Group tutrorial prep

BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN

LEVEL 05

Module Code 
OUPD201

Module Title 
PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2

GROUP TUTORIAL PREP.

1. What is Industrial experience? 

Industrial experience is about getting to grips with the industry of graphic design. It is extremely beneficial to you as a designer and a budding professional to get experience by way of work placements within the industry, however it is just as valuable, if not more valuable to simply observe by way of short day/couple of hour visits just to look around, speaking to designers etc. Industrial experience is about getting as broad a range of information and experience in the industry, so as to develop as best an understanding as possible about the industry itself.

2. What can you learn from industrial experience? 

From industrial experience you can get a better understanding how you would actually work as a graphic designer, learning about the things that we have not yet had to deal with much whilst on a degree course. For example interacting with a client, understanding their needs from what they tell you, and interpreting them correctly. This is conversation that I have had experience with on such a small scale, e.g. small illustrations jobs which are mostly for friends, which does not give you the real experience of dealing with a client of which you may have no relationship with to start with. Another area of knowledge that you would gain fro industrial experience is communicating with printers. We are developing the skills to be able to do this, but actually working with a printer is a whole different experience. These two main areas of communication are something that you really would only be able to learn about and understand properly from experience in the industry.

3. What form/format could industrial experience take? 

Industrial experience can take all kinds of forms:

Working as an 'in house' designers for buisnesses of varying sizes.

Freelance designers - working independently doing a variety of jobs for various clients.

Working in independent practices set up by a few individuals.

Working as part of a design agency.

      

4. What areas of industry are you interested in? 

illustration

branding

editorial/publishing/layout

5. What are your concerns about industrial experience?

I am concerned about having a portfolio that best represents/reflects what kind of work I want to do.

I worry that I will not feel that I am capable of working for the kind of place that I want to work.

The competition - graphic design is such a competitive industry.

I also am worried about having a bad experience with a company that isn't right for me and as a result loosing faith and confidence in the industry and myself.

Tutorial skills assessment

BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN	Module Code	OUGD201	Level 05
	Module Title	DESIGN PRODUCTION - PRINT
PROGRESS TUTORIAL 1 Skills Assessment
	Doc. Code	OUGD201tut

Name	Polly Williams

Please complete the following self-assessment of your skills using the scale 1-4 provided and bring it to your progress tutorial

1 = Haven’t done it 2 = Try to do it 3 = Can do it

4 = Confident and could explain it to others

Design Skills	Score 1-4	Note evidence and experience of this:
Use worksheets/sketch books/blog on a regular basis	4	This term I have managed to blog everyday with little exception. I have scanned and posted every single page of my notebooks/sketchbooks and elaborated where necessary. I have also made much better use of tagging/labels making my work easier to access.
Develop ideas for a brief in a systematic and clear visual format	2	I think that my flow of ideas development has slowed down somewhat since last year. I am struggling to make clear connections between my research and my design ideas. This is what I am working on at the moment and I think once I have a clearer idea of what I want to achieve with the current project I will be more capable of presenting my ideas in a more systematic format.
Use research and analytical skills to solve problems set	3	I think my ablility to research has improved dramatically as a direct result of more contact with my blog. I have found that the more broad my research the more ideas I have to solve the problems set.
Possess skills required to realise finished “art work” to a professional standard	2	This is something I am working on, but I do really struggle with. I feel I am still fairly incompetent with a lot of the software which helps to make your work look a lot more proffesional. I am working on my crafting skills as well as I this is something that I am interested in and think I could be good at as I am very much a hands on kind of a designer.
Produce oral and/or written rationale to communicate design decisions/resolutions	3	I think this is something I am constantly improving on. So far this term I have spent a lot more time asking myself questions about my work and analysing and evalutating my ideas more and more so that my decisions become easier to make and my rationale becomes easier to produce.

