In the realms of new media, there’s a whole load of digital sectors which may take your fancy, whether it be web design, programming, gaming or social media, there are plenty of opportunities to make the most of the current surge toward online and digital innovation.

• Ideas Tap are a creative network and funding body for emerging talent. They also provide information on jobs and opportunities in the creative industry.

• Skillset provide resources for interactive media and gaming, such as training, courses and funding opportunities.

For an industry which is heavily online, with a reputation for sitting behind a laptop, there are a surprising number of offline meetup groups, ranging from casual drinks to user groups with a focused agenda. Here some of the groups and organisations around the West Midlands;

• Multipack is a community of web developers and designers from across the West Midlands who meet every second Saturday of the month

• Digital Playground run fortnightly pub socials in Digbeth for those involved in the digital creative industries in Birmingham.

• Paradise Circus is a space for discussion amongst Birmingham Bloggers, who also hold monthly meetups at various pubs around the city.

• Tech Wednesday is a monthly tech meetup for like minded digital geeks in the Birmingham area.

• Flashmidlands is a Flash Platform User Group, focusing on the advancing techniques and features of Flash, Flex, AIR, and FMS platforms, as well as their supporting technologies.

• Birmingham Perl Mongers provide help and advice to Perl programmers from Birmingham, the Black Country and the West Midlands, and also hold tech meetings.

• Black Country Open Source Society promotes the benefits of Free Open Source Software and support its use in small business.

• fizzPOP is a hackspace for people with a wide range of skills and interests, bound by a common interest in tinkering with stuff to make something new.

• Game Central is the regional games network for the West Midlands, providing news on events.

• Hacks/ Hackers brings together journalists and hackers to help each find inspiration and think in new directions, bringing together potential collaborators for projects and new ventures.

• Midlands Macintosh User Group is a non-profit user group run for and by Apple fanatics in the West Midlands. They meet monthly with refreshments, a presentation and raffle.

• PHPWM meetings are free to attend, and open to anyone - but they're probably only of real interest to PHP programmer.

• Python West Midlands hold meetings for tutorials, group programming and social events.

• West Midlands Ruby User Group a new social/learning group for people in/around the West Midlands who are interested in everything Ruby and/or Rails.

• Birmingham Interation Design Association believes that the human condition is increasingly challenged by poor experiences, and so intends to improve this by advancing the discipline of Interaction Design.

• Birmingham Linux User Group hold monthly meetings, usually on the third Thursday of the month.

• Coventry Linux User Group meet twice a month for a technical and social meet up.

• Redditch and Bromsgrove Linux Users Group alternate thier monthly meetings between Redditch and Bromsgrove.

• Warwick University GNU/ Linux User Group is a special interest group within the University of Warwick Computing Society.

• Birmingham Bloggers is a space used to talk about web and social media things, plus they hold monthly bloggers meets

• Birmingham Social Media Cafe is a place for people interested in social media to gather, get acquainted, chat, plot, scheme, and share, which meets on the last Friday of the month.

There are also plenty of Social Media Cafe's further afield, if you can help build this list, please let us know of your local meet-up;

• Black Country Social Media Cafe 
• Coventry and Warwick Social Media Cafe
• Solihul Social Media Cafe - Lets be Social
• Lichfield Social Media Cafe
• Derbyshire Social Media Cafe
• Oxford Social Media Cafe
• London Social Media Cafe - The Tuttle Club
• Manchester Social Media Cafe
• Bristol Social Media Cafe
• Cardiff Social Media Cafe

For those who are not as familiar with the uses of social media, but want to get on board with online resources, or have an idea but want to know where to start implementing it, aside from the above, you may want to

• Social Media Surgery pops up at various locations around the West Midlands, as well as further afield, offering advice to community groups, charities and local active citizens.

• Hello Digital consists of digital media events in the Midlands enabling participants to explore the modern world and open doors to new possibilities.

• Digital Brum also provides listings of upcoming events which are relevant to the digital sectors in Birmingham.

Next week we'll be offering some resources for getting into the music and sound based industries.

(Image by fdecomite)

Who are you and what do you do?

I am 23-year-old currently working in the field of graphic design. I like producing design that is simple, appropriate and which communicates directly to its audience.

What was your route into this job?

I have been employed as a graphic designer since graduating from university in 2008. I was keen to get a job within the industry and start learning the processes of working with clients and other designers to meet briefs. The aesthetics of my work is what acquired me my current position, but I have since then developed my design philosophy and refined the work that I produce.

What companies/ organisations are doing really interesting things at  the moment?

Moving Brands - Their approach to branding is very unique and is always results in interesting and effective solutions. The way in which
their work is displayed - telling a story and showing the in-depth, time-consuming process that is taken is a great way of showing the value of branding.
Studio Newwork - They produce a publication biannually called Newwork Magazine. The magazine consists of the latest works from a wide range of artists and creators in the fields of fashion, fine art, design, culture, and politics, all pushing the boundaries of their disciplines.

Which tools of the trade could you not do without?

A pen and a clean sheet of paper. I think no matter how small or mundane the task, it is essential to scribble down initial ideas and layouts. I believe it saves time and engages you to think about what you are doing.
My book collection. Although I like to draw my inspiration from things other than design, I thrive on having knowledge of design and designers; this then makes my book collection extensive and ever growing.

What events might we catch you at?

The Typographic Circle, Glug and any other talks/lectures that discuss the importance, effects and future of design.

How do you keep up with what’s going on in your industry?

Twitter is a great way of keeping up to date with what’s going on and is a great tool if used correctly. I also use various blogs such as Tumblr which I use as a personal journal of all things that inspire and interest me.

What sort of clients do you like to work with?

A client that listens and understands that being a graphic designer is a profession. We the designers are presented with a problem that requires a solution, the best clients are the ones who trust our expertise and knowledge.

Are there any emerging trends that you think people should keep an eye on?

I have noticed a negative trend in logos and packaging over the last few years, which is over simplifying the original design making it less distinctive. Logotypes are constantly being changed from serif to sans serif - the short-lived Gap re-brand is a good example. Packaging designs seem to be trying to follow in the footsteps of Turner Duckworth and simplifying packaging, but it worked for Coca-Cola. I am all for simplicity in design, but not when it weakens it.

What would you like to see more of in your industry?

Designers who don’t just make things look pretty but actually create meaningful and conceptual design.

Describe your office/ workspace decor in five words...

Clean, tidy, minimal, comfy, books.

Ashley's website: www.ashleyobrien.co.uk

- Take a look at Ashley O'Brien on Jobplot.

While you're busy building up a portfolio of beautiful designs and artwork, it's just as useful to make people aware of what you're doing both on and offline.

Aside from a web portfolio, keeping a blog with all your fresh pieces or work in progress, along with a collection of work by others that inspire you, might help give people an idea of the sort of work you do or are interested in getting involved with.

There are also a few regular meet-ups, events and organisations for creative folk in the midlands to socialise with other people in the industry;

• Digital Playground is a Friday fortnightly pub social in Digbeth, inviting professionals and graduates in the digital creative industries to network over a casual beer.

• Multipack is a community of web developers and designers from across the West Midlands who meet every second Saturday of the month

• Likemind is organised by the Supercool team, and is an informal coffee morning which meets on the third Friday of every month. It’s free, with wi-fi and open to anyone.

• Dr Sketchy’s Anti Art School takes places in cities across the UK, challenging traditional life drawing classes by using burlesque models. The Birmingham event is held every two months at The Victoria.

• Birmingham Zine Festival features a selection of artwork from artists connected to the alternative press, along with a wide range of self-published books, comics and magazines.

• Stitches and Hos is a knitting group held at Hare & Hounds on the last Tuesday of the month.

• Extra Special People is an associate membership programme for anyone who would benefit from engaging with a dynamic, ambitious, artist-led environment, with a range of opportunities for support, networking and career development.

• An Endless Supply is a collaborative publishing project, which encompasses curated exhibitions, events and performance. You can get involved by emailing them with proposals, ideas or contributions.

• The Lombard Method is an independently run studio and project space, with an environment for mutual artistic development, learning and networking.

• VIVID provides a resource for artists and curators in the form of commissions, residencies, exhibitions, publications, research, talks and touring activities.

• Coventry Artspace offers studio space with shared facilities, with membership options.

You might also want to broaden your skills and try something new at an evening or part time course;

• mac have a range of courses and workshops, from drawing and painting to jewellery design, with courses at beginner level its a great excuse to meet new people and try something different.

• Botanical Gardens have a few drawing, painting and photography courses.

• BOA @ millennium point is opening to 6th formers in 2011, specialising in digital, creative and performing arts.

Meanwhile, if you have artwork to sell or showcase it's worth getting in touch with these people;

• Handmade Birmgham hold a market in Birmingham city centre, where you can showcase and sell your work by hiring a stall for the day.

• We Are Birmingham own an independent shop selling the work of Birmingham based artists, designers and photographers. They also have a gallery/ exhibition space below the shop.

