ALL WALKS BEYOND THE CATWALK
SELF-PROMOTION & DATA VISUALISATION
CONTEN TS ‘What am I like?’ Visual manifesto Moving image manifesto Numerical fact visualisation Personal Self-Promotion: Self-Branding Online portfolio C.V & covering letter Visual C.V Work experience Personal blog Berlin Blog
Photographic shoot Diversity Now! Competition
Our initial second year project was based around creating awareness of ourselves within a professional environment. This included
Self promotion and data visualisation
understanding ourselves and what we wanted to portray to others, resulting in a set of both creative and industry aimed self-branding.
what am i like For our first self-promotional brief we were asked to visually represent our ‘favourites’ from a number of categories such as food, music, pastimes and places, the intent being to become aware of promoting ourselves as ‘brands’ through our likes and dislikes. My final design was very graphics centered as I felt this was a significant skill of mine that I wanted to portray. I presented my personally taken images in black & white, forming a traingular grid across the page. I felt the contrast between the dark monochrome and the light pink background was striking and definite, which I feel in turn reflects my decicive nature.
As part of our self-promotional brief, we were asked to create a multi-layered visual that represented our essence as fashion communicators. My stimulus for this was to choose three words that reflected my working behaviour and personality, which were creative, reflective and calm. My 3D construction was an embodiment of this, featuring soft textures and edited lighting effects to emulate calmness, whilst I included favourite fashion artifacts such as my rose hair clasp and angora jumper to add a personal touch. My decision to use a live model was inspired by set designer Shona Heath’s work, her model’s bodies are used in strikingly imaginitive ways; from this I reflected my model’s torso in post-production to portray my reflective and thoughtful nature.
After completing my multi-layered visual, I then adapted it further to create a moving image GIF that I feel again represents my character. I was particularly inspired by the film-maker Ruth Hogben’s powerful use of symmetry and flashing imagery, and have taillored mine accordingly in considering this. The next step in advancing my moving image would be to include sound, which I feel would add depth to it.
multi-layered moving image:
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q31/chanelove_2006/Untitled-2_zps2d42c719.gif
- copy & paste link to your searchbar -
“Statistics show that on average, UK consumers send 30kg of clothing and textiles per capital to landfill each year” Furthering our data visualisation brief, we were asked to find a numerical fact about fashion that could be used as the basis of a visual promoting recycling and eco-fashion. My found statistic (above right) particularly struck a chord in me, emphasizing the sheer quantity of clothing we as a society disregard and throw away as ‘rubbish’; this led me to considering the term, ‘fast fashion’. Fast food and cheap fashion are equally addictive and similarly unsustainable. After researching Anita Roddick’s early campaigns for The Body Shop and noticing the ways in which she used irony to engage consumers, I came up with the idea to combine the notions of fast fashion and food in a witty contrivance (above). Here the expilictly placed french fries denote fast food, whilst connoting our excessiveness as a nation. I feel the bold typography creates an urgent tone of voice that hence makes the image suitable for a campaigning format.
Before attempting to employ a self-branded identity for myself, I looked towards a number of inspirational graphic designs to help me gage which aesthetics and styles interested me most. From creating the above moodboard I was able to sense my enthusiasm for simplicity regarding graphics, with modern, non-fussy typography being at the forefront of my attention. I realise I am also attracted to unexpected colour pairings or muted tones, as well as striking graphic lines and low-fi photography styles.
LOGO IDEAS
With my aesthetic preferances in mind, I started experimenting with different logo ideas for business cards and other mediums. I appreciated the typography in my first attempt (above), whilst my interests in exploring/travelling were reflected through my personal images in both the said design and my next attempt. My preferred ‘minimalist’ look and a sense of adaptablility weren’t apparent in these designs however, which is why I started to create a circular design that I felt would work in many different contexts. The reflection of my initials provided a pleasing visual aspect to the logo. In terms of typography, after trying out my favoured ‘Futurist Fixed Width’ font I eventually settled on the bold and versatile ‘Bebas Neue’, which I thought would have more of a timeless appeal.
After finishing my logo I then sampled it in different contexts. First I printed a business card (left), changing my landscape image to a more subtle beige colour and placing it in the background whilst my logo took the focal point of the foreground. The back of my card retained a professional simplicity, with the main body of text sitting neatly above a clean graphic line. Above are some other examples of how I have used my logo, such as on my blog and letterhead, as well as on my CD portfolio (far left).
My online portfolio features a selection of what I believe to be my best work from first and second year. I have designed it tastefully in order to present my graphic design abilities, whilst also letting the work speak for itself.
ONLINE PORTFOLIO: CARGOCOLLECTIVE.COM/ROSELEWIS
C.V
An important element in creating awareness of ourselves professionaly was the execution of an up-to-date C.V, showcasing our relevant work experience, skills and abilities. Choosing to order mine chronologically, its design is simplistic so as not to distract from the text. Both my C.V and corresponding covering letter were aimed towards the area of branding, which is something that interests me a lot.
