Neal Fletcher - 6d2, 6a2

Neal Fletcher is a freelance front and back end developer, designer and founder of independent type foundry Cliff Type. Currently based in Liverpool, UK.

Education

• BA First Class Honours: Graphic Design UCLan, 2008 – 2012

Experience

• Freelance Designer & Developer March 2016 – Present
• SB Studio (Designer & Lead Developer) October 2012 – February 2016
• Thomas Matthews (Freelance) April 2012
• Mind Design (Freelance) January 2012
• Mind Design (Intern) July – August 2011
• Ziggurat Brands (Intern) May – July 2011
• Peter & Paul (Freelance) April 2011
• Because Studio (Intern) March – April 2011
• Cultivate Creative (Intern) February – March 2011
• SB Studio (Intern) August – December 2010
• Uniform (Intern) June – July 2010

Workshops

• Type Design Workshop January 2012
• University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf, Germany

Featured, Print

• Chanced Arm 2016
• PAGE Magazine, Germany 2016
• Boxed & Labelled Two (Gestalten) 2011
• Package 03 (Choi) 2011
• BEAM (Victionary) 2011
• Grafik Issue 192 2011
• Wallpaper* Issue 142 2010
• Eight:48 Issue 3 2010
• Featured, Web

FormFiftyFive

• Grafik
• Collate
• It’s Nice That
• Site Inspire
• The Gallery
• Creative Review
• They Made This
• People of Print
• AIGA
• Wallpaper Graduate Directory 2011 

https://lectureinprogress.com/journal/neal-fletcher

After leaving Liverpool’s SB Studio as lead developer in 2016, Neal Fletcher packed his bags and headed straight for an Italian farmhouse with “intermittent 3G”. Over the next year, he was able to launch a freelance career building websites for UK-based clients, completing over 40 in that time. Now back home and working from a space in Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter, he tells us how his collaborative process with agencies rolls out – sending up to 82 emails in a day – and how he’s planning to expand his own digital practice, Cliff Studio.

Day-to-Day

How would you describe what you do?

I work on a freelance basis with design studios and branding agencies to provide front- and back-end development for client projects. Clients span arts, culture, luxury retail and hospitality sectors, and have previously included the Martin Parr Foundation, Polpo restaurants, David Hockney, design consultancy Ekkist and Susan Foster jewellery. 

My day-to-day work includes constant communication with agencies – the most emails sent in a day currently stands at 82! This includes providing creative input and support on the web design process, managing freelancers, not enough coding (!) and a lot of the dry admin that comes with running your own business. 

What does a typical working day look like and where does it happen? 

Last summer, I took on a small office space in Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter to get a better work/life balance. After leaving my full-time job, my partner and I moved to Italy for a year where we did housesitting. Essentially we looked after someone’s second home and lived there rent-free in return, so I was able to establish my freelance career out there, working remotely. 

We were living in a five-bedroom farmhouse on top of a hill with no internet connection and very little signal. I have no idea how I launched a business making websites with intermittent 3G (not even 4G!) but there you go. I think I built over 40 websites in that first year from a bedroom-turned-office with terracotta tile flooring and the shutters constantly closed to keep the 40-degree heat out.

“I once built a website on a long drive between Puglia and northern Italy.”

How collaborative is your role?

Working on a freelance basis with designers means it’s an intrinsically collaborative process. A lot of clients come to me because of my background in design, so they want my input throughout the process. I reckon it’s the attention to detail and appreciation of design elements, such as grid systems and pixel-perfect type setting, that helps me win more jobs over more traditional developers. 

What are the most and least enjoyable aspects of your job? 

The least enjoyable stuff is all admin-related – chasing overdue invoices, etc. But it’s worth it for the good bits – I love having ownership over my work and shouting about it, being in the lucky position of being able to pick and choose the projects I want to work on, and working with such talented designers at incredible studios around the world.

