Portfolio Tip: Designing Layouts

As someone who straddles between visual communication design and the design of wearable garments as my chosen avenue of design, I find that I am able to marry the two with more ease than most people who limit themselves to one discipline. Here’s a method I use in order to save time when designing my portfolio later on.

I used the same vector illustrations, technical flat drawings, the same line name, and a random description to experiment with layout. The following two examples are some of my earlier work, each took about 5 mins. It’s so much fun to do, and very quickly you will have a library of layouts you could use when you actually start developing your portfolio.

I did these in Adobe Illustrator, but they could just as easily be done in Photoshop, InDesign, or even the good old fashioned paper-and-scissors method.

There is always the option of adding more features to the layouts to communicate what you want (i.e. style descriptions, SKU plans, mood boards, colour swatches, target market images, etc.).

Another pro: the speed at which this can be done makes it easier to criticize your work and really see if there is a major problem with your layouts in communicating your work most effectively.

Trust me, fashion students spend countless hours working on their portfolios. Time spent perfecting layout could be better spent on revising your actual work or moving on to something new and fresh, after all, we in fashion are notorious for our mutability, so why not allow ourselves to be truly creative rather than bogged down by nitpicky layout details? It’s all about getting things done productively and making the most of your time – Hope this helps!

Models, TV, and the Ugly Truth

I don’t usually review TV, but I have something to say. (Hey, I’m only human, I succumb to guilty pleasure television ie. Gossip Girl and the Hills.)

Last night’s CNTM reminded me of high school girlfights – I guess they are only 18/19. So whatever. Looking at these 4 pictures right now and asking myself if I would buy the product that these girls are advertising, I would not give Nikita a second look (she just looks like any girl picked off the street there – pretty, but nothing special), Meaghen’s I would do a double-take simply because it looks amateur for Covergirl. And Linsay’s picture is beautiful, but it would not sell the product to me because somehow she isn’t emanating a Covergirl-esque energy. Maryam, on the other hand, looks beautiful and happy. Isn’t that what they are looking for? Putting all four photos together and my eye jumps right to Maryam.

I’m glad that she’s going back to school. Frankly, I don’t care if she’s the best model in the world. As a model, you have to shape yourself to other people’s demands – you are not ever really free to be yourself, unless that self is lucrative, and then it will only be lucrative for a short while. And then what? You see the ugly side already on television when their job is to make more girls want to apply for the next round so that they get another round of advertisers so they can make money. What is the ugly side? The self-deprecation, the insecurities, the empty determination to be something. I’m sure there’s a lot more about the industry they can’t show to the millions of teenage girls who watch. And the judges seem to point a bad finger at those who don’t seem to “want it” like they should want the holy grail. The glamour of the industry is a lure. I hope these girls see modelling as either a platform to do something else for the world or simply a fun way to make money, not their life-long dream. Because really, at 18/19, do they really know what they stand for? Props to them if they do, but I’m 21 and I am only starting to understand what I stand for.

So in conclusion: CNTM, I am disappointed. I know your job is to make money. I think Maryam’s picture would make more money if that’s the bottom line. But what-evs, I know it’s just TV. That is why I wrote this post, to demonstrate that TV is mostly just entertainment made to make money. If they wanted a true top model, they already have model scouts scanning the globe for tall, beautiful girls with the “it” factor.

Anyway, I decided I’m gonna stop watching TV. Since I’ll be moving out next week, I won’t have a TV anyway. Looking forward to that.

I ♥ You Click: July 7, 2009

Hi, welcome to another round of clicks I find worthy of sharing with you. Enjoy!

Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard

I think everyone and anyone interested in business, apparel,  sustainability, and/or ethics (which should be everyone), should have a read at this 2005 article, which is full of rich insights in balancing a multi-million dollar business with ethics and holistic philosophy  - the focus is adventure- apparel company Patagonia. I am fascinated by the world of business and great businesspeople, and although it remains a conundrum to grow and profit while doing the best that you can for the world, Chouinard reminds us that it can be done well to benefit the consumer, the company, and the world at large. Although fast forward 4 years and his philosophies have caught up in the world of business – it really is amazing how quickly the world changes, one step at a time.

Blurb as follows: “Can you take a company to the top when you can’t stand nearly everything about traditional business and what it represents? You can if you’re Yvon Chouinard. In an exclusive excerpt from his new management guide, Let My People Go Surfing, Patagonia’s contrarian founder talks about breaking the rules—and creating the world’s most iconoclastic adventure-apparel company.

Di Mainstone

Trained in fashion design at Central Saint Martin’s, Di Mainstone is at the forefront of the haute tech fashion movement. Her work has been sold at Selfridges, Urban Outfitters, and Harvey Nichols prior to a career pioneering wearable technology – her body of work includes Skorpions, a set of kinetic electronic garments that move and change on the body on organic motion.

