What blue does a lover of blue choose?

Loving blue as much as I do makes it difficult to chose a shade to represent me. I have spent hours trying to find a turquoise to accurately suit who I am because turquoise appeals to me most, but in the end I realised that IK Blue (0033CC) is the most perfect. 

Created 60 years ago by artist Yves Klein, it's a deep and pure form of blue; in some ways it is the most pure representation of blue. Despite its current trendiness in the world of design, its importance and appeal will not disappear with the trend. It is both energetic and calming. It is the ultimate harmonious shade. 

Additionally, as a paint pigment it is notoriously hard to dry (in fact some claim it never dries) and so that plays to my ideology of never standing still or never stopping until things are perfect. Things can almost always be better. 

Dark night skies. Energy. Excitement. Legacy. Future. 

Physical Manifestations of a Digital Futurist

My two main ideologies (futurism and environmentalism) don't play well with the idea of physical media when it's not necessary. Business cards, for example, are totally unnecessary in today's digital world, but they're often a beautiful and helpful token to give out for people to keep and so the idea remains attractive to me. 

To get around the environmental limitations of normal papers I could instead opt for a recycled paper series such as the Nomad range from G.F Smith. They're beautifully, unapologetically used and reused, with dots and specks of colour within their various colour options. They'd also comply with almost all of my current design options, and because of their nature, colour conflicts would be okay.  

Taking it further, I could even just extract paper from news articles or pages that interest me and put my own mark on them. 

Another solution is to utilise the VR resurgence; particularly the Google Cardboard initiative. I could create my own branded variations of the headset with my own app and send it out to people. The app could be a simple about/contact me sort of app, or it could be more like a game. It would start in a forest perhaps, but then you'd witness a rocket launch and the forest would clear to reveal a solar farm or a future transportation system. 

Additionally, I have a long term vision to create an app which would allow for the digital realisation of business cards. I sketched some concepts below. It would have to be an app so beautifully engaging and useful that people would actually want to use it. The cards would be tactile, tangible and manoeuvrable, potentially having the ability to be creased or spun. You could pinch to zoom in and out of them, perhaps tapping on lines of text to open up a website or launch a call. 

Future Tree: An identity concept

http://nickyhope.myportfolio.com/Work

Inspired by pine trees and 'upwards' progression towards the future, my Future Tree personal identity concept utilises the purest of blues to represent calmness, consideration and belief. The tree iconises my love of exploration and the outdoors, as well as my obsessive belief in positive future change and human technological advancement. 

Business cards, and indeed maybe all printed material, would be unsuitable for my two main ideologies of futurism and environmentalism. 

Inspiration from Unfamiliar Places: Stranger and Stranger

Stranger and Stranger is a design studio that produces work that is vastly different to that of my own, but it is a studio that I admire massively. I'm constantly impressed by their intricate, extremely fine detailed and traditional design elements. They refuse to bow down to the modernist, minimalist influences around them, and through doing that they have created their own bespoke creative identity and art form. Their design tells a story through its enhanced visuals and use of pattern and colour - it's visually exciting to look. Whilst my design style is totally different, visual storytelling is definitely something I'd like to incorporate to enhance my visual practice. 

Inspiration from The Guild: Joseph Hofer and Jennifer Keesmaat

Inspirational interviews with Canadian creatives from The Guild series

http://www.theguildseries.com/

https://vimeo.com/98873355
Jennifer Keesmaat is the Chief Planner of the City of Toronto

On taking advantage of challenging projects instead of hiding from them:

"I'm way beyond my skill level, I'm way beyond my depth. But I'm going to surround myself with ideas, information, analysis, that's gong to allow me to thrive in this place of uncertainty. It really is to me, being creative, is about asking those tough questions and going into that uncertain place where you have to tolerate not having the answers. You've just asked the really hard questions, and you don't have the answers, and then being able to test some different things...And you'll know when you've created something that's beautiful, and something that's good, because it will feel right. And you will also know, in that place of uncertainty, when you're not there yet; you'll know it because it won't feel beautiful, and when it feels beautiful and looks beautiful, then you'll know, you've in fact done really good work." 

https://vimeo.com/120624907

Joeph Hofer is an Industrial Designer at BlackBerry

On what inspires him:

"I love travelling, I love seeing other cultures and seeing other ways of doing things. I love finding a coffee shop or a place to just sit and people watch, I find that fascinating. I'm more inspired by people than I am anything else. What I wish I'd have learned earlier, is to care less of what people think of me or what I did, and thinking more of why I did what I did. I realise there's a lot of common design principles that are in a lot of other design professions, but on a product level it's almost related to distance. Like, what's the read at ten feet away? What is the form factor or shape? Then as you come closer, you pick it up, what's the weight? How do the edges feel? How does it fit into your hand? Understanding that relation between the product and the person is really important. Designing something that's comfortable, something that's exciting, is really valuable."

"Creativity plus risk equals success."

