Week 22

We were given the one week project on Friday, and it turned out to be this. I’ve gone for the Nivea young range because I’ve already done all the research for my other project. It’s going well, today I am working on my initial board, am hoping to have it all laid out and done by the end of today.

The deliverables are three A2 boards, one initial ideas, one development of ideas and one of finals in context and justification. Wooohaaaa.

In other news, I have been taken on for Easter work placement with Creativtypes! Woooohoooo! It’s going to be wicked, am going to work there Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Fri and then work for Bulb Wednesday. It’s all going rather smoothly.

Last night was a bit of a disaster, Sam and I were supposed to get the bus home but I ended up getting on it on my own. This was because she had been told the wrong bus terminal and then missed the bus completely. Disaster. Luckily she is home now but has to go back to London anyway! Confusion.

Dan and I made amazing venison stew this weekend. It was fantastic. We threw everything in, sausages, venison, bacon, an absolute ton of root vegetables and beef stock. It was so good Dan kept joking I was going to leave him for Stew (yes, we named it then ate it).

Also, the pettiness is getting worse. I thought we’d left that behind in secondary school but apparently not. “You just don’t get it” I haven’t been told that in a long time.

The construction interview

It has been really busy this week, as the formative dissertation structure presentations are tomorrow, and while it is in the early stages I’m not confident yet about presenting it to people. But today is the day for working on it. There is a feeling that I’m not doing as much research as I could be for the dissertation, and will have to remedy that today.

In other news, ventured home on Monday till Wednesday morning for the interview at Willmott Dixon. It was lovely, got to see my lovely family while claiming travel expenses. However, the interview was good but difficult. The psychometric testing in particular was a bit of a mind melt, especially the logic questions. They messed my brain up quite a bit simply because with all logic things (or so it seems) the language is slightly hard to grasp. Give me Shakespeare any day.

So they weren’t quite sure what to do with me. According to my personality test I am a sales person. I influence people round to my point of view, usually in order to sell them things. I admit I do do that, but I would never use my powers for evil. That’s probably why they’re so interested in me, they want me as a front like Hayley (the friend who fast tracked me bless her) is for the company. She is so immediately likeable, so she is a great networking person to have at the front. Love her to bits bless her. Anyway, they might place me in another company called Rethinking that is a subsidiary of WD, or with the actual Design Managers despite the fact I have absolutely no construction knowledge. But then they might not offer me anything, and if I do accept any offers I have to stay there for 4 years minimum. Can I, the commitment phobe, commit myself for that long?

The as yet un-named pole of wonder

After weeks of talking and thinking about it, here is the pole of wonder in all it’s glory. It cost £160 (hence the debating) but all the second hand ones go for about £130 if not more, so £25 each for 5 months of glorious wonder is definitely worth it! It hasn’t got a name yet but I’m sure one will emerge eventually. It is so beautiful though.

Building the pole with the help of housemate Adam:

In it’s natural habitat:

Sam is the master of the pole, it is official.

Week 20 bitchiness

WHat would the world be like if more people thought before they spoke? Would we have more civilized conversation? Would more people explode because they couldn’t let every little thought that ever entered their heads out into the world? Would less people get offended because their peers weren’t constantly getting at them with tiny little jabs they didn’t even think about? Would we get more done because people stop bothering each other with their thoughts? Or would the world be a poorer place because there would be no spontaneous rambling of ideas?

“People aren’t here Brian because they don’t have any good work to show you.” Ha. That didn’t sound like a statement that was very well thought out. Well done.

No! No! No!

Just found out our one week project is Friday 22nd  hand in Friday 29th. No! The exact time I’m going on the coach to see Dan for the weekend and we were going to have our anti-valentines. No! No! No! Stress levels have just jumped to the red zone. The big red flashing klaxon zone. If I had managed to keep the no-swearing Lenten vow it definitely would have been broken just now. Repeatedly.

Joy!

How could I forget to say this: We are getting our own pole! Sam and I have split it so it’s £82.50p each and it keeps it’s resale value really well, all second hand poles go for about £150 is not more. This is brilliant, get a little knot of excitement every time I think about it. But geekiness prevails, the ‘poledancing’ playlist has been set up on Itunes and no doubt I will scour last.fm for inspiration Excitement!

