Ask me: I'm a Design Lecturer...

As I get lots and lots of questions about help with design, projects, and general design advice- instead of having to sift through my jamesydesign blog, I though it beneficial to have a blog that you can ask questions to and see what problems others are having and ask for any advice you may need!
Via @poppyd - A really interesting view on how social media can affect your job prospects, both positively and negatively, have a read!

Via @poppyd - A really interesting view on how social media can affect your job prospects, both positively and negatively, have a read!

Going to open up for a q@a…

So if there are any burning issues you’d like advice on, just drop me an ask and by tomorrow night I’ll have got through them all!

I’m a lazy bugger – what can I do to be a grade A designer?   Do your homework.
 There is no question that when studying any design related course, what you put in is what you get out. It’s not rocket science, but it really does turn out that the students who work the hardest and commit themselves the most end up with the best stuff!   Uni is expensive. Arrive on time. Stay late. 
Universities now are really expensive, so make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. Arrive on time and prepared. Stay after class and ask questions; find out about more than just what the class covered. WORK A LOT.   As lecturers, we work for you.
 Teachers have an annoying habit of setting up to make you feel like they’re in charge. The reality is that lecturers, administrators, librarians etc are all there in the first place because you decided to attend. And they really do work for you. So be clear about what you want and need, and team up with other students to make sure that those desires are communicated to the people in power. Use the library; ask for help. Make us work for you.   Develop your presentation skills.
  Talking a good game will only get you so far – you need to ensure you have the substance behind you to back up your mouth! No matter how good a designer you are, without a certain level of presentation skills, nobody will ever know. Practice public speaking, prepare, and take any opportunity you can whilst in uni to practice speaking to large (and small) groups! There is no underestimating the harm to your future career that bad presentation skills can cause – no one likes ‘ums’ and ‘erms…’ and ‘it’s nice’.   Read. Anything. …except Nuts.
 This is the single best way to be and stay connected with the outside world. A talented designer with nothing to say isn’t much use to anyone, and there’s nothing more dangerous than an ignorant mass producer. If you live in a country that has a good newspaper, read it. If you don’t, find a good magazine (not Nuts…), or read countless ones on the web for free. Read blogs – whatever you need to get ahead!!   Don’t work alone.
 I know you know that design is a collaborative effort, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t practice getting along with others while you’re still in the studio. But that’s not the real benefit of doing design work with others: It’s more fun. If you don’t already know this, then you haven’t done design work with others.   Take almost any job. 
There is absolutely no replacement for the real thing, and practical experience in any design related field is more than you already have. So don’t spend six months after you graduate looking for the perfect job. And, certainly, don’t wait until you graduate to look for your first design job. You should be doing everything in your power to get some practical training onto your résumé and into your brain and hands before you graduate. That means helping out somewhere once a week, or bagging that summer internship. Do anything design-related. You’ll be respected more by future employers, and have some skills by the time you get out.

I’m a lazy bugger – what can I do to be a grade A designer?

 

Do your homework.


There is no question that when studying any design related course, what you put in is what you get out. It’s not rocket science, but it really does turn out that the students who work the hardest and commit themselves the most end up with the best stuff!

 

Uni is expensive.

Arrive on time. Stay late.


Universities now are really expensive, so make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. Arrive on time and prepared. Stay after class and ask questions; find out about more than just what the class covered. WORK A LOT.

 

As lecturers, we work for you.


Teachers have an annoying habit of setting up to make you feel like they’re in charge. The reality is that lecturers, administrators, librarians etc are all there in the first place because you decided to attend. And they really do work for you. So be clear about what you want and need, and team up with other students to make sure that those desires are communicated to the people in power. Use the library; ask for help. Make us work for you.

 

Develop your presentation skills.


 Talking a good game will only get you so far – you need to ensure you have the substance behind you to back up your mouth! No matter how good a designer you are, without a certain level of presentation skills, nobody will ever know. Practice public speaking, prepare, and take any opportunity you can whilst in uni to practice speaking to large (and small) groups! There is no underestimating the harm to your future career that bad presentation skills can cause – no one likes ‘ums’ and ‘erms…’ and ‘it’s nice’.

