Who let the horrendously terrifying hybrid dog out?

WHO DID IT? WHO? WHO?

So, in previous weeks one of my projects was to design a dog from a fictitious breed as supplied to us by the tutors. The project was in two parts, one of which, for the first we all had separate breeds as assigned to us, and we had to make our own interpretations of the breed description we were given.
(in a 3D model)

I was given the secret agent dog, which had a long description (of which I won't read out to you) but it included rifles in the anus, bomb disposal genitalia, telescopic eyes and in my case; great camouflage.

So firstly we'll talk about the camouflage—long story short, whilst I was making the dog I had many comments that it looked like a turkey, and I started to realise that the traditional festive feast was becoming the dogs ultimate cosmetic fate.
After a quick brainstorm I realised this project was the last one before Christmas, and it would be really feckin' hilarious if I made a dog that look exactly like a turkey.

I make the dog, all the while looking more and more like some strange handicapped paper turkey; and then to rub salt into the wounds I then painted this terrifying freak of nature like a beautifully cooked turkey.

Then it struck me.

How do you present a secret agent dog that you painted like a turkey? Like it's on a Christmas mission of course! He was presented in a foil tray, surrounded in Brussels sprouts and 'Aunt Bessie's' roast tatties.

And there I am looking gormless as ever. You may be able to stop my dog perching on a set off festive veg.

So after the whole fiasco of making these bloody dogs, presenting them for judging at the first annual Grufts—we were then instructed to create some dangerous hybrid with another students breed, and to glorify this monster of modern science with an info-graphic of the features and traits on this 'thing'.

To be continued.

Just call me 24-hour Vincent! (if you know what I mean) (wink wink, nudge nudge) (over use of brackets)

So, you may have seen that I made a post about offering to design a website in 24 hours, and just before Christmas I did it!

For my first one, I was working with a lovely lady and gent of Brisbane, Australia; who run and own Dog and Fox Creatives. I would use this post to highlight what they do, but honestly, they do so many different things I'm not sure which ones to mention.

The briefing for the site was very simple, so simple in-fact that I had to plan a little myself. which really helped me make the project to suit my time capabilities, and gave me a free reign. It's kind of a dream project but at the same time a nightmare, as you can so easily get it wrong.

Such detail! (love you guys really)

I started the site on December 21st at 12:00 and finished on December 22nd at 12:00, exactly 24 hours. The site isn't completely finished but it is actually at a working state and I'm pretty happy with it. I only really managed to get 13 hours work into the site as I needed breaks and a good amount of sleep. But with that time, as a very inexperienced web designer, I'm pretty proud of what I've achieved.

The guidelines were that it could only be colours (or shades, if you like) on the Greyscale, so it had to be very fashionable and quite simplistic. I feel at the point it's at, it isn't really quite as I fully wanted it to be, but it's close and I think I may become that, when I'm the sites web-master in the new year!

I think they are happy with the site, and I hope that when it comes to it being finished, that I can make it even better thus making them happier. Oh, and also having a great site for my portfolio.

http://www.dfsample.vincentwalden.com

If you click above you'll be able see the version I hosted on a sub-domain of my site, of which is still slightly bugged; but will be sorted, polished and neatened up when I get the chance to really finish it off in the new year!

Keep you're eyes pealed and your ears open!

Thank you sir and madam.

Too much of a good thing

I presume you've heard the say of too much of a good thing—and I have discovered exactly how that saying can ring true. 

The saying usually goes that "Too much of a good thing, can make you sick" or something to that, and although I feel it's almost correct, I am actually really excited. Instead of it being so much that I'm sick of the task ahead of me, I'm actually excited and only slightly overwhelmed.

I posted this image on Monday 15th December and now I've had to start a waiting list and will have to decline anyone else that wants to take me up on this offer.

And as you would image, but not as I anticipated; it was really rather popular. I have only made one website in my life (my current www.vincentwalden.com) and now I have a waiting list, 5 people strong.

I started my Christmas holiday on Friday, it's now Sunday and at 12 Midday tomorrow I'm starting my first 24 hour Website. I'll post about it, with a preview when it's finished and I hope I can actually make it.

If you do want a website, from what you've seen of mine, or if you see the future post and want one; please let me know. But I'm afraid I cannot do it for free, but it'll be a darn sight cheaper than paying a professional. 

As long as you don't mind it being quite simple (at the moment) and it being possibly a little slower than what a professional would do for you, and you get the satisfaction of helping a student designer.

Watermark

I couldn't think of a punny title, okay!

This post is very overdue and I'm really only posting it now after having a look through my blog and realising it wasn't actually there; anyway here goes.