Crunchwear

A blog showcasing the latest in wearable technology, smart fabrics, wearable electronics, and intelligent clothing, with a great extensive list of company links that do work in this field. Great resource for those interested in wearable tech.

A Whole New Mind

Not exactly an internet read, but this book, A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, although published in 2006, is even more relevant today than it was 3 years ago. It was required reading for my Creativity and Innovation class at school, and it is easy to see why – the book is one of those rare books on the required reading list that I find worthwhile. I usually revel in the newness of books and that is why I refrain from writing notes or folding corners in books, but for this one, so many parts resonated with me that the corners are folded down in many places. Must read chapter: Abundance, Automation and Asia. No scratch that, just read all of it.

One of my favorite quotes from the book: “To be a designer is to be an agent of change” – Barbara Chandler Allen

If you have a passion for design but are not quite sure why, or if you still struggle in finding the value and meaning behind a designer’s work, this book will help you immensely, as it did for me.

Polyvore: Eye candy

I love this site! It is so visually stimulating, and we in fashion always love great eye candy. Users mix and match products from stores and create visual boards. I love seeing how people put things together to create style. As someone who loves fashion but isn’t too concerned about my own personal sense of style, I look to these people to get a better understanding of how fashionistas put things together to express themselves, so that as a designer I can help them fulfill that aim and create clothes that they will love.

Apparently this is the web’s largest fashion community, I’m glad I discovered it now. Its kind of hard to keep up with all the new media fashion sites, but there are so many for a good reason – people just love them because so many people love fashion.

Thank you to the internet for making my job so much easier. Of course, nothing beats observing what people actually wear in the real world, but there is hardly an excuse to be a bad designer anymore with all the resources available today. Aren’t we lucky?

What’s Gonna Go Down Here

Hi everyone! I don’t know what to write about today, so I thought I might write about what I am anticipating over the next year (and therefore, what you should anticipate reading about). Hopefully this post will allow you to get to know me more personally.

My fall semester schedule has been set, and I will have school from 9-5 2 days a week, which does not seem like a lot at all, but believe me, I’m already suspect of the amount of work that will need to be done. I am so excited I can barely contain it! To be able to work on a complete project from conception to market research to production has been my dream since I was 7 and I will finally have the opportunity to do it in a safe setting. I have a general-almost-specific idea of the market niche I will be designing for, but that will have to be fleshed out in the fall. You will see components of my market research, my inspiration and creative process, my design process, how the garments will be made, and maybe a little bit of marketing and PR. I would really love for you all to get to know me through my work and understand more of what a designer’s job is.

I will be doing a self-directed study component where I get to come up with a subject that I would like to study more in depth and create my own course based on it. I decided that it would be a great opportunity for me to learn more about and gain practice in my topic of interest: digital textile and print design. I love to learn, explore and grow, and I work very well autonomously, so this will be good for me.

I will also be going through the process of creating 2 portfolios, one online and one traditional format. I will share my tips on portfolio development as I go through this process myself. As of now, I have pretty much nothing to put in my portfolio because my computer crashed about a month ago. Remember that? Although truly, I believe that it has been a blessing in disguise.

I will probably also be continuing my part-time job in the bridal industry, hopefully 2 days a week. My job there has also progressed since I started. I won’t mention this job much or at all, but the insights I gain and skills I learn I’m sure will show through.

After all of it, I will be moving Fashion 2.0 forward (maybe time for some Fashion 2.1? haha) so that it becomes more appropriate for someone who will no longer be just a student. Maybe I’ll become a freelancer, maybe I’ll move to another city and add another internship to my belt, maybe I’ll get a full time position here, I may even start my own business.

Who knows?

Revisits, Retakes, and Reintrepretations Galore

I am always fascinated by spins, reinterpretations and juxtapositions. Although I think there is the idea out there that remakes and retakes are less creative because they are using old material and simply giving it a new spin, I believe that taking stories and concepts that are so ingrained in society’s consciousness and refreshing them is simply another facet of creativity, one that already has a built-in audience and has the ability to reach and affect more people (and also generate more money). Plus, isn’t this what we are doing with our clothes?

This novel seems interesting to say the least. It could conjure up nightmarish fashion images (long white nightgown stained with blood) but I have to give props to whoever came up the idea.

Who’s this? Why, it’s Robert Downey Jr. as none other than detective Sherlock Holmes, also starring Jude Law and Rachel McAdams. Coming Christmas 2009. Can you already start to see the influence this movie will have on fashion trends?

Tim Burton’s films are always a treat. Up next he’s revisiting Alice in Wonderland, a classic children’s story, and giving it his trademark. I could say so much about this story, but I’ll leave that for another post. I can’t wait to see the costumes in this film.