5 Colville Villas, Nottingham NG1 4HN Telephone: 07817849585 Email: roselewis666@hotmail.co.uk D.O.B: 28/04/1993
CURRICULUM VITAE
References available on request
ROSE LEWIS
I am an enthusiastic and confident Fashion Communication and Promotion student with a strong Interest in design, working excellently both as an individual and as part of a team. I pride myself in operating well under pressure, retaining impeccable organizational skills. My experience in a wide variety of industries has enabled me to become accustomed to many different situations. Education & Qualifications: October 2011- June 2014 Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham BA (Hons) Degree: Fashion Communication and Promotion A combination of both hands-on graphics and branding based projects and strategic marketing and promotional studies, my degree has helped me gain a vast understanding of fashion business and retail landscapes; it has also provided me with great Communicational skills and expertise in both Microsoft and Adobe Creative Suite software. September 2009- June 2011 Kennicott Sixth Form, Devon A Levels: Textiles (B), Media Studies (A*), English(C), Photography (A) September 2004- June 2009 King Edward VI Community College, Devon 10 GCSE grades A*-B including English, Science, Mathematics, German, Spanish and Art. Relevant Experience: I Heart Studios, London -Intern September 2012 Interned at a photographic & styling studio based within the field of E-commerce. Responsibilities included: - Organizing purchase orders using both Microsoft Word and Excel - Preparing stock to be photographed & packaging garments - Shadowing the photographers & stylists, adhering to their needs - Working on the company’s presence within social media (twitter, pinterest etc.), adhering to their tone of voice Dartington Estate, Devon -Housekeeper May 2011- September 2011, May 2012- September 2012 Worked full time as a housekeeper during a number of summer festivals at the renowned Dartington Trust site. Responsibilities included: Taking care of guests staying on the site Standing in for the receptionist, taking calls and filing reports Making sure rooms are cleaned to a high standard Downs South, Totnes -Photographer December 2009- April 2010 Worked part time photographing Saturday morning workshops for children with Down’s syndrome, in which the images taken were used for the groups official publicity leaflet. Responsibilities included: Working quickly and attentively in order to capture great images Engaging with young children who have special needs Working with digital format cameras Trevor Jones Brass & Woodwind, Bristol -Assistant July-August 2009 Worked as a part time temporary assistant throughout the summer, multi-tasking in various roles. Responsibilities included: Taking calls and orders for instruments/ music lessons Working individually to organize and arrange stock, filling out spreadsheets Running errands for the shop owner Marks and Spencer’s, Torquay -Sales Advisor July 2008 Gained work experience as a temporary sales advisor in various departments throughout the lifestyle store. Responsibilities included: Dealing with customer relations professionally Completing the store’s full health and safety programme successfully Pulse Youth Club, Totnes -Youth worker September 2007-July 2008 Worked part time as a youth worker for young teenagers. Responsibilities included: Working on the till, gaining experience in money handling Undertaking and organizing events & activities for the children Taking care of the children and helping them with issues if needed Interests & achievements: I regularly update my personal blog (mannequinsandmiscellany.blogspot.com), treating it as a creative medium in which to showcase my own work as well as those that inspire me. I love visiting museums and galleries and have written freelance for publications including my university magazine Platform and a blog set up by my coursemates and I, as a means of documenting my thoughts on these outings. Being awarded the acclaimed ‘Ways with Words’ literary festival’s bursary as part of their scheme for young people was a great opportunity for me, inspiring me to write wherever possible.
As well as a general professional C.V, we were asked to create a more visual one that showcased our design abilities. In developing mine, I looked towards the rounded shape of my logo design. I incorperated circular elements predominantly through the use of my text and imagery in order to tie in with this. I included the main content of my chronological C.V so as to retain clairity for possible employers, whilst adapting my language to give a slightly more informal tone due to the light-hearted graphic style. I felt sectioning the text into different fields (e.g, ‘the essentials’/’the quintessentials’) made the content easily digestible.
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Broad knowledge of both Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office Software. I am skilled in both digital and film- based photographic practises, whilst I have a great understanding and enthusiasm for fashion history. Extensive knowledge of brand communications, with particular regards to social media strategies.
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Interned full time at the styling and photographic firm I Heart Studios throughout September 2012. Responsibilities included working within the field of E-Commerce, managing stock using Microsoft Excel. I also shadowed the photographers and stylists in the studio and represented the company on their social media sites. Gained experience in buying and trend forecasting representing both the devon based retailer Gazebo and the Nottingham PR company S&X Media at a number of Berlin Tradeshows including Bread & Butter, Premium and Bright. Responsibilities included liaising with brands and identifying potential clothing and visual merchandising trends.
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Rose lewis Email me at rosemarthalewis@gmail. com / call me on 07817849585 BA (HONS) Fashion Communication and Promotion at Nottingham Trent University. Sept 2011- 2014. Current grade; 2:1
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tive and original ideas, I can perform successfully both independetly and as part of a team. I am strongly dedicated to reaching my goals of working within the fashion industry, possessing a great deal of enthusiasm for the subject. Having had experience in a variety of industries, I am capable of adapting easily in different situations. Writing, graphics and merchandising based creative communicator with a head firmly focused on the future of fashion.
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A ? er real flair for crea-
CARGOCOLLECTIVE.COM/ROSELEWIS MANNEQUINSANDMISCELANNY.BLOGSPOT.COM
During the summer I managed to gain work experience at the styling and photographic company ‘I Heart Studios’. The internship lasted for the duration of two weeks, and involved organising stock through use of software such as Microsoft Excel, as well as helping assist the photographers and stylists in the studio.
I try to regularly update my blog Mannequinsandmiscellany. blogspot.com as much as I can, treating it as an online form of diary in which I write features about fashion, film, music; generally anything i'm interested in. Blogging is something that interests me a great deal and has done more since fashion has rapidly started to move to online platforms. As well as utilizing it for my own enjoyment and experience in writing/design, I have found it has helped in various professional situations, such as getting into a number of tradeshows at Berlin Fashion Week, and gaining work experience.
mannequins & miscellany
PERSONAL FASHION BLOG
As a course we recently embarked on a week long visit to the exciting city of Berlin during Berlin Fashion Week, in which we visited a number of interesting trade shows and investigated imaginative Berlin retailers. Here I made a blog detailing our trip with my own images.
travel blog: bookofberlin.blogspot.com