AlphaBetaGammaGov.

Alpha.gov.uk is intended to hold all of the Government’s web services under a single domain and present them in a way that makes them easier to access and use.


Today they announced that they will be stepping up to a beta status.


Pray for funding. They deserve it.

Mark Boulton Design Application

Probably should have blogged about this when Emma wrote the post over at Mark Boulton Design.

I applied for the apprentice role they were offering - it sounded great! They wanted someone who they could mould and teach the craft of web design to. It was a perfect opportunity for me as I've been thinking about entering the web 'sector' full time for a while now.

They wanted handwritten applications so I made an A2 poster with '7 Reasons To Hire Ryan' on it. I wanted my personality to come across so I tried to make it as personal as possible. I didnt want to beg for the job but I wanted to sound enthused at the idea of living and breathing the web for the next 2 years.

I wasn't shortlisted for interview, but my application was featured in their 'Top Ten' which was nice.

They also sent me 'Designing for the Web' which I've been reading.

Thanks guys!

See my application here

The Original Mortgage Company

Recently completed a site for an independent mortgage adviser, There's a few things that I had to flex my 'creative direction' - What the client says goes right?

Anyway, It's just been sent for approval to the FSA, hopefully it will fly through.

Take a look (when its up)

Ros Edlin Jazz

My girlfriends mum is a Jazz singer, a good one at that. So I created her a quick site so she can showcase her talents. 

Take a look

Brisk Launch

I've been working on this for a bit, tried to keep it under wraps but I think its best to just get a 'LookBook' out there until I decide to release some product. I plan on adding inspiration for the 'Brisk' brand in this blog fashion. Just to see what sort of response I get regarding the direction of the brand.

I'm really pleased with how things are going so far, I think the branding is really strong and seems to have a really clear style already. I'm looking forward to seeing how this grows.

Keep an eye out for updates to the LookBook and some eventual product releases.

We're on twitter and have a facebook fan page - Check out the site and lemme know what you think.

Dribbble Drafting Competition

So yesterday I got an email notifying me that I had 2 invites to give away on dribbble - we all know these are like gold dust. 

Want one?

Send me a link to your best work and i'll consider it. 

either tweet me @ryantcarter or comment on this post.

If you're picked - you'll be drafted this time next week (7 May) This is just so everyone has a chance to get something over to me.

Good luck guys.

How To Make It In America

This TV series is probably one of the best I've seen in years, from the opening credits to the New York 'Hey man, that ain't no pleather.'

"How to Make It in America follows two enterprising twenty-somethings hustling their way through New York City's fashion scene, determined to achieve their version of the American Dream. Trying to make a name for themselves in the city's competitive fashion scene, Ben Epstein and his friend and business partner Cam Calderon use their street knowledge and connections to make their way up. With the help of their well-connected friend Domingo and Cam's cousin Rene, who has ambitions of his own—a new energy drink called Rasta-Monsta—the burgeoning entrepreneurs set out to make it big."

The fashion brand they're trying to push is called 'Crisp' - I recently posted a shot on Dribbble of the branding. It's not 100% the same as the sneak peek you get shown at the beginning of episode 2 - but there's about 4 variations of the logo in that scene so I'll not be too harsh on myself.

This show really wants me start my own denim line.

Dribbble Pro

So for anyone who doesn't know what dribbble is here's the blurb from the site:

"Dribbble is show and tell for creatives. Designers, developers and other creatives share shots—small screenshots of the designs and applications they are working on."

A couple of days back dribbble released a 'pro' option. I'd heard rumours that there might be a paid version coming up and I was scepical - what could they possibly offer me that would make me want to pay for using this service? 'dribbbles cool and all but theres no way i'd pay for it' is something which i've said to people. 

So why do I now have a 'pro' account?

