Research , Kids Interiors!

I have always loved Mammas and Pappas designs and was not disappointed when i visited the Manchester store . They have the usual pale muted pastel pinks and baby blues but also have neutral tones in creams and whites . There are lots of beautiful examples of appliqued patch work , knitted and crocheted accessories and clever use of complex pattern in simple shapes. Sweet little animal motifs feature heavily as well as lots of stripes and florals . There were also some graphic prints and designs which looked like collages with stitch effect printed over them. Very inspiring!

containment brief, research

sketch book images : We were just given the word container or containment as a starting point!! Very interesting !!

For this project i was inspired by what is contained with in a persons mind , heart and soul! I am a people person and i am fascinated by what makes people tick. I am beginning to really appreciate the work of some of the YBA's (Young British Artists) like Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin and feel it is interesting to find out the story behind the art and the artists thought process.I believe that a piece of art is much more interesting and has more depth when it is personal and has a part of the artist's life or psyche represented.

The Conceptual Art movement of the 1960's is all about the ideas thoughts and feelings of the artist and the concept over shadowed the final out come .This theory links in with my ideas for this project because i have made it very personal. From my sketch book i have developed the idea of commemorating the birth of my niece who is due to be born on March 13th. We have been instructed to use a white only palette which i think it a beautiful idea and fits really well with my design ideas.

Damien Hirst

Tracey Emin

Helen Latimer

Helen Latimer is a freelance designer who works in the fashion industry . She graduated from Northumbria Uni several years ago and began working freelance in July of 2009 having previously worked for several large companies. Helen came into college to talk to us on 8th Feb about her work experience and what she feels we need to include in a portfolio when pitching for work and meeting with potential clients.Her advice was to edit the work on show down to items that are truly relevant and those which demonstrate all your skills ie sketching ,drawing and digital designs. Helen uses two portfolios for interviews with the designs presented on a double page spread and she uses two pages per project only so as not to bombard the client with too much information. Helen gave us common sense and practical advise and suggested taking photographs of every one display boards which could then be put into a book as a reference for every one to use . She told us about doing shop reports when she was working as part of a design team , each person would go out to the high street and gather information about colour trends , styles , fabrics, prices etc then feed back their findings to the whole team. Helen uses hand drawn designs and then develops them digitally using illustrator she has recently worked on the designs for the England football team kit for Umbro. She does lots of research for each project and even spent time with England ladies football team in order to find out what her design needed to include.She was very approachable and helpful and it was great to meet some one with their finger on the pulse , many thanks Helen www.studiolatimer.com

containment brief

I love the quilts produced by Tracey Emin and her use of text to convey her feelings, so decided to use fabric in my piece to create a wall hanging. I made a copy of my brothers baby's scan picture and used kodatrace to transfer it on to the silk screen i also made a card stencil of a tree ( to represent the tree of life) and again transferred the image to a screen. I wanted the piece to "contain" the baby and also to "contain" a personal message from me to her. My brother and his partner share a love of all things Italian so i thought a message stitched in Italian would be a nice idea, I also included found items, materials such as beads and ribbons. The finished item could be a commercial product , it would be a bespoke art work that could be added to over time ( with details of the child's life as it unfolds) i have not found any similar products on the market but quilts or wall hangings with a child's name on them retail at an average of £250.

Paper Salad , Work Experience

In October we had a visit at college from Claire Frost and Karen Wilson who are Paper Salad! They came to talk to us( as ex students of Stockport college) about setting up their own company.Ten years ago Claire and Karen along with 3 other graduates from the same class rented a studio together in Houldsworth Mill in Reddish, Stockport they all produced designs which they sold through an agent but over time 5 became 2 and Paper Salad was born.This company designs and publishers contemporary greetings cards , gift wrap and social stationary and all their artwork is available for licensing.

The designs are all hand drawn and instantly recognisable as the Paper Salad brand.The two girls had to find all their own funding and commit a lot of time and energy into building the business.They obviously get on very well and have the same level of commitment to the job. The first print run was £10 000 !The reality of running their own business is that only a small amount of time is spent on creating designs , most of their day is spent balancing the books, sourcing printers , envelope suppliers and talking to agents . They employ 6 part time staff , and have nine agents who sell the products in the UK , there are also distributors in New Zealand, Japan, Switzerland and Cyprus.At present Paper Salad is a limited company and Claire and Karen have a monthly salary .

I was really impressed when the girls came in to talk to us at college and absolutely loved the designs they showed us. I approached them and asked if i could do a work placement with them,to my delight they agreed.

I have spent time at their studio in Reddish and am amazed at the amount of stock they have, new designers are produced approx every 3 months and they are just beginning to use digital printing. The place is always busy and Claire and Karen have created new designs whist i have been there, agents call in to discuss sales and p r and promotion companies have also called to discuss advertising. I have helped to package cards and make up sample packs for agents. The company has been featured in several trade magazines recently who have published articles about the Paper Salad brand and its success.It has been great to see how the business operates and last week i was asked to put address labels on invites to the Spring fair at the NEC in Birmingham the invites went out to all retailers who have or do sell Paper Salad products and the list was endless , this demonstrated to me how well received and commercial the designs are and how brilliant both Claire and Karen are at managing their business.The Spring Fair is a trade show where new contacts are made for future sales, its on from the 7th to the 11th of Feb.

So thanks to you both for allowing me into your place of work i am truly grateful and wish you continued success you deserve it!www.papersalad.co.uk/