Thursday 19 March 2009

Echo pic.


On my way to work I passed an accident.  I took this image that was used by the echo just after it happened.  It appeared in the newspaper and on the website.  The occupants (mother and baby) escaped but with serious injuries.  It was very misty at this particular time of day.     
        

Tuesday 17 March 2009

The Crisis brief is done!


The layout is now printed for our submission to the D&AD brief.  Here is the result.  The actual key was placed on to the board with a short length of string.  Anna and myself are very happy with the result.  This has been a great project to do.

Thursday 12 March 2009

FMP.


Yesterday at work, I met a chap by the name of Les, who was celebrating his 90th birthday with a trial flying lesson.  I had a chat with his friend Betty who told me that he was 'left behind' in Dunkirk during the war.  Apparently he had walked 1300 miles to get home.  Les had brought in the very boots that he wore for this amazing journey.  It was quite ironic that I had been talking to Kit on Monday about objects of relevance to my FMP project.  Not long after, I spoke to another club visitor.  Michael had been a worker in the Bourne Valley gasworks in Branksome when it was hit by an enemy aircraft during the war.  He told me that he was the only survivor from the canteen where the workers were eating during the hit.  I have taken telephone numbers so that I can interview these amazing people for my FMP.

Monday 9 March 2009

WRL (Work Related Learning)


I have started to write for the WRL unit.  I have initially written a Career Plan but this will move onto the essay itself.  We have a meeting today with Kit at 1.30.

WRL (Work Related Learning)

Jamie Cullen has emailed Eden Frankham and the meeting has been arranged for tomorrow (10th March) at 1.30. This is good timing as we have the Hamish Muir lecture at 10.30 and CV session at 12.30.

Sunday 8 March 2009

FMP.


At work today, I have started to make progress in the hunt for Pilots who have flown during the war.  A few of my customers have given me the names of some possible contacts.  At this stage I would ideally like to find Pilots who have flown from the old wartime runways in the locality so that I can gather information on their experiences and to find out about connected stories.  I also wanted to practice some aerial photography and so I managed to jump aboard one of our aircraft that was outbound to Somerset.  I wanted to get a shot of the Cerne Giant near Dorchester.  The result is above.  The chalk giant has apparently been 'raked' recently.  He really looks like an Illustrator vector graphic!

I wonder who put the roller skates on him! (they were not 'shopped' on!)

The Restaurant Canvases





Here are the images that were requested for the restaurant.  My images were printed onto a canvas type material and stretched onto a wooden frame.  I have had a great deal of positive feedback from the customers, especially regarding the large aircraft image.

Saturday 7 March 2009

Reflection on the year so far......

It's coming up to the time for the PPRD hand-in.  I have taken a look at the work that I have done in the second year of Vis Com so far and wanted to reflect on this.

The live work that I have done this year has been varied.  Most of the work that I have done has been for my employer at the Flying Club.  The club had been re-branded with a new logo that was designed by an outside designer.  My employer didn't know that I could have done this for them. Once they knew what I could do, there was quite a bit of 'live brief' work given to me!

This consisted of:-

An exhibition stand for the Bournemouth Airshow
Club leaflets  (tri-fold)
Trial lesson certificates
Internal advertising for premises
Signs for outside the premises including liaising with the sign cutter
Aerial photography and other images for Website
New logo for the Social Club itself
Phonebook and Industry magazine advertising
Training material for Trainee Pilots (Powerpoint etc)
Images for the re-fitted restaurant (printed onto canvas screens)

In addition to this I have submitted work to the Dorset Business Awards (last year), The MAA brief, and I am still working with Anna on the D&AD Crisis brief.

Looking back on the year, I have enjoyed the briefs that I had undertaken.  The MAA was fun working as a team with Anna and Adam.  I was satisfied with the logo, but would have liked a little more time for the Web templates.  The Crisis brief is still live and we have worked hard to come up with a solution.  We were slow to start with, and really finding it hard to come up with an original idea.  We looked at many different possibilities, but eventually came up with the 'key' concept.  Getting the key made was made possible by the workshops on campus who let us use a laser-cutter to cut out the key itself.  We are now working on the poster to be submitted now that the key is complete.  Not long until the deadline!

Sometimes it can be hard when it comes to the coursework.  Life is pretty busy and getting the balance of work and study can be a challenge.  I feel happy with the way the course is going, but sometimes I feel that I lag a little!  I feel the help and support that I get is superb, especially when I get those 'brick wall' moments! Personally, I would also like to learn the software more and once the course has finished, I know that I will be able to do this.