 

Read.

Anything.

…except Nuts.


This is the single best way to be and stay connected with the outside world. A talented designer with nothing to say isn’t much use to anyone, and there’s nothing more dangerous than an ignorant mass producer. If you live in a country that has a good newspaper, read it. If you don’t, find a good magazine (not Nuts…), or read countless ones on the web for free. Read blogs – whatever you need to get ahead!!

 

Don’t work alone.


I know you know that design is a collaborative effort, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t practice getting along with others while you’re still in the studio. But that’s not the real benefit of doing design work with others: It’s more fun. If you don’t already know this, then you haven’t done design work with others.

 

Take almost any job.


There is absolutely no replacement for the real thing, and practical experience in any design related field is more than you already have. So don’t spend six months after you graduate looking for the perfect job. And, certainly, don’t wait until you graduate to look for your first design job. You should be doing everything in your power to get some practical training onto your résumé and into your brain and hands before you graduate. That means helping out somewhere once a week, or bagging that summer internship. Do anything design-related. You’ll be respected more by future employers, and have some skills by the time you get out.

An Apple a day keeps the dole at bay….. As a creative person, and most probably if you are reading this you are also a creative person, Steve Jobs has had a huge influence over my life and career. He may have even touched your life in a small way if you are one of the over a billion people that have owned one of Apple’s products.   My love affair with the generally over priced, under powered, and over designed products from Apple stems from my first steps into the design world. The first time I stepped into a design studio when taking a tour around a university I was interested in attending some ten years ago, I saw a fantastic little colourful computer sat on the desk. Now, at this point you have to consider I went to a school that only had its first PC the final year I was there at 6th form, this little colourful computer may as well have been from a science fiction show.   I had known of Apple before, but I was always a bit vague as to what was different or special about them as a company, and as we all know now:   What made them different? Steve Jobs.   Now, for all the lovely stories about what a great man he was that have been told since his passing, there are probably double the amount saying what a tyrant he could be to his employees, switching from Mr Nice Guy to benevolent dictator in a flash. Now I am not saying this to discredit a person so soon after his passing, but to rather highlight the difference he made. He was not a grumpy man, far from it, he was, and always should be remembered for his incredible passion for creativity, achievement and life.   It is this ethos of passion for design, creativity and life, that I have recounted to many people this month as it seems that everyone has seemed to ask me the same question, ‘how do you succeed in the creative world?’   Now if you think of the millions of people in the creative industry trying to make a name for themselves, you have to evaluate what you consider is successful. Is making a steady wage a success? Is having a couple of pieces of featured in an exhibition a success? Is being a person who inspires others to be creative a success? Is having fame and celebrity a success?   Whatever you may regard success to be, there is one way to achieve it. Passion and hard work.   This is the answer I have given to a multitude of people this month, ranging from students, to friends, colleagues and acquaintances. I do not think you can achieve success without believing that you can achieve it, and putting in the time and effort required to deserve it.   Whilst watching Exit Through the Gift Shop recently, it reminded me just how far you can get if you believe in yourself and put in the work (or rather in ‘Mr. Brainwash’s ‘ case get others to put in the work), you can achieve whatever you wish. Ampersand did not just fall into place every month. Problems with submissions, a small amount of creative block, a touch of my anxiety returning, have all conspired to cause me difficulty. But instead of throwing my tools down (the mac costs too much…) I went and had a cup of tea, and came back to it to work even harder. At the moment I am juggling lecturing, freelance work and blogging; and do you know what? I love it! This is the hardest I have worked in years, but I am seeing results so quickly!   Fame has never bothered me, I do not like the culture of celebrity, and I do not like the way that creative people are clambering over each other at the moment to become the next ‘big thing’ - like a Banksy, a Mary Portas, a Huck Gee and so on. This is why I admired Steve Jobs so much; he just did not believe the hype, and worked hard - and got others to work ever harder, to establish Apple as a leader in the technology industry.   This was a man who was told to ‘get his affairs in order’ after finding that he was suffering with pancreatic cancer from his doctor; a phrase often used rather than the more sobering ‘you don’t have long left..’   Did Steve Jobs stop?   No, he continued to work long after the initial diagnosis, remission and rediscovery of the cancer. His passion drove him to continue on, to arguably establish Apple at the top of their industry, and to their highest point of popularity (and revulsion in some quarters) in their history. He had pushed Apple to believe in its own ethos, to work hard and to fulfil it’s own dreams and potential.   