I ♥ You Click: June 22, 2009

I decided to change the format of my clickables column to focus more on delivering valuable content. This column will come less often but will feature what I view as content worth spreading. Because I don’t have a blogroll, I thought that this would be a great way to spotlight some of my favorite reads and clicks, both new and ones that I’ve followed for some time. Today’s edition has a common thread: creativity. Enjoy!

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Angel Chang’s Diary:

Just recently outed on Bravo’s The Fashion Show, Angel Chang (you can read my first entry on her here) writes a blog that gives some insight into a designer and innovator with sharp business sense as well. She comes across as real, creative and passionate about her work.

Behance Magazine:

Part of the Behance network, which is focused on providing services and products to creatives of all industries to make ideas happen. I love the philosophy behind this company and their mandate in helping creative people succeed in the world.

Katherine Soucie blog at ECUAD:

Designer and entrepreneur of Sans Soucie, Katherine Soucie decided to pursue a formal education at Emily Carr University, where she focuses on exploring the intersection between textiles, print media, and digital technology. Even though Vancouver is not a hotbed for textile innovation, the programs at Emily Carr and SIAT of SFU both integrate the possibility of exploring wearable technology. Katherine’s work is inspiring as she aims to bring a further dimension to textiles and fashion, not falling into the trap of viewing textiles as a traditional craft discipline.

Carrie and Danielle:

With a mantra of “Simply, Beautify, and Prosper”, Carrie and Danielle is written by Carrie and Danielle, creative entrepreneurs of Style Statement, who provide tips and articles on authentic living to appeal to creatives and professionals. (EDIT: After revisiting, I noticed that there has been no new content since February. Hmmm…)

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And if you are in the Vancouver area, this seems interesting. CreativeMix, taking place October 22, 2009, is Vancouver’s Ideation Conference. Sarah Bancroft, editor of Vitamin Daily and former Western Editor of FASHION Magazine, is fashion’s representative speaker at the event. There will be 11 other creative minds spreading their ideas at the event. Due to my upcoming fall schedule, I probably won’t have the opportunity to attend. I hope they release the talks online, like TED.

Musing: What is good taste?

Through a conversation with my boyfriend on a day lacking inspiration, a spark came to me and I started to explore the idea behind the Emperor’s New Clothes, a story we should all be familiar with. This 19th century fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen brings to mind several themes that are applicable to fashion. Although my original intention was to use this story as inspiration for a collection I would be designing for my portfolio, I became much more fascinated by the implications behind the story.

In the end, the young boy cries out that the emperor is not wearing any clothes at all. The emperor is not blind of course, but did not want to admit that he could not see these magnificent clothes because the tailors had said that those not fit for the job would not be able to see this beautiful fine fabric.

I’m interested in the idea of good taste as it applies to design and fashion. This article, Taste for Makers, by Paul Graham was an eye-opener for me – it is one of my favorite reads of all time.

I remember being younger and watching Fashion Television on TV and being unable to comprehend the beauty behind haute couture. I saw it as ugly and perplexing as to who would design clothes that people could not wear. Gasp, I would say now, understanding the purpose and wonder behind couture. But, if children are so innocent that their minds are yet to be tainted with societal and cultural ideas of beauty and fashion, then are they the true purveyors of taste?

I know that the fashion industry as a domain defines what is groundbreaking, innovative, and what constitutes good taste, but if they are the only ones who see the beauty in something, is it still beautiful? Whose opinion matters?

I think that for me, the best feedback is one that satisfies the industry, my instructors, my fashion peers, my non-fashion peers, my boomer parents, my 20-something guy’s guy boyfriend, my 19 year old kinda-interested-in-fashion-but-looks-like-every-other-19-year-old sister, and my 17 year old teenybopper sister who spends her time playing video games. I have often found that my desire to satisfy everyone makes it hard to achieve a consensus but makes me more sensitive and empathetic as a designer.

Creative Sketchbooks/Journals: Tips on the Process

Sketchbooks, journals, whatever you want to call them, are so important in a designer’s life. I find actually that so many disciplines could benefit from a creative record like it. It hasn’t always been an easy process to build and maintain this, so I want to share what I went through and some things I learned from my own journey.

Pre-Fashion School
I liked to draw as a kid. I liked fashion. I had determined at age 7 that I wanted to be a fashion designer. Throughout my childhood I did manage to pursue many different disciplines and explore a little bit of each before returning back to fashion. Throughout this period, I never managed to maintain an ongoing sketchbook. I drew some sketches now and then on paper and had them scattered in random places. I did, however, keep a journal for most of these years until grade 9. I’m not sure why I stopped, but I did. When I decided for certain that I was going to pursue fashion, I started keeping a sketchbook of fashion drawings. It was more of a way to practice drawing than it was to jot down creative ideas, in hindsight.

