Creating a Instagram account

I have also decided to also create an Instagram account, which will visually showcase project outcomes by myself and also other work I have created. Using hash tags within the captions allows my images to be associated with that word and visible to people searching it. I was only able to sign up for an Instagram account through my iPhone and was unable to document that part of the process, however again as with Pinterest I used my professional name to link the account too, and also included a link to my website. 

After signing up to instagram I uploaded my first images, again from my most recent specialist practise unit. This site has more of a casual blog like feel due to the hash tagging format, and I will be using this account a little more casually to adopt general images regarding hair and make-up onto my profile.

 On the image above and below you can see the credits and hash tags used to link my images to the collaborative members and also topics that I want the image to be seen in. Within 5 minutes some of my images already had 5-6 likes, which has since doubled if not tripled (20 minutes on). I am confident that Instagram is an upcoming but good way to share outcomes around the world and can be viewed by many people influential in the make-up industry.

Creating a Pinterest account

I have decided to create a Pinterest account, which will showcase project outcomes by myself and also other work I have created. As this site is one that people can retrieve and share your work on, getting copyrights correct is important, if the image is not mine I cannot share it.

I have decided to trial the success of Pinterest by sharing my latest work from Specialist Practise on there, carefully crediting my team. Below are some images of the process to apply and share your images on the site.

 After signing up to the site, I was able to create a 'board' or file of 'pins' or images, which will then be uploaded onto the Pinterest database.

 The homepage for my account included my professional artist name, and a brief account of my profession, as well as a link to my website for people to contact myself or see more of my work.

The board I created under the name of 'Make-up Specialist Practise' which for personal use allows me to know and control separate boards. It also included a description of the project and also the contributors to the project, which is important to include for copyright reasons. As mentioned, this board is primarily a test to see the popularity of Pinterest and how my work can be shared through the internet, I will be looking to summarise the network in a future post.

Facebook Page

As mentioned my Facebook page has been running throughout the summer but became neglected throughout the project. Facebook is ideal as a first source of self promotion as it is the biggest social media site and also the one I was most comfortable with using. It was beneficial I created this after creating my website, and logo branding as I was able to apply these to the page giving it a professional feel.

 The images above is essentially the 'home page' of the Facebook page. I have again used my professional name - however did not abbreviate to MUA. This is because Facebook allows enough space to not have no abbreviate my pages title. I used my professional logo, this ensures that my branding is clear and concise, and that this will link with my other online profiles, once created. My cover photo at the top of the page is very recent - from my last project, and allows page viewers to see this before entering further into the page. At present I am sharing my page on my own personal Facebook in a bid to improve the number of likes on the page which currently stands at 125.

 When viewers click on the 'About Me' section, they are able to see my name, as well as a short summary of the profession I am in and the name of my course of study. Also there is a link to my official website. It is important that I keep up my website and also my social media so that anybody using links between the two now sees a professional, corresponding correlation between the two pages. There is the option for a longer description which I am looking to develop, and also I should fill in any additional information available to get the best from my page.

 When viewing the images on my page, as this was made in the summer it has been neglected, but it full of work from earlier years of study. This needs to be adjusted to look at the work I am doing currently within this year - a lot of which I am waiting for official publishing dates from photographers I have worked with, as well as film students. In the image above you can also see pictures of make-up palettes, and make-up related sketches. This I believe gives a warm, communicative feeling between myself and the people following me, keeping them interested and also making the page seem friendly, as well as professional letting my personality shine through.

I am looking to edit my page, once I have the all clear from a few up and running projects to allow me to publish my hair and make-up work. I would like to also continue to use this site as a casual yet professional approach, reaching out to the audience and keeping them engaged. I am aiming to post at least once a week if not twice, with up and coming ideas/projects along with visuals which often attract peoples eye before text will.

Level 5 website analysis

This post aims to discuss the website I created within my Level 5 WOP unit, and how it can be improved visually to become more professional.

Prior to conducting further research into artists websites and logos, I still very much like the monochrome tone of the website, which allows the images to stand out against it. It is not potentially as engaging as it could be and this is something that will need to be improved. The images on the cover page do not work together at all. One is a very subdued fashion make-up and the other a more intense make-up, and although this shows off my skill base the colours do not compliment and create quite a scruffy clash. These will need to be changed.

The 'About' section also uses one of my images from last year which now I would consider to not be a good quality image. The make-up again is very strong, and the image was originally selected as the models posture facing towards the text was engaging, however the image is very dark, and docent showcase my make-up appropriately. Also the text is now out dated and will need to be changed to consider what I currently specialise in, as well as skills I have developed since writing the original text.