In theory, Apple products should not be so well loved at all. They are underpowered when compared to equivalent products from other companies; and also they are vastly overpriced in comparison once again. Even their sleek, minimal approach to design makes them somewhat be seen as sterile and stark, almost like every designer at Apple is forced to watch ‘2001’ on repeat until they understand minimalist aesthetics. Jobs’ approach to the company and to the creative world could be a direct parallel to the way Kubrick approached his industry, meticulous attention to detail, and a thorough understanding of the audience he was developing for.   Both Jobs and Kubrick worked incredibly hard to achieve their success, and had many failures along the way. Both men were also inflicted with a very fractious personality, which their drive and passion is construed as prickly and unpersonable by others. They will be revered for long after they have passed, and both will provide the inspiration to the new generation of creatives.   Their passion for creativity have made the wider world fall in love with their visions, and from my first Apple product (a G4 angle poise iMac, inspired by the other passion in Jobs’ business life, Pixar) I too have subscribed to the Apple way of doing things.   In fact, I am writing this on my Apple MacBook, whilst looking at the aforementioned G4 across my room, with my iPhone plugged in to charge, whilst I wait for my iPad to charge on the opposite side of the room. Apple’s products have helped me to establish myself in the industry I work in, and with the current pre-order totals for the new iPhone it seems to have struck a chord with the wider public too - I suppose you do not sell over a billion products without having a few fans!   Bringing this around full circle, it has been the products that Steve Jobs helped design that have enabled me, and many others to actually work as hard as I have and to develop my passion for creativity. From the moment that I bought my iMac when I went to university, I have spent hundreds of hours both working on paper and screen to develop my techniques, understanding and direction of creativity.   I would work for hours and hours to complete projects, all-nighters were frequent in my life, not because I was behind, but because I wanted to spend as much time possible to work as hard on a concept as I could. This allowed me to achieve the high grades I attained, and the success and acclaim that I have accrued within my professional career. Without hard work, you have to rely on luck, and unless you carry a pocket full of four leaf clovers, you may find that it is a hard way to live your life!   With most younger people now seeing ways to fast track this success, either via fame or infamy, you begin to see a change in the ethos of how certain people approach hard work and passion. They have a passion to be well known, to be a ‘name’ and recognised, but in reality without the continued hard work, they will most certainly be found wanting when their initial success wanes.   I try to instill in each of my students that with hard work and passion for their subject they can achieve anything they desire, and that they should not design to what they know, but to rather what they do not know. Creativity is a continuous learning process that without hard work and passion to learn more is what limits the pathway to success.   Success is always most rewarding when you have worked hard to achieve it - and it is usually longer lasting!As a creative person, and most probably if you are reading this you are also a creative person, Steve Jobs has had a huge influence over my life and career. He may have even touched your life in a small way if you are one of the over a billion people that have owned one of Apple’s products.   My love affair with the generally over priced, under powered, and over designed products from Apple stems from my first steps into the design world. The first time I stepped into a design studio when taking a tour around a university I was interested in attending some ten years ago, I saw a fantastic little colourful computer sat on the desk. Now, at this point you have to consider I went to a school that only had its first PC the final year I was there at 6th form, this little colourful computer may as well have been from a science fiction show.   I had known of Apple before, but I was always a bit vague as to what was different or special about them as a company, and as we all know now:   What made them different? Steve Jobs.   Now, for all the lovely stories about what a great man he was that have been told since his passing, there are probably double the amount saying what a tyrant he could be to his employees, switching from Mr Nice Guy to benevolent dictator in a flash. Now I am not saying this to discredit a person so soon after his passing, but to rather highlight the difference he made. He was not a grumpy man, far from it, he was, and always should be remembered for his incredible passion for creativity, achievement and life.   It is this ethos of passion for design, creativity and life, that I have recounted to many people this month as it seems that everyone has seemed to ask me the same question, ‘how do you succeed in the creative world?’   Now if you think of the millions of people in the creative industry trying to make a name for themselves, you have to evaluate what you consider is successful. Is making a steady wage a success? Is having a couple of pieces of featured in an exhibition a success? Is being a person who inspires others to be creative a success? Is having fame and celebrity a success?   