Designing my CV
On researching CV design I found a lot of very crisp, modern and clean layouts, but to represent myself and my own tastes I was inclined to create something a little different. As a visually oriented person the design of my CV was almost as important to me as the content, since that’s what will be taken in first. I always enjoyed putting together themed designs for my Director’s Notebooks in Moving Image Arts and I wanted to go through some ideas along the lines of what I’ve done before, albethey subtler to suit a more professional format.
In particular I was keen on reviving a Film Noir Theme which I executed at GCSE (and which I can’t find an image of), which I thought had potential to be tastefully stylised, with bold fonts and stark tones making for suitable visual impact.
However, I have a book of border designs which features over a hundred plates of beautiful historical decorative borders taken from interior designs and manuscripts. Initially I thought I’d try to work a border like the ones in the book into my layout, but after some brief trial and error I realised something so decorative would take up space needed for my information. When looking through this book, however, I came across one Egyptian design in particular which caught my eye due to its inspired colours and tessellating design.
Once I’d finished admiring this pattern I decided to incorporate it into my CV by referencing it’s colours. Beyond that, this book of mine had inspired me to run with a sort of Neo-Victorian theme.
For my name, I took a bold variant of the font Georgia with a subtle drop shadow and stretched it vertically to give the rough impression of a print title. At this point I had my content written in a word document and was working in Photoshop.
I enjoyed the look of this font and so stuck with it throughout for consistency’s sake. I also remember the fact that books are printed in serif fonts as it makes for an easier and more memorable read (of course I’m not writing a book, but I figure it can’t hurt to try applying it here).
Another thought I had to marry the idea of having a logo or representative icon with my chosen design aesthetic was to involve a little cameo of myself in profile. Since my profile is notably aquiline I think it would be recognisable enough in this format.
Below are some period examples of cameos.
And here’s how my own ended up:
You’ll notice I have incorporated the orange, green and gold of the border into the side of my layout, where the lesser information is to go.
So far I find it convincing, tasteful and representative of myself, which is exactly what I wanted to achieve.
Inputting my text was simple enough since I had already written the majority.
At this point I found the space on the bottom right to be irksome, so I looked through my book of borders once again and found a 16th Century design I was keen on, and referenced it in a drawing of my own to suit the space, making use of Photoshop’s symmetry tool.
Here I considered my Curriculum Vitae finished. I think there’s a chance it lays on a fine line between creative professionalism and kitsch, but I think (and hope) I’m on the right side of it, and that if the content doesn’t stick in the mind of an employer and help me stand out perhaps my design choices will.
Cover Email
To research local studios and job roles I delved into the studios section of https://animationireland.com/ . One that really caught my eye was Studio Meala, based in the West of Ireland (with remote opportunities).
Their work being so different from other studios across Ireland is one thing that really attracted me to them. Where others produce 2D rig and 3D animations for children, Meala is solely focused on 2D hand drawn animation, which seems to be a rarity now- or so I’ve found in my research.
The only job listing they have on their website currently is for a mid level compositor, but I was so taken with the work they produce and with the variety of styles they’re able to work within so effectively that I decided to base my cover email around a currently non-existent Visual Development Artist position with them.
I found writing the email more challenging than I had imagined after writing my CV since I didn’t want to be repeating myself. In trying to tailor it to the studio I made sure I talked about my passion for visual storytelling, my ability to work with and explore different styles, and my love for drawing. By way of flattery I said genuinely how highly I regard the work they have produced, which I hope creates an air of sincerity as opposed to desecration.
Designing and Editing my Showreel
The first thing I wanted to do for my showreel was find music, as I knew I wouldn’t be able to edit without it. I found it difficult to find tracks with the right length and tone that would go along with the work I’m showcasing, but eventually I found album on album of archival news reel and film scores, a lot of which were around or under a minute long. The one I ended up using is a swinging bebop tune called ‘The Hurry Up’, accredited to British saxophonist Kenny Graham.
For my title card I strove for something bold and vintage inspired to match the accompanying music. I achieved this by using three variations of the font Grotesque, which was used for title cards in Doctor Who’s infancy during the 1960s.
I used some colours that evoked Modernists of the 1960s, and despite the relative simplicity of it I think it’s quite appealing.
When It came to editing, I hadn’t realised before how little 2D animation I had done, so the majority of my footage ended up coming from my cinematic for Animation Strategies assignment 1 and from live action A Level Moving Image experiments I was very pleased with. I think using those experiments is still valid as they showcase well enough my interest in different visual styles and in cinematography.
On researching showreels I found most effective examples with uptempo music that edited to the beat, and so I implemented that style of editing for myself; I think the song I chose begs for it. Seeing how successful this sort of editing was I became especially pleased with my choice of song.
Creating a Portfolio
Since I have significant interest in 2D concept and design work I decided to use ArtStation to create a portfolio for this assignment. As it is presently I feel it may contain too much fan art, so in the near future I will be looking at studios I’m interested in, like Meala, and trying to tailor my personal work to those styles.
Preparing for an Interview
The idea of a job interview frightens me a little, but having taken an EtonX course on interviews a few years ago, and having had a mock interview at A level, as well as a real interview for my part time job, I’m glad to say I have at least some experience with them.
One of the most daunting things about interviews to me is coming up with questions to ask the employer, so I intentionally did some research into it; I know now I should aim to ask solid, futuristic questions to get the interviewer to sell the job to me and picture me in the role. I’ve also learned that asking the interviewer about themselves can leave a good impression- people like to talk about themselves- for example, asking what they enjoy about working with the company/studio. As I have a tendency to get nervous and start to ramble, I need to work on keeping questions concise and relevant so as not to waste the interviewer’s time.
I have also come across ideas of what one should do after an interview. One in particular I thought was good was on writing a follow up email within 24 hours to give thanks and reiterate your excitement for the role, so as to help you stand out even further.