1. I'm an organised bastard - or at least I want to be. dribbble pro allows you to organise shots into projects. This is really cool as i'm working on a few things at once, so the shots I post can often be from different projects every time - It's nice to have an area where I can organise them and say 'these all relate to this project'

2. I love stats. Its true - ask anyone I know, they'll tell you about my obsession with statistics and infographics. (theres another post on this coming soon, so stay tuned) dribbble pro allows you to see statistics of your shots from how many views to how many likes and comments you've had on your shots. It's an interesting area to see what work is considered your 'best'.

3. It was cheap ($19)....and I visit the site/use the service every day...at least once.

That's pretty much it. I don't care for the 'pro' badge - i could take it or leave it, I maybe think it singles people out who won't pay for the service, which can be a bad thing as people might not get a look in unless they're a 'pro' - people might consider their work inferior without even clicking through to it. See? who stands out?

Take a look at my dribbble profile - http://dribbble.com/ryantcarter

So, I said I hated animated GIF's

Turns out I don't. Not all of them anyway.

Personal Site Updates

So as i'm doing a little branding for my freelance side, I thought id keep my personal image looking fresh. I've tweaked my site so if anyone stumbles across it its not so out of date and they can see that I maintain all the sites I work on equally :)

Carter Industri.es

So, as you'll know if you read this blog. I've been doing a little bit of freelance work as well as my current day job. It's pretty good and i'm getting to learn a great deal about HTML/CSS, Javascript and the like...even a bit of PHP. I've recently been in contact with a mortgage adviser about building a site for him, so i've had a steady stream of web design getting pumped out.

As I feel I want to push this a little more, sure I lack the speed and skill that other pro web designers have, but I don't mind putting in the effort to create the sites I love to look at. Pixel Perfect, Compliant Standard, Cross Browser Functional Websites.

I'm looking to create a brand for myself so I can showcase my work. I like the idea of the web side of me being different to the industrial design side of me, so i'm going to create a brand based around the thought of 'constructing' or 'crafting' a site.

Thus Carter Industri.es has been born.  It's just a landing page at the minute but watch this space as it's going to be my primary base for my web/print/branding work.

So to finalise, if you're a company/startup/person looking for a site the get in touch 

EDIT: this has been put on hold for the time being, I'm using my personal site as a sort of portfolio at the minute - This has evolved a little more (for the better) and you'll her something soon.

Salon Worldwide Launch

I'd say this is my first piece of 'commercial' work - Mainly because it wasn't done for a friend. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, as is the client.

More web work on the way!

Making Use Of The New Facebook Layout

Harry

Harry is my best friends first born, He's amazing. 

He's also the inspiration for a project I'm taking on - Keep checking back to see how its going.

Web Design - A Branch. (Part Deux)

So I mentioned a while back I was taking a small foray into Web Design to help some friends out with new start-ups - well i'm not sure you can call a DJ a start-up. But a self-employed Plumber is more under the umbrella of 'start-up'

So, I've finished the DJ's site and I'm still working hard with the Plumber to get everything we want down - The work with the plumber took a larger turn than 'just a website' and turned more into a full branding package and marketing strategy. Which was really cool and fun to learn about and be part of.

Feel free to pop back and see how i'm getting on with the sites, I'm not sure how much progress I'm going to make on the plumbers because we are currently working on some printed materials, that and i'm using investing all of my spare time in the gym getting massive.

Forgotten Achievements

I got to thinking this week about experience on your CV, what happens when you have reams and reams of different companies or consultancies on there? do I have to move onto a 3 or 4 page CV? and what about accolades or achievements? If I won something in 2007 when do I have to take it off my CV? When is that achievement outdated?

In 2007 a group project I was working on got selected to be featured in 'The Discovery Museum' in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. It was in there for 7 weeks which is an achievement i'm sure. Though I neglected to ever put it on my CV as I couldnt measure how good of an achievement it actually was. I didn't get a certificate...but it was selected from 100's possibly 1000's of entries...Maybe next time i'll ask for a scrap of paper my mum can put on the fridge - then I can put it in my CV.

http://www.dott07.com/go/cyborg/exhibition

Web Design - A Branch.