I also don’t take for granted the ability to work remotely. I join my partner on her work trips and can literally work on the road – I built a website on a long drive between Puglia and northern Italy once. Obviously I wasn’t driving!

What’s been the most exciting project of the last twelve months? 

I really enjoyed working with the guys at Forty Eight Point One on the Polpo restaurant website this year. It was a challenging build, integrating unusual page transitions and a live booking system, but the site design was on point and the end product looks great.

What skills would you say are essential to your job?

Patience, attention to detail, perfectionism, multitasking, a understanding of the design process, open communication. Then of course the hard skills of coding languages and technical knowledge. I taught myself those things – I studied graphic design, worked as a junior designer for a year, and spent my evenings learning code. My role then transitioned from designer to developer quite organically, as more digital projects were put my way.

What do you like about working in Liverpool? 

Mostly that I’ve always loved the city. There’s a friendly, laid-back vibe, great places to eat and drink, and beautiful architecture. Scousers always go the extra mile to help each other out, and it’s a really affordable place to live and work, and only two hours from London on the train. My office is within walking distance of home, and in a really nice part of town. 

Are you currently working on any personal projects?

I’ve always loved type design, and have collaborated on several commercial typefaces on a freelance basis. I’ve been working on my own typefaces for almost three years now, with a view to opening my own type foundry, but it’s always taken a back seat. It could be a nice little side hustle if it’s a success.

What tools do you use most for your work? 

Full Adobe suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, XD); Coda; Sketch; Apple Mail for emails, a combination of Basecamp, Slack and Invision for project management. Then Dropbox for storage and collaboration. 

My to-do lists have recently moved from pen and paper to Todoist, which I’m finding easier and it breaks down my lists into days and weeks, so my schedule is now split between iCal and Todoist. Skype and FaceTime for client calls.

How I Got Here

What did you want to be growing up?

All through primary school I wanted to be an archeologist.  Ambitions as a games tester, architect and illustrator made an appearance a bit later on. I guess it’s careful, detailed work that has always appealed.

How do you think your upbringing  influenced your choice of career?

It didn’t at all. I come from a family of tradesmen in an industrial town in northern England, where going to art school was a bit of an alien concept. Having said that, I’ve grown up around music – my parents have a huge collection and have always taken me to gigs, and I always loved the design of album covers. That’s what inspired me to do art and then graphic design at uni, I think!

How useful have your studies been in your career?

The graphic design course at Preston was a great lesson in design thinking. We did a lot of ideas-based projects – I thought it was a really good, hefty course. The placement year was really useful, and definitely led to my full time job, which at that time was as a junior designer, after graduating. I know there are other routes into graphic design now, but this one worked for me and I wouldn’t change anything

What were your first steps after graduating?

I had a portfolio site while I was at uni, and was building a profile on networks like Cargo Collective and Behance. I got on Wallpaper’s Graduate Directory for a packaging project, and a typeface I created with a website got a lot of press. I think those things really helped my profile. I then emailed lots and lots of studios after graduating until I landed my first job at the studio I actually interned at during my placement year.

Was there an early project that particularly helped your development?

In terms of helping my development as a freelance developer, having my work featured on sites like Site Inspire is by far the most fruitful. 

Aside from that, I’ve just spent years and years building a network of people that support and help one another with anything from sending over a font to recommending freelancers. I don’t think I would have quit my job without those contacts, many of whom gave me work in my first few months. So it’s not so much luck as groundwork.

What’s been your biggest challenge along the way?

I’ve learnt a lot of things, and most of them the hard way. Keeping communication open is key – I try to make sure I’m never chased, and always send that email first if I’m running behind.

The hardest thing I’ve learnt is that the jobs that are favours are impossible to manage. I’ve lost friendships and clients over low or no-budget jobs because I can’t prioritise them over paid work. Then I’m not being paid, they are left waiting – it’s lose-lose. It’s sad, as I always want to help people out, but I can’t take on projects like that anymore. I prefer skill swaps – it’s a much more productive and two-way process.

