My influences and approaches to problems have changed since the first year, I am finding myself much more excited by type and really look up to people like Vince Frost who do conceptually strong type based design. I am finding that the outcomes of a lot of my briefs are based on type, either playing with language, or using type as image and experimenting with type in a visual way. Whilst having a particular ‘style’ is quite a good thing, I am worried that I may be in danger of appearing to be a ‘one trick-pony’
Vince Frost 
I have taken much more of a ‘full time’ approach to design this year. It has become much more than a college subject. I live with 4 other designers and most of the people I know work or study in some kind of creative industry, which for me is a really fun, really helpful ‘community’ to be part of. It also creates opportunities for collaboration in the future. I think that this is one of the reasons that I am becoming increasing passionate about design.
I have been lucky this year, as I have been given a few opportunities to do work outside of college. Although this has resulted in some really long, stressful days it has been valuable experience and has taught me lots – the main thing I learned was that I have got a lot to learn.
In December I attended a networking event. This resulted in a girl called Rachel Cooke contacting me and my housemate, Merlin, over Christmas asking us to do some branding for a coffee shop/live music venue that she is looking to open next year. This gave me my first experience of talking to a client to try and understand (and to help them understand) exactly what their business is, and how they want it to be seen. All the correspondence was through email (as I was in the Isle of Man, Merlin was in Leeds, and Rachel was at home for Christmas), making it particularly difficult for me and Merlin to communicate together as designers, as well as with Rachel. This resulted in us almost pitching against each other and then adjusting our ‘pitches' according to Rachel’s feedback. I ended up creating the final identity, and will work with her again when she comes to set the business up.
I have been lucky this year, as I have been given a few opportunities to do work outside of college. Although this has resulted in some really long, stressful days it has been valuable experience and has taught me lots – the main thing I learned was that I have got a lot to learn.
In December I attended a networking event. This resulted in a girl called Rachel Cooke contacting me and my housemate, Merlin, over Christmas asking us to do some branding for a coffee shop/live music venue that she is looking to open next year. This gave me my first experience of talking to a client to try and understand (and to help them understand) exactly what their business is, and how they want it to be seen. All the correspondence was through email (as I was in the Isle of Man, Merlin was in Leeds, and Rachel was at home for Christmas), making it particularly difficult for me and Merlin to communicate together as designers, as well as with Rachel. This resulted in us almost pitching against each other and then adjusting our ‘pitches' according to Rachel’s feedback. I ended up creating the final identity, and will work with her again when she comes to set the business up.
Acoustic Coffee Shop business card
In February I entered a competition to design the End of Year Show promotional material. This taught me a lot about graphic design that I would have never learned until I had left college. I learned how to deal with clients and I learned how hard it is to have creative control over your own work. I also learned the importance of knowing what your doing to avoid embarrassment – making a grid in Indesign then taking a screen grab of it and using it to do the layout in Photoshop is not a professional way to work, and printers don’t appreciate it. I have learned how it feels to have your work professionally printed, and how finding the smallest mistakes feel like the end of the world. I have found out what it is like to come across your work in a national magazine, but with the layout cut up and changed.
Moaning aside, doing the End of Year Show work has made me more confident about my design, as well as highlightling areas where I need to work harder.
Moaning aside, doing the End of Year Show work has made me more confident about my design, as well as highlightling areas where I need to work harder.
End of Year Show Poster, my first professionally printed work
From working with the marketing department me and Jimmy were asked to design a programme, poster and bookmark for this years Morley Literature Festival, which should be quite a nice project for over the summer. I think that this is a good example of how a lot of jobs come about, not because of qualifications or talent, but just from word of mouth.
I also entered a couple of other competitions – one for YCN where I adapted my Speaking from Experience work, and a typography competition for which I adapted my End of Year Show entry. Unfortunately I didn’t win either of them, but it did improve my portfolio.
I have really enjoyed having a blog. I find it useful, because it gives me an online presence, but it is also a good way to stop for a little while and reflect on things. I tried to make my blog quite personal to me. I didn’t want it to be serious and dull. I attempted to be genuine with it, and not post things just for the sake of it. I had fun with it tried to make it easy to read without compromising the appearance of ‘professionalism’. I hope that this is how it comes across.
I had a bit of trouble getting work experience at first. The first place I got in touch with was The Consult, because I liked the College prospectus that they did, and I thought it would be interesting to work with a studio that had the same ‘client’ as me. I was emailing The Consult for a while, and they seemed interested and asked why they should give me a work placement. I made a PDF giving five reasons for, and five against, giving me a work placement. I this point Alex, the creative director, stopped replying to my emails and phone calls. It worked out fine in the end because I was able to send the PDF to Thompson Design, who do a lot of work with type and layout for print, who have given me a work placement at the end of June. I am exited, and a little nervous about working in a professional design studio. I hope to get a much better understanding of what it is to be a graphic designer, as well as a fuller understanding of print, making my own practise more professional.
After my work placement I am going back home to work at the Isle of Man College designing posters/flyers/leaflets (as well as general admin work). While most of the work will be printed in the college, and it won’t really give me insight into ‘the industry’, it should provide me with some portfolio pieces and generally keep me busy over summer.
I have reached the end of the second year feeling like I have learned lots and realising there is lots more to learn. I have become more confident, both as a designer and as a person. I have learnt to deal with stress, and have become addicted to Red Bull. I feel it went quite well and am looking forward to next year.
I also entered a couple of other competitions – one for YCN where I adapted my Speaking from Experience work, and a typography competition for which I adapted my End of Year Show entry. Unfortunately I didn’t win either of them, but it did improve my portfolio.
I have really enjoyed having a blog. I find it useful, because it gives me an online presence, but it is also a good way to stop for a little while and reflect on things. I tried to make my blog quite personal to me. I didn’t want it to be serious and dull. I attempted to be genuine with it, and not post things just for the sake of it. I had fun with it tried to make it easy to read without compromising the appearance of ‘professionalism’. I hope that this is how it comes across.
I had a bit of trouble getting work experience at first. The first place I got in touch with was The Consult, because I liked the College prospectus that they did, and I thought it would be interesting to work with a studio that had the same ‘client’ as me. I was emailing The Consult for a while, and they seemed interested and asked why they should give me a work placement. I made a PDF giving five reasons for, and five against, giving me a work placement. I this point Alex, the creative director, stopped replying to my emails and phone calls. It worked out fine in the end because I was able to send the PDF to Thompson Design, who do a lot of work with type and layout for print, who have given me a work placement at the end of June. I am exited, and a little nervous about working in a professional design studio. I hope to get a much better understanding of what it is to be a graphic designer, as well as a fuller understanding of print, making my own practise more professional.
After my work placement I am going back home to work at the Isle of Man College designing posters/flyers/leaflets (as well as general admin work). While most of the work will be printed in the college, and it won’t really give me insight into ‘the industry’, it should provide me with some portfolio pieces and generally keep me busy over summer.
I have reached the end of the second year feeling like I have learned lots and realising there is lots more to learn. I have become more confident, both as a designer and as a person. I have learnt to deal with stress, and have become addicted to Red Bull. I feel it went quite well and am looking forward to next year.
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