A friend of mine is starting is own business, He's a plumber/gas fitter/central heating maestro and is looking for a simple website to show some of his work, some estimate rates and contact details on.

I've offered to do him a simple flash site for free (because he's a friend and I want to help him get on his feet) I think he was fairly impressed at how good I am on flash. Im far from a pro but I know my way around some basic actionscript from working on some University projects.

So now I'm working on 2 sites for friends. the others a DJ called Gentleman Jonny which I've nearly got wrapped up. Hopefully I'll have the plumbers site finished by the end of the week (it's that simple) and over the weekend/early next week i'll get all of the info I need from him to replace the placeholder text and images.

Yesterday he called saying he'd been telling a few people about how I could make websites and how impressed he was with my ability to do and now I have 2 new 'customers' this time im charging a premium for the work i'm doing though.

Its nice to see that something i've not really trained in can still have value to others, my knowledge within the area of web design was more of a hobby and the actionscript/flash was a bi-product of a University project.

Thats what I call transferrable skills.

Design Event North East 2010

Each year Newcastle hosts a great event on design, and this years no exception. Heres the excerpt from DesignEvent

"This year Design Event North East takes place from 22-31 October focusing on the theme of Conversation.

In an age of email, facebook, twitter and texting, we are now more likely than ever to speak to people via the internet or mobile phones than face to face or even by telephone. We think nothing of communicating with strangers via the internet, but rarely speak to our neighbours and those that live in our street.

We’ve also developed new language to communicate with others, where we’ll ‘c u l8r’ and have become hugely adept at writing in paragraphs of 140 characters. So here at Design Event, we say bring back the art of conversation.

Conversation and communication is at the heart of good design, Whether it be communicating with the people that will eventually use the products being designed, with clients to ensure designs meet their needs; or as a communication tool in itself to communicate brand messages and values.This year with the theme of Conversation ,we’ll be exploring these elements and bringing you the best in contemporary design across graphics, furniture, product, fashion and architecture."

OpenIDEO

Introduction to OpenIDEO / OpenIDEO.com from IDEO on Vimeo.

IDEO's new social platform opens to allow designers, housewives and anyone else who has an interest in bettering the world to discuss ideas and create concepts to combat problems in the world.

I love the idea of this, it's like crowd sourcing design. Though it scares me a little because it sort of devalues what I spent the last four years of my life achieving. My Industrial Design Degree.

Then again, Its probably the closest i'm going to get to working for IDEO without having to take an interview.

...And who knows who's looking at the site, submit some good concepts and you never know what might come of it.

New Designers.

New Designers was great, a good chance to benchmark yourself against other graduates from different Universities in the country. I'll be sure to make the trip down next year to see how the 2011 Graduates from Northumbria got on with their final year.

On our stand we had a 'thanks' board which showed the various companies we worked with both as live projects and individual placements - so thanks to all of the companies who helped us along the way.

Re-Photo-Ing.

I rephotographed a project I did back in 2008 today, Was pretty happy with how it looked so I thought I'd put it up on here. I know I don't like to 'redo' work but a photographs neither here nor there.

Final Major Project

This is what I did for my final major project at University, I'm currently overhauling my site to give a better idea of what I'm actually capable of in terms of design, so there will be some process work on there about this project. soon.

Lead Interactive - Guitar Learning Platform Concept from Ryan Carter on Vimeo.

New Photo Blog

Set up a new photoblog to try and get my photography up to scratch. catch it at www.threebyfives.co.uk

Anti-Brands

When I was in the shower this morning I was thinking about MUJI and how they pride themselves on not focussing on the brand of the company and being part of an 'Anti-Brand' movement.

I got to thinking, when did I first encounter an 'Anti-Branding' situation and the earliest and most pertinent is the 'no-frills' range by Kwik Save.

When was your first Anti-Brand encounter?

Exploration Project - Part Three

At this stage I now know that I need to get working in 3D as quickly as possible, so I have mocked up an approach shoe from soft modelling foam to experiment with regarding materials, structure, styling and mainly to test prototypes on.