The contact form, regrettably uses an image from my first year work, which again looked at the posture of the model drawing in the audience. As I have now moved away from theatre work this should not be included on the website, and should again be replaced with a more professional interesting current image. The contact sheet itself is up to date and I believe can be left.

My 'Photography' page is an accumulation of the work done within first and second year. It needs to be updated to include my third year work, and also remove some of the first year work if not all of it. The layout is something I do like, however would like to try a showreel style, and also the images now should be in order, enabling the audience to see how they pictures work together as a collection.

Although I have stepped away from theatre based work, I am still wanting to research into wether the page should be kept, to allow theatre based jobs to contact myself. Although I do not want to work in theatre full time, I would not like to close the door on small jobs/contracts as well as wig based work. Therefore I will investigate as to wether the page should remain. Again the images should be ordered into the correct show order and also trialled on a show reel style.

The 'film' section of my work is a page that only comprises of 3 short films, one of which was taken from my first year project 'History and Reality'. The page will remain on my website, again to display my skill base and experience working on film sets, but should have more films added to it. I will also investigate creating a film show reel, including small cuts of the films put together advertising my make-up ability.

The last page of the website includes a digital copy of my CV. As part of my WOP research in Level 5, I found this was something that was really crucial to showing off a high skill base. It can be hard to define the training of an artist over the internet but I find that including a CV of experience and qualifications will show off the level of training received and make prospective employers confident in my practise.

Professional Website examples

After browsing the internet I have selected some website examples that possess different elements that I believe work well for the professional branding of a MUA.

The first website I analysed http://sarahbpromakeup.com/beauty/ below. Sarah has been featured both in Make-Up Artist International and FaceOn Magazine, and was trained at AOFM in London. I really like the Logo background, with the smear of lipstick behind the logo, which links to the industry and adds an enticing bit of colour to the monochrome website theme. I am not as keen on the text used, I think a slightly cleaner clearer text would of worked better, and worked well with the neat images on the first page. Sarah's website uses the scrolling side to side feature to look through the homepage images which has been very common throughout my research.

Once I went onto the gallery pages, I thought that they did not work as well with the Home page as they could of done. The small uneven spaced imaged, which enlarge when you click the, docent have the same sleek look as the homepage and the images also do not work in a shoot order, and I think this is something that needs to be looked at.

The second website I looked at was http://kristinagasperas.com who has won awards for her specialism which is Bridal Make-up. The main positives from the Homepage of this website in my opinion is the logo, which using simplistic monocrome colouring and a small logo looks really professional and polished. I also am very keen on the font, which is quite futuristic and suggests it is forward thinking almost. Although there are make-up brushes in the left side of the top bar I find these distracting and they also look a little bit 'lost' from where they are placed. I also am not keen on the different fonts on the top bar and writing on the home page, however this may look 'sketched' and give a relaxed approach which for the industry of bridal make-up seems more appropriate.

Obviously Kristinas specialism is more in the bridal make-up industry, however I found her gallery to be quite unusual, comprised of 'before and after' images. I didn't like this layout at all, and think that using polished beautiful images from weddings themselves would have been more professional and appropriate and is not something I should be doing when designing my gallery.

The third website I looked at was truthbeauty.com representing Elizabeth Hsieh. Trained in London and now teaching she specialises in HD makeup and also underwater make-up as well as all aspects of fashion make-up. Her website again has a monochrome backing, highlighting the images which is something I identified worked well within my WOP unit last year. Her images again are scroll across images which is a format I have now identified as one that I may look at using. I also like the placement of the logo above the drop down menu.

Below is a screenshot of Elizabeths Fashion page, which again looks really sleek and professional. I like how the images are in order based on the photoshoot as this allows them to flow. The effects of having a monochrome background really show here where the images are so vivid and stand out well.  The choice of font for her logo is really nice, however for the sidebar I find the square capital letters very conflicting with the curved modern logo. The format of this website is defiantly going to be considered when re designing my website.

The final website I looked at was sarahjagger.co.uk. This website again uses a completely monochrome tone, however I think when in such a creative industry colour within the photographs on the homepage is essential. I like sarahs branding, which looks quite regal, and from the font reminds me of Vogues editorial title font. I am not so keen on the italic, handwritten style font on the sidebar, which I always think doesn't actually give much of a feel, just looks a little conflicting with this modern, black and white, square, neat layout.