Not being paid on time is always a massive source of stress as well, especially in the beginning. I moan about this a lot on Twitter, but to be fair most of my clients are absolutely brilliant with this stuff and settle up quickly. I’ve learnt that a lot of it is my own fault. I now know the importance of deposits, payment plans, contracts and having everything in writing!

Thinking Ahead

What would you like to do next?

I’m currently transitioning from working as a freelancer to becoming a digital studio under a different name. I’ve named it after my late Grandad, Cliff. I hope to employ someone this year; I’m after a developer with a design background, and maybe a project manager. 

Could you do this job forever?

Yes! Perhaps not as hands-on in terms of client comms, but I still love coding and always get excited about a new project. Every week brings a different project, so it never gets boring. 

Words of Wisdom

What advice would you give to an emerging creative wanting to become a developer?

Work hard on building a profile and getting press. This is so easily done on Twitter, and there are great website-building tools if you can’t code. Just get your work out there and don’t be afraid to self-promote.

I didn't receive a response from Neal, but I plan to reach out to him again once I have started learning how to code.

LinkedIn - 6c2

In order to be aware of other creatives in the industry, as well as possible job opportunities I decided to create a LinkedIn account and will start to post my work regularly. I have connected with tutors and all my peers both on my course and on other courses to ensure I stay in contact with them in the future, you never know when they could need your help or want to collaborate.

Superhi - 6b2

Its nice that article

SuperHi is an online school and worldwide community of creative people learning to code, together. The world of coding can be an incredibly confusing one. It’s a minefield of symbols and terminology with what feels like an infinite pool of knowledge you’re expected to learn, however, SuperHi explains this intimidating world in manageable online courses.

SuperHi’s students are international and come from a variety of creative industries. The course provides them with the opportunity to take advantage of, and understand, the inner-workings of code and see how this creative medium can help bring their ideas to life. As well as providing their service in 37 countries, SuperHi endeavour to create opportunities for all backgrounds and stop women in tech being asked “you’re a developer??”

Having completed the SuperHi course, what would you say was the biggest reward?

Their Slack group was a big unexpected winner for me. Being able to get get 1-on-1 help from SuperHi instructors has been incredibly valuable. After completing the course I’m at the point where I can now say to my clients “Yes – I can design, and code!” which is very empowering.

The fact that this course has an online community and the facilities to get 1-1 for me is a winner, if I am struggling it would be perfect to be able to simply log into their 'Slack' and get help. They offer long courses and short courses, the long ones run over 8 weeks and start every Monday, whilst the shorter ones are self-paced. 

I presumed that the foundation would be my starting point, as I have no previous experience in coding, I could then go onto the Wordpress intermediate course and possibly do a few of the short courses along the way. On the website there is a chat that pops up at the side asking if you have any questions so I thought I would get their opinion on what courses I should do for what I want to achieve, as well as ask about student discount. 

I spoke to Rik, the ceo of Superhi and he was really helpful with advising me what course would be suitable and also chatty and even offered to help me get in touch with agencies in Liverpool. I imagine this would be the sense of help/ community and friendliness you get in Slack - as you are really joining a community that supports their students rather than other courses and you are just a number to them. Having looked on Superhi's social feeds they often share their students work, which shows the standard that can be made whilst also reassuring that they are supportive.

They also have their own editor that you learn to code on that hosts everything in one place, is beginner friendly and made with creatives in mind. Although the long courses are 8 weeks, you get lifetime access and can go at your own pace, there is also lifetime access to Slack. Lastly they offer a book - learn to code now.

What’s in the book?

We cover everything a creative person would need to know when learning to code with HTML, CSS + Javascript – the building blocks of web design.

