Portfolio & Career Development

My ideal job position would be in advertising, marketing and branding, mainly print based, i.e such as POS and packaging, billboards and posters, and some digital. This would  involve knowledge and good use of Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Indesign. So a position in an advertising or branding agency as a graphic or digital designer would be my main area of focus for job hunting after I graduate.  Here is a link to some jobs I found:

http://m.jobs.brandrepublic.com/job/413407?FullDescription=True&PipelinedPage=http%3a%2f%2fm.jobs.brandrepublic.com%2fjobs%2fsales-promotion-agency%2fdesign%2f&PipelinedQueryString=sort%3dDate&CookieTest=True

http://m.jobs.brandrepublic.com/job/412938?FullDescription=True&PipelinedPage=http%3a%2f%2fm.jobs.brandrepublic.com%2fjobs%2fmarketing-agency%2fdesign%2f&PipelinedQueryString=sort%3dDate&CookieTest=True

http://m.jobs.brandrepublic.com/job/413332?FullDescription=True&PipelinedPage=http%3a%2f%2fm.jobs.brandrepublic.com%2fjobs%2fdesign-branding-agency%2fdesign%2fjunior-exec-level%2f&PipelinedQueryString=sort%3dDate&CookieTest=True
http://m.jobs.brandrepublic.com/job/411054?PipelinedPage=http%3a%2f%2fm.jobs.brandrepublic.com%2fjobs%2fadvertising-creative-agency%2f11%2f&PipelinedQueryString=sort%3dDate&CookieTest=True

http://m.jobs.brandrepublic.com/job/408960?FullDescription=True&PipelinedPage=http%3a%2f%2fm.jobs.brandrepublic.com%2fjobs%2fadvertising-creative-agency%2fjunior-exec-level%2fgreater-london%2f4%2f&PipelinedQueryString=sort%3dDate&CookieTest=True


Here are some examples of work I have done that could be used in my portfolio, that fit the criteria needed for the area I wish to work in:

D&AD Project for Westfield Stratford. My idea for an integrated market campaign was to have a carnival that would generate interest for the shopping centre, and the Olympics. I chose the theme of dance to use in the campaign as it ties in with the culture side, which is what I was using to drive the campaign.

Chocolate Orange advert designed in college. I was given 8 different well known foods to advertise and this one I used. The idea behind it, came from the knowledge of the orange being a tropical fruit, linking to beaches, hot weather, etc. So I just used the orange but in a different way, to help get the message across. Could be improved design wise.

Below are some photo's I shot for my Defining Practice project on Personal Space and Objects, and photography is closely linked to advertising, so perhaps these can be changed in some way to fit more into the criteria for jobs I want to associate my portfolio.

The two examples below are spreads from my Editorial project in 2nd year, which is a magazine on the subject of Photography, and tone of masculine, so I selected masculine things for people to photograph, edited them for my magazine. These shots could be used in the context of advertising, for an ad for a product, poker one for gambling, and the smoking one could be about awareness perhaps.

The two examples below are posters I designed at college for films of my choice, in my spare time, and I was looking to create the theme of the theme in the advert, i.e. 300's in comic book style because its done by Frank Miller, for Wolverine a kind of animal feel to it.

Companies I have looked at for work

For the portfolio and career development units, I have looked at areas I would like to work in, and this company, I applied there for a job after I finished college, and I managed to get an interview there. They liked my work, but there was someone more qualified than me that got the job, which is the main reason why I came to uni, in order to build on skills and develop more as a designer. I never got the job, their style is kind of similar to mine, and the areas they work in are the ones I wish to work in. Heres the site:

http://www.wtfcreative.com/index.php

Violence in video games

The post before is a youtube video to a game I found for PC, which is actually really graphic in terms of violence. In the game, you have the opportunity to kill people, with guns, chop people up with machetes, fire cats out of guns, and all sorts. This sort of thing shouldnt be for young people to play, as it has been proven by science that this can have an impact on children, and encourage them to be voilent themselves. This is going to be the main point behind my campaign, as focusing on health risks as well, is too much, as their is already controversy with this issue. There is already information available on health risks, but not on the effects voilent video games can have on young people. This is the issue that I need to make more aware in order for the campaign to work, and in order to work, I will target the parents, as they are the ones that buy the games for the children, and the children themselves, as they could possibly be buying it, and they will be the ones playing it.

