Joshua Pickett

Graphic Designer
PDF Portfolio / CV

Contact
[email protected] or
[email protected]
www.joshuapickett.co.uk Education Skills
• Canon 700D DSLR
Third year student at Falmouth 2016 - Present Falmouth University • Photoshop
University looking to understand how BA(Hons) Graphic Design (Year 3) • Indesign
the design industry works. I have a • Muse
driving curiosity which captures me to 2012 - 2014 Cornwall College • Responsive Design
become very involved in many aspects National Diploma Art & Design Level 3 • Search Engine Optimisation
of the workplace, and will challenge • Graphic Design - Merit • Illustrator
myself to find new skills. My research • Design Communication - Merit • Premiere Pro
process is very analytical which helps • Photography - Distinction • After Effects
me discover creative solutions and work • Animation - Merit
under pressure for tight deadlines. My • Fine Art - Distinction Interests
passion is editorial design, but I don’t • Macro Photography
think I have even scratched the surface 2011 - 2012 Wiltshire College • Web and Print Design
of what the industry has to offer yet. National Diploma Art & Design Level 3 • Aquascaping
• Graphic Design - Merit • Freshwater Biology
• Photography - Merit • Writing
• Fishing
• Video Editing

CV
 Experience

2018 - Present Penryn Press 2017 - Present Cuddra Aquatics 2013 - 2015 STAK Community Kitchen
Creative Director Photographer / Social Art Teacher / Fundraiser
Media Manager
Role Working alongside production Role To provide art workshops
and marketing, I had to establish Role An importer of rare ornamental for vulnerable adults every
a clear vision for the society’s fish with Japanese Koi ranging week. They would include
next publication; guiding the over £5,000. The role is to present papermaking, clay modelling,
design assistants to challenge these fish in their best light drawing classes and painting.
their areas of inexperience, to through photography techniques The position expanded in to joining
showcase surprising new skills. to expand the retailer’s client the fundraising team for STAK which
list throughout the UK. led to designing event posters
and other advertising materials.
2018 Oakwood Agency
Graphic Design Internship 2017 - Present Waggin’ Good Times
Brand Advisor
Role To assist multiple teams with Authored Works (to be published)
research, conceptual and digital Role The position involves directing the
design in a fast-paced environment. Helston pet care service owners The Snakehead Encyclopedia
We worked on long time case on how to present themselves • A collaborative book which
studies such as Mattel, Universal professionally with clientele. aims to dispel the fear and
Studios and Warner Brothers; misinformation surrounding the
alongside entirely new clients. notorious family of Snakehead fish.
2014 - 2015 Studio Sixty6 • Disputes the EU’s ban
Lead Designer considerations for the entire Channa
2017 - Present Life: Nature Magazine genus throughout all Europe.
Layout Designer / Lead Designer Role Studio Sixty6 is a radio show and • Is a collection of data (species care/
experimental project creating, climatology/breeding etc.)
Role To understand the relationship teaching and showcasing the world otherwise unable to be accessed
between type and image, and of digital media for those aged 13 to through the internet.
design the spreads in a third 25. We create free content for young
of each Life Magazine issue. people. My responsibilities included: The Bichir Bible
From the Spring 2018 issue, the rest creating the visual identity and • The care guidelines of the
of the design team and I collaborated managing designs for promotional primitive Bichir fish.
to reformat the whole magazine; media such as their #LuvMonth • Celebrates them through
until I stayed on as Lead Designer, and #SuperFans campaigns. photography and layout design.
training the next design team.

REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST CV

The Snakehead Encyclopedia
Designed with classical Greek Doric architecture in mind; the publication
has a good sense of hierarchy, and connotations of authority and
intellect, so information in the book won’t feel trivial or subjective
(this is important for having Channidae taken seriously by risk assessors
and negligent hobbyists) The design utilises space and image to
create a pacing, so readers have a moment to reflect on the data. PRINT
The Snakehead Encyclopedia
Initial design proposal, print version at 280
pages. Climatology data is still being collected, so
published copies released in the near future. PRINT
Logos from left to right
AMPLE - House clearance and delivery company.
Lifestyle Dezine - Wellness centre based in California.
Planet Lifestyle: Ladies - Premium clothing branch.
Tank Terror Aquatics - Since an award winning specialist aquatic retailer. BRANDING
AMPLE
This is a company which empties homes and gardens of possessions
and delivers them to your new home. The name derives from their
large and accommodating personalities as well as their removal
vans. I took the “A Smile in the Mind” route, so the final design shows
a cardboard box above an arrow exiting the house, symbolising
house clearance. The negative space also reads “AM” the first 2
letters of the company name, strengthening the brand image. BRANDING
Queenie’s Shoes
Leaflet response to Queenie’s “shoe revolution”.
Queenie’s wanted a strong and identifiable brand, so the
logo was created with intention to be used across different
platforms with more design function than just being a logo. PRINT / BRANDING
Logos from left to right
JR Fit - Personal trainer based in Cornwall.
Mr. Sweep - Traditional chimney sweep service.
Find me Fast Flags - Beach and festival flag manufacturer.
Aquatic Answers - Pond cleaning and maintenance service. BRANDING
Cuddra Aquatics
Some of the photographs and media materials taken for the aquatic
retailer’s website and social media stocklist. The images were taken
with a macro/medium telephoto 100mm lens which can go down
to f/2.8; the low depth of field maintains focus on the subject of
which we found was an important factor in the increase of sales. PHOTOGRAPHY
For Future Reference
A journal of dissertations written by Graphic Design students. Each
chapter in the journal is identified through colour, which gradually
changes into another, reflecting the student’s change in opinion. PRINT
Typeface Animals
A 1 hour project in which I had to create 3 animals using type only.
The typeface I chose was “American Text” as it is a 19th century
inspired type with plenty of ornate edges; which was perfect for
creating the details of the hard carapace’s of the chosen animals. TYPOGRAPHY
 A Shoal of Wolves Beneath The Surface Spring 21

