Category: Spraymie Sprayu

What are the things that Inspire me as a Graphic Designer?

Written by adminJM on . Posted in Spraymie Sprayu.

I mean as a kid being a designer was drawing things to getting out of being beaten up as well, I was a large kid and sadly that was my get out. So, design has always been a big part of my life and something I have always clung to. We all need design inspiration, and it’s not easy to keep work looking fresh and feeling relevant. 

I have always tried to be on board with new trend creativity. I love having to expand my brain to like an elastic band trying to come up with and figure new design ideas. So, it’s really important to recognize what inspires the work, and the best ways to stimulate that imagination. 
 
I really do think we need ( and in a way I think it’s not a thing anymore ) a solid understanding and knowledge of art & design history. I think the knowledge of how to type a set and the different types of fonts and colours and artists are a simple must. 
 
I think like all sorts of media we all do especially design take inspiration from one another. When struggling to find a visual solution, they are often assisted by the work of other designers who have already addressed similar problems.
 
I find looking back at my days at school makes me reflect on how much I have learned and processed, in a time before the internet, my inspiration came from things that I had gathered and kept around me in my sketchbook and Magazines and just things like that. Magazines, flyers, and postcards, and comic novels and things. In the 90s music again was a massive thing for me so Dance flyers for raves and things like this were huge and as I type the 90s Baggy culture is back again.
 
My starting point today for most of the projects I work on is and always will be my sketchbook and my brain sketching out rough ideas. The introduction of the internet, and the move to digital design, means that it’s all too easy to skip that vital, first stage and I for one stick to what I know and I think it shows. My sketchbook is filled with rough ideas, that are then refined digitally. 
 
I often get the brief that actually triggers an instant idea, and this is often the perfect solution and the design that the client will select – not always the same thing! On other occasions, it takes more time and research for the ideas to flow and the perfect solution to be crafted and eventually emerge. 
 
After 20 years working in an industry that I love, I’ll strive to see a vision in print/on a shelf/on a client’s website, etc. 
 
I want to be able to show what more I can do for a company and be a showpiece for you!
 
www.linkedin.com/in/jm-designer/
 
What are the things that Inspire me as a Graphic Designer?
What are the things that Inspire me as a Graphic Designer?

What a difference a day makes 24 little hours ( and a bit )

Written by adminJM on . Posted in Spraymie Sprayu.

What a roller coaster of a year. During the global dark times of COVID-19, the beauty and colour of good graphic design has been needed and I have tried to provide

I have a passion for good design, I know first hand the transformative power of a good design for a company. I feel blessed when given the chance to be able to do this and show my worth. 
 
You know design is special and it’s an enormously powerful tool to communicate via my visuals.
 
So with this in mind, if you need a full time or part-time designer I am an email or call away.
 
What a roller coaster of a year.

More about me on Linkedin

Written by adminJM on . Posted in Spraymie Sprayu.

More about me on Linkedin. The name is Jamie, I’m a Kent lad through and through. So I started my career here, at home, some 18 years ago after gaining my qualifications. I’ve been broadening my experience in that field ever since and also learning new marketing skills along the way. 

You should look at the variety of design jobs I’ve had and not see it as a negative. If anything each and everyone has helped me become a more rounded, and experienced designer. 
 
Initially, you’ll see my early work was that type of a junior designer but it wasn’t long before I was given the task of designing banners and merchandise for exhibition and trade shows. Right up to rebranding and modernizing the face a very popular and well-known TV broadcasting studio. In between those you’ll see I’ve done a variety short contracted roles that have required me to modernize, bring up to date small businesses into the digital spotlight and compete with the big boys of marketing and advertising. 
 
I suppose my skill set speaks for itself in what you see in front of you. I’m a stickler for detail. I believe that if I can see a glitch in design then EVERYONE can. I’m old school in believing that if a job is done it’s worth doing right. No quick fixes, no short cuts. My eye is keen for second best I don’t settle for that. Not on my watch. 
 
The key, I believe anyway, to my success certainly is DIVERSITY and adaptability.
 
