Exhibiting
My time at New Blood, and beyond. Some 2011 exhibitors share their story
We caught up with a pick of the 2011 New Blood exhibitiors. Here they share what they've been up to since the exhibition and how New Blood helped them find a way into the industry.
Charlotte Miller
- New College Stamford
- BA (Hons) Graphic Design
Q
What have you been up to since New Blood?
I have met many creatives, benefited from New Blood's great festival of workshops, gained lots of advice and tips and more importantly lots of work experience.
Q
How did New Blood help you in your career?
Just being able to be there and take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity was in itself a great experience.
Q
What was the most beneficial thing about going to the New Blood Festival events?
Personally I greatly enjoyed all the workshops and I learnt a lot from all of them. My favourite was visiting Tomato and getting to meet the creatives and working on the brief they set. It was a great opportunity and one that I would not have missed out on.
Charlotte's work in the New College Stamford stand at New Blood
Mike Whiteside and Ben Robinson
- University of Gloucestershire
- BA (Hons) Advertising
Q
What have you been up to since New Blood?
We’ve been on placement at Soho start-up BETC London, working on pitches, making music videos and pretending we’ve got a clue what we’re doing.
Q
How did New Blood help you in your career?
We were lucky enough to be selected as Best New Blood, which drew a bit more attention to our work. It was because of that that Neil, our current ECD, took a look at our work and gave us a call. We’ve been working for him ever since.
Q
What was the most beneficial thing about going to the New Blood Festival events?
It’s really worth doing to a few agency workshops (at the festival) as it takes the awe factor out of going to them. You’ll realise that agencies are just pretty nice offices with (mostly) pretty nice people in them, so there’s no need to bring spare underwear to your book crit at Wieden + Kennedy.
We both took part in the Creative Detox session with Mandy Wheeler, which is totally worth doing. At the start we were all sat around in a circle being asked to do some fairly embarrassing things, which was a bit of a hark back to an uncomfortable drama class workshop. But very soon, it helps you to realise just how many barriers you put on yourself when coming up with ideas and gives you loads of tricks to loosen up. Brilliant stuff.
The work Mike and Ben presented at New Blood.
Carlos Simpson
- BA (Hons) Graphic Design
- University of West of England
Q
What have you been up to since New Blood?
After New Blood life seems to have conspired against me by sending me 25 hours of work to do for every 24 hour day's! I have had the opportunity to meet some very interesting people within the creative world. I did a placement at Research Studios with Neville Brody, which has always been my main professional goal.
Q
How did New Blood help you in your career?
Mainly by facilitating the connection with the creative community.
Q
What was the most beneficial thing about going to the New Blood Festival events?
The most beneficial thing was the experience itself. In my opinion it was a privilege to participate in D&AD’s New Blood, for the essence of the event itself, ie. the connection between creative individuals and the industry and the mutual interest between the two.
Carlos at New Blood
Anya Smith
- BA Hons Photography
- Plymouth University
Q
What have you been up to since New Blood?
Since New Blood I have been accepted on to a Masters Degree: MA Photography and the Land, at Plymouth University. Ten weeks into the course I have experimented with a few ideas, ready to undergo a new body of work this coming year.
Q
How did New Blood help you in your career?
Being right at the forefront of my career receiving such a prestigious award as Best New Blood has given me a confidence boost. I didn’t think I would win anything, I exhibited because I thought if anything it’s a good way to get my work out there.
Anya's photography
Nic Farell
- University of Plymouth
- Illustration
Q
What have you been up to since New Blood?
I have been working on a children's book with Dorling Kindersley since July. Also I have a fashion project with an up-and-coming brand, as well as creating work for art/craft fairs and keeping up my 'online presence'. I also sell work on Etsy and things like that. Alongside that I have been earning a living with a non-creative part-time job.
Q
How did New Blood help you in your career?
I think it has been the starting point for the great things I've been involved with since graduating! I was unsure about exhibiting as everything I'd heard and seen about it made me think it was more graphic design- and concept-driven, but I'm so glad I did as it has helped enormously with publicity. I don't think I'd have got far without it to be honest, and being able to say that I won a New Blood award is great, and looks good for potential clients/collaborators.
Q
What was the most beneficial thing about going to the New Blood Festival events?
I had a portfolio review with innocent which was excellent, but generally it was about being there and looking at all the work on display, talking to lots of people, finding inspiration and of course sussing out the competition.
Nic's illustration
Adam Avery
- Norwich University College of the Arts
- BA Illustration
Q
What have you been up to since New Blood?
The biggest thing is that I’ve been taken up by Eastwing Illustration Agency. I’ve also moved house, spent a month (A MONTH!) without internet access, learnt a million different ways to cook a potato and been furiously working on illustration in the evenings whilst selling clothes at a well known department store in the day time.
Q
How did New Blood help you in your career?
New Blood really was a huge success for me in both a physical and psychological way. Having the chance to meet and speak to both prospective clients and employers as well as passers by who took an interest in my work was hugely rewarding. I was given incredibly generous amounts of time from people like NoBrow, Arena illustration agency and my now home - Eastwing Illustration Agency who all gave me fantastic advice and insight into the industry.
Q
What was the most beneficial thing about going to the New Blood Festival events?
I’ve found illustration to be quite a solitary pursuit and its easy to get tunnel vision, even easier to become very self involved, forgetting your prospective place in the field and ignoring the competition. What struck me was that the New Blood events, across all disciplines, forced participants to recognize the level of competition out there and in those first few hours of arrival, everyone looked as terrified as each other - which was brilliant. The month off I figured was oh so deserved after graduation was swiftly cancelled and the looks of terror amongst us all were soon replaced with intrigue and excitement at the exhibition and work around us.
Adam's illustration.
Read exhibiting tutor diaries by Ian MacDonald and Chris Waite, and exhibiting student Iain McNair.