Whatever you may regard success to be, there is one way to achieve it. Passion and hard work.   This is the answer I have given to a multitude of people this month, ranging from students, to friends, colleagues and acquaintances. I do not think you can achieve success without believing that you can achieve it, and putting in the time and effort required to deserve it.   Whilst watching Exit Through the Gift Shop recently, it reminded me just how far you can get if you believe in yourself and put in the work (or rather in ‘Mr. Brainwash’s ‘ case get others to put in the work), you can achieve whatever you wish. Ampersand does not just fall into place every month, in fact this month has been the hardest issue to construct. Problems with submissions, a small amount of creative block, a touch of my anxiety returning, have all conspired to cause me difficulty. But instead of throwing my tools down (the mac costs too much…) I went and had a cup of tea, and came back to it to work even harder. At the moment I am juggling lecturing, freelance work and blogging; and do you know what? I love it! This is the hardest I have worked in years, but I am seeing results so quickly!   Fame has never bothered me, I do not like the culture of celebrity, and I do not like the way that creative people are clambering over each other at the moment to become the next ‘big thing’ - like a Banksy, a Mary Portas, a Huck Gee and so on. This is why I admired Steve Jobs so much; he just did not believe the hype, and worked hard - and got others to work ever harder, to establish Apple as a leader in the technology industry.   This was a man who was told to ‘get his affairs in order’ after finding that he was suffering with pancreatic cancer from his doctor; a phrase often used rather than the more sobering ‘you don’t have long left..’   Did Steve Jobs stop?   No, he continued to work long after the initial diagnosis, remission and rediscovery of the cancer. His passion drove him to continue on, to arguably establish Apple at the top of their industry, and to their highest point of popularity (and revulsion in some quarters) in their history. He had pushed Apple to believe in its own ethos, to work hard and to fulfil it’s own dreams and potential.   In theory, Apple products should not be so well loved at all. They are underpowered when compared to equivalent products from other companies; and also they are vastly overpriced in comparison once again. Even their sleek, minimal approach to design makes them somewhat be seen as sterile and stark, almost like every designer at Apple is forced to watch ‘2001’ on repeat until they understand minimalist aesthetics. Jobs’ approach to the company and to the creative world could be a direct parallel to the way Kubrick approached his industry, meticulous attention to detail, and a thorough understanding of the audience he was developing for.   Both Jobs and Kubrick worked incredibly hard to achieve their success, and had many failures along the way. Both men were also inflicted with a very fractious personality, which their drive and passion is construed as prickly and unpersonable by others. They will be revered for long after they have passed, and both will provide the inspiration to the new generation of creatives.   Their passion for creativity have made the wider world fall in love with their visions, and from my first Apple product (a G4 angle poise iMac, inspired by the other passion in Jobs’ business life, Pixar) I too have subscribed to the Apple way of doing things.   In fact, I am writing this on my Apple MacBook, whilst looking at the aforementioned G4 across my room, with my iPhone plugged in to charge, whilst I wait for my iPad to charge on the opposite side of the room. Apple’s products have helped me to establish myself in the industry I work in, and with the current pre-order totals for the new iPhone it seems to have struck a chord with the wider public too - I suppose you do not sell over a billion products without having a few fans!   Bringing this around full circle, it has been the products that Steve Jobs helped design that have enabled me, and many others to actually work as hard as I have and to develop my passion for creativity. From the moment that I bought my iMac when I went to university, I have spent hundreds of hours both working on paper and screen to develop my techniques, understanding and direction of creativity.   I would work for hours and hours to complete projects, all-nighters were frequent in my life, not because I was behind, but because I wanted to spend as much time possible to work as hard on a concept as I could. This allowed me to achieve the high grades I attained, and the success and acclaim that I have accrued within my professional career. Without hard work, you have to rely on luck, and unless you carry a pocket full of four leaf clovers, you may find that it is a hard way to live your life!   With most younger people now seeing ways to fast track this success, either via fame or infamy, you begin to see a change in the ethos of how certain people approach hard work and passion. They have a passion to be well known, to be a ‘name’ and recognised, but in reality without the continued hard work, they will most certainly be found wanting when their initial success wanes.   I try to instill in each of my students that with hard work and passion for their subject they can achieve anything they desire, and that they should not design to what they know, but to rather what they do not know. Creativity is a continuous learning process that without hard work and passion to learn more is what limits the pathway to success.   Success is always most rewarding when you have worked hard to achieve it - and it is usually longer lasting!