Recently I, along with the rest of the designers in my year group, were asked to all submit entries to compete to have the chance to design a 'magloid' for Keswick's Lit Festival. We were all in competition with each other and we had just over two weeks to produce our proposals for the design on the 'magloid'.

If you are unaware of what a Magloid is – as I was on starting this brief – it's basically a crossover of a magazine and a tabloid, as the name would suggest. And I'm not sure if it's a specific size, but we had very strict guidelines for it's size.

The festival in Keswick is called Watermark and I believe it's hosted by a group named Words on the Water but there are so many trademarks and names for this I honestly have very little idea of what is what.

For the publication, I came up with an idea almost straight away. I wanted to make an old school 3D effect for the magloid, but I decided with would be too much of a hassle and a little inappropriate. So from there I decided I'd go have browse of the library and I came across the idea that Sagmeister did for his book, where he used coloured films to blank out areas in images to produced a juxtaposition image after the overlay.

I feel that the images don't really show what I was trying to show the effect I was trying to make but I think it worked really well and I was really happy with it. We were told we would be informed on who has won and who's designs will be chosen for the final product, but we are yet to hear, so I'll pop up my work and I'll update this if by any chance I'm the one who's selected.

By the way, the images are just placeholders.

Just finished

I've just finished off two things I'm really rather excited about, so I'll leave you some little teasers and make original posts for the pair soon!

How useful!

Colourful and pixalated—now you're excited!

I'll throw my hands up, I'm a magpie

Recently, I designed myself a résumé for the chance to get some design work as my CV just doesn't cut it for me. As strong as I feel my CV is, it has no flair, no individuality and if I was wanting to hire a designer and someone handed it me—I'd yawn to death.

So I had a browse for some ideas to make a Résumé/CV and after trawling through literally hundreds of painfully dull and cringe-worthy designs, but after my hours of fighting I saw the holy grail, the light from the heavens and I absolutely loved the design. I thought it just looked so brilliant and so like what I would like to create.

I saved that image, alone in a folder and just stared at it for a bit, and I thought of how I could make something off that idea without stealing it; but it proved challenging, this man had thought of everything. Well, almost everything.

As I scan my film collection in disappointment of lack of inspiration what am I to see, only one of my favourite all time films. "The Grand Budapest". It hit me like a train. I saw some design concepts from the film that I had fan-girled over earlier this year, and I could merge those with this design to make a hybrid of two things that I feel are perfect, or as close to as humanly possible.

It's MAGPIE TIME! (which is ironic I call it that as I Magpie'd the term from Chip Kidd)

So instead of being a straight copy, I mixed the two to make myself happier because I love both concepts, and it just made me feel better, that I wasn't directly stealing from either.

So to cut to the chance, here's the final product.

I've got to be honest, I worry a little I've treaded a little too closely on the other designers toes – making the layouts so similar – but I'm really happy with it, I've already sent it off to one possible employer and if you are ever to see this (the original creator of the Résumé) and you feel I've ripped you off, I'll put my hands up, apologies and change it all, but otherwise—thank you for the inspiration!

A few more images from Strawberry Fields

Not much to say—just in memory of Dave.

Long Live Dave, Long Live Strawberry Fields

I found out this morning from a drunken message from a friend and the news that local legend of Carlisle, Dave (David Michael McGovern) of Strawberry Fields had passed away.

This has quite touched me as for my very first project at University myself and my friend Alex Hill went to visit Dave to study him and his shop to make an e-book on the experience. We had a bloody great time going back there day after day digging through countless amounts leather boots and t-shirts to end up uncovering suits of armour and collections of broken sunglasses.

The project ended up being a great success as we loved it and so did the tutors. To add to it, they mentioned that many students had tried to interview him and take his photograph before and he has either straight up refused them or just ignored them in great Dave style. So the fact that we got the chance to spend that time with him, learn from him and understand him, makes me feel very privileged.

But to quickly side track—the best part of that project and the visit was on the third or fourth day; he sat me and Alex down to ask us to remove a large shard of metal from the bottom of his foot, as he had been walking around with bare-feet in his studio. Safe to say I left that task to Alex.

I'm not sure how the rest of Carlisle felt about Dave but I know for myself and Alex we thought that he was an inspiration of freedom and a half closed book of great knowledge of things you would never need to know; but not needing to know them didn't make them any less interesting.

I will personally miss seeing him very much and I hope whatever happens to his shop and all his stock is treated with the respect and care he would of wished as he told us "All the stock in here isn't always strictly for sale because it's all collected from my life".

Here are a few images that I quite liked from around his shop:

Rest in Peace Sir Dave!

I will post some more images when I find them all!