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After what I’d call my first full week on placement with xPublishing, don’t let anybody tell you that you won’t ever have to use Microsfot Excel if you’ve chosen a Graphic Design related degree. Have used it for the first time since I scraped a pass in AS Level ICT, and it is still no more fun!
Other tasks so far this week have included teaching myself Fontographer & FontLab Studio (the first of which is completely useless now i’ve learned the second!). I was tasked with making the five typeface familes used in VICE Magazine useable for Czech & Slovak languages, as their alphabets include all sorts of interesting characters…. Ěě, Šš, Čč, Řř, Žž, Ýý, Áá. etc.
So panic over, I have a weekend of partying in Prague to look forward to. It won’t be in Karlovy Lazne, as even though it is badged as Central Europe’s Largest Club, it was quite probably the worst!!
After my first actual day in with xPublishing yesterday, I took myself off to Zizkov today, a couple of stops along the green Metro from Museum to see the Zizkov Television Tower. Built over 3/4’s of a former Jewish Cemetery (unimaginable that anything like this would be ratified by a City Council back in the UK), it is Prague’s most imposing of landmarks.
Made even more breathtaking by sculptor David Cerny’s recent addition… babies crawling up and down the tower. I won’t write anymore I’ll let you have a look and decide for yourselves…
Day two of my actual placement. No more Czech lessons & classroom banter as we struggle with pronunciation. Having met up with two different design agencies last week thanks to Jan, Slav & Lukas up at Vuste Envis, I have chosen to be based with a small publishing house based in Prague 4, called xPublishing.
I decided against going to another firm due to the strength of the name of xPublishing’s leading & newest client, VICE. Due to launch into the Czech & Slovakian region in summer 2009, VICE is set to replace two publications that xPublishing produce. Also, the firm produces city guides every year (currently for Prague & Bratislava), as well as the successful Festival Guide. I’ll post a link to their site so you can have a look at some of the stuff they do.
It seems the placement work might be more casual than I expected, due to the firm relocating to a more central district of Prague. So, when I’m called in, I’m there, but asides that it reminds me of being back at university and having to work independently, with contact limited to once or twice a week and through email or text messaging. I guess this is down to the nature of the work, having my own laptop and everything being based over the internet these days. I wonder if agencies back home are like this more often than not, and whether there is any necessity for a large central studio space, or whether it is more cost effective to just communicate electronically, meeting once or twice a week to toss ideas around.
Yesterday evening before walking across Charles Bridge underneath the golden lights & light dusting of snow I found 2 things in Prague that I didn’t know were here. If any of you have been before, the finds were not too far from Marlostranska Metro station on the same side of the Vltava River as the castle.
The first of these finds is a poster competition in which local colleges that offer design courses in & around Prague were invited to enter. The aim is to promote the Czech Presidency of the European Union (every 6 months the presidency is passed around different nations of Europe). So, it was very interesting to see the different Graphic forms that had been employed to promote Europe Without Barriers.
I will try & get my camera lead sent out to me so I can upload some examples, but for me there were a few that stuck out & I will try and explain them. One was a series of 5 sets of the European Union stars (The European Union flag), and the sickle off the former Soviet Union flag. As your eye tracks down the page, the sickle moves further into Europe (just as many of the former Soviet States, including the Czech Republic, have done since the collapse of communism), and eventually begins to act in unison with the stars that represent the nations of the EU.
I won’t explain any more posters, but will work on my camera lead finding its way out to Prague.
The other find was the John Lennon Wall, not at all far from the first & still in Mala Strana. Up until the 1980s this was your standard Czech wall in Prague. However, since then, people have covered the wall in graffiti inspired by the lyrics from songs by The Beatles.
It has been one thing we’ve all noted so far, that graffiti is evident in lots of places, not necessarily the major tourist spots, but certainly outside of these areas under fly-overs and on bridges and walls around other parts of the city.
Also, tomorrow, the 19th, marks a day of remembrance for the Czech Republic. Student Jan Palach was a Czech student who committed suicide on Wenceslas Square in political protest against the Communist ruling of Prague in 1969. Those of you who have ever been to Prague before and seen the imposing Vaclav Statue just near the Museum Metro stop will realise how big an event this must have been, as every time I have been to Wenceslas Square since arriving in Prague, it is always bustling and full of people, both tourists and residents. This photo illustrates the scale of the statue and the square for those of you who may not be familiar with the landmark. The silhouetted form in the foreground is the statue, and either side of this are the stairways to Museum Metro.
As we walked past on Saturday tributes were being layed at the foot of the statue.
