Categories
Journal

Another Summer, Another Panic.

There’s always some sort of panic that occurs between students when summer roles around.

The overdraft is being used, there’s nothing to do for a few months, they need a job.

Something, anything to replenish the bank’s money.

Bad times as well to be looking this year due to the recession, all the jobs are gone before you even break up!

So what can you do? Well, there are plenty of ways of earning money off your own back, rather than working for someone else.

A couple of examples are mowing lawns, everyone who has a lawn is a potential customer, washing cars is a nice market, do it with a friend and it can be quite fun.

“But I’m older than 12!”, even though these jobs are very lucrative if done right, I see your point, they’re child’s play. Delegation, however, isn’t. What if you could get a few kids from you block, and you pay them £5 per car, but charge the customer £7-£10.

Money for nothing, just stay in charge, keep organised and outsource your tools to them, do the same with mowing lawns, painting a fence, menial tasks that need to be done that people can’t really be bothered to do.

If that still doesn’t tickle your fancy, how about utilising the skills you already have?

You’re a student, you’re studying whatever. Use it. There are so many people out there that could use your insight into whatever it is that you do. Networking? I’m sure you know more than just the basics and can offer very good prices for small businesses. Graphic designer? Sell your skills, you know the software more than the people that need the work done and you also have a better eye for it (hopefully).

Whatever you’re doing, there is some sort of a demand, but if all else fails… get a job.

Categories
Makings

New Glasses?

No no no, well yes, actually I made them today.

As you may know, I’ve given my blog a bit of a facelift.

I wanted something to go with this theme, minus all the technical changes I’ve done I wanted something that would be instantly associated with me.  Well, I took a long hard look at myself, and my most distinguishable features would probably have to be my eyebrows and glasses. Easy.

So after playing around with some photos, tracing my glasses and eyebrows in Illustrator I ended up with a nice simple little design, more of a logo actually. Yes. It will be my personal logo (looks like I might have to get some new business cards printed).

As you can tell I triplicated it with the motion of an eyebrow raise moving from one eye to another, obviously for a logo I would have just one set of glasses and eyebrows for the simplicity of it.

So anyway, they are on the site if you scroll down a little bit to the right in the sidebar.

Categories
Inspiration

Misc Business Card Designs.

I have found loads and loads of different business card designs, varied with letter pressed, transparent, metal, and a few more.

There is quite an extensive array here (63 to be precise), so I hope you enjoy.

[nggallery id=1]

Categories
Makings

6 Point Manifesto For Mechanics.

Yet another partner brief. My partner for this project being Chris Lovell (blog link coming soon).

The basic gist of the brief was to write a six point manifesto for a low paid workers of a certain area, ie. School dinner lady, minicab driver, all the way to a municipal gardener.

We got mechanics.

After talking to mechanics about the jobs we put together around 5-6 six point manifestos for different areas of being a mechanic such as manifesto to success, apprentice survival guide and some others. We followed through on a more general approach but with a slight twist.

We made a video. We had our points. We used sausages as human intestines.

The idea was in the thought that mechanics are a lot like surgeons, some points mentioned in the video obviously do not apply to surgeons, yet the film, after editing, in my opinion, worked out really well.

Being critiqued tomorrow. Hopefully go well. The critique went really well, they loved the concept and the little touches in the video, and a plus for us, there wasn’t a negative comment about any of it. Overall, a very successful project.

Here’s the Manifesto For Mechanics.

Categories
Journal

Have A Pen & Notebook/Pad At All Times.

This is essential.

As many of you may know, whether taking a bath, about to doze off to sleep or walking down the street ideas can manifest themselves in the blink of an eye, and when it happens, no matter how small/big/quirky/whatever, jot it down straight away, draw a picture maybe.

At any given moment, I’ve usually got my pen and moleskine in my back pocket just in case, yet I noticed on the train the other day why it’s so important to write down even those half finished thoughts, even if they don’t make sense at that time.

Why? Well if you didn’t clock it yet, here’s the beauty of it all.

You can go back to it, finish it off, just like a crossword puzzle. That one line, that one angle that you never thought of before but has suddenly taken an average idea and has potentially made it a great one.

That’s my 2 cents for the day as I’ve had some free time.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to do this though. Think of the notepad as a back up hard drive for your thoughts, just like the one for your computer.

Invaluable.

Categories
Inspiration

Slim Fast – Wedding Campaign.

I came across a Slim Fast campaign which targets the more festively plump brides-to-be.

This works because of the distortion of the iconic image of the couple on the cake, scaring, almost forcing the audience to buy this product purely to lose weight for their wedding. Very clever.

Ripped Dress
Ripped Dress
Sinking Groom
Sinking Groom
Fallen.
Fallen.
Categories
Inspiration

I’ve Grown To Accept This Fact.

Too true.
Too true.

This man has given it a shot though. Good attempt.

Indeed.
Indeed.
Categories
Inspiration

Google Business Card.

Thought this was quite a clever idea using the Google search page as a business card.

Looks familiar.
Looks familiar.
Categories
Journal

Leave It To Their Imagination.

The imagination is an incredible thing, and being in Advertising it’s an incredible thing to play on with your audience.

From childhood we’ve been using our imagination to produce some amazing things, for example, imaginary friends which later in life can possibly be used in the development of a cartoon series, another example, the Eiffel tower. It’s a bottomless pit of anything you want.

A good medium for it as Davit Trott mentioned is radio. When it comes to your imagination it works so much more effectively if you use your imagination to see what’s happening rather than it being put on a metaphorical plate for you to absorb.

This is why, it’s a good idea to make people imagine. Bear with me with this one, lets take a car, a Reliant Robin. Not very sexy or fast at all.

One angle for selling this auto mobile would be a standard car poster or a television advert that you see everyday, however, one problem.

It’s no where near as sexy as other cars, some may even say ugly.

So wouldn’t it be so much more effective if you managed to engage the audiences mind around the car, in the car, forcing them to imagine driving it?

Speak about the car, describe it’s curves, how econominal it is, the storage capacity it holds, it’s uniqueness, it’s quirkiness.

Put them in the car and make them feel it’s the right car for them. They want it.

Yet depending who you’re targeting at changes a lot of factors you could play on, one example is to be different, or vintage which a lot of the younger generation are into (for now).

The point is, if you’re able to tap into their mind, into their imagination, they will be putty in your hands.

Categories
Inspiration

Beta: Adopt A Dog Campaign

I came across this campaign and thought it was quite a clever yet funny series of adverts.

Late Night
Late Night
Playdog
Playdog
Smoking
Smoking

It definitely plays on the stereotype of teenagers which may be a bit cliché, but it works, it’s a breath of fresh air from the withered dogs with pleading eyes we’re used to seeing in the subway and on television.