Over the weekend I was able to attend the artist book fair at the tetley where 60 stalls exhibited publishers and book makers from around Yorkshire. Although some stalls weren't of interest to me, there were a number of creatives who I was interested in and was able to speak to concerning their practice. Of the creatives I spoke to was one was an artists in residence at The Tetley who explained to Ben and I about the facilities available as well as some of the work that is being currently being produced. The cheap risograph available for use gave us an option for printing in the future. Explaining the day to day life of an artist in residence also gave me more of an idea of what I could do next year.
Another book making I was able to talk to was photographer ________. We were able to explain the idea behind WYS in detail, giving the opportunity to practice our elevator pitch for potential clients. By talking to ______ I found more about how many photographers self-publish which many struggle with. The platform we are hoping to create gives creatives the opportunity to work directly with the publisher to create the most personal work they can. ______ felt this was a good idea as
We were also able to talk to one of the artists in residence at the tetley who explained what was available to people who wanted to use the facilities. We were particularly interested in the risograph printer as this was something we have little experience with. Although the printer they have at the Tetley isn't the best quality, visiting the workspace to look at how it works would still give us a better idea of how it works. After speaking to the artist in residence we learnt that one of the practitioners at the art space is also one of the tutors for 1st year graphic design. Ben and I spoke to Orlando when returning to uni and discussed visiting to better understand the printing process.
One of the first tasks set by Alec within this module was to create a website as this is the best way for people to view my work and get a better understanding of who I am as a designer.
I decided that I should include both my design and photography skills. I wanted the site layout to be simple so it is easily adjustable when my personal branding is updated later in the year. Despite this,
I first looked at a number of designer's websites as research and inspiration for my own project. some of the best examples are seen below:
When it came to creating my website I found some programs which could help me do so. This included Wix, Squarespace, Adobe Portfolio and Weebly. After trying all the available programs I felt I wanted more customisation; because of this, I opted for Adobe Muse. Muse is a program part of the creative cloud which gives me the opportunity to design and build my website myself without having to use code. Although complex, learning this program enables me to offer website creation within my skill set.
After some quick wire frame sketches I was able to produce a simple site which clearly shows all my existing pieces of work clearly. It is also navigable making it simple for anyone to use.
www.gravelvss.com