First off, many apologies for the length of time since my last post… so much has transpired between this morning & January 5 when I put in my last post, and I am going to have to concise with what I write as I could go on all day! I am using a free open Wi-fi network in the flat, and am having to write this early in the morning in order to get a strong enough signal.
Our flat is very close to the city centre of Prague a short walk away from Josefov (the Jewish Quarter) and we are in a location that is roughly half way between Florenc & Namesti Republiky Metro stations for those of you who are familiar with the city. Some of the city’s nightlife is close by, so I will attempt to post more information on that once we’ve unearthed more.
Prague so far has been very cold, the highest temperature has been -4 degrees, so wrapping up every time I’ve stepped out of the flat, cafe or pub has been paramount. 2 pairs of socks are a must after having been out on the first evening for a quick recce in just one pair! We haven’t had any fresh snowfall since we arrived, but as the mercury hasn’t topped 0, it is still on the ground & giving the city a wintry crisp feel.
So far I’ve managed to adjust to the Metro pretty easily, its much simpler to understand than London’s Underground as there are only 2 Transfer (Prestrup in Czech) stations on the entire network, and only 3 lines. This means that the informational design and sign-age on platforms is so simple that you often find yourself wondering if you’re heading the wrong way! Having acquired a long term pass (these weren’t advertised, but a guy from Vuste Envis called Igor hooked us up with a 3 month pass for 1510Kr, which is just over £60), we now haven’t got to worry about having pockets full of Koruna for the change machines, as this was seriously holding us up in the first day or two. The stations are much more minimalist in their design and decor when you compare them with somewhere on London’s Underground, which are often decked in elaborate illustrations. The shot below is a typical tube tunnel wall that you see from the platforms.
Regarding my Czech lessons, the third one will take place at 1230 this afternoon. Pronunciation wise, I feel I’m doing pretty well so far. This may be down to me geeking it up before I came away, having downloaded a Czech podcast from the i-Tunes store (head there & there are 7 episodes so far). However, grammar wise, I am struggling to hoold my own, though it is only early days so there is no need for panic yet! One thing proving pretty interesting is the fact that our teacher, Sylvia, is only about the same age as me… and can speak very little English! Imagine a room full of people trying to signal stuff & shout pretty loudly like you do when you order a beer on holiday in Spain, and you’re pretty much there!
On the placement front, Lukas Cetera is looking after sorting the Creative Internships out. So far he has passed my details onto 2 or 3 firms, and I am hoping to hear back within the next week (when I know, so will you!). He is also having to accommodate an animator, 2 or 3 architects/interior spatial designers, an artist and a journalist amongst others. Cross your fingers for me!!
How is it that as soon as I acceptt a placement in a foreign country, being a Derby County fan becomes interesting again! I’m missing 3 months of the season, an away cup tie at Manchester Utd (potentially a visit to Wembley), the local grudge match City Ground in the league, Forest in the 4th Round of the FA Cup at Pride Park (they’ve just appointed our old manager, if the rivalry wasn’t fierce enough!), and the appointment of a new manager after a terrible 2008!!
Its never dull being a Derby fan, but I’m going to have all the placement issues to keep me busy & keep my posts more relevant & professional!!
So, now the relevant offices return from their Christmas holidays, myself and the others on ETS Prague intake are hoping to get a few queries cleared up…
It is only 6 days to go & it seems no of us are any the wiser. Having spoken to Maria at ETS this morning, I’m told this is nothing unusual… We arrive on Sunday in 2 batches, one flight from Stanstead and one from Birmingham. Yet, none of us know exactly where we are going to be placed (accommodation or organisation wise!) We’ve all selected our top 3 choices, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Rather than panic, I’m seeing it as an adventure! And I feel like I need one! Graduating into design when all you hear on TV & in the papers is talk of job cuts & recession makes the placement route feel more valid than ever. I had been offered a job with a small printing firm back in Septemeber… but didn’t feel it was quite for me & took on my old job at JJB Sports as a stop gap.
After some soul searching, I found myself digging around for an email all the students received from Ian Weir (3rd Year BAGC Tutor) in March from ECTARC -Wales’s answer to Leonardo. I made a call & found out that I’d have to try ETS, England’s Leonardo arm, who are based in Lichfield, Staffordshire. This was due to me moving back home to Derby & no longer living in Wales, and therefore ineligible for any help from ECTARC. Maria Massarotto was the lady I spoke to at ETS, and within 2 weeks of making the call, an interview was set!
Armed with my portfolio & feeling ridiculously overdressed, I made the short drive down the A38 to the pretty market town of Lichfield. It turns out that I shouldn’t have been so nervous, as the interview seemed more to do with picking my top 3 choices of companies of who I want to be placed with, and filling out the extensive medical questionnaire.
All that I have to do now is wait on the details & pack for the cold!