• What are all the different programming languages?
• How to pick the right code language for the right job
• Five common mistakes when learning to code
• How to make a website
• Recapping front-end web development
• But how do you write code?
• Wait? The internet and the web are different?
• So why not just build an app?
• Let’s talk about HTML
• Images + file types
• White space + indentation
• Connecting HTML + CSS
• Typography using CSS
• Search engine friendliness + meta tags
• Styling with color
• Backgrounds
• Blurry backgrounds and retina screens
• CSS parallax effects
• Background gradients
• Hover states + transitions
• Classes in HTML and CSS
• The box model — borders, paddings and margins
• Rounded corners with border radius
• Photoshop-style filters
• Multi-column layouts with floats
• Transparency with opacity and rgba colors
• Drop shadows
• Mobile-friendly designs with media queries
• CSS displays — inline, block and inline-block
• Positioning — fixed, absolute and relative
• Cursors and mouse pointers
• Transforms: rotations, scaling and skews
• Vertical alignment
• Head tags
• Flexbox – complex layouts made easy
• CSS animations with keyframes
• Using steps to animate images
• Forms and inputs
• Audio, video and media
• Video backgrounds
• Web fonts using @font-face
• Starting with Javascript
• For loops
• Functions
• Adding your scripts to your pages
• How to work with jQuery and why?
• Javascript events
• jQuery animations
• Fade and transitions with CSS and jQuery
• Timers, intervals and delays
• Javascript parallax
• Progress bar scroll
• Ajax — get and send data after page load
• What is JSON?
• Animation using Javascript
• Mouse + touch movements
• Make your own light box
• jQuery plug-ins
• Fixing your own code
• Integration with back-end code and 3rd party services like Squarespace, WordPress and Tumblr

A lot of the things listed above are mentioned in the job descriptions I was looking at. My plan is to buy the foundation course after my final submissions, see how I get on with it and possibly buy the Wordpress one whilst I'm still a student to get the discount and do that after the 8 weeks of foundation. I will complete these courses whilst still working on my portfolio and trying to improve my drawing and photography.

Coding - 6b2

So I need to find a way to learn code that isn't too expensive and that can be done either from home or local. I had previously looked at doing a masters in code, however the options up north are limited and for what I actually want to do - code websites - they aren't that relevant and are also very expensive. - on top of this I don't really want to go back to uni after I have just graduated and got over the stress of the 3 years!

Code First Girls

You will be learning how to do simple web and computer programming. The courses are very practical and aims to give you skills that you could use at uni, in the workplace, or in your own tech startup.

The courses will create an intense and immersive learning environment. Depending on the course you do, you will have a mixture of in-person lectures and tutorials, and then a further homework and practice each week. Sessions will be held at different times according to the location.

If you sign up for the course, it is critical that you aim to make all of the sessions, as the content is worked through at a brisk pace.

If you've ever wanted to create your own website or come up with the latest great app design but haven’t known how to go about creating it, learning to code is for you. Having some basic coding skills will allow you to start building your ideas. Check out some of the great ways to learn how to code on the web (you can see some options here). If you find this interesting and exciting, you will benefit hugely from learning in a classroom environment.

I HAVE AN ARTS BACKGROUND, DOES THAT MATTER?

No, not at all. coding is a skill and can be picked up by people of all backgrounds, whether scientific or arts based.

This sort of course wouldn't be suitable for me, as you can see they only offer them in London and you have to be enrolled in the university they use. 

At this point the masterclass also wouldn't work as I don't have the base coding skills. 

I had a look at all of these websites but none of them jumped out to be the thing I am looking for, I want to learn code - preferably online but not just using youtube tutorials as this would be time consuming and difficult to find resources. 

Lynda was the only one that I thought could be suitable however 25 pound a month for a bunch of tutorials that don't follow on for each other and no tutor figure wouldn't work for me. 

Codeacademy

This seems like it could have potential, it isn't too expensive and has good reviews. The website says as long as you can read, you can start learning to code. 6 months however is a long time to sign up for something and ideally I'd like to learn a bit faster as I will have the time on my hands.