Postal 2 Carnage

Just posted some examples of adverts for the consoles PS3 and Xbox 360. Some have been on television and I thought just to post them up to see what it is they use to attract their audiences. I have noticed mainly with the Playstation ads, they are kind of dark, mysterious and pretty graphic with regards to what they show. Too me they are kind of showing the negative side of their console and the concept of gaming, as well as promoting their own material. See what you think.

"Playstation 3 - This is living" Commercial

Latest Playstation 3 Commercial (10/11/07)

Newest Playstation 3 UK Ad

Xbox 360 'Live Your Moment' UK TV Ad: Rock Band

Xbox 360 Commercial - Jump In

Cool Official PS3 commercial # 1

Gamers can get paid

I was just reading up on an article that interested me, and its about a guy that conducts a series of tests on computer gamers, to assess them, and see if there are similarities to professional athletes, as now they want to make gaming a "sport". Dr Micklewright, from the University of Essex, did these tests at the Gadget Show live last year in April, and could see that they had reaction times similar to athletes, but a few, their health was bad, one example, a 20 year old was told that he had the lung function and aerobic fitness of a 60 year old smoker. They recorded this live for BBC Radio 4, it was on iPlayer but now has been taken off.

Here is the blog about it http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radio4/2010/06/the_esportsmen_cyber_athletes.html

I thought to myself, to be classified as a sport, there has to be some sort of physical movement, even in darts and snooker you move, in games, your thumbs move, and you are sat on your backside. I personally think its just a easy way out, like the army, for all those kids in school that underperform, and have no skill that will help them get work after they finish, and what do they do most of the time? Play videogames, its so easy to become distracted, and not be aware of risks that can occur, and the parents should be the ones to make sure their child doesn't end up with bad eyesight, or end up doing rubbish in school.

Banned Xbox Advert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNuRQmvykwk&feature=player_embedded

This made me laugh at how stupid this is, but its an example that I can use perhaps for my campaign ideas.

I was looking at copies of Epica, the manuals that show that years best advertisements, and there was some examples of adverts for Playstation 2 and Xbox that intrigued me. Some people may remeber these, I found them quite disturbing, and they are examples to promote their console. Have a look and see what you think.

http://sumboysart.blogspot.com/2008/07/controversial-and-disturbing-ads.html

I was reading an article from the sunday times online, from 2008, where the Prime Minister was considering have similar health warnings they have on cigarrettes, to be on computer games. The ones they have on games now, kids just want to play the game, not read boring health warnings. It states on games cases to read the instruction manual, about seizures and stuff, but is that enough to make the kids listen. As they have done with cigarette packets, an image that will make them think, could be enough to make them see. I mean, the companies could say that shocking images inside their games of what can happen if you play too much is bad, and could decrease their sales, but the kids today are already had their fair share of gross imagery from some of the games they buy.

Health Issues

Not many people take the idea of health risks seriously enough when it comes to computer game playing, or just surfing the net. Heres a link to the bbc site that shows an article about certain risks that can occur when playing too much video games.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/243589.stm