We are now embarking on the Final Major Project.  I have come against some 'brick wall' moments but I am now going in a positive direction.

I now manage time better. I didn't realise how disorganized I was!  I now make notes of what I need to do each week and this certainly helps. 

CV (Updated)


I have now updated my CV for the PPRD hand-in.

Friday 6 March 2009

PPRD

I have printed off my portfolio work and just need to check over my C.V.  I have been running a Blog from the very start of the first year and have found this to be a great way to show what I have been doing at The Arts Institute.

WRL (Work Related Learning)

We are possibly meeting Eden Frankham on Tuesday as he has appointments on Monday.  Just awaiting confirmation.

Information Graphics


I have been looking at various information boards for displaying to tourists.  I particularly like this design.  I will be looking at other examples too.

Congratulations!

After many days of waiting, the winning team has been announced for the MAA brief. Luke Carre and Chris Matthew have done it again! Well done guys!  


D&AD Crisis


Another shot for submission.  I am having a few problems getting a sharp image at close range.  The actual text on the keyring needs to be more legible!  I will go and have a chat with the photography department to see if they have a macro lens that I could use.  May have to do it next week as I need to prepare for the FMP crit this afternoon with Mike.

Thursday 5 March 2009

D&AD Image


Today we had a go at the photography needed for the Crisis brief. Luckily Dan Hodson had a camera with him as I had left mine at home- Thanks Dan!

D&AD (CRISIS)


This is the key with the tag attached.  Anna and I need to photograph it and produce the printed material required for submission. Hopefully Dan will have his camera with him this afternoon so that we can complete the project.

FMP.


I have been looking at Graphic Navigation Systems as part of the FNP.  I particularly like this book cover due to the simplistic shapes used within the design.

WRL (Work Related Learning)

Following our email to Eden Frankham, we have received a reply to say that he is happy to talk to us and we need to arrange a day that we can all go together.  Hopefully all of us can do the same day. Incidently, the group for FMP consists of Jamie Cullun, Jenny Cant, Chris and myself.

Wednesday 4 March 2009

CRISIS update.

I have spoken with Neil with regards to the Crisis Brief and myself and Anna will put together the images and text required for the poster.  We need to find a plastic keyring to complete the model key.

WRL (Work Related Learning)

On Tuesday, I met with fellow student Jamie Cullen in order to discuss possible visits to various design studios.  Jamie and I have a similar interest in the direction that we want to proceed. During the Vis Com course, I really enjoyed the Web Site creation and feel that this is a good route for me to pursue.  I also enjoy the photography and print elements of graphic design.  My original plan was to go 'freelance' after course completion, but I now feel that I would learn and benefit so much more by working for an employer first.  

We have sent an email to Eden Frankham, an ex student of  The AIB who has set up a business within The Enterprise Pavilion.  We hope to be able to visit him to find out how he went about setting up his business.  Hopefully we will hear back soon.

We will also see Hamish Muir (8VO) who will be at The AIB on the 10th March.

Our next group 'WRL' meeting will be on Monday 9th March,

Tuesday 3 March 2009



Other interesting structures from the air.

FMP.





Today I have been looking at interesting buildings from the sky.  One of the structures that fascinate me are the 'Gasometers' that contain domestic gas.  These round tanks regulate the supply pressure to the homes in the vicinity.  The Gasometers are gradually being phased out due to the introduction of alternative storage solutions.  The Gasometers are deemed 'unsightly' by many, although some have been made 'listed buildings'.
 

Monday 2 March 2009

WRL (Work Related Learning)

Today we had the second session with Kitt and Neil.  The group discussed visits to design companies that are relevant to our intended career paths.  We also discussed the ways that companies can be approached and the questions that can be asked.  It all about forward planning!
The group will also contact last years students in order to find out where they are working and how they arrived there.

We will meet again with Kitt next Monday at 13.30. 

Sunday 1 March 2009

Club project completed.

I was asked to obtain images and to have them printed onto canvas for the New Bournemouth Flying Club restaurant.  The finished canvas prints were delivered to the club yesterday and were mounted on the walls.  The new manager of the club was really happy with the final result.  One of the images is in the reception area and looks superb.  It was printed 1000mm high (portrait).  I have had many complimentary remarks and feel satisfied the mission is complete! 

PPRD Portfolio

In preparation for the PPRD hand in, I have spent quite a bit of time preparing sheets that can be inserted into an A3 folder for submission.  I will print these out tomorrow morning at The Institute.  Once this is done, I will concentrate on the FMP.  I still feel uneasy about the FMP and need to do more research this week coming.  In addition, Anna and I will need to speak to Neil about the D&AD brief regarding our possible submission.  Time is flying by!  