Superhi

How are you different from other coding schools, like General Assembly, or free ones like Codecademy

SuperHi provides support that actually helps. 1:1 sessions and forever-access to our online Slack community of students from around the world means you have expert, personalised help at your fingertips. Our course is practical, unlike other programs that take a month or more before you make your first website.

The benefit of taking the SuperHi course is that while you still get to learn at your own pace, we will be here to guide you each week. Our students report that free coding websites lacked community and incentive, so here at SuperHi we aim to foster both.

Looking at the job market - 6b2

My current plan is to learn coding when I graduate and look for jobs in design agencies that specialise in branding, packaging and web/ux design. I need to find out whether there is a demand for this type of creative and what is usually expected of them. I am going to look for jobs in Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool for now, I do want to eventually work in London at some point as well as abroad in Barcelona or Amsterdam - but short term close to home is my aim so that I can start saving. 

Kalo is one of the agencies I emailed about work placement and have a lot of interesting projects on their website. 

Key Skills:

– Experience using Adobe Creative Suite

– The ability to articulate design decisions

– Proficiency with WordPress and PHP development

– Strong HTML, CSS and JavaScript skills

– Knowledge of frameworks, toolkits & libraries

– Experience working with Sass

– Enjoy keeping up with the latest technologies

– Organised and able to prioritise

– Communication skills of the highest quality

Hypergram is the agency I was offered a placement with. 

Job role: Web Developer

About us

Hypergram is a web design and development company based in the centre of Leeds. We

design and build websites for a broad range of clients, as well as web applications and

software systems.

Job details

Due to growing demand for our digital design and development we are looking to add to our

team with a web developer, primarily developing WordPress websites.

Operating from our central Leeds office on The Calls, you will form part of a small,

enthusiastic team with ambitious plans for growth and excellent potential for progression.

As a Hypergram employee you can expect a focussed but relaxed, social working

environment in an exciting, busy creative office space.

Responsibilities

- You will form an integral part of our build process and although working under direction of

our technical director, you will be expected to work efficiently and independently, sometimes

under challenging deadlines.

- You will be expected to accurately translate design ideas into fully compliant CSS and

HTML as well as realise functionality and UX ideas with JS.

- You will be able to work effectively developing WordPress themes using the Roots Sage

(https://roots.io/sage) framework, Bootstrap, SASS, PHP Blade templating engine.

- You will have a keen eye for design and a detailed understanding and interpretation of

current trends.

You will have:

- A detailed and extensive knowledge of HTML5 / CSS3 and Javascript

- Good experience in creating fully functioning, custom, responsive designs.

- An eye for design and an understanding of web design details.

- An understanding and desire to operate using up to date development practices.

- A problem solving attitude.

- A keen desire to get involved in a growing company.

We would love:

- Experience developing WordPress themes

- Experience developing Shopify themes

- Experience of Woocommerce

- Experience of utilising Bootstrap (http://getbootstrap.com/)

- Experience of git, npm/yarn, webpack

- Experience of working in an agency environment

You will get:

- A great team to work with and grow your knowledge and experience

- A fun working environment in central Leeds office

- All the hardware and software you need to start creating amazing websites

- Pension scheme

- Salary, dependent on experience, £21-27k

Ahoy was another agency I looked at and considered emailing about a placement, however the commute to Manchester if given the opportunity would be too time/money consuming at this point in my education - with such a heavy workload. 

A standard day would likely involve building bespoke WordPress themes for one of our clients with the support of our Head of Development. This can involve everything from building the back end of WordPress’s admin section using Advanced Custom Fields to the HTML, CSS and JavaScript on the front end. Don’t be put off by the thought of any complex integrations or functionality as that will be handled by our back end team.