An Apple a day keeps the dole at bay…..

As a creative person, and most probably if you are reading this you are also a creative person, Steve Jobs has had a huge influence over my life and career. He may have even touched your life in a small way if you are one of the over a billion people that have owned one of Apple’s products.

 

My love affair with the generally over priced, under powered, and over designed products from Apple stems from my first steps into the design world. The first time I stepped into a design studio when taking a tour around a university I was interested in attending some ten years ago, I saw a fantastic little colourful computer sat on the desk. Now, at this point you have to consider I went to a school that only had its first PC the final year I was there at 6th form, this little colourful computer may as well have been from a science fiction show.

 

I had known of Apple before, but I was always a bit vague as to what was different or special about them as a company, and as we all know now:

 

What made them different? Steve Jobs.

 

Now, for all the lovely stories about what a great man he was that have been told since his passing, there are probably double the amount saying what a tyrant he could be to his employees, switching from Mr Nice Guy to benevolent dictator in a flash. Now I am not saying this to discredit a person so soon after his passing, but to rather highlight the difference he made. He was not a grumpy man, far from it, he was, and always should be remembered for his incredible passion for creativity, achievement and life.

 

It is this ethos of passion for design, creativity and life, that I have recounted to many people this month as it seems that everyone has seemed to ask me the same question, ‘how do you succeed in the creative world?’

 

Now if you think of the millions of people in the creative industry trying to make a name for themselves, you have to evaluate what you consider is successful. Is making a steady wage a success? Is having a couple of pieces of featured in an exhibition a success? Is being a person who inspires others to be creative a success? Is having fame and celebrity a success?

 

Whatever you may regard success to be, there is one way to achieve it. Passion and hard work.

 

This is the answer I have given to a multitude of people this month, ranging from students, to friends, colleagues and acquaintances. I do not think you can achieve success without believing that you can achieve it, and putting in the time and effort required to deserve it.

 

Whilst watching Exit Through the Gift Shop recently, it reminded me just how far you can get if you believe in yourself and put in the work (or rather in ‘Mr. Brainwash’s ‘ case get others to put in the work), you can achieve whatever you wish. Ampersand did not just fall into place every month. Problems with submissions, a small amount of creative block, a touch of my anxiety returning, have all conspired to cause me difficulty. But instead of throwing my tools down (the mac costs too much…) I went and had a cup of tea, and came back to it to work even harder. At the moment I am juggling lecturing, freelance work and blogging; and do you know what? I love it! This is the hardest I have worked in years, but I am seeing results so quickly!