Study Skills	Score 1-4	Note evidence and experience of this:
Take clear and understandable notes in briefings/lectures	4	I take consistent notes during lectures, seminars, briefings, crits and workshops and evidence this on my blog on a daily basis. I could say that perhaps I take an unnecessary amount of notes, but for me, I know this is what helps me learn and remember things, so I know it works.
Keep briefs/handouts/notes organised	4	I think my organisational skills have inmproved immeasurably in the last year, simply out of necessity! I keep my diary well organised and making better use of my blog helps me to keep organised.
Ask lecturers/tutors when you are unclear about any information given	3	I don’t have an issue asking for help/information/feedback from tutors. I sometimes feel hesitant to ask because I feel like I should be able to work through design problems on my own, but I always find the feedback really helpful so I tend to ask anyway.
Collect research/information effectively and appropriately	4	Like I said previously, I feel that my research skills have come on leaps and bounds since last year. I have found that primary research comes a lot more naturally this year but I could definitely do more.

Writing skills	Score 1-4	Note evidence and experience of this:
Set out opinions/views in a logic sequence	3	This is something that I don’t think I have much of an issue with…. The thing I struggle with is keeping what I write relevant.
Express you opinions concisely	2	I have no issues expressing my opinions both in terms of writing and formulating my own views, but I do struggle from time to time with making them as concise as they need to be. I find the only solution to this is to make sure that I read through what I’ve written carefully to eliminate elements which are pointless and irrelevant.
Use examples and references to support your opinions/views	3	Generally I don’t think that this is something I struggle with, I think that there is always a way of proving yourself right if you approach it from the right angle.

Communication skills	Score 1-4	Note evidence and experience of this:
Take plenty of time to plan and organise what you want to communication	3	This term I have taken a lot more time to consider things like what I am trying to communicate, whereas before I would tend to jump into things without working out whether it communicated exactly what I wanted. Still a lot of room for improvement.
Speak clearly and concisely	2	I think since the ppd presentations last year I have felt a lot more confident about speaking about my work. It was something I used to absolutely dread and get really nervous about, but I surprised myself with how I came across. I think this has come as a result of having a little more faith in my own work, and realising that presenting doesn’t have to be as nerve-racking as I thought.
Listen to others (staff and students)	4	I don’t think this is something that I have an issue with. I find listening to others extremely usefull and helps me to develop my own ideas, expecially in the more casual group crits where I find hearing other peoples advice and opinions really stimulating and helps me to generate ideas more quickly.
Make contributions (questions/comments) in group settings	4	I actually really enjoy contributing and questioning during group sessions. If anything I do it too much. I think that this didn’t work well for me in the type workshops, despite being encouraged to do so initially.

Time management	Score 1-4	Note evidence and experience of this:
Have a plan that helps to balance college and social time	4	This year I have made much better use of my diary and the moodle calender. I record both college work, out of college work and social fixtures in the same diary which I find helps me to put things into order of priority.
Arrive on time to all taught sessions/briefings/tutorials	4	I have not yet been late for a session and have been in early most days.
Attend all timetabled sessions	4	I have not missed any timetabled sessions, nor forgotten to sign in.
Use Google Calendar/E-studio/noticeboards	4	I have been much more diligent about making use of the google calender this term and making use of the links on moodle particularly for doing the enterprise tasks; having the links to the lecture notes has been really helpful.
Meet deadlines	4	I haven’t had a problem meeting a deadline as yet. I have

Working With Others	Score 1-4	Note evidence and experience of this:
Take the share of responsibility when working within a group	3	I haven’t had much experience with working with others yet this term, but I think from previous experience I would say that I am consciencous about sharing responsibility when working in a group. If anything I am more consciencous because its not just my work/reputation on the line.
Demonstrate confidence in contributing own ideas	4	Sometimes I have more confidence in my ideas when they are part of group work because they have been discussed as a group so if the group want to use them I instantly have faith in them, whereas when I work alone I hesitate and find it more difficult to make decisions without the reassurance of other people. This is something I need to work on individually. I don’t think I lack confidence in contributing my own ideas in a group situation.
Make decisions and follow them through	3	I find it easier to make decisions when I’m working as part of a group because I am a very indecisive person and am very good at compromising so this situation is ideal for me.
Listen and respond to feedback from others	4	I find other peoples feedback extremely useful and usually act on it instinctively. If I don’t agree with a piece of feedback I’ve been given I don’t feel afraid to not act on it, but will always listen and question my own work. It think it’s a lot more constructive to find out what doesn’t work in a piece of design than what already does.

