Today we had our first session for PPP2. We started by reflecting on the first year and what had been memorable to us as individuals.
- Moving away from home and becoming independent
This was the biggest step I had ever taken and I was incredibly anxious about the thought of having to look after myself. I was very surprised with how I coped with the move and found that I adapted very quickly to the change.
- Learning about Graphic Design
The course I was on prior to this was very illustration driven which meant I did not know much about Graphic Design and the industry. Coming straight from A-Levels onto such a prestigious course is a great compliment to myself and I am immensely proud to say that I am here and doing quite well. The first year for me was like my foundation year, I learnt so much and became so confident to approach different briefs and be versatile.
- Meeting new people
I am from a small town where most people know each other, I had grown up with the same group of people all my life so the prospect of meeting a whole new group of people who had similar ideas and had similar personalities to me was very exciting. I have met so many people and made so many friends and this is something I feel has been a very memorable part of the year.
There are many other things which have been very memorable over the past year and I feel that I have developed and become so much more confident within all aspects of my life.
The rest of the session was focused on what we had been doing over summer. John set us 5 questions to answer about any placements we might have done and asked us to document these on our blogs.
1. Reflecting on your Summer what is your most memorable event and why?
Over the summer I did many things, freelancing working in a studio and also I went on holiday and met up with some distant family members. The most memorable event for me was a trip to Plymouth to see my extended family for a 40th Wedding Anniversary. We went to a salsa club for a party and it was really enjoyable to meet up people who I had not seen for many years. One of my relatives has travelled a lot for her job and has finally settled in Dubai. I found it incredibly motivating to speak to her about all of the different places she had been and felt myself wanting to do the same. She has invited the family to Dubai for christmas 2014 and I think, if we can afford it, it would be a great experience.
2. Have you made any contacts over the Summer that you feel could be helpful over
the coming year or so and what outcomes did you feel you achieved?
Over the summer I did some work for a charity and also for a local business, though these were quite small clients it has allowed me to get my name out there for them to tell others about me and offer my services. The local business I worked for is a Beauty salon, they wanted me to re-design their logo and menu and were very impressed with the designs. They also wanted me to print these menus and bind them by hand. I did not want to do this work for free so I asked for £200 for my time and the designs. This figure was a ball part guess as I had no idea what to charge. I hope that this year I can understand more about payment and charges and be able to charge for my time correctly. Producing this work for a beauty salon opened a lot of doors for me to offer my services to her many clients. The salon have expressed interest in me producing more work for them over the years and I think this would be very beneficial to my practice.
3. How did you meet/contact these contacts (methods used or how it happened)
Before coming to university I worked at a Graphic Design company in Todmorden. I have always kept in contact with this company and help out when they need me. Over summer I worked at the studio for a few days helping out with a big order of brochures for a furniture stockist, this allowed me to gain experience with mass production and learn how to use the machinery which is used in commercial print.
Over summer all of the work I was asked to do, I was approached by them. I could have done more by contacting studios and advertising my services to a wider audience.
I have, however made a contact since being back at college. I was asked to be a part of a focus session with web designers about the college website. It was here that I met 2 web designers from Enjoy Digital in Leeds. I have been in contact with the studio over the weeks and I am hoping that a placement will follow.
4. If you didn’t make any contacts, why? too busy working? holiday? commitments?
I spent a vast majority of the summer applying for jobs to gain some cash for second year, I tried for 3 weeks and got nowhere. This was quite a disappointing time for me and I should have focussed more on graphic design and the commitments I have to my degree rather than money.
5. What methods of contacting creatives can you think of and what would you ask?
I think the most successful form of contacting creatives is a phone call to initially ask if they would be interested in me coming to visit and then perhaps following through with a placement. I do however, like the idea of a hand written letter as it seems more personal but the most common form of contact I have been told to use is e-mail.
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