While not all projects will be WordPress based we do work on a “why reinvent the wheel” approach and use what is appropriate for each individual project be it WordPress, Laravel or Shopify. Though this does mean most websites would be built with WordPress to save time for the fun work of making a really nice front end.

The main technologies and methodologies you’ll be using day to day are GIT, HTML5, BEM, CSS3, SCSS, GULP, JavaScript along with Some PHP. With jQuery being used for older legacy projects.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a highly talented and passionate team, working on exciting projects where you will get a real sense of involvement from the very moment you start.

We are located in a recently refurbished mill in Ancoats Village in a brand new studio. A short walk to Piccadilly train station or the Northern Quarter with cheap daily parking for those that drive. The interior space is huge including living trees, screening room, large open kitchen area, breakout comfy zones, private sound booths, pool table, roof space with Wifi, free beer or soft drinks and coffee machines etc. There are secure bike storage areas and showers. The surrounding area is becoming one of the most desirable areas in Manchester. Once seen as the rundown area of the city it is now becoming the Shoreditch of Manchester. We are located in the main square which already has craft brewery pub, the famous Rudy’s Pizza, sports bar and restaurant. By summer 2018 there will be an additional 30 units containing restaurants, bars and shops. It is a truly exciting time to be in this area

Please note that this is a junior developer role and as a result, we do not necessarily expect you to have a bulging portfolio of client projects.

REQUIRED PROFICIENCIES/KNOWLEDGE

HTML5 and CSS3

JavaScript

Bespoke WordPress theme development

Basic understanding of low-level PHP

Basic Photoshop, and Illustrator usage (no design needed but able to open and prepare the files)

Responsive development

DESIRABLE PROFICIENCIES/KNOWLEDGE

Git

Gulp

ES6

IDEAL PERSONALITY TRAITS

An eye for detail

Understanding of basic UX principles

Clean coder

Strong problem solver

Up to date with the web industry overall, and trends occurring within it

Self-learner, keen to learn and improve

An idea of where they need and want to improve

This is a great opportunity to get started within one of the top digital agencies outside of London. By joining AHOY you’ll become an integral part of a team with a culture and atmosphere has been instrumental in our success.  If this sounds like it might appeal to you.

Be sure to send over examples of bespoke work (not just modified Wordpress Themes), even if it’s just a CodePen account.

The salary £20k – £24k judged on experience.

We’re looking for a talented Web Developer to come and work with our brand new Liverpool-based digital team in early 2019.

About Cliff Studio

We’re a brand new digital agency founded by freelance designer & developer Neal Fletcher. You’ll be coding websites alongside Neal, a junior developer and a project manager. We’re lucky to work with some fantastic creative agencies on interesting and challenging digital products.

Requirements

* Ability to code pixel-perfect, responsive sites from design files using tidy and accessible HTML, CSS and JS

* Excellent timekeeping skills; we work to tight deadlines and have quick turnaround on projects

* Clean and organised coding methods

Desirable

* Understanding of Wordpress backend development and experience building Wordpress templates with intuitive CMS

* Creative / design background, or at least an appreciation and knowledge of digital design

* It would be great to meet someone who is always learning about new technologies and techniques to help develop standard practices

* Experience discussing feasibility and presenting alternatives / creative solutions with project manager or with the client directly

Who are we looking for

We are looking for a creative and efficient web developer that can hit the ground running and code a website from files provided to a clean and responsive working link. We’re looking for someone who is detail oriented and has a knack for creative problem solving; someone friendly and up for working in a small and hands-on but super flexible team.

What we can offer

* Salary between £25-35k depending on experience

* 28 days holiday, plus a day off on your birthday

* Contributed pensions

* 35 hour week with flexible working hours 

* Some home working (~1 day per week)

* Annual contribution towards eye care

* Tea, coffee, water and fresh fruit in the office

* Time to work on an independent digital projects (~2 days per month)

What I have learnt from this search is that unless you have an incredible and interesting portfolio of work - they want at least 2 years experience. With this in mind it will be my goal once I have learnt to code to work hard on my portfolio and create some really interesting websites. I am also going to continue my search into placements and internships in order to gain experience in agencies that focus on web design. 

