Enterprise - Response to task 5

Research // Illustration


I have always enjoyed drawing and doodling away, this has grown into an interest into illustration. As part of my research for personal development I decided to look some illustrators as its something I feel I could push forward once I graduate from university, as a form of Freelance design.


I've decided to look at some existing illustrators which inspire my passion for illustration. The illustrators I'm going to look at are:


- Robbie Porter
- Sarah Coleman
- Kate Moross






Robbie Porter
Link:http://robbieporter.co.uk/TheSkinny-June.html


An illustrator and designer based in Scotland. He approaches his work in a range of medias, processes and techniques, using a brilliant combination and balance between illustration, texture, line and colour application. His clients includes UCLA Magazine, Edinburgh Print Company, and sold work with exhibitions for PaperGirl in Glasglow and Urban Outfitters to name a few. 


I find his work outstanding and his excellent use of colour and pastel tones inspires me to make similar decisions within my own work. I really find his approach to line quality and weight aesthetically realistic to the objects being vectored, his lines change in weight to represent outline and detail to objects.


His style is something I wish to be able to achieve within my own illustrations and work in the future.

Helen - Memo

Link:http://hellomemo.com/bio

Helen is a freelance Illustrator and screen printer based in Leeds. She graduated from Norwich school of art, with a first class degree in visual studies. Her works consists of hand drawn and screen printed illustration, self-published zines, greetings cards, hand printed stationery, limited edition prints, tote bags and accessories. She has also put together a collaborative zine called 'ten fingers'.

Here range of diverse creative work is something I most defiantly aspire to be able to achieve in my own future work. Here child like approach to colour and illustration is similar to my own style, obviously her work is far more finished in terms of quality than my own! But it's definitely something to improve on for the future. I really like Helens choice of colour within her screen printing processes, using just 3 colours she has produced the below print. By using a variety of block colour and line, it creates the illusion of far more colour. 

Helens child like drawings, use of colour and detail create fun, bright and happy designs, I absolutely love her and aspire to create work of the same quality when as if I approach freelance illustrative work after graduation.

Kate Moross

Link: http://www.katemoross.com/work/detail/magic-trip/

Kate Moross is a 25 year old London based creative. She also runs ISO & Isomorph Records. She has a slight fascination with three sided shapes, illegible typography, and freeform lettering. Her studio is located on the First Floor / Portland House / 164 New Cavendish Street / London / W1W 6YT. I love her use of colour and montage between hand rendered type and image. Her typographic style is amazing, and very impacting. She certainly knows how best to use colour, its very inspiring and certainly something I want to achieve. She has a very distinctive style, her photographic work is something I very much like too, creating montage of photo, image and type. 

She has such an extensive range of clients, but alongside this has a lot of 'play time' doing competition briefs and her own freelance work. I long for this in the future, having fun with my graphic design skills and using them for both personal and work use is something I feel will be best to keep my sanity and keep me happy :)

Research // Paper Craft


Owen Gildersleeve
Link: http://www.owengildersleeve.com/work_pages/morris.html


Owen is an illustrator, designer and set maker. He produces a work relating to a range of other media, the below work relating to literature, art and craft. Which shows the amazing range of skills and medias he can work across, which is one of the main reasons Owen is a favourite designer of mine. His work is so imaginative, 3 dimensional and uses a vast array of colours and textures. He is based in London, working in his own studio. He graduated from the University of Brighton in 2008. He has worked with both local and international clients ranging from UK and America to Tokyo and Bangkok.


I have a personal interest in papercraft, using it a lot in my own work, along with illustration. Owen managed to combine these two elements beautiful alongside his obvious knowledge of colour theory. I have know about Owen for at least 5 years and he has been very influential in many of my college and university projects. 


His clients include: Rolex, Cadbury, The New York Times, Procter & Gamble, Wallpaper*, Royal Mail.

Julene Harrison

Link: http://www.centralillustration.com/artists/Julene-Harrison/

Jane started out as a constructed textile designer based in West Sussex, she only recently began paper craft. Her work is primarily text and illustration based. Her work is amazingly precise. She has produced work for Virgin trains, creates book front and cards, and has worked for Citgo and Tesco. 

I would love to begin working with laser cut as I work very similar in illustrative style, but laser cutting my work would give me more of an edge and have more variety to my usual black and white approach. The fact that she has worked for such a variety of companies, each very different in their services, is appealing. It just shows you this style of work can be used broadly across a range of uses.

Research // Editorial

Julene Harrison

Link: http://www.centralillustration.com/artists/Julene-Harrison/

I absolutely love book cover designs, especially those I've seen produced by paper craft artists. Julene one I've previously talked about, her paper crafts works across a range of media, books included. I would certainly like to work with book covers, but not primarily. I like to keep range within my workload to keep me interested and forever picking up new skills and interests. There is a lot of book covers like Julenes out there, so its a crowded market of competition. I would have to bring something unique and different to the market, which would have a mass appeal to audience.