I used a sole from a shoe already on the market for speed, one of the limitations of this project is time, as its for university I need to reach a valuble solution fairly quickly as i have to hand it in on the 18th of this month.

I have been using the soft foam model to do some quick styling excercies on using the pen tool in photshop.

The next step is to get some prototypes of the ankle support made up and tested on myself to see what they feel like when walking.

Here are some photos of the foam model I have created for a quick 3D representation.

Exploration Project - Part Two

Some initial sketchwork and quick Photoshop Renders of possible ideas - Looking into creating an 'add on' ankle support for an approach shoe to turn it into a walking boot.

Exploration Project - Part One

After posting some images of my proposed 'exploration project' onto twitter and getting a few people interested into how the work was progressing i've decided to blog about it.

Every time I feel work is progressing I will post photos and sketches on how everything is going.

Right now i'm at an initial soft modelling stage of the project but don't want to start this work in progress blogging half way through what ive done so i'm going to start from the beginning.

My original exploration project proposal is blogged about here and from that I took a slightly different direction; I looked more into extending functionality of items which I see already as 'functional fashion items' so I have decided to look at walking boots.

The concept I am looking into is to create a hybrid approach shoe which can be transformed into a walking boot with a more rigid ankle for more support, I feel the main benefits of this is that you won't have to carry two different sets of shoes when walking, this saves space within bags which is a commodity when walking long distances, it also saves weight which is essential.

Another benefit is from a more consumer focused reasoning, you only have to buy one pair for both different tasks.

I dont want to bloat this work in progress with lots of text so i'll mainly be uploading photos and scans with captions so not to bore everyone or to make blogging about it get in the way of the actual project too much.

What Am I Getting Upto?

Thought it was about time I updated where I was at,not just for the few people that look at this blog but also for myself for some self reflection.

OK so, The RSA Brief - Body and Mind has been taking up a major amount of my time, one thing about the brief if your not familiar with it, is that its a medical brief, based upon the patients experience.

The medical interaction I've chosen to look at is giving blood, because basically I feel its a great thing to do for other people, and a truly selfless act.

Medical briefs are notoriously difficult when it comes to research, one because the internet is a minefield of incorrect and biased opinions rendering most of the information there useless. Another difficulty related to research is that is is very difficult to get into any medical related places because of the strict rules, so talking to nurses and other medical professionals is very difficult, however if you have some patience and are good on the telephone at explaining what it is you require, then sometimes you manage to get some face time with some professionals.

Luckily, I am that person who is polite on the phone, and good at explaining what it is I'm looking into and how they can help me. So, So far I have managed to work with some very kind nurses at the Newcastle Blood Bank, they have been kind enough to give me regular feedback and critique throughout my project, sometimes this has been frustrating, other times amazing. but either way i'm glad for the guidance along the way.

Obviously the RSA is a competition so I'm not going to reveal what i'm planning on doing, but after the submission deadline i plan on posting it to my blog as some new work. So keep your eyes peeled for that.

Other than the RSA, related to design work I've been looking into my dissertation some more. After a couple of talks with my guidance tutor (for the dissertation module) the dissertation is starting to get more structure and subject area for reading around. Looking still into design education and the flexibilities of skill sets learnt, but also looking into what creates a professional and how people are perceived as 'a professional' - the dissertation is still being tweaked before I start to write it, but the foundations are there.

Exploration Project...more thoughts.

It is my belief that designers obtain a certain skill set whilst completing design education which would allow them to work on a large variety of different projects 'from the city to the spoon' so to speak. Take for example Yves Behar or Starck, both have worked on a diverse array of projects from Automotive design to Fashion design but are both classed as Industrial Designers. I feel that the thought process of solving a problem is hard wired into designers and with this we are flexible in terms of what we undertake. The flexibility of the projects worked on expand possibilities and knowledge within the area of design, new skills are learnt and can be applied to future projects undertaken. I feel this helps designers develop and allows a new perspective on projects and problem spaces.

