OUGD602 - Uniform studio summary

After spending the week with Neil Sheakey at Uniform studios in Bold Street, Liverpool, I was able to meet plenty of professional designers, advertising specialists and marketing team members. The aim of the visit was to understand the structure of a graphic design agency, how teams work together and the projects that they work on. As I enjoy branding identity, campaign design and other commercial forms of communication, I felt that my time at Uniform was well spent. Here I met firstly with Neil, who got to know me by interviewing me on my arrival. We spoke about my own practice, what sort of work I would be looking for in the future and how the studio could work to my benefit.

Throughout the week, I was then introduced to other members of the design team, including John Barton and Pete Blake. They provided me with work similar to the projects I had recently been working on, as this was the best way for them to see what style my work was. Towards the end of the week, I spoke with Pete about my own independent clothing brand and how I was considering changes to the identity. He then gave me advice on his own experience with freelancing and put me in contact with another designer who had been selling branded clothing of his own.

Overall, I feel that Uniform studio was my favourite work experience to date, as it was a thriving design space that felt more involving and busy for all people. This is exactly what I had been looking for, and as a result I feel confident in searching for a career within design agencies. Working together on a project was what attracted me most to this studio, but working independently with other designers around you also felt welcoming. I think that having experienced the work at Uniform and the people involved in the design structure, I am also confident that independent studios such as this are more attractive in terms of my career prospects. This is because there are many studios like this in the north-west that could potentially be of interest to me in the near future.