Problem Solving	Score 1-4	Note evidence and experience of this:
Clarify the nature of a problem before responding to it	3	I have finally reached the stage where I instinctively try to solve each problem by going though questions (Why? What? Where? Who? Etc…) Which I find points me in the right direction. However I think that further improvements in this method will come from experience.
Generate a of approaches to a problem	3	I find this stage of the design process comes fairly easily to me, I find the refining and decision making of these approaches more difficult.
Test a range of solutions	2	I think this is an are that I definitely need to work on. I have a bad habit of designing and designing until I think I have my final solution then making it with little experimentation of a variety of solutions. Testing a range of solutions would lead me to a final resolution that I would be a lot more happy with than I have been in the past.
Evaluate your outcomes	3	I find the evaluation process something that I don’t struggle with. I am naturally quite critical of my own work and find it easier to pick fault than see the areas that work. This can work to my advantage when trying to evaluate thoroughly. I think I could improve by evaluating more throughout my work rather than towards the end and only the final resolutions.
Learn from experience when selecting a solution that wasn’t entirely successful	2	I am still making constant mistakes within my work, but I certainly have learnt from the ones that I have made so far. I have got to the point where I am not afraid to make mistakes and appreciate that you limit what you can learn by being too cautious.

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Concept crit - formative feedback

Enterprise task 1

Who are they?

Retail
Publishing
Education
Government
Health 
Banking
Fashion
Beauty
Music
Greetings Cards & Gifting
Art
Theatre 
Technology
Sports
Online 
Food and drink
Hospitality
Environment
Charity
Art Galleries/Exhibitions


Who am I?

Fashion and beauty is an industry that I am really interested in. In terms of graphic design. I have a huge interest and passion for the industry. My main advantage in terms of understanding it is that I'm a consumer of it as well. My skills include fashion and beauty illustration, a fascination with illustrated and contemporary typography. I have a good knowledge of the software required to achieve and manipulate image and layout. I have an extremely creative mind that constantly seeks to achieve beauty, style and sophistication through design whilst in keeping with social and cultural trends. This is essentially my product. 

 Other than the skills I have just mentioned, from my research I have found that the skills required to make myself truly attractive to the industry are a completely up to date knowledge of a wide range of digital software; at this moment in time there is a lot I need to learn in order to become a top level designer in this industry. I have also discovered that in the fashion and beauty world networking is essential; this is something I have done very little of in this area.

 As a designer my professional and creative aims are to create beautiful yet perhaps vaguely controversial design that ultimately makes people think. My interests outside of this industry specifically include culture, ethical issues, awareness of the environment and social analysis as well as a dark sense of humor. I want the atmosphere of my product to incorporate this. I want to bring elements of this into my design, as I already do through my illustrations. I think that these aims relate to the client group in the way that a lot of better quality fashion based publications also contain a lot of other themes often relating the contemporary fashions and trends to current social and cultural issues, such as Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Elle, The telegraph magazine, Stylist, wonderland and many more. These are the kind of publications I want to work for, this being my 'place'.

 My research into price have reached a variety of conclusions. I have based these assumptions on working specifically as a fashion/beauty illustrator. My research is primarily internet based as well as talking to a couple of designers. If working independently or freelance, it is more difficult to determine a price as this would depend upon the status of the publication, the size of the image, what it is for and how good my reputation was at this point as an illustrator/designer. If working freelance but with an agent, an agent would take a cut of your commission. If working for a publication, fashion house, fashion manufacturer or advertising company, an in house illustrator has the potential to earn anything up to a six figure yearly sum! If working for a book the illustrator would gain a percentage of the profits that would probably be something around 30%.

 As part of my research into promotion I read a few articles from the book 'How to be an illustrator' by Darrell Rees and Nicholas Blechman. It is an incredibly informative book that contains a huge amount of extremely useful advice about becoming an illustrator. What I like about it is that one of the writers studied graphic design and therefore paths out the road to marketing yourself as an illustrator from this background. His advice on promotion includes one idea that I particularly like which is promoting yourself by way of postcard, say each month sending out a new design/illustration to a number of publications that you think would be interested in your work. Publications rarely have the time to look through entire portfolios when looking for new illustrators, and often offer work to them after seeing only one piece of their work. I think that this is a really productive way of getting yourself out there.