Her gallery was a little better, using a square format to select the images. I do find the squares can be quite restricting, for instance the model in the top left has had her hair cut off, and this may hide something amazing, so either the viewer will click to see, or like myself not click and move on. I think showing your best work in a good frame is essential. I did find this format a little boring and the fact that all the images met a certain colour palette dosent show me she can work well with colour, or specialise in glitter application, and other alternate products, which if that is what is appropriate for her that is ok, but for myself I will be demonstrating all the techniques I have used in fashion photography.

Professional Business card examples

Using Pinterest I was able to gather some ideas of what is inspiring for a business card which fits the creative industry. The board http://uk.pinterest.com/charleehulbert/creative-business-cards/ is comprised of many different formats, appropriate for different industries. I found a lot of photography, graphic design and illustration based cards a lot more inspiring than the make-up ones which says a lot about the importance of making a different business card in this industry. One thing I really took away from WOP in level 5 was the idea that being in a creative industry, my monochrome all text plain business card wasn't showing off my skills as much as I had liked, therefore adding an image onto the card could make all the difference.

 One of my particular favourite cards is the plastic see through card located at the centre bottom of the screen shot. This is a really nice example of a photographic yet creative way to demonstrate my work, and would work really well with some of my make-up images. I also like the cut out image on the right however don't know how make-up could be displayed on this card.

Above are mainly make-up artist cards, which apart from the hair grip idea on the lower left image, are very simplistic slightly coloured but not exhibiting the make-up skill of the artist. Therefore within my new designs I would like to experiment with using image on the business card

Logo Research

 The first logo that caught my attention, was that of an american artist Jen Bollmann. I am assuming however it is 'Jen' and the lipstick is not representing an 'I' incurring it is 'Jeni'. The elements of this design I liked was that the text was very simplistic, and also the simplicity of the monochrome meant the lipstick visual worked really well to add image into the layout, however the lack of colour in the logo is something that I believe makes it look very harsh. The dot between the words make-up artist is also something which I believe looks very 'unprofessional' and almost like a product name rather than an industry.





The next image I looked at uses more colour which instantly drew me visually to the logo. This represents 'Marie' make-up artist, again keeping the two words very close together, this time without the dot but with a colour contrast which I feel works slightly better. The mascara silhouette works nicely, however again I feel it is a little harsh for the pink logo, and also is something that is seemingly quite popular with MUA logos.

 Again the mascara silhouette is echoes in 'Alex Santos' logo, which uses three different fonts which is something I am not very drawn to. The use of the font in the word 'Alex' is something I find very visually successful, the soft, almost nimble font looking very sleek and modern, however the word 'Santos' is written in a completely different, bulky font which completely drowns out the words around it and is almost fighting with the silhouette. The words 'makeup artist' in italics also clashes with the bulky font, and also gives a bit too much movement around the wording. I am very keen to continue using bold to thin wording in my logo however not in the same way as this logo.

One of my favourite logos from my research is this visual to the left, representing 'KP'. I absolutley love the creativity of the eyeshadow silhouette, and also the standard the wording has been inserted into it, which looks professional and sleek. However I do find that with my own personal branding, wanting to use my full name this is something that wouldn't be as effective in this format. Also the lack of 'industry direction' for some could potentially loose customers. People are often looking at your branding to give away your industry and for make up professionals such as myself it is obvious, but for others it may not be as obvious, especially to people who have never worn eyeshadow!

 Samantha Parkers branding is one that I feel is quite similar to my branding from last year. The simplicity of the font, with the monochrome colour scheme is something I do find visually appealing, however the lack of colour again is something I am now keen to rectify in my own logo. The square font and capital letters also make the logo quite harsh, and masculine. The use of the bold to thin text here does work, and does give a professional feel, however I feel the abbreviation of 'MUA' again can limit a target market if people didn't know what it stood for.

Michelle Stevensons logo again uses quite harsh capital letters, but the mirrored effect is also a very visually appealing layout. Although it is a business card, the use of the work make-up artist in that font, so far down the page is something I feel docent work and should be incorporated into the logo, otherwise how is the industry specialism visible?

Logo design process

 

Upon analysing my logo from last year, and also analysing professional MUA logos, I wanted to keep the simplistic format of my logo, but add some colour into it, making it more 'creative' and less formal.
I found the text from my previous logo was very basic, and lacked any specific style, or format. I did however want to still incorporate the bold to normal font ratio, and also the linear splitting of brand name and industry specification.
The first action I took was to identify a font which worked with the logo. This font 'helvetica' was available in bold and thin fonts also so I was able to play around with the ratio of boldness to thin styling.