Friday 27 February 2009

Work Related Learning.

Yesterday I had a session with Justin, a creative who came in to kick off the WRL unit.  It was interesting to hear about the path that he has taken so far.  It has made me think more about where I want to go and be!  I originally started the Fda with the intention of becoming 'freelance' but I now know that I need to gain valuable experience within a studio environment.  I know that with the skills I have gained I could work for myself, but employment is a preferable option!  

FMP Crit.

Yesterday I had a crit with Mike with regards to my FMP idea.  My idea is to create a book of arial images of old airfields and landmarks that are slowly disappearing from the landscape with the passing of time.  Mike made a valid point that my idea needs to be widened up to other possibilities.  I agree with his comments as the book may be a bit too biased towards photography rather than a graphic design aspect.  Ideas eminated from the crit and I will now look into other ideas including a large format poster on the arial subject.  It could be a Tourist Information poster for instance or a fictitious walk that could be created for ramblers. 

Thursday 26 February 2009

PPRD

Last night I embarked on gathering my work for my portfolio.  I have all the original files but I need to design sheets for presentation purposes.  Once this is completed, I will get them printed for insertion into a portfolio folder.

Tuesday 24 February 2009

FMP

Having now decided to do the 'aviation photography' idea for my FMP, I need to start gathering and researching heavily into this area.  I intend to use the library on Thursday and Friday to look at this topic.  I am slightly concerned about how I will plan my time with this project but I know that it will come together.  I will also talk to people at the airport who may be able to help me with the research.

PPRD

My focus needs to be on the PPRD hand in that is due next month as well as the FMP.  I have kept my Blog running throughout the projects and regularly post images of work produced.  I need to gather the best work and have this printed onto A3 sheets for insertion into an A3 folder.

D&AD Crisis.

Now that the MAA submission is completed, Anna and myself will concentrate on finishing the 'Crisis' project that is due in March.  The key-tag needs to be printed and attached to the key with string.  Once this is done, the key will be photographed so that we can create a poster that can be submitted.  Ideally the plastic key would have been red in colour but the workshops only had clear plastic so I think we are going to need to do a bit of 'photo-shopping' when the image is shot.  We are thinking of having the key lying on a doormat below a letterbox although I think myself and Anna will discuss other possibilities.  I will speak to Anna this Thursday.

MAA presentation.

Last wednesday Anna and Adam presented the MAA logo, powerpoint template and mini-website to the panel. Unfortunately I could not attend as I was away.  The result was extremely positive and our design has been taken into consideration alongside two other designs.  We now wait to see the result!

Tuesday 17 February 2009

FMP.

Following a bit of a stressful day on Friday, I have now decided to pursue the Aviation Photography route for my FMP.  I am now researching into this area and writing up my Learning Agreement for the hand-in.

Prep for MAA presentation.




Today, Anna, Adam and myself put together a Powerpoint document and a website for the presentation tomorrow. It has been quite an experience as we had a few problems with Powerpoint and also aligning some text in Illustrator! (what on earth happened there!).  I will be away for the presentation, but Anna and Adam are confident that they are ready.
I have really enjoyed working as a group on this MAA brief.  It has had a few ups and downs but has been carried along by laughter!

Thursday 12 February 2009

Mood Board for FMP.


I created a mood board to inspire ideas for my idea!

Wednesday 11 February 2009

Black and White.


I have been looking at B&W portrait photography in conjunction with an idea for my FMP.  I came across this fantastic image on my travels.  It definitely inspires questions to be answered. The fingers must have a story to tell. 

FMP!

I am considering a different idea for the FMP.  I'm not totally happy with my initial ideas.  I am currently looking at the subject of the human ageing process.  I have been looking at many photography books at the AIB library and was particularly amazed by the book titled 'Snogging' by Rankin.  The images were amazing, and touch something that most people have done and do but find embarrassing to talk about. The images appeared to be free from 'shoppping' and some were a little shocking! 

Looking at the various books has inspired me to find a subject that I can communicate with using photography.  I am looking into how people look in later life compared to when they were younger.  When I find a picture of me when I was younger, the first thing most people say is "oh my god, you had hair!"  One possibility is to find volunteers who have no objection to being photographed whilst holding a picture of themselves at a younger age.  I would like to look into the lifestyles of these individuals and see if that has a bearing on their health and appearance.  In this day and age, we live in a world where image and appearance is high on peoples lists.  I would also like to find out various information with regards to whether the individual has been married, how physically active they are/have been and their eating and drinking habits.