Grumpy Love cards

Link: http://www.centralillustration.com/shop-prints-detail.asp?stock_id=312

For many years I have produced my own hand made, crafted and painted cards, and would love to produce them professionally in regard to freelance at some point! I have been to craft clubs, and found people wanting to buy them in the family, and had a regular customer at one point who would order 40 at a time. Grumpy love cards is certainly I style I idolise, her hand painted approach makes her design unique and personal. One problem I would find would be time, you need to make your hourly rate, and painting, as a graphic designer, is certainly a slow approach to take. Grumpy love cards has been clever in its approach, keeping design simple, quick, and easy enough to re-produce. I'm very tempted to start now, set up and Etsy account and get selling!

Research // Craft Fair // Freelance

I haven't been able to get on board with crafts fairs and freelance work. I've tried a few times but not been completely full on in my approach, its been a thing I would always do 'later on'. There are many opportunities within Uni and Leeds to attend and sell at craft fairs. Once I've graduated, its something I most certainly want to do, its a bit more money on the side, and I'll it will be pleasurable to produce something completely of my own interest, and to gain personal feedback - its always nice.

Research // Packaging


Kate Moross
Link: http://www.katemoross.com/work/detail/smd-delicacies/

Kate Moross is a 25 year old London based creative. She also runs ISO & Isomorph Records. She has a slight fascination with three sided shapes, illegible typography, and freeform lettering. Her studio is located on the First Floor / Portland House / 164 New Cavendish Street / London / W1W 6YT. She has such an extensive range of clients, but alongside this has a lot of 'play time' doing competition briefs and her own freelance work. Her approach to the below packaging in so inspirational, its very much 'me', its looks classical, old and simple in its approach to design and illustration. Here illustrative style is so detailed, its looks photo like in quality. I really like working with packaging, I've always been very hands on, getting the feel of a final product is my favourite pat of the process. I think I could quite easily work within a business which produces packaging alone, as there is such a wide variety of forms, nets and processes to consider which would keep me interested!

Nina Chakrabarti

Link: http://www.ninachakrabarti.com/2009/09/15/marks-and-spencer/


An artist I've always loved is Nina Chakrabarti, she has a abstract approach to floral pattern and design, she certainly loves producing it, she works primarily with this content. I love to work in a similar style so she's definitely a huge competitor regarding the clients shes had, she certainly has a reputation within the industry, its something I need to consider, especially as I would love to work with packaging one day!

Research // Retail Graphics


Nina Chakrabarti
Link: http://www.ninachakrabarti.com/2009/09/15/marks-and-spencer/


I love retail graphics, always have, always will. The impact and effect it have have on a store is certainly what attracts me to this area within graphics.

Gemma Correll

Link:http://www.gemmacorrell.com/portfolio/murals-and-installations/

The skills in which I believe I have, each at different stages of development and experience. Each I intend to grow strong in over time with university and the work environment.

• Illustration
• Collage
• Layout
• Drawing
• Painting
• Using multimedia
• Digital Design
• Working with back and white
• Paper craft
• Applying illustration to design
• Editorial 

The few skills which need developing:

• Animation
• Colour application
• Colour theory
• Freelancing
• Packaging design

10 point position statement

1. I would like to work part time freelance, creating detailed, personalised illustrative pieces either digitally, by hand or using paper crafting.
2. To visit studios and gain some knowledge about the industry, how it works, and get a better understanding of whats already out there.
3. To contact printers, experience them dealing with my work, also getting some experience to see how the process works. Also to help me decide where in the design industry I want to work within, as printing is a interest of mine.
4. To contact several studios who work in the same way as me, and those who work very differently. To hopefully get several placements to hopefully lead to an internship.
5. I would like to obtain some experience working within a different country, seeing and understanding the differences in design, culture and processes.
6. I want to work within a small, individual company who deal with local and global clients, who's work is very distinctive within the market.
7. I would like to gain some experience and work within retail retail graphics for monsoon, accessorise and topshop. Creating illustrative, abstract floral designs.
8. Overall I want to be a designer who focuses on illustration and paper craft, working with a broad range of clients, locally and globally. Collaborating with those who are both similar in style to myself, and very different. Giving my work some variety and learning new skills and design styles along the way.
9. Eventually I would like to set up my own studio, with a partner or team working for both clients, and creating my own work. Producing designs which can be placed and worked on a series of products, creating work for charities and the community.
10. I would like to, through experience within a range of practises, collaborations and briefs have an extensive and forever growing knowledge and set of transferable skills within Graphic Design.