 

Fame has never bothered me, I do not like the culture of celebrity, and I do not like the way that creative people are clambering over each other at the moment to become the next ‘big thing’ - like a Banksy, a Mary Portas, a Huck Gee and so on. This is why I admired Steve Jobs so much; he just did not believe the hype, and worked hard - and got others to work ever harder, to establish Apple as a leader in the technology industry.

 

This was a man who was told to ‘get his affairs in order’ after finding that he was suffering with pancreatic cancer from his doctor; a phrase often used rather than the more sobering ‘you don’t have long left..’

 

Did Steve Jobs stop?

 

No, he continued to work long after the initial diagnosis, remission and rediscovery of the cancer. His passion drove him to continue on, to arguably establish Apple at the top of their industry, and to their highest point of popularity (and revulsion in some quarters) in their history. He had pushed Apple to believe in its own ethos, to work hard and to fulfil it’s own dreams and potential.

 

In theory, Apple products should not be so well loved at all. They are underpowered when compared to equivalent products from other companies; and also they are vastly overpriced in comparison once again. Even their sleek, minimal approach to design makes them somewhat be seen as sterile and stark, almost like every designer at Apple is forced to watch ‘2001’ on repeat until they understand minimalist aesthetics. Jobs’ approach to the company and to the creative world could be a direct parallel to the way Kubrick approached his industry, meticulous attention to detail, and a thorough understanding of the audience he was developing for.

 

Both Jobs and Kubrick worked incredibly hard to achieve their success, and had many failures along the way. Both men were also inflicted with a very fractious personality, which their drive and passion is construed as prickly and unpersonable by others. They will be revered for long after they have passed, and both will provide the inspiration to the new generation of creatives.

 

Their passion for creativity have made the wider world fall in love with their visions, and from my first Apple product (a G4 angle poise iMac, inspired by the other passion in Jobs’ business life, Pixar) I too have subscribed to the Apple way of doing things.

 

In fact, I am writing this on my Apple MacBook, whilst looking at the aforementioned G4 across my room, with my iPhone plugged in to charge, whilst I wait for my iPad to charge on the opposite side of the room. Apple’s products have helped me to establish myself in the industry I work in, and with the current pre-order totals for the new iPhone it seems to have struck a chord with the wider public too - I suppose you do not sell over a billion products without having a few fans!

 

Bringing this around full circle, it has been the products that Steve Jobs helped design that have enabled me, and many others to actually work as hard as I have and to develop my passion for creativity. From the moment that I bought my iMac when I went to university, I have spent hundreds of hours both working on paper and screen to develop my techniques, understanding and direction of creativity.

 

I would work for hours and hours to complete projects, all-nighters were frequent in my life, not because I was behind, but because I wanted to spend as much time possible to work as hard on a concept as I could. This allowed me to achieve the high grades I attained, and the success and acclaim that I have accrued within my professional career. Without hard work, you have to rely on luck, and unless you carry a pocket full of four leaf clovers, you may find that it is a hard way to live your life!

 

With most younger people now seeing ways to fast track this success, either via fame or infamy, you begin to see a change in the ethos of how certain people approach hard work and passion. They have a passion to be well known, to be a ‘name’ and recognised, but in reality without the continued hard work, they will most certainly be found wanting when their initial success wanes.

 

I try to instill in each of my students that with hard work and passion for their subject they can achieve anything they desire, and that they should not design to what they know, but to rather what they do not know. Creativity is a continuous learning process that without hard work and passion to learn more is what limits the pathway to success.

 

Success is always most rewarding when you have worked hard to achieve it - and it is usually longer lasting!As a creative person, and most probably if you are reading this you are also a creative person, Steve Jobs has had a huge influence over my life and career. He may have even touched your life in a small way if you are one of the over a billion people that have owned one of Apple’s products.

 

My love affair with the generally over priced, under powered, and over designed products from Apple stems from my first steps into the design world. The first time I stepped into a design studio when taking a tour around a university I was interested in attending some ten years ago, I saw a fantastic little colourful computer sat on the desk. Now, at this point you have to consider I went to a school that only had its first PC the final year I was there at 6th form, this little colourful computer may as well have been from a science fiction show.