I would like to use this particular project in order to improve and explore the art of portrait photography.  The idea would be to use a 'coffee table' book to display the work in an interesting and thought evoking manner.  I could also create a website to display the work too.

MAA.

On Tuesday, we met up to discuss and create the templates for the power point presentation.  The layout was decided and placed into Powerpoint.  The file was saved but when opened up again, the logo had mysteriously appeared twice and had taken on the shape of an egg!  This maybe because the logo was dragged straight from Illustrator onto the Powerpoint slide.  Need to sort this out for sure!

The webpage has yet to be sorted.  We will discuss this during the week.

 

Canvas prints for Flying Club.

I am currently working on a set of photos that will be placed around the New Bournemouth Flying Club.  This is the first one that was printed approximately 1metre x 1.5.  The image is printed onto canvas and mounted on a wooden frame.  This one will be in the reception area of the club and will be the first of about 8 in total to be mounted at various points within the building.

Sunday 8 February 2009

MAA live brief logo


A bit of experimentation with the MAA logo following chat with Matt Desmier.  

Friday 6 February 2009

MAA live brief logo

Anna, Adam and myself have come to an agreement on the logo that we have created.  We intend to use the globe version but this will be converted to black and white for photocopier purposes.  We will meet on Monday 7th to discuss the web and power point templates.  

Thursday 5 February 2009

Friday Group Tutorial with Sally

My idea of  'self sustainability' for the FMP was presented.  I had some great feedback on the initial concept.  Sally is definitely pushing my thought processes from the initial idea.  I agree that I am making the idea a bit too personal to my own preferences and I need to appeal to a greater audience.  I like the 'mud hut' building that was suggested by Emily and will look further into other methods that can be used to build cheap environmentally friendly housing. 

Wednesday 4 February 2009

Final Major Project

Last week I looked at possible ideas for the Final Project and was a little stumped.  Over the past couple of days I have given it some serious thought and have now a couple of areas that I could venture into.  The strongest one that I have would be on the subject of being self sufficient within the home.  I would look at the various ways that money could be saved, for instance by using solar energy and wood burning heating as ways to reduce bills and the impact on the environment.  This is a personal favourite of mine as I would love to live this way.  The other area could be in Aviation on the subject of aerobatic flying.  This is an area that I have experienced for myself as I have a thirst for adrenelin and the feeling of complete freedom that this type of flight brings.  I will think further on other ideas.  

Crisis update.

Anna and myself have been working on the brief for a while and now have the actual plastic keys that we want to use for the mail-shot.  Unfortunately the engineer who cut them didn't have a red colour that would match the Crisis logo, so we have clear instead.  Jeremy who cut them has been very helpful in this process.  We have decided to use a stringed paper tag with the word 'uncomfortable' on one side and the website address on the reverse.  The next step is to photograph the key on a doormat and create a poster for submission to D&AD. 

ad.



I did this ad for yet another aviation magazine called 'Todays Pilot'

Tuesday 3 February 2009

MAA live brief logo


Anna, Adam and myself have come up with a few initial logo's for the MAA brief set by Matt.
The above logo was created using colours from the 3 councils logos.  All the logos have a blue in them but the above use the second primary colours.  The idea is to show them merging into each other and working together.

Monday 2 February 2009

Wednesday 28 January 2009

My Portfolio Website.

Following the purchase of my domain name, I have now published my website for all to see.  I now know how to upload the site via Dreamweaver and how to deal with the remote files.  I have really enjoyed this project and look forward to doing some more sites.
Crisis project so far....

Myself and Anna have been working on this project for several weeks now.
Our initial ideas started with a moving image box that would have a money slot.  When a pound (or two) were placed into a bubble gum type slot, the image would change on the top of the box.  It could have been a sad face of a homeless person changing to a happy one.  The self addressed box could then be posted back to crisis with the donation inside.  Our second idea was to use furniture advertising as a way of drawing the viewer and having images of several sofas and an image of a park bench.  Still not excited by our initial ideas, we researched further into homelessness and the target audience.  We looked at the idea of making the viewer think about what it would be like to actually not have a home to go to.  I looked at the idea of having a key that wouldn't fit a lock.  Imagine if you had a key that was totally useless-How vulnerable would you feel?  We  decided to have an uncut key that would be totally useless and to put the crisis logo on the round top area.  We discussed the possibility of having a key fob with the Crisis web address and some relevant words that related to homelessness.  We have so far decided  that we will use a paper tag attached to the key with the text on it.  We may write the text on the tag by hand.  We feel that the key will be a magnet to the viewer as it would be laying on the door mat with the daily post.  This we feel will inspire curiosity and further investigation!

