Joshua Pickett

Graphic Designer
PDF Portfolio / CV

Contact
thejpmcd@live.co.uk or
JP190241@falmouth.ac.uk
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
Creative Director
Role Working alongside production
and marketing, I had to establish
a clear vision for the society’s
next publication; guiding the
design assistants to challenge
their areas of inexperience, to
showcase surprising new skills.
2018 Oakwood Agency
Graphic Design Internship
Role To assist multiple teams with
research, conceptual and digital
design in a fast-paced environment.
We worked on long time case
studies such as Mattel, Universal
Studios and Warner Brothers;
alongside entirely new clients.
2017 - Present Life: Nature Magazine
Layout Designer / Lead Designer
Role To understand the relationship
between type and image, and
design the spreads in a third
of each Life Magazine issue.
From the Spring 2018 issue, the rest
of the design team and I collaborated
to reformat the whole magazine;
until I stayed on as Lead Designer,
training the next design team.
REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
2017 - Present Cuddra Aquatics
Photographer / Social
Media Manager
Role An importer of rare ornamental
fish with Japanese Koi ranging
over £5,000. The role is to present
these fish in their best light
through photography techniques
to expand the retailer’s client
list throughout the UK.
2017 - Present Waggin’ Good Times
Brand Advisor
Role The position involves directing the
Helston pet care service owners
on how to present themselves
professionally with clientele.
2014 - 2015 Studio Sixty6
Lead Designer
Role Studio Sixty6 is a radio show and
experimental project creating,
teaching and showcasing the world
of digital media for those aged 13 to
25. We create free content for young
people. My responsibilities included:
creating the visual identity and
managing designs for promotional
media such as their #LuvMonth
and #SuperFans campaigns.
2013 - 2015 STAK Community Kitchen
Art Teacher / Fundraiser
Role To provide art workshops
for vulnerable adults every
week. They would include
papermaking, clay modelling,
drawing classes and painting.
The position expanded in to joining
the fundraising team for STAK which
led to designing event posters
and other advertising materials.
Authored Works (to be published)
The Snakehead Encyclopedia
• A collaborative book which
aims to dispel the fear and
misinformation surrounding the
notorious family of Snakehead fish.
• Disputes the EU’s ban
considerations for the entire Channa
genus throughout all Europe.
• Is a collection of data (species care/
climatology/breeding etc.)
otherwise unable to be accessed
through the internet.
The Bichir Bible
• The care guidelines of the
primitive Bichir fish.
• Celebrates them through
photography and layout design.
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
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
pecking order, from the comical-looking dragonet
gobies of the Indo-Pacific oceans, to the colourful
sand-sifting cichlids of South American rivers. The
primitive bichir fish of Africa, however, aren’t known to
show this group dynamic - at least not in the wild.
What exactly are bichirs?
Bichirs are a group of tropical, armoured, “When you think of animals that
air-breathing fish belonging to the genus have a social hierarchy featuring an
Polypterus. 145 million years ago, they alpha and a beta, primates, lions, or
began swimming the lakes and rivers of the pack structure of wolves might
what is now Africa; they continue to do come to mind - but not fish”.
so today, remaining almost unchanged.
There are 16 species (including subspecies) still alive now, and
almost all of them are available in the aquarium trade. Ranging
in size, bichirs often measure up to between 14–42 inches in
length; they are ambush predators, and use their sharp teeth to
grip large prey, tearing them apart by performing death rolls in
a similar way to the distinctive behaviour of many crocodilians.
Bichirs are semi-aggressive and somewhat territorial,
a characteristic pertaining more to the ornate species, P.
ornatipinnis and P. teugelsi. In the wild, when a territorial
animal comes into contact with another conspecific (belonging
to the same species), the smaller animal has the freedom
Life: Nature Magazine | Marine & Freshwater + Rainforests
to leave the situation to avoid conflict. In contrast, within a
captive environment, the smaller animal doesn’t have the
choice; it needs to develop a language to communicate that
it is submissive and doesn’t wish to fight. For many species
this communication isn’t an option, and they will inevitably
clash. Yet for a few of the more tolerant semi-aggressive
species, it formed the foundation for a unique social
In 2017, myself and 2 other designers joined on-board the
hierarchy to develop in many captive-raised animals - notably
bearded dragons and, more recently observed, the bichirs.
Similar to carp and salmon, bichirs release a hormone
into the water, that, in a closed environment such as a
small lake, will stunt their growth - nature’s ingenious
resolution to overcrowding. It is speculated that this is
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.
Beneath The Surface Spring 21
Where do they fit into this social hierarchy?
There are three types of systems on a social spectrum. On
one end of the spectrum is an egalitarian (equal) social
order; towards the middle is the linear hierarchy where
each individual has its own social rank; at the other end is
a despotic hierarchy, where there is one dominant alpha.
Hierarchical systems in captive bichirs can be complex
because there are an abundance of factors
that influence behaviour in an aquarium.
Different species of bichirs have different
temperaments - details such as stocking
levels, space, age, and diet can determine
how aggressive they will be, and will have
an impact on the formation of the hierarchy.
Generally, captive bichirs fall between a linear and despotic
social hierarchy, although less conflicting personalities can
mean they will sit closer to the egalitarian end of the spectrum.
In a despotic bichir aquarium, the larger or more
aggressive fish may challenge the alpha for its position.
Both will raise their dorsal spines, stiffen their bodies,
and sway back and forth, often nipping fins. These
behaviours will continue, communicating that it is the
bigger, stronger fish, until one of them submits. Otherwise,
the tank generally remains peaceful, with rare moments
of conflict occurring when the alpha is challenged.
A bichir aquarium with a linear hierarchy can often be a
nippy one. Determined by size and aggression, each fish
has its own place in the pecking order. Individuals often
rework their system entirely to figure out new territories
when changes to the layout of the tank occur, including
minor decorative rearrangements. Even when a new bichir
is added, most of the others will introduce themselves by
twitching their heads beside the newcomer, and nipping
its fins to make their place in the hierarchy clear.
It is an amazing opportunity to be able to witness new
behavioural traits such as these form in an aquarium. It
truly is a testament to their adaptability, and it comes
at no surprise that they have survived for so long.
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

thejpmcd@live.co.uk or
www.joshuapickett.co.uk JP190241@falmouth.ac.uk