My exploration project will expand upon this theory and will aid me within my personal development as I try to find a foothold in the design industry, approaching a fashion based brief with my ID background will help me develop different skills to what I currently have and it will be interesting to see the results of this. ideation and research around fashion brands and styles will arrive me at an outcome of a range of ‘functional’ fashion items.

An example of what is meant by ‘functional fashion items’ can be realised by using standard issue army clothing as a case study, except for the camouflage the overall ‘look’ of the clothing is irrelevant, it just has to be functional, to work, to be durable and hard wearing. With inspiration from items like this I wish to assess the high street fashion market and put an ID twist into a brand and range of fashion items.

Final Year Thoughts

After a twitter exchange with itiba_aditi I've decided to write up a small blog post on the structure of my Final Year and what projects i'm thinking of undertaking, so people can critique me and/or give me some advice or direction...every little helps.

Semester 1:

1. The Dissertation

OK, so if your not already familiar with my blog or with the idea for my dissertation, the basic theory on it it available here

2. Design Competition Project

A project from either the RSA Design Directions Briefs or a project linked with Audi Sustain Our Nation - I plan to keep what i'm doing for this on under wraps as it is a competition.

3. Design Practice Exploration Project

Ok, so this project is meant to stretch our creativity from a design thinking angle and is a chance for us to showcase skills that we have learnt and developed, to use within a project field that we may never have undertaken before (that's how I've taken it on board anyways)

For this I want to link it to my dissertation, as I have missed the first week of University (as i'm still on placement in Italy) I have missed the chance to talk to lecturers with everyone else, however I have set up a few 'sit-downs' with lecturers to ensure I get some great guidance so I can continue with this project.

When I say I want to relate it to my dissertation, I just want to take the theory of 'Design Is One' and apply it to real life, my theory suggests that designers attain a certain skill set whilst completing design education, which would allow them to work on a large variety of different projects 'from the city to the spoon' so to speak. So i want to do something that I've never completed before and never had any formal introduction to i.e Fashion Design, as I believe that the methodologies of design are the same throughout many fields.

Semester 2:

1. Final Major Project

The final major is the largest portion of marks for the entire year so it requires the most work as you can well imagine, Critical Justification, Presentation and Validation of the project are also taken into consideration.

For this one, i'm still a little stuck. I have a few ideas down on paper but none seem to demonstrate any high level of 'design thinking' most are just observations I've made in life and wanted to solve through design, which is maybe the perfect project I'm looking for. I won't say just yet what i'm thinking of doing as I dont think the idea is fully rounded yet and I wont be able to sell it as well as I could if I think about it some more.

Last Week in Italy: Placement Wrap Up Part 1

So as my placement draws to a close, I thought i'd take the time to try and reflect on what I've learnt or realised over the past 4 months. Firstly I think its worth mentioning the more personal experiences I have encountered such as the language barrier and complete diverse culture to what I am used to.

Moving to a 'foreign' country for 4 months has probably been the biggest experience of my life so far, hopefully not my last long stay in a different country i hope! But obviously I've faced some challenges along the way, the language being the hardest. Sure I can order food or understand short conversations and say the odd little phrase but in the working environment the level of my speech is meaningless. I've learnt how essential the skill of sketching out ideas to convey a concept is. If i can't talk to explain my idea I need to be able to form a well rounded sketch which explains it. Sometimes I could explain the idea to one of my better English speaking colleagues and ask them to pass the information on in Italian, but most of the time I chose to present sketches.

Another thing related to language is the perhaps quite selfish thought that I feel extremely lucky that I am English and speak English, as it is maybe the most popular second language for people to learn so many people speak even a little. Im not saying this gives me an excuse or a free pass not to learn a different language as I have tried to extract some linguistic skills from my time here, It is more a point that I think I'm extremely lucky.

There is so much to write about on my experience here so I have decided to split it into a few short parts so not to 'over face' the reader with my story.

