PPP Presentation NOTES

Who am I as a designer? 

I am a concept-led graphic designer with a focus on editorial and branding

Reflection Time 

Level 4 - In all honesty, I did not enjoy it, I felt overwhelmed by the pace of the course and whether I was good enough for the course. Open day,  promised our own desk and work space but in reality we were sharing a studio with the year above, and were sharing a desk with 3 other people. 

Level 5 - I found my feet, knew what I liked and disliked and overall felt a lot happier. I was beginning to make use of the college facilities more , for example photography and printing. 

Level 6 - I am really beginning to get the ball rolling with Extended Practice now I've got dissertation, placement and blogging I had to do. I'm starting on a fresh slate. Really enjoyed collaborating with Leeds College of Music students where we put on an event at Headrow House. 

Level 6 has taught me... the 6 C's 

Course - self-led, you get out what you put in 

Clients - working with clients 

College - using the facilities and just being in more 

Collaboration - the importance of Collaboration 

Comfortable - being comfortable with calling myself a designer

Confidence - since placement and receiving good feedback has made me feel so much more confident in my abilities and just feeling overwhelmed by the feedback, "I am good enough mentality",  and I honestly feel I've reached a new milestone.

Over the 3 years... 

Creative Thinking 

Knowledge & Understanding 

New Techniques & Processes

Critical Analysis 

Ambition & Confidence 

Presentation Skills - I am quite happy to stand up infront of people and talk 

Manifesto 

Admittedly,  I struggled to write this as I did not want to sound pretentious, rules that I live by etc. 

Research Drives Design - Always have a strong concept, don't follow trends. 
Inspiration - Less Inspiration More Self-Creation, I try not to spend a lot of time looking at design, instead I just get on with it.
Honest - Always be Honest, its the best policy 

The Importance of sleeping well/exercising - I gym a lot and I find it really helps with my attitude towards life as well as my degree, it keeps me calm and I find I do not stress and I can really find my focus. I can't stand just spending the day sat on my bum in front of the computer screen, I have to get up and do things.  
Stay Up Late - contradicting the last statement a little, but staying up late means no distractions and overall different work vibe 
Be Humble - and do not feed your ego, you are not god's gift to design.   

Placement

I did a two week placement at BigWave Media, a marketing agency in Devon. Working in a team of designers, developers and marketers are all housed under one roof which allows us to work closely together to create dynamic and creative marketing solutions.

What did I learn? 

• Being a tidy designer -  Had a chat with Ronnie who is head of marketing services. In the design world, it's a business and time is money so you can't spend ages hunting around looking for files/fonts/images for the client. So everything is coded into client files, job numbers and months. Something I will take away with me. 
• Working to protocol - Learning new systems, how jobs/times are clocked working with the account manager
• Working within Brand Guidelines and working on other designers work
• Working with Clients - understanding the clients needs and exactly what they have specified, re-reading things etc. 
• Working as a team of designers 
• 8.30-17.30 infront of an iMac on the Adobe Software was a learning curve
• Working on up to 30 Design Amendments a day
• New Shortcuts 
• Improved Adobe Software skills 

Overall, it was a really good experience, they kindly wrote a glowing reference for me. My main worry about work experience was being a burden but in reality I was a really asset to the team.

MORE PLACEMENT/INTERNSHIP

With this new found confidence in my abilities, I begun to apply for summer internships in Hong Kong at Unison Creative and Base Creative HK. Two studios have replied saying that they are looking at my work and will get back to me, although I probably will not get it as it is a bit of a pipedream at the moment, but for me its a confidence thing.

Easter

JamJam Marketing - JAMJAM is an Amsterdam based creative agency specialized in fashion and lifestyle marketing.

Nomads Agency - creative innovation agency, transforming the way brands and organisations connect with and enable people. Creating ideas that redefine communications, product and service experiences. Building brand equity by making a positive impact on people’s lives

Achtung! - Creative Agency for the Digital Era. 

Masters 

I would love to eventually study to do a masters in Marketing. This will really develop clear and conceptual thinking, as well as improving analytical skills, strengthen my project management skills, and translating marketing theory into practice. I would love to develop my practical and academic skills to pave a way to a successful professional career.

Berlin-  International Marketing Management//Master of Arts (M.A.)

Future! 

Uncertain where and what I want to do, it may seem quite clear what I want to do regarding the masters but I feel I need a couple years of gaining experience but I do really want to get my drivers license. 

The End