Next week we'll be offering some resources to help you find work and opportunities in the photography industry.

(Image by geishaboy500)

Last friday we launched a new site for the good people at Beadesaurus.co.uk. They have a couple shops in Birmingham and Marple, Stockport, as well as an online store, to sell a wide range of clothing, jewelry, accessories and loads more.

The brief was to overhaul the design of the site and rebuild it around the Satchmo Ecommerce framework. The site design has a weathered and ‘grungey’ appearance to appeal to the target demographic, but still remains clean, clear and a good usable browsing/shopping experience.

We used a range of CSS3 techniques in the site, such as a multiple background images in places and @fontface to use custom fonts throughout the site. It’s also great to see the people at Beadesaurus already making the site their own by adding some new slides to the ‘featured slider’ on the home page, which will keep the site looking fresh in the future.

Check out the site at www.beadesaurus.co.uk
(and maybe buy a little something for christmas!)

So you’ve got a great selection of work to show off, but why should your creative talents stop there? A portfolio needn't be a standard folder of work, if you want to make yourself stand out, a portfolio allows you to portray a bit of your personality along with your best skills. There’s no set way to do this, it really can be your blank canvas.
To get your creative juices flowing, we’ve asked a few employers for inspiring examples of their favourite portfolios;

This all contributes to creating a brand identity for yourself, so if your still in the creative spirit why not tie a design into your CV and personal business cards. Here’s a few ideas for creative business cards and CV designs - which is not to suggest that you should got off and buy a template, buy hey if you’re feeling lazy we won’t tell anyone.
It’s also a good idea to bare in mind the company your applying to when sending your CV. There’s nothing wrong with tailoring it to suit a specific job, so why not make a few variations?

Oftentimes, a site ‘template’ is designed; common areas like headers, footers and backgrounds look pleasing enough, but the central content pane gets little design consideration. Successful web design has to consider this content first and foremost. It is, after all, the crux of the site.

This can often be the case where concerns a site managed with a CMS. The balance between designing each content type / area on an individual level to best suit its purpose and the clients’ ability to manage this content themselves is a difficult one to strike.

Designing each content type / area to best suit its purpose also adds levels of complexity, both in terms of development (affecting time and budget), and to the client who has to manage it – there’s often more work required adding, formatting, categorising, and chosing the position of content.

This extra effort however, provides a much richer user experience, and a comprehensive site that feels well designed, well thought out – not merely a site with a pretty template holding content that feels like an afterthought, disengaged and disjointed within its confines.

Recently I've found myself writing the above, or words to this effect, as rationale to various clients or other members of our team. It's a process 37signals also employ, referring to the process as Epicenter design.

I like that.

SXSWi: Everything You Know About Web Design Is Wrong

We kicked off our first Substrakt SXSW with Everything You Know About Web Design Is Wrong, I think we came out of it with a fresh perspective and focus on a very familiar topic.

Here’s a quick video summary:

raw notes: (my comments in bold)

• media driven by tech not artists


• master the tech and have good content = win


• web needs to develop a language/grammar, film used to suck but then we developed ideas about how to use the camera to tell a story


• artist driven instead of tech driven


• list of sites that would be just as good if they were printed


• above the fold is a big fail won’t be the last time I say that

don’t know what the grammar will be, but here are some emerging patterns

• random voyerism
  examples like flickrvision because we like to watch see also: flickr.com/explore/clock/ which I think is the best example of this atm
  we like to watch people, even if were not connected to them people are all the same
  another example is found magazine, which is a collection of found photographs we have the ability to construct a narrative from non-narrative forms

• self-aware, but controlled, content (i.e. content with metadata)
  Metadata is content that knows itself better than we do.

• user created content
  The web is about a single user and the choices they make.
  They control the content

• ambient awareness
  trival and profound
  twitter as a portrait again with the network narrative thing, also relevant to Transaction Analysis

• experiential content
  Rollercoaster is not the track, it’s the experience
  Experience as the content

Design is not about making something look pretty, it’s the whole stack, visual design is a means to an end, real design solves problems. Design needs to happen at the beginning not just at the end, and it needs to be jambalaya mix everyone in. Use an expert in the context to explore and protect the user experience

Here’s the answer but your asking the wrong question

there was a bit of talk about being allowed to fail and this usual learn from your failures vibe, I don’t agree, you need to learn from success not how to get it wrong

If you’d like to digest the whole thing on your iPod then grab the podcast, everything was filmed but actually I can’t seem to track down the full version anywhere.

More interesting SXSW stuff to come :)

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Typographical Trees (via TypeNeu)