Week 20

Tiny break from work. Today is focusing on periods and how women’s sanitary product habits can be broken down into categories which will gretaly influence the outcome of my final design and campaign. D&AD onyl ask for the rebranding and packaging btu the conclusion is emerging that in order for it to be successful it needs to have a campaign backing it up or it will fade into obscurity like Happy Shopper. There’s no link behind that comparison, I just haven’t thought about Happy Shopper in a while.

I am now working for Bulb and Bulbroots on a Wednesday afternoon but also during the week in my-own-time-whenever-I-feel-like-it styleeeeee. It will be a lot of fun and very rewarding, and I am getting over the Fear slowly. Currently just been given project where will manage extension of Geotag project and document Leicester’s changes every month for a year I think. Means will have to keep coming back to Leicester or stay here for the duration of the project but who knows, that may become a viable option a bit later on. Still feel a bit nomadic in terms of housing and things, but that’s probably best because staying in one place too long could become stagnant.

The wakupmakeup people are currently away so their projects are on hold. Not sure I fully understand what they want me to do, another meeting and chat is needed. The creativtypes people who I met on Monday haven’t got back to me yet about whether they want me to work or not. I will chase them next Tuesday, as over week is enough time to warrant a prompting. I also am a little nervous about the Willmott Dixon interview on Tuesday because it’s such a daunting thing to have a whole day interview process. I will conquer the Fear, it will not beat me. But on the bright side I get to see my family and my Grandma who I haven’t seen in ages. That’s more than enough incentive to go for it.

So the business sets in, but to be honest it is paying off because:

76% for CAD

74% for RSA project (Gillette razors)

72% for Sloane project

Shocking, but makes me feel warm inside. 2:1 here I come.

Argh

Why do I keep torturing myself? Keep trying to do everything the hardest way possible. It’s rubbish! Only 5 more rooms to visualise…… aaaaarrrrggghhhh

Work experience goodnesssssssssssss

Amazing. I now potentially work for three design companies, assisting in the launch of two and hopefully being taken on by a third. It’s amazing what you get when you offer your services for freeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Now all I have to do is invent a time machine so I can do all of this and my degree at the same time. It’ll be alright, I’m hardcore.

In other news, I am putting off the visualisation of the office design because it’s so insanely intensive. Although I have started my own sketchbook again but finding the time to actually draw in it is proving difficult. But keep finding things to stick in it, and I will scan the whole thing in for the digital portfolio when it’s more populated. Oh, and Dan’s coming this weekend which is wicked, we’re going to go out walking and things, playing with digital cameras as we go. Could really do with the time machine.

Argh am so excited about starting all these jobs, and looking forward to the Wilmot Dixon interview. The theory is that I can always turn it down if it is not what I want to do. Just really hoping I don’t get sucked under or burn myself out offering all this work experience. But only time will tell.

Week 18

I have been very aware that the last few posts have been nothing but me ranting on about how wonderful my life is. So in an attempt not to turn into one of those arrogant twats that I hate so much, here is a concisely bullet pointed list of everything that has happened so far, in no particular order of importance:

The children’s exhibition went so well, spent the whole day there volunteering and it was wicked, with such a good turnout and amazing short film. It was wicked to see what Sam actually does as well! The film was wonderful, and the photos were so beautiful. Check out Bulbroots for a whole run down and the panoramic shots. The kids took them and Dan photoshopped them, and they came out beautifully.

The friction burn on my wrist is still there from last week,

I have not only been taken on by Bulb, I have offers from two other design companies for work experience, one of which I am meeting tomorrow,

Trying to get on Willmott Dixon’s fast track one year training program for design managers, it looks fun to play with buildings,

Absolutely click with Sam, we have long discussions about relevant issues which is fantastic. (or should it be “Fascinating!”) Haven’t had someone on my wavelength for quite a while,

Looking forward to starting with Bulb properly a week on Wednesday, it’s going to be immense and so so much fun,

Think am starting to get caffeine addiction headaches again, which is rubbish. But love coffee far too much to give it up even for a day. That’s a bad sign.

Office design is coming on well, have just finished floor plan and start on detailed imagery tomorrow,

Menstruation project is coming on very well, have got to write questionnaire questions to send out to assess people’s attitudes to periods and the like,

Dissertation also coming along but am having trouble deciding on final questions to send to the JIIC people, mainly because I have so many and don’t want them to get bored!

Oh, also met a guy called Dan who works for Pedestrian and went to all the same Sykefield parties as me last year! Random!

It’s a wonderful year. (said in a non arrogant way)

Goodnight.