Monthly Archives: December 2016

2016, a reflection

It has to be said, 2016 has been a turbulent year.

On a personal level, I feel that my life as I would have liked to have lived it has been altered forever by 17 million Brexiteers, I feel that my dreams and hopes have been dashed by Trump supporters, and more personally I feel like my compass point has been lost. It is this last point that I struggle to deal with the most - I am no longer wanted or required, I have been replaced, but as with all of the above, it is something I have to accept however bitter the pill. On a professional level, this year has also been a journey. I have finished in a very different place than I started both in terms of work style and location. All my previous freelance work had been carried out in my home office, working directly with clients of their projects, however, having noted a slow down of work coming through, I decided to take a full time contract with the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). This proved a fun experience, I gained some colleagues, office banter and socialising events - plus I got the chance to work on projects that could really shape the UK. However, the plan was always to move to London at some point in 2016 in order to pursue a more creative direction of work for my design portfolio, to work with experienced designers and to learn and develop as a graphic designer. Luckily for me the transition has been made a lot easier and smoother due to my contract with the IPPR who have offices both in Manchester where I started, and London where I am now based. I will be working with the IPPR until the end of January 2017, but after that, the world (well London) will be my oyster! I have started on the job/freelance hunt - so wish me luck!

I feel privileged to have worked with my clients

As I am sure many a freelancer feels, I feel a sense of pride in the fact that out of all the graphic designers in the world, people have chosen to work with me. Just as I reflect on 2016, I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with the likes of the IPPR, Equality and Human Rights Commission, JustLife, Leica Geosystems and the Cordant group to name but a few. I genuinely enjoy bringing projects to life and presenting something beyond the expectations of my clients, and although I have relocated this is something I aim to continue and build on.

To all my clients, friends and colleagues, I hope you have had a peaceful Christmas and wish you all the best for 2017 whatever it may bring.

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From the outset was enthusiastic about the project

Justlife, a leading organisation working with vulnerable people living in temporary accommodation in Brighton and Manchester has been working with the IPPR for the last 3 years. The final package, 'The Journey Home' contains not only a research report, but a handbook and a wall chart which visualises the journey of a person working through the temporary accommodation system, detailing the psychological impact of that journey.

The iceberg was a visual concept conceived by the Justlife team who were keen to produce a visualisation of their findings, having interviewed 45 homeless people and found similarities across all of their stories.

Charlotte Snelling, IPPR's lead researcher on this report, managed and co-ordinated the process between myself and Justlife, and here's what she had to say:

I worked with Elizabeth to develop a wallchart, to present the findings from a three-year research project examining the experience of individuals’ journeys into and out of unsupported temporary accommodation. At IPPR, we are always looking for new and innovative ways of presenting our research, to be able to engage with a wide and diverse audience and enjoy prolonged impact, exploring creative outputs which go beyond a traditional report structure. The wallchart designed by Elizabeth used the metaphor of an iceberg to demonstrate the different stages in one individual’s unsupported temporary accommodation journey. It was important for us to ensure the all our research participants were included – to reflect their contribution to the research and the variation in their experiences – and Elizabeth was able to manage to include this large amount of information in a way that was clear, visually appealing, and something organisations and agencies would want to put on their walls! It was great working with Elizabeth who from the outset was enthusiastic about the project and able to bring numerous ideas to the table, while also being responsive to the ideas from the research team.

  Having seen the visuals that Justlife were inspired by, I couldn't help but think this project would turn out successfully! I'm glad that the outcome went down well with both the IPPR and Justlife teams.
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London calling

So I decided to head south for the winter...

As of November I became a Londoner. I have been in somewhat of a personal rut for a good few months now, and as my oldest and wisest friend declared, I was in need of a change. I therefore decided to pack up my laptop and relocate to the big smoke in seek of my fortune, a change of pace and to see if the streets are actually paved with gold... Luckily for me I was able to transfer to the London office of the IPPR with whom I am currently working, and with my contract ending in January I am all set to find a new design role or freelance design work - which is exciting and mildly terrifying all at the same time.

So what is it I'm looking for?

Well, the ultimate job would be to work on the next 4 Fantastic Beast films with the folks at Mina Lima a fantastic exhibition of their graphic design work I was able to catch just this week. A definite must see for the Harry Potter fans amongst us... That aside, I would love to let my creative juices flow, be it with a graphic design or media agency, or working in house with a marketing or communications team. I definitely feel that my options have opened by ten thousand per cent now I am in London, and that the world is once again my oyster. Fingers crossed it turns out as awesome as I hope it does... I'll keep you posted ;)
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