FMP
Social Media- Portfolio
These are the layouts of my website and social media. I have kept them both meeting a minimalistic style so it doesn’t overcomplicate the content whilst keeping to a consistent visual identity. I have used a white background for the website with accents of green in the text to tie in with the logo on my instagram as well as other aspects on my business cards and cv. I found the manipulation of Square Space quite difficult, although it visually suited what i wanted, the accessibility to different themes was lacking so found choosing the right theme for my work a long process. I’m pleased with the outcome of both of these and am continuing to add to my social media with new content.
Evaluation
Overall the process of creating the magazine has been testing. I made the choice to create all the content for the magazine to show my abilities in all fields of fashion communication whilst using it as a challenge to test my capabilities for a possible future in magazine curation. The initial steps of my research were finding influence from artist that are inspired by rubbish and waste as a general concept which I found very useful as it helped me build a wider and broad concept with the key areas of waste. Sustainability is such as prevalent topic in today’s society as well as being an interest of mine, so felt it right to build upon this knowledge and look into areas that associated with sustainability but weren’t a direct link which is where I found myself looking into objects.
Our relationship with objects is turbulent as our digital lifestyles are constantly feeding us new ideas, which is why I wanted to move away from creating a digital magazine and create a printed publication that acted almost like an object in itself as a reflection of current ideas that could be looked back on without the constant movement of information. Through this research I was able to build upon varied artists and journals which gave detailed analysis of psychological and materialistic values through strong visualisation. My initial thoughts for my publication were to create an image book that explored objects in a photographic format, using minimal text to allow for these to conceptually explain themselves, however through my research I found myself getting influence from varied sources using different styles which began to confuse my work.
As I was unsure of my final idea for a large portion of the beginning project, I feel this set me back in the creation of content and the continuity of the shoots as I was building concepts that weren’t as focused to my research as I hoped. I found I was also affected by the addition of the pop up shop and the organisation of the event which saw a significant amount of time taken from the beginning of the project. However, with this in mind I feel that I managed my time well with a worry of not meeting set time lines as i have previously struggled with time management. The pop-up shop and my part time job challenged my time management which I found to be a benefit as I was able to push myself to meet my own personal time lines.
I am overall happy with my final outcome as I was able to push myself through the battle with my confidence in my work and ideas to create something that followed aspects of my initial intentions, to have finalised a heavy content publication. If I were to further the magazine, I would make sure that i was extremely thorough in the final proof as I found a couple of spelling mistakes in my outcome as well as missing out references of statistical information which I have out in my sketchbook and on my blog. However, with the time I had and the obstacles along the way, I am proud of the quality of my work and how much I was able to create in the time given.
Final Magazine spreads
These spreads are from the final edition of the publication. The magazine is total 112 pages formatted at A4 210mm x 297mm. I chose to get the magazine printed on recycled paper for both the inside and front cover using a thicker gsm to make it a more sturdy and luxurious feeling magazine. My initial thought for making the printing process sustainable was to work on the basis of printing on demand and using a glossier paper, however throughout my research and looking at the final images I felt that using recycled paper as well as printing on demand would be best to keep the identity of the publication consistent. The overall aesthetic of the publication is how I intended with a strong visualisation of the link between the content and the layout of the imagery.
My initial thoughts on the layout of my publication was to create a image book with minimal text, however as my research progressed and my content formed, I felt it more suitable to label it as a magazine as I feel the concept could be furthered into future issues which could include an image book. Also, with the demographic that I am targeting, it would be a viable platform/source to have in a digital heavy society.
Environmental Facts (inside magazine)
Alongside the content of the magazine, i wanted to feature some facts about how consumers are effecting environment with their mass purchasing, therefore i selected some facts covering different industries. Although i didn’t reference who these facts were stated by in the physical magazine, i have referenced them fully in my sketchbook.
“Around 30 million tonnes of household waste is generated in the UK every year.”
“85% of our E-Waste are sent to landfills and incinerators are mostly burned, and release harmful toxins in the air.”
“Extending the life of clothing by a further 9 months would reduce carbon, waste and water footprints by 20 -30%.”
“The UK throws away at least £13 billion worth of food each year which could have been eaten.”
“Food waste that decomposes in landfills releases methane, a greenhouse gas that is at least 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.”
“This is an emergency and for emergency situations we need emergency action.” – Ban Ki-Moon, former UN Secretary General
“Human activity is causing irreparable harm to the life on this world. A mass extinction event, only the sixth in roughly 540 million years, is underway.”
Media Pack
To accompany my publication i created a media pack that analyses the different aspect of the magazine such as stockists, print specification, competitors and the mission of the publication . i found creating this really helped finalise what the magazines aims are and how it sets itself away from the typical magazine.
Portfolio Bibliography
Portfolio Packaging
For my portfolio i looked into different styles that would accent my works and its style. Rather than using a normal portfolio book, i thought about creating something that was package free or bound by a clip. I feel this style would work well with the concept of my recent work as well as my core interests. Having a loose portfolio also means that i could vary my prints that include creating a more dynamic visual identity. I also considered using a recycled box to mimic the sustainability throughout my work. Using a minimalistic box style would allow for more stylised additional pieces likes stickers to highlight my vibrant visual identity seen on my business cards and postcards.
https://www.creativebloq.com/
https://www.instagram.com/sometimespublishing/
https://www.artifactuprising.com/photo-prints
https://www.instagram.com/herz.und.blut/
Final Portfolio
After looking into various different styles of portfolio types, i felt that a spiral display book would be the most appropriate for my work. My initial thought for my portfolio display would be to keep to my ethical design looking into recycled alternatives or package free; looking specifically at boxes or stylised loose portfolio types. Although they have a nice aesthetic, i felt that the boxes available didn’t look as professionals i wanted and i was worried that having a loose portfolio my work would either get lost or get destroyed.
For the layout of my images i wanted to replicate my magazine as i felt that this was an effective design. I decided to include the majority of my magazine content as feel that these reflect my work the best As it was highly photography based i wanted to show my layout and graphics ability through the layout and divisions between each style.
Company Database
As the deadline is approaching for my FMP, i wanted to look into possible companies that i feel with my current portfolio of work i would want to work for. I looked at various magazines including mainstream and more independent publications whilst also looking at sustainable organisations and companies and communication companies that have contemporary social platforms and visual identities. I have also looked a potential masters that i feel would be suitable to further my skills set into different areas of work: