In terms of design I’m not an innovator. I consume ground breaking design with awe and reverence. I however am very good at absorbing things and understanding how they fit in and why they work. I may never produce anything that completely stands out from the crowd but I can most definitely spot good and bad design. I see the flaws. And those flaws irritate me. There are a few people in this world that create truly amazing design that makes us stop in our tracks.

Copenhagen Zoo Bus

But most people do something between acceptable and mediocre. There are the odd occasions that mediocre design actually does work. It can grab attention, and despite the fact it makes me cringe, it can achieve it’s aims. But the success stories of bad design are few and far between the failures.

For me there are three basic questions when evaluating and creating design. There are plenty of other questions to ask that build on those foundations but by answering those three questions I immediately tell if something is likely to achieve it’s aim or not.

• What is the key message?
• Who is it aimed at?
• What do you want those people to do as a result of seeing it?

I am constantly criticising my own work. But the cycles of self-criticism and improvement occasionally end up with something I’m really proud of. Often I just don’t have the hours to put into my quest for perfection and will be questioning typefaces and alignment long after I have finalised the design. I am a bitch to myself and I rarely meet my high levels of expectation when it comes to design. Even so I enjoy the process and somehow the fact I demand so much of myself just motivates me to continue learn and improve.

The realisation of what a bitch I can be about it came when I helped out a friend with their business cards. I’d helped out before and been asked to design the business cards a while ago as a favour. Fair enough I didn’t actually get round to it (in my defense I was ill, and then there was Christmas). Anyway I was emailed the design for my opinion. And I gave it. Plus a very quick revised design to try and do some damage control. But all I could see on the original design was something that said “amateur” and “early 90s” neither of which represent the business, or the talent behind it.

I do not apologise for my straight talking on the matter. If design is going to affect the perception of something that is important to someone I care about then there is no point in being all fluffy and caring about their feelings. Their feelings will be hurt much more if that bad design loses them a client or a sale. I only tell them straight because I care. And because I’m confident I do know better than them about design, communications and marketing. Again I don’t profess to be the best, or anywhere near that, but I would quite confidently say I do have a better idea than most. I love fixing bad design and making it effective. I freely give my time for the sake of eradicating disasters of the design world.

And if I can’t eradicate it I ignore it. I will switch off and I don’t engage.

There is no excuse for bad design. If you don’t have the time keep it simple and clean. If you can’t do it yourself then ask someone else to. If you come to me then don’t be offended if I pull it apart and put it back together again. Don’t feel bad if I destroy your hard work. I’m sure there are many areas of life you are more talented in than I am. The most valuable lesson I learned in my degree was that it doesn’t matter how much time you’ve spent on something, if it detracts from the goal then you have to lose it for the sake of your success.

I promise the bitch won’t seep into other areas of my life, but when it comes to design she’s staying put. Or getting on the next train out of the Lake District. But that my friends is another story for another time.

“I nominate Helen because I’ve never seen such an eclectic bunch of posts on one blog. You name it she’s got it; politics, writing, photography, lifestyle, gripes and much much more. She’s a Lovely girl with a cracking smile. Go seek her out!”

A big thank you to Katie for the nomination. Now I have to follow a list of things to do (at the bottom of this post if you’re nosey) and share seven things people might find interesting. With my current snow brain the best theme I can think of is weather related facts.

1. The most torrential downpour I have ever found myself stuck in was arriving in Edinburgh back in January 2006. It was raining so hard that the steep steps from the station up to Cockburn St had become a stream. To make matters worse the quick 10 minute walk to our hostel on Cowgate took quite a bit longer as my map reading skills failed me.

Once the rain had been and gone...

2. In my teens my cousin Aimee and I went caravanning in Europe with my parents. We were staying in a valley by the Dordogne river in France. One night my parents had gone to bed and Aimee and I were sat out in the awning looking at the lightening over the mountains around us. Aimee remarked “Can you hear the thunder? I think the storms getting closer.” I listened and concluded “That’s not the storm, it’s my dad snoring!”

3. On a HCPT trip to Lourdes we went for a day trip to Gavarnie, a mountain village in the Pyranees. There had been heavy snowfall the day before and it continued to snow on our journey up in the coach. Until now I had never seen so much snow in one place. I had also never felt so close to reliving the final scene from The Italian Job!

4. As a child we did the Eurocamp holidays. One year we stayed at Lake Garda in Italy and the campsite had a brilliant swimming pool with a mushroom water feature. I loved swimming and my parents couldn’t get me to leave the pool despite the high temperatures. That night my cousin and her husband came to cook us dinner. Between the main course and watermelon I threw up. I continued to throw up the whole of the next day. Since then I have tried to avoid getting sun stroke at all costs!

5. At 15 I learned that theme parks and cold weather do not go together. We went on a school trip to Disneyland Paris in mid-February. I have never been so cold in all my life as queuing an hour for Big Thunder Mountain! It wasn’t worth it.

6. A group of us stayed in a villa in the hills overlooking Alcudia, Mallorca back in 2006. One night there was the most amazing storm and with views over two bays it was spectacular to watch it out at sea. It was the most amazing storm I have ever seen.

I believe this was Dan Wood's photo of the lightening that night... thank you Dan!

7. When I made my decision to do Animation I gave up my idea of studying Geography further. I am fascinated by weather and physical geography in general. Part of my frustration with the snow is that I wish I understood weather more! I still hope to study Geography and Meteorology in future (when I find a few thousand pounds hanging around that I have no other use for), and still secretly harbour dreams of being a weather girl whilst chasing tornadoes, climbing volcanoes and studying earthquakes in my spare time!!!

And now for my nominations. But just before I’d like you to check out Katie McCullough’s blog… it is interesting, witty and I’m in awe of the things she achieves. Like the 48hr Film Challenge. She’s a woman who’s spending her life pursuing her passion of scriptwriting and is kind enough to share the ups and downs with us via her blog.

1. Rachael Blogs… her opinion on anything and everything. Always interesting, often amusing. She points me in the direction of things I might like, and steers me away from those I should avoid. And I love her new 365 project on posterous too!

2. Mister Phill – An amazing photographer who accidentally ended up being a wedding photographer too. Below is comment I left on his website back in October
“In the age of Facebook it is all to easy to compare wedding photographs and from friends hear about their experiences. Most wedding photography ranges from bland to ordinary and the photographers themselves rarely get a glowing report. I get bored of looking through wedding photographs, even as a wedding guest. To find someone who can capture a wedding in a way that pleases the couple, can be appreciated by the guests and enjoyed by the rest of us (that don’t have a clue who any of these people are) is truly amazing. If someone had told me I’d have spent this year looking forward to seeing the wedding photos of complete strangers I would have thought they were crazy. But it reflects the pure talent that you have for capturing emotion and atmosphere that makes you better than most of the rest. I’m glad you accidentally ended up as a wedding photographer and I can’t wait to see what 2010 brings!!!”

3. Why Miss Jones – A fairly new discovery in the realm of blogs I follow. It was her fantastic reviews of Strictly that led me to her blog and her witty writing on her life and all else that keeps me coming back.

4. Jo’s Kitchen – When I’m stuck for a recipe I know where to head. Jo’s friendly take on sharing recipes and restaurant reviews is a pleasure to read and makes me want grab my kitchen utensils and get cooking immediately!

5. James Inman – Every year James compiles a list of his 101 things to achieve. In 2009 he hit 76/101 a huge leap from 54/101 the year before. I’m looking forward to following his progress this year!

6. Whitespider1066 – Darren’s outdoor blog is full of fantastic photography taken on his walks with his iPhone. Plus if you happen to be a fan of the outdoors he has plenty to share on how he does it.

7. Secret Diaries of a Wannabe Yummy Mammy – I think it’s fantastic that Yummy Mammy used her blog to share and raise awareness of the issues around child custody when you and your ex are different nationalities. Having finally returned to the UK she’s onto the next phase of her life and the new challenges that brings!

So now I’m off to let the lucky nominees know that I think they’re wonderful and kreativ! Hope you enjoy their blogs as much as you enjoy mine. And thanks again to Katie… don’t forget to pay her a visit too!

And here’s the list…
* 1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
* 2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
* 3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
* 4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
* 5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
* 6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
* 7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

However the sub-zero bus wait was probably the trigger. I think there was something darker and more unsettling behind my negativity. The fear of when the snow goes.

I love snow. It is exciting and amazing. It is fascinating from a scientific point of view. It is beautiful and photogenic. It is fun to walk in and play in. It has a calm and serene nature to it that makes me feel soothed as I watch it fall. But snow has always been fleeting. Never around long enough for me to totally and utterly fall for it. It comes along, dusts everything with white then a day or two later leaves again. I never know when it’s coming, and I make the most of it because it will be gone soon enough.

Not this year. This year it has stayed around. The four days I had it before Christmas I thought that would be it for now. I might see it on my return to Durham for a day or two, but I didn’t get my hopes up. However it’s still here. Over three weeks since it arrived. It’s starting to feel like it may never leave, but I have to accept it will. The more I enjoy it and embrace it the more it will break my heart when it is no more. I’m constantly anxious looking for signs that it’s on it’s way. My heart leaps when there’s a new snowfall but my head gets snappy. How dare it continue to tease me when soon it will all disappear?

I need to take it all in while it is still here. Be fascinated by the change from powdery snow to packed snow. Be in awe at icicles some more than 6ft long. Who knows when I’ll next get to walk through snow that’s almost up to the top of my wellies? Normally you’d have to pay a small fortune to fly abroad and spend a week in the snow. I have the luxury of living in it at the moment. This might be a once in a lifetime experience. I’ll be sad when it leaves, but if I marvel in it for the time being I’ll have the memories.

“God gave us memories that we might have roses in December.” ~J.M. Barrie, Courage, 1922 …and may I also suggest “snow in July”?

Despite the inconveniences that snow brings I don’t have snow fatigue yet. Though it was close today, but that had more to do with the office being freezing at work. I shouldn’t blame that on the snow. Even if the weather wasn’t sub-zero outside we’d still need hot water bottles, fleeces and slipper socks to keep warm at work the first day back after Christmas.

In fact yesterday I thought the snow was rather wonderful. As usual I went to the Co-op to stock up on essentials and as I walked along I realised how lovely it was to have fewer cars on the road and more people on foot. People were out en masse walking to do their food shopping. The usual noise of traffic was replaced with chatting and laughter. People smiling and saying hello to each other. We are so used to having everything instantly these days and snow slows that down. It’s not as easy to escape our own communities so we talk to our neighbours. As I walked back people were stood out on their streets chatting. It was lovely.

And today my brother-in-law and I decided to walk to work. The buses are unreliable at the best of times so we thought walking might be just as quick, plus give us a chance to do some morning photography. Some of the results are below and you can see more in my flickr photostream.

Narrowing it down to my five favourite images has been tough. It’s nice to have so many images that I’m proud of. Those that didn’t make it can be found on my Flickr Photostream

1. Palace Green
The weekend of the Durham regatta my sister and I ventured into Durham with my nieces. After buying ice creams we ventured to Palace Green to sit down and give the girls a chance to play, while I played with my camera. This was one of the results and my favourite photograph of the year.

2.Bride & Bridesmaid
Lucy is my oldest friend, we met for the first time within my first few days of being born, so her wedding was always going to be a very special day. Especially as she met her husband through me. I’ve got some great pictures from the day but I just love this one of Lucy and her head bridesmaid, Anna, in conversation. You can see my other photos from the day in my Flickr Wedding Set.

3. Funny Face
On the day of my nieces First Holy Communion I took a LOT of photos. Comments were made about the camera being surgically attached to my face. But I got some fantastic ‘in the moment’ shots that I wouldn’t have got otherwise.

4. 24 Hour CCTV
For Catherine’s 8th Birthday we went to Beamish Wild and it was another day of fantastic photo taking opportunities and quite a few happy accidents.

5. Snow in Durham
Since the summer I’ve not been out and about much with my camera but the snow last week gave me a chance to dust of the Nikon and get back out there. I don’t know what it is about this one, but I really enjoy looking at it.

It was always going to be a fantastic night as it’s the Strictly Come Dancing final. I’m just a bit obsessed with Strictly! In week one I wanted Chris to be out as early as possible, I wouldn’t have believed it if you would have told me I’d be voting for him multiple times in the final. Chris went from novice to being an amazing dancer. This past month Team Cola (as Chris & Ola are known) have given me goosebumps every week without fail, and their Charleston is easily my favourite dance of the series.

Once Strictly had finished I could transfer my attention to the snow. We had a flurry/blizzard earlier and now have well over a foot of snow. It’s soft fluffy snow and so pretty. Unfortunately not great for making snowmen as it just falls apart. As it was after 10pm I had no one to call on for a snow ball fight so I decided to go on a wander by myself. I was so overwhelmed by the snow that I didn’t realise I was cold at all until I returned to my warm flat 20 minutes later! Of course whilst on my wander I took a few photos and listened to Christmas music on my iPhone.

It has been a rather exciting, amazing and beautiful evening! And it’s less than a week until Christmas…

Back in 1996 when I was almost fourteen I went to see Toy Story at the cinema. I sat there and had a wondrous thought. “Someone does this for a living. Their job is to make animated movies. That’s what I want to do!” Coincidentally a couple of months later my mum heard something on the radio about animation and the National Centre of Computer Animation at Bournemouth University.

That was that. Before I’d started my GCSEs I knew what I was going to study at university and where I was going to study it. By the time I was choosing my A-Levels I’d been in touch with Phill Allen, course leader at the time, for advice on which subjects to go for. I applied to Bournemouth, had my interview, got my offer. Then I got my place and down to the south coast I went.

It scares me now that by the age of 14 I had decided that five years I would be in a lecture theatre at Bournemouth University studying Computer Visualisation & Animation. No wonder people who’ve known me that long think I know where I’m going in life.

For those of you that would like to see it, below is ‘Animus’ (or here if the video below has mysteriously disappeared) my major project from the final year of my degree. If you would to like browse other work from students visit the NCCA archive. My favourite two projects from the class of 2004 are Damian Hook East End Zombies and David Basalla The Capital

After more than four years of being so determined to do this degree, and then another three of studying and producing work, why am I not in a post-production company somewhere alongside my friends getting credits on The Dark Knight, Quantum of Solace or Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince?

Quite simply because I didn’t want to spend my days stuck in front of a computer. I love people. I’m not a detail person. I would have been the worst SFX artist in the world (that is an exaggeration but you know what I mean). I did want to be a producer. I think I have all the qualities that would have made me an amazing producer. But to do that straight out of uni I would have had to climb the ladder. Starting as a runner, earning minimum wage in central London and living in a cardboard box on Wardour Street in the few hours I had off. Not a sacrifice I was willing to make.

One company came very close to offering me exactly what I wanted back at the end of 2007. Starting off in HR and moving over to production. But unfortunately there are some bastards out there. After a number of promising emails and meetings over a couple of months, one day the offer simply vanished into thin air. The last I heard was that I would be receiving a contract within the fortnight to sign and return. But they got cold feet, my phone calls and emails went unanswered. To be honest I think I probably had a lucky escape.

I haven’t ruled out a return to film production or post-production in the future. It’s an exciting and interesting world. It’s also hard work and ruthless at times. Even after five years I can spot dodgy effects a mile off. An error of lighting or texture or simply bad animation annoys me. But I also get great joy when something is absolutely amazing. Visual effects and animation are in my blood, they always will be.

I will always love CGI and all that goes with it. One of my dreams is still to visit the Pixar studios. I’d love to spend a week there just watching people work and taking it all in.

Someone once told me that places at the NCCA were so sought after that I had wasted mine by not wanting to be a special effects artist when I finished. I disagree completely. I learned so much, I made amazing friends and to this day I still love visual effects. I don’t think it’s a waste at all.

It was followed by heading back to my sisters for a marathon Doctor Who DVD session. Six episodes of series four, a birthday present we all enjoyed!

A day full of Doctor Who and I have concluded that you can never have enough. If it wasn’t for having this blog to write, and getting to the point where I need matchsticks to keep my eyes open, I’d happily continue with my Doctor Who Day!

“Exterminate, Exterminate”

Double Davros

Bannakaffalatta – The second best thing about The Voyage of the Damned. Obviously Astrid (Kylie) was the best!

Brannigan from ‘Gridlock‘ and The Empty Child

The Ood and his translator device with Catherine and I

Sadly, as with Durham Cathedral (but without the excuse of a bad back), I didn’t feel I got nearly as much as I should have done from this glorious cathedral. It didn’t help that I forgot to bring my tripod, meaning I missed out on quite a few shots in darker parts of the minster. Once I get back I will be uploading more images of York Minster, and the rest of the city, to my Flickr Photostream. But for now here’s a sample…