A Shoal of Wolves
Joshua Pickett dives into the theory of social
behaviour in captive raised prehistoric bichir fish.

T
here are many types of fish that display a societal Where do they fit into this social hierarchy?
pecking order, from the comical-looking dragonet There are three types of systems on a social spectrum. On
gobies of the Indo-Pacific oceans, to the colourful one end of the spectrum is an egalitarian (equal) social
sand-sifting cichlids of South American rivers. The order; towards the middle is the linear hierarchy where
primitive bichir fish of Africa, however, aren’t known to each individual has its own social rank; at the other end is
show this group dynamic - at least not in the wild. a despotic hierarchy, where there is one dominant alpha.
Hierarchical systems in captive bichirs can be complex
What exactly are bichirs? because there are an abundance of factors
Bichirs are a group of tropical, armoured, “When you think of animals that that influence behaviour in an aquarium.
air-breathing fish belonging to the genus have a social hierarchy featuring an Different species of bichirs have different
Polypterus. 145 million years ago, they alpha and a beta, primates, lions, or temperaments - details such as stocking
began swimming the lakes and rivers of the pack structure of wolves might levels, space, age, and diet can determine
what is now Africa; they continue to do come to mind - but not fish”. how aggressive they will be, and will have
so today, remaining almost unchanged. an impact on the formation of the hierarchy.
There are 16 species (including subspecies) still alive now, and Generally, captive bichirs fall between a linear and despotic
almost all of them are available in the aquarium trade. Ranging social hierarchy, although less conflicting personalities can
in size, bichirs often measure up to between 14–42 inches in mean they will sit closer to the egalitarian end of the spectrum.
length; they are ambush predators, and use their sharp teeth to In a despotic bichir aquarium, the larger or more
grip large prey, tearing them apart by performing death rolls in aggressive fish may challenge the alpha for its position.
a similar way to the distinctive behaviour of many crocodilians. Both will raise their dorsal spines, stiffen their bodies,
Bichirs are semi-aggressive and somewhat territorial, and sway back and forth, often nipping fins. These
a characteristic pertaining more to the ornate species, P. behaviours will continue, communicating that it is the
ornatipinnis and P. teugelsi. In the wild, when a territorial bigger, stronger fish, until one of them submits. Otherwise,
animal comes into contact with another conspecific (belonging the tank generally remains peaceful, with rare moments
to the same species), the smaller animal has the freedom of conflict occurring when the alpha is challenged.

Life: Nature Magazine | Marine & Freshwater + Rainforests

to leave the situation to avoid conflict. In contrast, within a A bichir aquarium with a linear hierarchy can often be a
captive environment, the smaller animal doesn’t have the nippy one. Determined by size and aggression, each fish
choice; it needs to develop a language to communicate that has its own place in the pecking order. Individuals often
it is submissive and doesn’t wish to fight. For many species rework their system entirely to figure out new territories
this communication isn’t an option, and they will inevitably when changes to the layout of the tank occur, including
clash. Yet for a few of the more tolerant semi-aggressive minor decorative rearrangements. Even when a new bichir
species, it formed the foundation for a unique social is added, most of the others will introduce themselves by

In 2017, myself and 2 other designers joined on-board the

hierarchy to develop in many captive-raised animals - notably twitching their heads beside the newcomer, and nipping
bearded dragons and, more recently observed, the bichirs. its fins to make their place in the hierarchy clear.
Similar to carp and salmon, bichirs release a hormone It is an amazing opportunity to be able to witness new
into the water, that, in a closed environment such as a behavioural traits such as these form in an aquarium. It
small lake, will stunt their growth - nature’s ingenious truly is a testament to their adaptability, and it comes
resolution to overcrowding. It is speculated that this is at no surprise that they have survived for so long.

Life Magazine team. The 3 of us together worked to create

where the bichir’s submissive language first originated.

(Left to right) Polypterus teugelsi, P. bichir lapradei

Photographs by Joshua Pickett

a format in which the magazine was legible, consistent and

always engaging. Introducing a bespoke new world map
for the regular “New in Science” spread, illustrating through
colour where each new discovery is native or applies to. PRINT
Life: Nature Magazine | Africa
This issue looks further into how type and image work in a single
composition. Now Life is established in the university, we take
risks in covering regular type with image in playful ways. PRINT
 Joshua Pickett
Graphic Designer
© 2018

More work at Contact

[email protected] or
www.joshuapickett.co.uk [email protected]