The skills that are required for these roles are HTML, CSS, JS and Wordpress. They also prefer people to have a design background/ eye for design which is perfect for me coming as a graphic design graduate.  

When it comes to personality traits, they want someone who is a keen self learner, a team worker, good time management and organised.  I would say I am definitely all of these things, I have taught myself a lot when it comes to design, by watching tutorials and reading books. I have successfully collaborated multiple times and work well/ get on well with others easily. I can manage my time as the whole way through uni I have been juggling several different briefs along with other life commitments. I am very organised, this is evident in my blog and diary keeping, as well as my ability to plan and prepare for other things such in life as holidays, trips and general house keeping/cooking. 

Placement response 02 - 6d2

I received another response to my placement email from Agency TK - 

Thank you so much for your interest in our Agency! 

Unfortunately, we don't have any suitable opportunities at the moment. However we can keep your details on file for any future opportunities that may be of interest.

Although it wasn't an offer, or comment on my work it was encouraging for them to offer keeping my details on file. 

I replied:

Good evening, 

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my enquiry - It would be great if you could keep my details on file for any future opportunities. 

Many thanks

I think it is important to reply to any sort of response as you never know when you will contact them again and being polite and thankful would definitely be an advantage.

Placement interview - 6d2, 6b2

During the interview Dave asked what my interests in design were and what my plans are for when I graduate. I talked about how I wanted to learn how to code websites and mentioned that I saw they are currently taking applications for a web developer and wonder he would recommend gaining the skill. He said in the industry at the moment it is hard to find a developer/ designer who has both skills and especially women. He encouraged that if I wanted to have a design niche, web development was a good idea. I found this advice valuable as it comes from a creative director of a successful agency. 

Dave said that if I came in for work experience I would be able to gain hands on experience with their web developer and get a bit of insight into the back end development as well. 

After the interview, Dave said that he was seeing a few other people and that I would know whether I was successful before the end of the next day. I then received the following email:

At the interview he had asked when I would be available to start and I suggested the week commencing 18th Feb, as the week after my interview I had prior engagements. So when I received this email I was obviously very proud that I had impressed, and thought it would be no issue to start the placement at a later date convenient for both of us. 

Placement interview prep - 6d2

I decided to make some notes to take to the interview with me that would accompany the pdf portfolio, this will ensure I don't forget any important details about my work whilst feeling under pressure. I get really anxious/ nervous when presenting my work or in general talking in front of people so thought this was the best solution. 

I also took my diary with me to be professional for checking dates etc rather than getting my phone out. I have any dates I have events, am away and when all the deadlines for my briefs are. 

Placement response 01 - 6d2

To my surprise I received an email the next morning from one of the 5 that I was hoping for - Hypergram. The creative director was asking me to go down for an interview to chat about what my plans are and opportunities they have. 

Below are the following email exchanges:

Placement emails - 6d2

I thought that emails would be my best route of communication for the type of work I want to create, creating something physical wouldn't be relevant to my practice and so the pdf portfolio I created will be perfect, a small selection of my work with descriptions - rather than sending out the link to my website. I imagine this would put agencies off at this point having to open that link rather than just opening the pdf within the email.

When drafting the emails to send out, I decided to create a rough template that I could personalise for each agency I am interested in contacting and working with. As I am imagining that I will have to email quite a few, I thought this tactic will be easier than rewriting the whole thing but it still maintains a personal touch as I will research each and every agency thoroughly and only email if there are particular projects I am interested in.

Black and Ginger

Black and Ginger is an agency in Liverpool that I emailed over last summer to enquire about a placement - see below, but I didn't hear back from, I presume is because I was only in second year and they prefer to focus on graduates or people in final year. 

