questioned the client brief when it came to competition, "we are competing with big brand names and other independent food businesses", we would have liked potentially more specific information here. Are they competing with another small family run bakery? Or are they competing with a 'Greggs' and a sandwich shop? This analysis of their competitors can make a big difference in locating and focusing on brand values and a USP.

Having asked, and discovered that the bakery was competing with a Gregg's bakery, a Sainsbury's with a bakery section, and a couple of small sandwich delis, we began looking at stage three. Writing the design brief.

Stage 3. DESIGN BRIEF.
Design bried featuring work from our familiarization stage and referencing the client brief stage.

Having discussed with the client their brief, and discovered more about what we felt could be important we began looking at creating a Design brief. This should follow a similar format to the client brief, focusing on the reflective for the brand values and USP, the future strategy for the opportunities for design and the plan of action, and the pragmatics of success for the timeline and metrics for success (at this stage we were not focusing on the pricing and money aspect of the project).

"Oxford's Bakery, is a family run bakery that first starting baking bread in 1911. To this day the family remains the focus of the bakery, its traditional values a key influence in its vision. Producing high quality baked goods, in a friendly traditional way is the bakery's way to compete against the bakery giants such as Gregg's and Sainsbury's. By being local, friendly, and traditional, Oxford's Bakery and it's heritage aims to remain a strong part of Sherbourne's local community.
With a new Gregg's outlet opening nearby, Oxford's Bakery needs to appeal to younger generations and families. Competition at lower prices is an issue, however, by creating a strong brand identity, Oxford's can still attract customers wanting high quality, and traditional baking. The focus for the new branding and marketing should encompass the traditional values and heritage, as well as attracting families by appearing as the family run bakery it always has been. To gain more custom marketing must be exciting and engaging and cover a broad range of formats. Through a new website, and social media marketing, the bakery can gain a younger audience and the ability to sell goods via the internet. Additionally, through a constant logo and identity apparent online, in store, in promotional material, and on packaging, the bakery will be more recognisable.
The timeline for this project is quite long, with the integration of certain aspects of the project starting sooner than others. Begin by creating a new logo and visual identity for the store, allowing current customers to see the new bakery, and through signage presenting the bakery to the high street as new and enticing. Build from here through a new website mirroring the identity of the shop (friendly and traditional) and marketing both online and in promotional material. Success will be visible by the amount of interest the store gets, and the amount of younger generations and families choosing to buy baked goods from Oxford's Bakery rather than larger competitors."

*for stages 2 and 3 I took the help of Jack H. (in my group), because he took all notes that day, in the group. And because for me, was really hard to understand everything and take notes at the same time.

*my notes

Also during this session we talked about how business operates inside: Q/ M/ T (quality, time,money).
More money more quality, less time. Less time, less quality, more money. More time, less money, more quality.
And how the client should trust the designer, and how the designer should try to do wherever the client wants...

Client (the password inword)- designer (the objetive outword).


CONCLUSION

I think this session was very interesting to learn how to create a proper brief and how to interpret one.
But, also I think sometimes the clients are not very clear because they don't really know what they want. So, we need to do an interpretation of the client wants.
In my earlier experience with clients in Spain.
Sometimes they don't know what they want or... they doesn´t know how to explain what they want. So when you show the first step of the work they says something like... "ah no! I don´t want this! The thing that I want is..."

Session3. ONLINE (with A. Head)

In this session we still working in our online presence and we started to work in the Forest of Imagination client, by groups.

Here is my social media and online presence:


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariajo.ilustrajo
I use facebook just for work but in different way of Linkedin. Less formal. 
(Created in 2010)

Fanpage of Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ilustrajo?ref=hl
Almost the same way of the regular page on facebook but this one is more proffesional. People doesn´t need to friend you to see your work. Just go there take a look and give you a like.(Created in January 2011)

Instagram: http://instagram.com/ilustrajo

This is the most recently social media created. I used for work as well but more for fun and work in progress.

For example in facebook I have pictures of works already done. And here as you can see in the following image is a picture of my publication project in progress.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ilustrajo

I used this social media in the same way of instagram. Also I have connected my profile with my facebook profile.

(Created in June 2011)

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/edit?trk=hb_tab_pro_top
This social media is the most "professional" profile. It is just for contacts, CV, recommendations, job research... but that´s it.
Also it´s connected with my Behance profile. Where is a part of my portfolio.

Behance: http://www.behance.net/mariajoilustrajo

You can find a part of my portfolio on there. I have to upload latest works.

WEBSITE: my website is still on the oven. But you can download a pdf with my portfolio and link my social media.

http://www.mariajoilustrajo.com/

*As you can see, trying to maintenance an identity always my profile picture is the same one, and all names in my social media is: Mariajo ilustrajo or just ilustrajo. Except in my Linkedin where is my real name.

*Client. FOREST OF IMAGINATION

As I said in my earlier post in our second  session we had the opportunity to work for a real client: Forest of imagination.

As my personal experience with this...

After the presentation in the uni of this new festival I follow them by Twitter and they follow me back. So I send them a private message telling them that I was very glad to be a part of this project and if they want to have a look of my website there was my link.

They text me back telling me how they loves my work so they ask me if I could be a part of the identity group.


Hi Mariajo,

We'd love to use your talent and create some beautiful illustrations as part of the Forest of Imagination communications.

Please could you send me an email to start discussing possibilities?  (Feel free to liaise with the students in the Branding group also).

Best wishes,

Wayne

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Branding Team,

Hope you are all well?

Along with Katharine, I met with the 'website & social media group' today which was very productive indeed. We have agreed an overall strategy (!) and would love to start implementing/building on some brand elements in order to start getting traction for the marketing/awareness.

By way of update, a couple of things came out of today's discussions that I'd like to share with you:

- We'd love to use Mariajo illustrations as part of the communications (they may well become inherent in the branding) so please include this in your considerations…

- We really like the simple and extendible concept of an acorn, so please also explore this possibility if you haven't already

- The Twitter handle we have is @forestimaginatn (please follow!), the # we're planning to use for the campaign is #PlayfulBath and I've also purchased www.playfulpbath.com/.co.uk/.org as we may use that for the website (NB: the tagline is still "The Seriously Playful Festival")

We'll be sharing with you an overall summary of the website/social media strategy next week so if your designated 'point of contact' for the Branding team could liaise with me, we can arrange a phone call/Skype call at the end of next week to run through initial ideas? Howzat? :)

Have a great weekend!

Very happy of this news. I started to design some typographies for the identity. Close to my colleagues on class, in the brand team.

After this session I have a meeting with Wayne, and we started to define the identity for this festival. Here they are the ideas.

                            

            

Color palette proposition