The last part I would like to iterate is the appreciation I need to show to my family and friends for the support they have provided, without my parents I would have never been able to come here and experience this. I know it's their 'job' to be there for me when I need them but I just want them to know how much I appreciate it. Also my friends who have kept me in the loop with what is happening at home and I know will be waiting for me so I can share my experience with them when I return back home.

-End of Part 1-

Final Year On The Horizon

So my final year is just on the horizon, one month left until I start the strict diet of design.

Live, eat, sleep and shower in design.

I will be posting regular updates of projects undertaken and my dissertation as it progresses and i do.

This ones going to be a good one, Stay Tuned!

The Death Of The CD.

The title statement may seem obvious, the rise of digital music over the past 5 years has superseded 'carbon based' music and exploded a whole new opportunity and way of listening to music, before if i wanted to sample an album before I committed to buying the CD I would go into HMV and hope it was in the 5 CD sample stack they regularly changed round, now if I want to sample an album ornew song by a band I will just jump onto the internet and hit any one of the millions of sites where 'free' music can be streamed.(Spotify, LastFM, Deezer to name a few) and i'll sample the album, if I like it then maybe i'll buy it, but who am i kidding, if I 'really like' it I'll buy it. If I just 'like' it then I'll jump on any warez site in the world and download a leak of it 2 months before it come out.

So how long before CD's are no longer produced and faded into the category of 'Retro' - Wow, a CD walkman..what i cant go jogging with it because it will stutter?, ill just take my iPod Microbiotic.

Milan Update #1

Been a while since my last post and I'm feeling a little guilty for neglecting my blog, seen as its supposed to be a running commentary of my design education experience i've not been doing a great job.

Anyway, landed in Milan on the 27th of May and got straight to work at Design Innovation. The project we are working on is confidential but I can tell you it's for Indesit so use your imagination.

A lot of research work is being done at the minute and we got to go to a professional cooking school to learn how to cook some Italian cuisine which was great, The Italian guy who was running the course had a really english accent when he spoke english which i couldn't wrap my head around.

Mark, Another guy we work with has the most cliche italian looks i've ever seen in my life but he speaks perfect english with a really broad Australian accent "BONZA MATE". I think he must be half Australian and half Italian though because the italians we work with say his italians not perfect.

Anyway, more posts will be flooding in soon, as always I'm constantly "tweeting" while I'm here, so get on Twitter and follow me to see what I'm up to!

I will leave you with a snap from my camera of a great bit of graphic work on the Milan Metro. It may show how childish I am but it defiantly made me laugh (its a warning to say you may get trapped in the doors)

Sketching

Lately, Ive taken to my old sketch style of having "hairy" lines and not crisp linework. Really prefer this style. Just think it has more "pop"

Anyways, these are some sketches of aftershave bottles.

Internship

Just landed a 3 month Internship in Milan working for Design Innovation and Indesit.

Start next week so this is definatly a last minute thing!

Edit: After completing the Internship - it worked out at more like 5 months! - Great Experience!

Watch this space.

www.ryan-carter.com has just been purchased and i'm currently trying to bend my mind around actionscript in flash to make it all work

Swing by and have a look

Design is One

I recently looked through this book - http://snurl.com/g3h87

There was a theory that struck a chord with me. I still cannot decide whether I agree or disagree.

"the basic concept is that the discipline of design is one, and if you can design one thing, then you can design everything. The methodology is the same no matter what the subject"

I study Industrial Design at Uni and would like to think that I could branch into many aspects of design, such as fashion or web design.
so that's where I agree with this point, however I feel as though someone in web design would lack an understanding of how to design a product.

I think it all stems down to design education, there are similar structures throughout all courses of design that I've seen within the University I attend, and with collaboration on projects I feel like I am passing on techniques,skills and insight that I have developed to make myself a better designer.

How does everyone feel about this and does anybody have any other literature I could read through related to the subject?

(PS - More of the book can be read online here - http://snurl.com/g3i11)