When I went to visit Lorraine Rowland herself I was very, very nervous as this was my first portfolio visit. I had sent her an email asking her if there was any possible way I could meet with her for 10 minutes. Here is what I wrote to her in an email below:
I didn't receive an email back, which did not really surprise me
as I know that Graphic Designers have a lot of work on and of course
she was the boss of the company so I was very lucky to have some of
her time to myself.
I chose this company to ask for a portfolio visit as I think that
what they do is very similar to the things I want to produce when
I leave University to find a job.
It is very much based on working with advertising. Some of the clients
that they deal with are listed below:
A selection of clients
4imprint
Amber Jewellery
Appleton Thorn Village Hall
BioElite Telecom
Forrest Recruitment
Grace Scaffolding
Greystone Telecom
MRC- The Flava People
Perfumes-4u
Plastic Formers
They concentrate mostly on: Advertising, Brochures, Exhibitions,
Incentives, Logos, Packaging, Photography and websites.
Lorraine Rowland's company is based in Timperley Village I think
that is a good area for being able to work with no interruptions,
there is not alot of hustle and bustle so it is easier to concentrate.
I did was I said I was going to do and followed up with a phone
call on the Monday morning, 05/07/2010 and spoke to Lorraine and
she told me I could go in on Thursday 8th July 2010 at 14:00.
I arrived and showed Lorraine my portfolio. I basically went through
my work and she asked me any questions that she had as I was going
through it. She was a very nice lady and gave me some good constructive
criticism for my work.
I asked her a few questions whilst I was there as I understand again
that it is hard for people to get back to you sometimes when you want
something doing quickly as they have far more important things to be
thinking about.
Here's a brief contact report:
1. Where do you find your inspiration/ influences?
Well, really it depends on the client,
because we advertise I don't necessarily
think about specific artists, I watch
adverts, look at billboards that kind of
thing and I remember what I think has worked
well and sometimes use it for some clients.
When you have clients that come back to you
alot you will find that most of the time they
want the same style so you already know what
they're in to and what they want.. Otherwise,
most of it comes from the top of my head!
2. What do you enjoy most about your job?
I like having new challenges with clients
and doing things differently for example,
as the same clients I was speaking about
before I like trying to show them something
new that they would perhaps not normally go
for. Also, things such as exhibitions,
just a whole new look on things really.
New clients, completely different and new
for new ideas.
3. Is there any advice you'd give to graduates just leaving University?
The best advice I can give is to improve on
clients needs for example the Together Trust
work you have done recently is good when you
go for a job interview perhaps.
Always make sure that your portfolio relates
to the client/ workplace you are going to see.
Also another good thing to know is a bit
of background knowledge about the company so
you can have a detailed chat with the employer
and say how you can benefit their company.
Overall, Lorraine said that she was very
impressed with my portfolio and she was
mostly impressed with my Together Trust work
which is my most recent project. I really
enjoyed going to this visit as I feel it has
boosted my confidence for the next ones to come
and has given me more of an insight as to how to
go about my communication skills for future employers.