I’ve had to learn in this business that I love, that you wear the guise of a caped crusader. You’re employed full time often by a company. You see what they need visually and how to market their brand. You might even just polish what they already have. You set them up with the right social media. THE right web site. You create the right pulse that will attract THE right attention and boom you’re away. 
 
I’ll tell you now my work is what drives me. I survived cancer as a teen starting my adult life and doing that has made me the man I am today. I work quickly and efficiently. I’ll be perfectly honest with you, that hasn’t always worked in my favor! 
 
I try to brand myself, make myself memorable. The CV is seen to be seen by a creative, not an accountant. I try to ‘Wow’ you. I try to be more than a sheet of paper. 
 
I’m experienced creating Adverts, Brochures, Catalogues, Exhibition Stands, Flyers, Invitations, Ipdf’s, Packaging, Posters, Logos, Stationery, and Web Banners and I’m pretty handy in Photoshop too so if you need any image editing I can do that for you as well. To see some of the work I have produced please take a look through my portfolio.
 
I want a project and I’m so eager to get started.
 
www.linkedin.com/in/jm-designer/
 

You are not we are looking for

Written by adminJM on . Posted in Spraymie Sprayu. 78 Comments

I have put out over 1000 resumes and hundreds of letters etc… looking for work attempting to establish myself in my career field, or even something closely related where my skill set fits. 

When I try for anything else on an introductory professional level, like an entry-level management trainee, I am told that my skill set is too specialised! OR, you are not the right fit for the position at this time.

It really doesn’t help that every John and Joe, who picked other fields in college that didn’t work out, suddenly label themselves as designers. Just because they sort of know Photoshop. Suddenly, the job opening with 10 qualified applicants in a geographic area now has 150. Legitimate, college-educated and real designers typically can’t even get interviews nowadays.

Another thing to consider – Web Design is dead. So even Print Designers who felt the need to learn/embrace the web years ago, are finding there are no longer jobs. WordPress themes, ThemeForest and pre-made everything has killed the web design field. Even worse, the term “Web Designer” is now archaic to most employers, and they insist on saying “UI Designer” or “UX Designer”…however, neither of these is Web Design. 

UI Designer is the closest; in that it focuses on the graphics and front-end look of a site…but you’re expected to know a LOT of HTML and CSS nowadays, far more than ever before. Even with that, UI Design jobs are few and far between, because it’s JUST designed. UX Designers are basically front-end Web Developers, and people are expected to know a bunch about CSS, JavaScript, HTML5 and even far-reaching stuff like SEO and Google Analytics. Those jobs are in demand…but that’s NOT design.

What do you think?

Don’t judge a designer just by his cv

Written by adminJM on . Posted in Spraymie Sprayu. 5 Comments

Don’t judge a designer just by his cv. The name is Jamie, I’m a Kent lad through and through. So I started my career here, at home, some 17 Years ago after gaining my qualifications. I’ve been broadening my experience in that field ever since and also learning new marketing skills along the way. 

 
You should look at the variety of design jobs I’ve had and not see it as a negative. If anything each and everyone has helped me become a more rounded, and experienced designer. 
 
Initially, you’ll see my early work was that typical of a junior designer but it wasn’t long before I was given the task of designing banners and merchandise for exhibition and trade shows. Right up to re branding and modernising the face a very popular and well-known TV broadcasting studio. In between those you’ll see I’ve done a variety short contracted roles that have required me to modernise, bring up to date small businesses into the digital spotlight and compete with the big boys of marketing and advertising. 
 
I suppose my skill set speaks for itself in what you see in front of you. I’m a stickler for detail. I believe that if I can see a glitch in design then EVERYONE can. I’m old school in believing that if a job is done it’s worth doing right. No quick fixes, no short cuts. My eye is keen for second best I don’t settle for that. Not on my watch. 
 
The key, I believe anyway, to my success certainly is DIVERSITY and adaptability.
 
I’ve had to learn in this business that I love, that you wear the guise of a caped crusader. You’re employed full time often by a company. You see what they need visually and how to market their brand. You might even just polish what they already have. You set them up with the right social media. THE right web site. You create the right pulse that will attract THE right attention and boom you’re away. 
 
