Chris's Contribution

Ok friends, here's a couple interviews if you want the experimental jetset stuff let me know...

Centremark Design (Chelmsford, Essex)

Hi Matt (CentreMark),

 

My name is Christopher Walter and I am currently a student on the FDA Visual Communication course at the Arts Institute at Bournemouth. I am nearing the end of the course and one of the final units which I must complete is Work Related Learning. This involves contacting professionals within the design industry, asking questions and obtaining information about working within the design world.

 

The gathered information will be collated into a research file before being analysed to produce a report on the design world and various related aspects and elements of the business.

 

I contacted you yesterday by phone and was supplied with this email address in order to contact you. I would be hugely appreciative if you could take the time to answer the following questions. If for any reason you deem certain questions not applicable to your business, just say so. As by answering these questions you will be doing me a huge favour, any information is valid and better than none.

 

Also any business cards, showreels, brochures or links which advertise your business or agency would be much appreciated as additional materials for my research file would be extremely useful. If there is anything that you could physically send me, I would also greatly appreciate it. I have included my address at the bottom of this email, and also a link to my portfolio website.

 

 

 

Company/Agency - CentreMark Design - Q&A

  

Brief history of company/agency? Founded by whom and when?

1964 – Ken Chesney and partner started a technical drawing company called Studiotechnical Ltd in Shenfield, near Brentwood, Essex.

Mid-1970’s – nature of work starts to evolve more into graphic design for print type work. Ken’s partner retires.

1979 – Ken moves company to brand new premises in Chelmer Village on the outskirts of Chelmsford as part of new Asda development.

Early-1980’s – Ken takes on new partner, Phil Fraser-Betts, who is a professional studio photographer. He sets up his studio within the premises. Work becoming increasingly graphic design-based.

1990’s – Phil moves to bigger drive-in studio about a mile away.

Late-1990’s – Phil splits away from Centremark Design Ltd to become a separate company, Centremark Photography Ltd.

1999 – Centremark bought by John Sergeant and moves to New London Road, in Chelmsford Town. Ken retires and Roy Hodgkiss becomes MD.

2004 – Fraser Hodgkiss buys company from John but not the building.

2008 – Company moves premises a few doors down New London Road as John Sergeant needs to sell building.

Number of designers/staff?

3 designers (1 part-time)

1 sales director/account handler

2 receptionists/account handlers (both part-time)

How would you describe your agency/business/company?

We are a small, friendly, very reliable general design company with a good reputation for producing high quality work, from design for print to electronic-based design.

How would you describe your work/style/methods?

Varied – depends on nature of work!

What sort of work do you do (eg. Packaging, Identity and Branding, Websites, etc, etc)?

General: corporate identity, any design for print including leaflets, brochures, stationery, prospectuses, direct mailers, posters, exhibition stands, websites, ezines etc.

How do you go about getting work/clients?

Most of our clients have come to us through recommendation but some have come via targeted email and direct mail marketing.

 

Some of your previous clients include?

In no particular order: Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford Borough Council, Thermos, University Campus Suffolk, Writtle College, United Friendly, Southend Hospital, Braintree College, NHS North Essex Mental Health Partnership etc.  

From start to finish, what are the typical stages you work through during a job?

            1.            Brief from client

            2.            We submit estimates for design, artwork, photography, illustration and print

            3.            Further detailed brief from client if necessary

            4.            We submit design visuals

            5.            Produce artwork and submit proofs

            6.            Further proofing stages

            7.            Artwork approved by client and artwork sent to printer

            8.            Printer’s proofs checked by us and client

            9.            Final print and ultimate delivery to client

            10.            Hopefully and usually, one satisfied customer

 

Design is often dictated by use of technology (Computers, softwares, hardwares)? What are your opinions on this?

 

We try not to rely on what computers can give you. We still sketch ideas onto paper first. The solution should always come first, not the means of producing it. Computers and its software are only tools of the trade and are just a means to an end!

 

 

What software and hardware does your agency tend to use?

 

Hardware: Apple Mac G5s

 

Software: Adobe InDesign CS3, Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Illustrator CS3 (we sometimes have to use QuarkXPress but reluctantly!). Maya, Dreamweaver, Flash etc.

 

 

Reasons for choice of location and type of premises?

 

We’re in town and near the A12 so it’s easy to get to good road networks. We’re in the basement of a large building but it’s very light and atmospheric for a basement (not dark and dingy!)

 

 

Have you found that your agency/company has suffered or been impacted in anyway due to the financial state of the world currently (recession, etc)?

 

Not yet! We’re fortunate in that our biggest clients are so far relatively unaffected by the downturn.

 

 

Favourite typeface?

 

So many but I still love Gill Sans.

 

 

Any memorable design/work disasters?

 

Not many but we’re dealing with a big problem right now. We’ve just delivered 50,000 124 page prospectuses to a client of ours and the printer has made a big mistake. Some of them, and we don’t know how many, have been printed incorrectly paginated ie instead of starting on page 1, they start on page 33. Apparently some of the make-ready sheets were accidentally included in the run. Our client obviously isn’t very happy through a mistake that isn’t ours but we are responsible because it has been made by our chosen printer. Therefore, we have to carry the can!

 

 

Any advice for a junior, looking to enter the design world either in a creative agency or reprographics?

 

Portfolio, portfolio, portfolio. I don’t care what qualifications you have or where you’ve studied. It’s all about your work and of course how you come across as a person and as a committed designer. Make a nuisance of yourself but make it as easy as possible for the studio manager/creative director to view your work. I am inundated with CVs, as I would imagine most people who run studios are, so I don’t get much time to absorb them. Check your English and spellings. Attention to detail is a must in our industry. As designers we are judged on everything we produce so you must make your CV and portfolio as attractive as possible. Don’t include work you’re not proud of. It will show!

 

 

All obvious advice but hopefully helpful.

 

 

Good luck

 

Matt

 

 

Matt Bryan

 

STUDIO MANAGER