Research

For ideas, I have started going down the path of perhaps doing the computer game laws idea, but maybe changing it, looking at issues, like what effects games can have, physically and mentally. Most people play computer games, and have played Grand Theft Auto and not had the urge to go mug someone or go shoot someone. There are a few stories in other countries of young people committing crimes from being influenced by games, but I think realistically, there is more of an issue linked to health, such as the rate of obesity in the UK, eyesight problems, etc. I am going to research more at negative sides of gaming, and use this to start the main campaign. As part of my research, I found this image on google, its an old advert for knife crime done my the Metropolitan Police. They have used the idea of computer games in order to reach their intended audience, and it actually worked, but the advert was stopped after a few weeks, and removed. This is one image I have, their isn't any more as the campaign was taken offline too. Here is the actual advert, see what you think. I think it has a negative and positive message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdWo2y5oqnQ

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4118270.stm

This article explains about the age rating system in games. I read some of the contents, and people see the parents who let their children play the games as being irresponsible, which seems fair. But the laws stand that a 16 year old can't purchase a 18 rated game, but when a older sibling or parent is with them, they can get it sold to them, so thats basically a flaw in the system. I was with my brother when he purchased Black Ops for Xbox, and I said it was for me, but my brother was the one that paid, so really they just broke the law. Their system needs to be more precise, and maybe this might help the number of underage children playing games for them, but it also needs to be more responsibility on the parents behalf, because then they can just go buy it for the child, when they are not with them. There is still that issue, and that fault cannot be aimed at the people who make the age ratings, because they cannot physically control their customers, and say dont buy this for your underage child, when the parent can say its for themselves.

Article on laws and reasons for age rated games.

http://www.out-law.com/page-5810

Interesting link i found on army recruitment in schools.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-544350/Teachers-declare-war-Army-using-MoD-propaganda-lure-vulnerable-students-military.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10637526

List of those that died in Iraq and Afghanistan, click the age tab and it shows in numerical order of age.

Also thought this might help with my research, ( this seems like the path I am going to take, project wise, as this idea has never been developed further), this is a link that shows reasons for and against joining the army.
http://www.hmforces.co.uk/careers/articles/3483-reasons-not-to-join-the-armed-forces

Photographs of around Maidstone

My other idea, a sort of anti-army campaign, there isn't a lot of examples as no ones done any. There are lots of adverts for joining the army, but there should at least be an age limit before fighting in wars. An 18 year old managed to go to Afghanistan, to fight. You can join the army from 16. Thats not really a lot of time to train, and the army appeals to these young people who havn't got anything going for them, they havn't done well in school, don't have a skill to develop a job, any ambitions. Some want to go as they see war as exciting, or their relatives have been in wars. They get offered a wage, benefits, healthcare, and training to kill people. I say leave it to the trained grownups with the necessary experience, rather than young people who havn't had much of a life yet. Here is a link to the bbc site, the number of soldiers that died in afghanistan, starting from as young as 18. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10629358

My aim if I choose this idea is to put these young people off from joining, with use of shock images and showing what can happen, if your not ready.

One example of an anti gaming campaign poster. Bit extreme, as this is unlikely to happen, as there are a vast amount of young children that play video games, and have not killed someone or blown off their hand with a grenade. Still, its quite graphic and is shocking, but would be more shocking if this sort of thing does happen.

Major project

So begins the start of our major project. I have had a few ideas floating around of what I can possibly do. Since my last project was based on information design, this one I have decided to go with advertising. Its the last one, so I need to go with my strengths, and what I know I can do well at. Im thinking perhaps a campaign, maybe to do with gun crime, as I live in East London, and its a problem that hasn't really been resolved. Other ideas have been campaigns against certain computer games, looking at the age rating laws, and the influence some games have on the younger generation. Also, I did a project at college about young soldiers being sent to fight, young people that are not ready to be put in war environment, basically making a decision based on the fact it seems like an easy way to live, food, health care and other things paid for, but you have to go and fight wars. I may develop and further this idea, with use of strong imagery, shock tactics to make the audience more aware of the issues and rash decisions that some of the younger generation make. Some of them come out of school with not good qualifications, and no career path in mind, and there being advertised is the army. These are just some of the ideas I have, but no path has been set yet, I am going to research all of them, look at examples of whats already out there, to see what works and what doesn't.