I’ll tell you now my work is what drives me. I survived cancer as a teen starting my adult life and doing that has made me the man I am today. I work quickly and efficiently. I’ll be perfectly honest with you, that hasn’t always worked in my favour! 
 
I try to brand myself, make myself memorable. The CV is seen to be seen by a creative, not an accountant. I try to ‘Wow’ you. I try to be more than a sheet of paper. 
 
I want a project and I’m so eager to get started.
 
www.linkedin.com/in/jm-designer/
 

Social media… The dark side

Written by adminJM on . Posted in Spraymie Sprayu. Leave a Comment

Social media… The dark side. Does anyone still remember a world without social media?

It is hard to believe that only a little over a decade ago, our way of life was really different from the way it is now.

I am not a huge fan of social media myself, partly because I prefer to live life in the real world, and partly because am naturally a private individual. And yet here I am, using social media to let you hear my opinion on social media. The benefits of social media are very hard to ignore.

The social media of present is of enormous risks for individuals, communities, firms, and even for society as a whole.

Examples to this “dark side” of social media include cyberbullying, addictive use, trolling, online witch hunts, fake news, and privacy abuse, and now today promoting the most horrific violence.

People are on social media because they think it enhances their lives. I used to be on Twitter and I did a persona of a Graffiti artist and looking back it’s a nonsense.

Are people really getting on social media to socialize or are they surveying other people and their posts to see what goes on? Are they venting about their dislike of politics or government entities in the world in general?

The fact is: to be a hyper-connected millennial today is to exist in multiple realities. To be both present within and outside of your own experiences, living them while simultaneously observing them; and assessing their shareability.

People are producing daily content to the point that we’re almost convinced that our feeds are a truer representation of ourselves than who we are in real life. It’s smashed the walls between public and private, edited out the messiness, embraced a self-regarding gaze of constant surveillance.

How many likes will this get?

Am I funny enough?

Does this look too edited?

Or too real?

A man who I have followed for years and who is a true genius sums it perfectly – Black Mirror Charlie Brooker with the episode Nosedive If ever there was a message to show how the world is going is this.

But could we turn these examples on their head and use such social-media activity to foresee horrible real-world events? That might seem unlikely, given that such attacks appear to come from out of the blue, carried out by “lone-wolf” individuals with no criminal record. And with billions of online users, detecting who will act sounds like looking for a needle in a haystack – especially as, prior to any attack, each “needle” may be effectively indistinguishable from any other straw of “hay”.

I think as I type this it’s looking like a bleak time and I hope there is a change and soon. As you read this, there are undoubtedly individuals online who are developing the intent and capability to carry out further violent attacks.

Conclusion

No doubt that social media is changing and will continue to change our society. This change is permanent because the upcoming generation won’t even know a world where social media does not exist. This has its advantages and disadvantages, but like everything else, it’s up to the user to decide whether social media can enhance their lives or not and this all depends on how they decide to use it.

 

 

 

703 Associates Limited

Written by adminJM on . Posted in Spraymie Sprayu. Leave a Comment

Susan Holding the Director of 703 Associated Limited had asked me to design a Logo and branding for the company. 


Susan is an experienced commercial consultant in the cultural, heritage and visitor attraction sectors. Extensive experience in strategic planning and operational delivery of commercial events for iconic cultural institutions including The Science Museum, English Heritage and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).

She is a well-respected professional with proven track record of improving revenue and profitability through the creation of evidence-based strategies. 

This was a huge pleasure to work on and I feel the finished product works really well.

Please feel free to contact me for any other design work or to look over my website.

Hi, I’m Jamie Melville

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Hi, I’m Jamie Melville

a graphic designer based in Kent, UK.

WEB DESIGN, PRINT & DIGITAL, BRANDING, SOCIAL MEDIA

A personal, great value solution to your design needs.

Hi, I’m Jamie…

I’m a creative designer based in Kent. I offer a highly personalised service to suit your budget whilst taking the time to work with you and fully understand your business. I focus on building an ongoing relationship whilst providing an affordable design.  I can provide the creative solution.

I offer a multi-disciplined and fully integrated service. Having worked on a variety of creative briefs and with clients.

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jm design - Graphic Designer 

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JM DESIGN

Kent
United Kingdom

07762515000
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