 

I had known of Apple before, but I was always a bit vague as to what was different or special about them as a company, and as we all know now:

 

What made them different? Steve Jobs.

 

Now, for all the lovely stories about what a great man he was that have been told since his passing, there are probably double the amount saying what a tyrant he could be to his employees, switching from Mr Nice Guy to benevolent dictator in a flash. Now I am not saying this to discredit a person so soon after his passing, but to rather highlight the difference he made. He was not a grumpy man, far from it, he was, and always should be remembered for his incredible passion for creativity, achievement and life.

 

It is this ethos of passion for design, creativity and life, that I have recounted to many people this month as it seems that everyone has seemed to ask me the same question, ‘how do you succeed in the creative world?’

 

Now if you think of the millions of people in the creative industry trying to make a name for themselves, you have to evaluate what you consider is successful. Is making a steady wage a success? Is having a couple of pieces of featured in an exhibition a success? Is being a person who inspires others to be creative a success? Is having fame and celebrity a success?

 

Whatever you may regard success to be, there is one way to achieve it. Passion and hard work.

 

This is the answer I have given to a multitude of people this month, ranging from students, to friends, colleagues and acquaintances. I do not think you can achieve success without believing that you can achieve it, and putting in the time and effort required to deserve it.

 

Whilst watching Exit Through the Gift Shop recently, it reminded me just how far you can get if you believe in yourself and put in the work (or rather in ‘Mr. Brainwash’s ‘ case get others to put in the work), you can achieve whatever you wish. Ampersand does not just fall into place every month, in fact this month has been the hardest issue to construct. Problems with submissions, a small amount of creative block, a touch of my anxiety returning, have all conspired to cause me difficulty. But instead of throwing my tools down (the mac costs too much…) I went and had a cup of tea, and came back to it to work even harder. At the moment I am juggling lecturing, freelance work and blogging; and do you know what? I love it! This is the hardest I have worked in years, but I am seeing results so quickly!

 

Fame has never bothered me, I do not like the culture of celebrity, and I do not like the way that creative people are clambering over each other at the moment to become the next ‘big thing’ - like a Banksy, a Mary Portas, a Huck Gee and so on. This is why I admired Steve Jobs so much; he just did not believe the hype, and worked hard - and got others to work ever harder, to establish Apple as a leader in the technology industry.

 

This was a man who was told to ‘get his affairs in order’ after finding that he was suffering with pancreatic cancer from his doctor; a phrase often used rather than the more sobering ‘you don’t have long left..’

 

Did Steve Jobs stop?

 

No, he continued to work long after the initial diagnosis, remission and rediscovery of the cancer. His passion drove him to continue on, to arguably establish Apple at the top of their industry, and to their highest point of popularity (and revulsion in some quarters) in their history. He had pushed Apple to believe in its own ethos, to work hard and to fulfil it’s own dreams and potential.

 

In theory, Apple products should not be so well loved at all. They are underpowered when compared to equivalent products from other companies; and also they are vastly overpriced in comparison once again. Even their sleek, minimal approach to design makes them somewhat be seen as sterile and stark, almost like every designer at Apple is forced to watch ‘2001’ on repeat until they understand minimalist aesthetics. Jobs’ approach to the company and to the creative world could be a direct parallel to the way Kubrick approached his industry, meticulous attention to detail, and a thorough understanding of the audience he was developing for.

 

Both Jobs and Kubrick worked incredibly hard to achieve their success, and had many failures along the way. Both men were also inflicted with a very fractious personality, which their drive and passion is construed as prickly and unpersonable by others. They will be revered for long after they have passed, and both will provide the inspiration to the new generation of creatives.

 

Their passion for creativity have made the wider world fall in love with their visions, and from my first Apple product (a G4 angle poise iMac, inspired by the other passion in Jobs’ business life, Pixar) I too have subscribed to the Apple way of doing things.