These interviews are a huge source of inspiration for me; they apply to a lot of my deepest interests (future-thinking, city planning, industrial design, humanist design, human-interaction design) and ambitions, and they are presented in a way which exponentially increases their appeal. The way the films are shot, the camera angles, the soundtracks, the film locations, the way in which the creatives talk. It all adds up to a hugely inspirational and memorable set of videos.

Presentation Skills

As daunting as it is to present yourself in front of a group of people is, it's also one of the most rewarding things you can do. It allows you to better discover who you are as a creative and as a person, and it allows you to slowly but surely make your place in the world. If no one knows who you are, then what you do might not make as big a difference as it could. 

There are things, as there are with everything, that can be done to make presenting yourself easier, and whilst at first they may seem simple, everything that helps helps. 

Project your voice. 
By doing this you appear confident and sure of what you're saying and presenting, and it also helps alleviate shaky-voice, if or when you get it. 

Have water handy.
You often see professional speakers drinking from a bottle of water during their presentation. This is handy for a number of reasons, the simplest of course being to avoid a dry throat, which can in turn coarsen your voice. It also allows you to take a mini break whilst you drink, allowing you to think about what you want to say next. 

Be you.
Talking like you usually talk and dressing like you usually dress will help convey a sense of legitimacy and integrity. There is no point in doing a presentation of yourself if you're attempting to be someone you're not.

Be prepared.
Going through your presentation in your mind helps you to create a kind of storyline for what you say. Going through it out loud is even better - it allows you to set a pace and add offshoots to what you have written down. 

Humour can work.
Making people laugh puts you at ease and breaks the ice between you and your audience. It can also make what you say more memorable or more impactful. Be careful not to reach the extent where you reduce the legitimacy of what you're saying, however. 

Anecdotes add a personal touch.
Anecdotes give an immediate personal and emotional element to your talk, making it more memorable and effective. They also improve the impact or add a storyline to what you're saying, giving reasons for who you are or why certain things happened or have to happen. 

Study Task 02: Why am I here?

Identify and explain 5 reasons why you chose to study on the course

To learn the rules and theory behind design - you can't break the rules without learning them, and the history of design will always have to be acknowledged. 

To learn about design as an industry and how it works and how to access it. It's the only way to be successful in it. 

To work in an academic, albeit studio-esque creative environment with other creatives in an experimental way. It'll help me be more creative, and prepare me more for the life after.

To form relationships and make connections with successful creative people. People are everything. 

The position of LCA as a specialised institution, former work seen, the GD yearbook and the college facilities and environment. I was impressed by most aspects of the college.

Identify and explain 5 things that you want to learn during your time on the course

Traditional methods of graphic design e.g. printmaking, printing press typesetting etc.

The rules and theories behind design and design philosophy, studying design masters like Vignelli. By observing what made them what they became, it becomes easier for you to become that. 

Effective research methods behind good design decisions. It's almost impossible to create something good without starting somewhere good. 

How design studios operate and how to deal with clients - it would've been dangerous for me to try and wander into the world of design and services without being prepared. 

How design can change the world. I want to make a difference through design. There's no point in doing anything if it doesn't make a difference.  

Identify and explain 5 things that you think are your strengths 

Selecting (mostly) successful compositions, layout and type. Using type for impact. I'm good in creating and composing something in a way which just looks good, and mostly has reason. 

Creating UI/UX concepts. Understanding how people interact with machines. I've used technology and machines since I was 3 years old, and along the way I've picked up what makes a machine easy or hard to use, and what makes people enjoy interacting with them.

Forming a whole identity instead of just a logo. It can be easy to forget that an identity doesn't just stop at a logomark, but I can prove how it's so much more than that. 

Communicating verbally and visually. I like observing, talking to and interacting with people.

Thinking about the impacts of design and what we can do to improve the world. I like to think long term, at the things that matter (and the things that might not), in order to assess how I can make the things I do improve the world. 

Identify and explain 5 things that you would like to improve 

Creating and modifying typefaces? I'm good at using type, not at making it. 

Illustration and technical skills in Adobe CC suite. I'm relatively fluent in Photoshop, Illustrator, I can use InDesign, and I'd love to learn how to use Premiere Pro, After Effects and more. 

I have a passion for beautiful films, featuring both nature and people. 

Very deep research and research analysis. 

Communicating in a way which inspires and convinces.  

Identify and explain 5 things that inspire you

Elon Musk/Tesla/Space X. They're changing the world for the better, and their motives are simple: to make things better. To do the things that have to be done. 

Silicon Valley tech companies and start ups. I love the power and influence they have, and I love how they try and use it positively to improve people's lives. 

Earth and nature. The most epic things on our planet.  

Films and video games and their ability to be pure, unadulterated art and design expression. I love occasionally living in a world which isn't mine.

Mountains, trees, stars and space.

Future tech ideas and innovations.

Revolutionary action to make things better.

Really nice books.
Behance.
Tobias van Schneider.

Identify 5 examples of design that demonstrate your fields of creative interest