Fashion School: The Early Years
Keeping a journal was a part of the curriculum for design class. I think this time was an eye-opener for me about what sketchbooks/journals could be. It was more than just drawing clothes. It was about analysis and observation. I tried hard to keep my journal filled and useful, but soon it became a very limiting process, and I felt uncreative. My natural style in communicating my ideas is very organic. The example below (from my first semester) looked pretty, but it led me toward the path of analyzing other people’s work and what was going on around me without delving into my own creative well.

After a few more semesters, my design journal became more and more unstructured, which suited me much more. But, I realized that I had become lazy. My design journal started to fuse with my life and I couldn’t keep the two apart, further blurring my creativity. Soon, it became less a documentation of creative process and visual inspiration and more a dumping ground for random, uncreative thoughts.

I knew there was a lot going on in my head that could contribute to my life and work as a designer, but I couldn’t seem to get it out in a concrete way.

Now
I’m not sure when it happened, but eventually I realized a few things about sketchbooks and journals that I feel are helpful to share with others who may have struggled with the same things I have.

1. If you are a goal setter who plans and writes a lot, think about keeping a separate journal for that purpose. I found that once I kept my day-to-day life and my creative life separate that I benefited from the clarity.
2. Keep your mind open to ideas outside of your discipline. Everything influences fashion. Write about whatever seems interesting, but don’t write about your own life. Because I am a conceptual person, I analyze fairy tales and connect their themes to fashion. A great way to fuel creativity when nothing is coming is going back to one of your favorite things and connecting it somehow to your discipline, or figuring out the metaphor behind it. Remember, art is all about metaphor.
3. Experiment with size. I went through many sizes and formats, finally settling (for now) on a 11×14″ coil sketchpad for my creative journal and a smaller 6×9″ notebook for my separate journal.
4. Focus on your senses. Observe and analyze in the moment, it is always better than doing the same thing while looking at a magazine tear.
5. Switch it up. Keep the pages fresh, try to add something new and different so that you are settling into the same creative boundaries. Even the way you record becomes a creative process. Near the front of my current sketchbook, I have a list of possibilities. Add to this list.
6. Be messy. I’m messy on paper until it comes time to get everything together. I don’t have the time to care about neatness.
7. You don’t need to finish work. Sometimes, the pressure of just having to complete something hinders your creativity. I have no problem now leaving work undone. This documentation is meant to help your creativity, not to come out necessarily with a book of finished drawings and studies.

I read An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory, a great book that shows the inner workings of current artists, illustrators, and designers through their private sketchbooks. It was a helpful tool in allowing me to see how unhindered other creatives are. I aspire to that level of committment.

The only way to get good at something is to do it more. People tend to do things more when they are interested, and that is how experts are made. I’m sure that I’ll get better at finding my creativity through my sketchbooks and journals the more I work at it.

Why I Dropped Out of…Class

Earlier this year, I started to seriously consider the idea of traveling to London, England sometime during the summer to take a short course at Central St. Martin’s, one of the most prestigious fashion schools in the world. Last month, I decided to go for it, and booked a week-long class for August. I said to myself, I can’t back out now, the class is booked and paid for.

Except that I started to doubt whether or not the trip would be worth it, in financial and personal terms. I guess the lure of having a credential at a world-famous design school was what pushed me in that direction in the first place, added to the fact that I love learning and have the the intense desire to travel and experience different cities and settings. Many of my friends took trips to Europe this summer as well, making me feel even more trapped in Vancouver.

In the end, I decided to cancel my booking for several reasons.

I fell into the belief, like many others in my generation, that certain experiences and material objects are what define us, and to a certain extent, that is true. But, sometimes we let that override the things that should be important to us, and to me, those things are: love, passion, and freedom. In order to obtain and maintain these things in the life that I envision, it is a prerequisite that I be financially stable and that my personal finances are in order, and that cannot happen if I place my worth on an experience just to add this school’s name to my resume. There are many more experiences that are much more important to me than a week-long trip.

“Life is really simple, we just insist on making it complicated.” – Confucious

I could easily see my life become complicated if I forget about what is important to me and chase after a life that seems right or cool or interesting, although it seems that this is automatically the stereotype of anyone in fashion, and that if I do not subscribe to it that then I must not really be into fashion, or that it is the wrong career path for me.

It’s a strange thing to love fashion and be a designer while trying to live a life that goes against the very grain of what fashion now stands for. I sometimes find myself consciously having to pull back from the lures, but once I do, I find that I am not chasing an identity, but carving my own, and that is always a lot more fun and interesting, I think.

Now, to get to the things that will make a difference in my life: making small strides every day in developing my work as a designer, connecting to the whos and whats of the design world, and just enjoying the moments and moving one step at a time toward the future.