Here is the Crisis Key. 
Anna picked them up from the University workshops today.  The keys look superb!  Thanks goes to Jeremy in the Laser Cutter workshop who sorted them out for us.

Thursday 22 January 2009




Today is a momentous occasion.  I have purchased the domain name of:-

 www.martincruzecreative.com  

I want you to stare at it. Take a screenshot of it. Copy and paste it, and remember it for ever more. 

That includes Goldfish too. 



Tuesday 20 January 2009


I created some slides for a powerpoint presentation for flight training purposes.  They are now on the club site too.

Friday 16 January 2009

I spent last night trying to get my site working in dreamweaver.  It seems to flow ok and I now need to add the actual portfolio image to the thumbnails that I created.  I think I went to bed at some point last night!  I guess I could actually be dreaming that I am sat her writing this!

Myself and Anna spent yesterday sorting out the keys for the Crisis concept that we have arrived at.  The workshops here at the Uni have a laser cutter that will cut out plastic in a precise manner.  We created the key image in Adobe Illustrator and this will be used to allow the cutter to follow the 'stroke' lines to cut out the plastic.  We are quite excited about the concept but still need to come up with a strap line to support the key.  The key will have a tag attached with text relating to Crisis.  The idea of the key is that it is a new un-cut clean key that you wouldn't be able to use to open any door at all.  Imagine if you only had this key, how vulnerable would you feel!

Thursday 15 January 2009


An up-dated ad for the magazine 'Todays Pilot'.  I placed in a pound sign lower down instead of the 'e' in the word lower.  Client loves it.
The D&AD brief.

Well, this is my first blog with regards to the D&AD brief.  I am working with Anna and we decided to do the 'Crisis' charity one.

The past few weeks have been spent researching 'Crisis' and also the homeless situation in the locality.  Its was surprising (or was it?) that Bournemouth Council has accounted for 5 people sleeping on the street as opposed to the figure of 22 known by the 'Big Issue' magazine office.  There will be more than that too!  

Following the initial research, we sat down and exchanged ideas.  The initial concept was to have a mobile phone sized box that would have a picture on the front that would change when a pound coin was pushed into the side of it.  The other idea was to play on advertising for furniture stores.  We looked at the way adverts were constructed and concidered the idea of a sofa ad with one of the images being a park bench.  The idea was to make the viewer aware of the homeless situation and what it would be like to be there.  In the current recession, for many people, this would not be too far away.

Our 'hot' idea at present is to use the idea of a door key.  A blank un-cut door key would be no good to anybody as you would not be able to get into any house at all.  This would certainly make you feel vulnerable of this was the only key that you had.  For the purposes of the mail shot, the key could be simply dropped through the letterbox.  Anyone finding a key on the floor would instantly pick it up wondering where it was from!  On the key there would be the crisis logo, perhaps as the profile of the teeth of a cut key.  There could also be a keyfob with the wording "this isn't your key, but it could be."

Today I will talk further with Anna.




Monday 12 January 2009


Another ad that I created for 'Todays Pilot' magazine to draw attention and promote the 'hire' side of my employers business.  I wanted the ad to stand out from all the other 'run of the mill' ads that feature pictures of aeroplanes! 



Experimentation with the slice tool in Photoshop.
The slice tool allows you to slice up your web page layout and create areas that can be used for linking purposes.  The image can then be optimized and saved for web.  The resulting files can then be imported into Dreamweaver.
WHY??????

Just recently I have had trouble uploading images onto blogger.
Anybody else having the same problem?

Thursday 8 January 2009

Tuesday 6 January 2009


The homeless chap in Mc Donalds. Food for thought for the Crisis Project.
I was waiting for Borders to open this morning in order to do some research for the 'Crisis Brief'.
I decided to have a coffee in the Mc Donalds and there were a couple of homeless people sat in there having a coffee and trying to get warm from the temperatures outside, which were around about minus 5 degrees.  It was definitely food for thought.

 



Monday 5 January 2009


The 'Go Flying' magazine used one of my night shot pics (December 08 issue).
Well, that's Christmas all done-back to the work!

Unfortunately I didn't get much project work completed over the festive period due to a week of the flu (never had it like that and mega-family commitments but i'ts all steam ahead now.
I'ts incredible how little time we have now with regards to the course.  Theres still lots to do, and my priority at the moment is the Crisis D@AD project and the Website Portfolio.
Over Christmas, I was given a copy of the Lynda Dreamweaver book which I have started working through.  I will doing my portfolio site in Dreamweaver as opposed to Flash.