 Once I had found the best, most compatible layout for the words, I was also able to adjust the distance between the letters and was able to see how this completely changed the format of the logo. The image to the right shows the distance set at 2.0pt away from each other.

I then adjusted them to 1.5pt distance away from each other, as the bold writing contrasted the thinner text, meaning the divide was obvious in wording to see, without needing large spaces between words and letters. With the letters closer together I found the wording making the brand identity more clear and concise. I then drew in the initial linear feature below this, to begin adding the rest of the logo in.

 As mentioned, I wanted to encorporate some colour into the logo. Many logos are often black and I find this very basic for such a creative industry. As an industry related socially with 'females' and 'beauty' I first trialled out a lilac shade. This is a very in trend colour for our current spring season hence being one of the first colours selected.

 I then trialled a bolder pink shade. I find pink can be a very predictable shade to associate within our industry and found this a little 'too common' for my logo identity. I also trialled a thicker line density here however found this also was too bold, and almost detracted from the wording.

 Once reverting the logo back to the lilac line, I was able to insert the industry specification underneath. I had decided to also include the word 'professional' which unlike my old logo which just stated 'make-up artist' expresses my highly qualified status, simply in one word. I also trialled a different font for this, as seen in some logos within my research, however found the mismatch of fonts was not too my own personal branding taste.

I decided to use the same thinner font as used within my surname on the logo, as this followed through the clean cut, rounded yet easy to understand font. I also chose to move the font up higher to keep the logo within one field of vision, meaning the viewer does not have to move their visionary field far to associate the brand name with the industry specification, which works nicely within this format.

 I then decided to continue trialling colours within the linear feature of the logo. I first chose a light pastel blue, again associating with the current trend of pastel shades. This is a shade I believe would appeal to all audiences, however I feel it does not link to my history of visual work, which is something that will have to work for branding and business card aspects of design.

I confirmed blue was not the right colour, by trialling a royal blue shade on the logo. This clashed quite considerably I felt with the black text on the logo, and also again could not be transferred to any colours within my recent work. Therefore I reverted the shade back to lilac which specifically could be linked with my work and also with the genre I am targeting.

The final test I trialled regarding line colour was to use black to compare this to using any colour. As specified within this post I do want to inject some colour into my logo, as working in a creative field gives me the opportunity to do this. I compared the black line to the lilac edit, and also reviewed my feedback and analysis on other logos in the industry and was much happier with the coloured edit below.

 My final logo therefore presented on the right, is what I will now be taking forward to complete my brand identity, transferring this onto my logo, business cards and any other promotional material I use. The simplistic black text, with variety incorporated in the density of the wording works well with the coloured line bringing the image together. I am pleased with the logo and believe it gives a much more modern, professional yet creative twist than the logo completed last year for WOP.

Business card design process

After completing my logo design, I was then able to begin transferring this onto my promotional material. Business cards are the best way to advertise and network with other professionals and after researching the designs further, after trialling alternate designs I was able to complete my final design.
I liked using the shutter design which allowed me to apply many images to one space without taking up a whole side.

 I initially began with 4 of my favourite fashion images, which showcased very alternate briefs, but were all completed to what I believe is a high standard. All 4 images were colour, but many also included a lot of black space and I found balancing this was a challenge. I chose to crop all these images across the face, which would also hopefully lead to business card holders wanting to visit my website to see the final full images.

 I spent a lot of time re-ordering the images to an order which flowed well and also did not drown the text, and brand information. The two strongest images were placed on the left hand side and I found these should be brought in closer to the text, which would allow them to be associated with my brand identity more. However I was having problems with space, and containing the images and a good sized logo on one card.

 Therefore I removed one of the images, and replaced another, which I believe was the weakest image. I found three was a number which made the images look very odd, and didn't carry through the flow as before had. I then decided to resize the logo to a smaller font.







Once a smaller font was applied to the logo I was able to visualise the final edit more. I had replaced another image with one from the same 'lolita' shoot as featured in the designs before hand. I decided the second image applied was stronger than the one I had been using and decided to keep this one, replacing the other image with one previously also included in the design process. Below you are able to see my final business card, including all information and images, which I shall be purchasing shortly.

I am happy with the order of business card, the balance of black and colour within the images and also the sizing of the images. I believe they work well together with the coloured imaged being almost 'framed' by the darker images. The logo works well with the colours included in the images, and I am pleased to of carried the design with the lilac line forwards as this meets the colours in the images well, tying the card together. The information section follow the font through, again making the card flow and the information has been adjusted from last year, through to my professional email and website domain names.