We’re Black & Ginger, a close knit creative team that finds ambition in brands, helping them to fulfil their goals. Set up in 2003 in Liverpool with a vision to push and improve the quality of creative and design in the city, our vision has expanded, working with established brands & aspiring startups the world over, from Abu Dhabi to Sydney, to businesses just a few hundred meters down the road.

I am particularly interested in this design agency as a lot of their projects are packaging and branding, and being based in Liverpool I have actually seen their work in situation. An example of the work I appreciate is below.

Love Thy Neighbour

A new healthy hang out was proposed and this needed a name and a brand identity that would stand out and represent their new offering; fresh food, matcha coffees and juices at its core, backed to the soundtrack of mellow tunes. Somewhere you could chill and relax during the day and in the evening let your hair down.

The branding of Love Thy Neighbour is inspired by tattoo style illustrations and the typeface is clear and concise. Below you can see their food and drink menus, the drinks is a little booklet, whilst the food is presented as more of a landscape place mate. As they are only produced on paper they can easily be changed seasonally, a lot easier than having a fancy card/ heavier material produced. 

The menu is fun and contains a lot of choice, the ingredients are listed and there are additions at the bottom of the menu. There is also a section informing the customer of what symbols and letters mean in terms with food allergies and dietary requirements. The menu is easy to follow - everything flows and is where you would expect. 

Smiling Wolf

'At Smiling Wolf we create holistic brand experiences which are memorable and distinct. An established team, steeped in experience, expertise and energy, we create ideas and develop brands with personality and resonance.

A joined up approach to design and branding–graphics, apps, web, digital, packaging, spatial, art direction and more, enables us to provide an all encompassing experience to connect  and engage our clients and their customers.

We work with the creative, cultural, entertainment and lifestyle industries:  Architectural practices to television, games to music, restaurants to festivals, we make great work – whoever the client.

Smiling Wolf welcome a broad range of briefs: a website that enthuses, a campaign that inspires, a poster that energises or an urban landscape which transforms – using appropriate means to develop beautiful, useful and effective results.

Offering ideas, strategies and vision to create complete brand worlds, we provide our clients with work that their customers will love, remember and cherish.'

Branding, web, digital and packaging are the areas I am most interested in so I feel as though I would be a good fit in this agency and I could gain some valuable hands on experience. 

Kalo

'We develop and build brands. From an individual with an idea, to an organisation with an ethos, we provide clients with a design led identity to drive their business forward through print and digital channels. Whether from inception or just a refresh, we can help you establish or reposition your brand to thrive in your sector.'

The logo is simply the restaurant name and an illustration of a monkey, this is very effective as it can be used in signage, on the website, on menus etc. and is very recognisable. 

The menus are very descriptive about the food on the menu - you want to know what is going into your food, especially with so many people having dietary requirements. The typeface is clear and black to contrast with the white background. As the menus are on clipboards and just printed on paper, they can be easily changed seasonally without great expense. 

Oslo

We had a talk from this agency back in first year and I really liked their approach to design and the fact they had started when they were young, it was motivating to me and I would love the chance to gain an insight. 

At Oslo, we believe we can take your business to the next level. We take care of your creative needs in order to effectively tell the story of your brand and make you stand out. We don’t like to set limits on what we do, that isn’t our vibe, but, if you really must know then we've listed of some of our services on this page.

The branding for Laynes was inspired by the tiles in the cafe, the style of the menu and other collateral were thoroughly thought out and this is the type of work I want to create, something beautiful with tonnes of context - created through research. 

Hypergram

Hypergram specialise in branding and web design which is exactly what I want to do when I graduate, the type of studio they have would be ideal for a creative like myself. 

The agencies I emailed above are ones that I would choose to work at if it were up to me, so I thought I should email them first as a priority. After reaching out to these 5 agencies I decided to expand my search and emailed a few other agencies in Leeds/ Manchester.