Feedback from Celine Leterme

Some brilliant feedback from Celine Leterme which came about by ordering Eight:48 through CounterPrint which the design studio Leterme Dowling run on the side. I need to find out a postal address so I can send Celine a thank you card which I have designed also.

Celine:

No problems Hazel, hope it wasn't too strong. Just think it's not worth sugar coating. It's a good sign that you're even looking for feedback. Keep ups the good work, and best of luck with your career.

Celine
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Me:
Thanks Celine for such a detailed reply!

I definitely need to work on communicating confidence with my work... many others have told me likewise. I am currently working on a project to truely showcase the two areas which I am most interested in (layout and type) in one piece which hopefully will be a great addition to my portfolio and something I can be confident in showing to others.

I understand where you're coming from about as a graduate I will be doing the basics and will factor this into my future proposals and contact with professionals such as yourself.

Anthony Burrill is someone I hadn't looked into before but the image you sent with this email was perfect. The quote is brilliant and the typography is beautiful! Thanks for suggesting to look at his work.

I do have a Twitter account (@hazelgage) and am currently working on my own website which I hope to be up and running before the summer.

Thank you again, your feedback have been invaluable,

Hazel x

Celine:
Hi Hazel,

O.K, so I've looked through your sample and, on the whole, I think it's great that I can see you have an enthusiasm for design and that shows in the work. However, and this is just personal preference, I think you need to tone the CV down a bit.

People want to see that you can do the job, which usually when you leave college means setting type, working with layouts and generally being at the beckon call of the dreaded art director. This art director will receive hundreds (literally) of these a year so, yes yours needs to stand out, but for the right reasons. You need to show that you can be trusted doing the basics. Show you know how to work with good photography, type, illustration, editorial, digital, logos and identity systems.

I like the big type on the front and last page because it's memorable, but I don't really like how you describe your work in general, as it sounds like your talking to a child. Saying things like 'Are the positives clear in my negative type? Created to represent good in bad', sounds a bit cheesy to me and make you sound like you don't have confidence in your work. I know where your heads at with it, but you need to sell yourself more. Maybe for the big type, look at Anthony Burrill's work for inspiration. The fonts he finds from old wood block type are really quirky.

Overall, be serious in your tone. If your work is fun and creative it will speak for itself. Don't be afraid to revisit projects with your CV in mind. This is a major selling tool for you so you need to slave over it and keep tweaking.

Try and show a couple more picks of the Ted Baker project, as I think this is strong and try and apply your typography project to something. Get a little book printed and photograph that, or animate it and show it on an i-pad. It will have more impact. Also, if you don't have one, get a website with your work on, a related Twitter account and start networking.

I think the 'Layout' page is good because it shows practical skills that an employer can use. Maybe expand on this. Then one or two more projects would be ideal and a page with your CV details – what year you're in, where you're studying etc

Hope this helps! I'm sure some of this might be a bit annoying but I thought I'd give you a warts and all analysis.

Celine
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