Branding & Identity Research

Pastoral Tutorial with Patrick

I was so anxious about this tutorial and a lot went wrong this morning, but after an initial wobble I finally felt comfortable enough to look at the screen and actually talk to Patrick.

It's OK to work from home! It's probably (definitely) more productive.
Make timetables and organise yourself. Make the most of your time.

We had a bit of a discussion about where I'm taking my work, where it's going... I really want to make a picture book. That's what I came to uni to do and it would be brilliant to leave uni with at least a proposal to take to publishers.
DEVELOP A STORYLINE and work backwards from final show deadline.
Don't have to JUST do a picture book, performance can be involved too, and/or animation/interactive website. Could plan a workshop/performance to go alongside the book.

TASK 3: Descriptions of My Work

How would I describe my work?

My work is mostly targeted towards children, so it definitely has a childish/childlike element to it. It's all about imagination and magic. It is often based around character and narrative, tapping into other worlds and describing fantastical landscapes. I value a handmade approach.

How would others describe my work?

I would say delicately crafted/focus on crafts(wo)manship, high attention to detail, refined narrative, tactile. I think composition is also a strength, I'm especially thinking of the animations you've done, which kind of reinforces the point about narrative.

It's very playful, enchanting, imagination driven, character based, fun for all the family, highly crafted with all the dolls and stuff and your talent as an illustrator as well! 

Magical, characterful, with storytelling and narrative at its core. Its all about creating worlds in which these dolls and figures exist.

Everything has a handmade feel.

Your work is fun, whimsical, treasured, committed, atmospheric !

How do they compare?

They're very similar! I'm pleased that my intentions do come across. Maybe I should ask my intended audience though (children), especially since the people I asked are all my peers so they know what I am trying to achieve? They might just be saying these things to please me. 

The comment that I was really happy with was 'imagination driven', because that's exactly what all of this is and exactly what I want to capitalise on.

MacKinnon and Saunders Exhibition at HOME, Manchester

Bronte and I took a trip to Manchester to see Blondie last weekend, but whilst we were there we also visited a few museums and the MACKINNON AND SAUNDERS EXHIBITION! I'm a big fan of Mackinnon and Saunders so I was really looking forwards to this.
The exhibition was just photos on the walls of HOME, a fancy cinema in Manchester, so it could have been a lot bigger and better, I would have LOVED to see the real maquettes...

MUST DO MORE RESEARCH INTO MACKINNON AND SAUNDERS AND THE SORTS OF PORTFOLIOS PEOPLE SUBMIT TO THEM. Ben has a contact there - TALK TO HER!
It would be great to go and look INSIDE the studios. I know that Animation often do visits there, could I squeeze into one of those trips?

TASK 2: WEBSITES - Pantovola

https://pantovola.com

Pantovola is a doll maker, specialising in heirloom and memorial dolls. Her website carries her Gothic/Romantic tone of voice/identity as an artist through its Victorian aesthetic. 

Why Pantovola?

She is a successful, full-time doll maker. If I do choose to make dolls full time then my website should be similar in function to Pantovola's. Her website functions as a portfolio and links off to her social media pages and Etsy shop.

TASK 2: WEBSITES - Daisy Meadows Rainbow Magic

http://play.rainbowmagiconline.com/uk/index.html

Who is it aimed at?

Since I often target an audience of children - middle grade readers, I thought back to the kind of websites that I enjoyed as a kid. 

One that I found particularly engaging and fun was this one for Daisy Meadows (authors of the Rainbow Fairies books). It's still online now, though I'm not sure if it's changed slightly. It's now part of a website called 'Rainbow Magic' which includes sections for Fireman Sam, Pingu etc. I remember the cursor used to be a magic wand and the page would buffer with little stars and clouds.

The intention with this website is to expand the magic of the books into the online world, so that the readers can immerse themselves in a virtual format where these characters and stories can be accessed easily. This page makes reading seem fun.

Although parents and adults are the gatekeepers who would buy children books, this website takes the approach of targeting children and selling the products to them instead of trying to pitch them to their guardians. 

I'm not sure how many kids would still visit a website to find out more/play games about the books? If they were to look for a game related to the stories, I think they would probably be more likely to find an app or scan a QR code on a book jacket? Times have changed and I do wonder how much traffic this website gets.

Update: I just tried to get onto the 'online store' section and it redirected me to a Mattel site and then a page that no longer exists so I am wondering whether this has been abandoned. 

What makes it attractive:

It's interactive! You can click and move over different parts of the image and they will move/animate/play music.

The reader gets to virtually enter the world of the Rainbow fairies, which is really cool when you're 9 and a fairy nerd. There are links to games, puzzles, colouring sheets. All things to keep the reader enjoying and thinking about the stories.

TASK 2: WESBITES - Red Nose Studio

Why Red Nose Studio?

Chris Sickels is a freelance illustrator working with 3D models and scenes. My work is quite similar to Sickels's in that we both create physical models of characters, so it should help me to see how he sells himself and presents his work online.

Who is their audience?

Potential clients

Editorial, Publishing, Animation

What makes it successful?

Porfolio-style, large images. Clean, crisp, organised, professional.

Maggie Rudy

http://andreaskyberg.com/maggie-rudys-studio-tour/

I just found this so fascinating!
Could it be viable for me to just MAKE AND MAKE AND MAKE like Rudy does?
I should use extended practice to work towards a story book like Maggie Rudy has and just build all the scenes, the characters (duplicates too)...

I could contact her and find out more about how she started out doing this and how she manages it. Does she have an agent? Does she have a second job?

TASK 2: WEBSITES - MacKinnon and Saunders & LAIKA

Why MacKinnon and Saunders?

I thought it could be useful to look at a COMPANY rather than another independent artist/illustrator (my competition), since this is an employer/workplace that I could work towards.

I really admire the work of MacKinnon and Saunders' puppet department, so by looking at their website, I can analyse how my work would fit into their company.

The home page shows the three different elements of the company leading off to different information. All under the same name, but clearly segmented for clients and audience to navigate easily to their point of interest.
Something to think about when I'm making my website - separate identities or one collective 'home' for all the different things I do.

Why Laika?
Laika is a similar company, and they often work in unison with MacKinnon and Saunders, but across in Portland, America rather than Manchester, UK.
Examining the difference in industry from UK/US.
Laika used to have a side company called 'Laika House' which focused on digital puppetry and commercials, but now that's a completely separate business and Laika is dedicated completely to stop-motion.