 

In fact, I am writing this on my Apple MacBook, whilst looking at the aforementioned G4 across my room, with my iPhone plugged in to charge, whilst I wait for my iPad to charge on the opposite side of the room. Apple’s products have helped me to establish myself in the industry I work in, and with the current pre-order totals for the new iPhone it seems to have struck a chord with the wider public too - I suppose you do not sell over a billion products without having a few fans!

 

Bringing this around full circle, it has been the products that Steve Jobs helped design that have enabled me, and many others to actually work as hard as I have and to develop my passion for creativity. From the moment that I bought my iMac when I went to university, I have spent hundreds of hours both working on paper and screen to develop my techniques, understanding and direction of creativity.

 

I would work for hours and hours to complete projects, all-nighters were frequent in my life, not because I was behind, but because I wanted to spend as much time possible to work as hard on a concept as I could. This allowed me to achieve the high grades I attained, and the success and acclaim that I have accrued within my professional career. Without hard work, you have to rely on luck, and unless you carry a pocket full of four leaf clovers, you may find that it is a hard way to live your life!

 

With most younger people now seeing ways to fast track this success, either via fame or infamy, you begin to see a change in the ethos of how certain people approach hard work and passion. They have a passion to be well known, to be a ‘name’ and recognised, but in reality without the continued hard work, they will most certainly be found wanting when their initial success wanes.

 

I try to instill in each of my students that with hard work and passion for their subject they can achieve anything they desire, and that they should not design to what they know, but to rather what they do not know. Creativity is a continuous learning process that without hard work and passion to learn more is what limits the pathway to success.

 

Success is always most rewarding when you have worked hard to achieve it - and it is usually longer lasting!

Jumping on the Brand Wagon!So, every potential designer gets to that dreaded point where we have to take on that difficult client. You know the one I mean, bad tempered, foul mouthed, indecisive, the worlds biggest critic, never happy….. Yes, that shitty client called yourself! You could have a client list of all the most indecisive people in the world, and yet still we are our own worst enemy when it comes to branding ourselves. Most designers need an identity when dealing with freelance work, or even to utilise in your portfolio or website. It gives you a more professional look and a good brand can tell creative agencies or PR agency just how well they can sell your services to clients. I went for years without facing up to the fact that I needed a brand. I eventually needed one quickly for some potential freelance work, and I just went bowling in and came out six hours later with about half a dozen A3 sheets of scribbles and ideas and going WHY DID I START THIS?! Eventually at the end of it all, it was my playing around with type rather than fiddling about with some sort of icon or monogram which I was trying to do. I over thought the situation, and forgot what I hold dearest in design, typography and simplicity. (Although one can argue that i’m quite a simple person anyway so it represents me incredibly well!) So this all begs the question - what do I need to consider when i’m jumping on the ‘brand’ wagon? Design for yourself. You aren’t designing for another designer necessarily, but it is your brand, you want to show off every bell and whistle of design you know - but don’t! Instead approach the project as if it were for any other client, sit down list down what represents your design style and what you stand for as a designer. Clean simple branding rather than avant-garde design will not offend other designers, and won’t alienate other companies that may want to work with you! Listen to other people. Collaborate with other friends that are both designers and non-designers, talk them through your ideas and concepts - tell them to be honest. Friends love this because they never get the opportunity to say something you do is shit, and other designers will give you straight honest critique, but will probably help you with constructive criticism. You want people to understand your brand, and that it connects to you. Listen to other people part 2: Listen Harder. Being your own branding you tend to end up working too close to it and you clutch it to your bosom never wanting to hear it doesn’t look right. You basically lose all objectivity! Talk to your lecturers, other professionals you have encountered, or other designers on your course - they will bring you back to reality and talk to you objectively about the design and how it may be improved. Putting off designing your brand in the good times. You have left uni and you have freelance work coming out of your ears? (Hey look, it’s that pig flying past again..) Even if everything is going amazingly well, maybe you work in a studio, it is still important for you to develop your own brand image. You never know when it is useful, even if it is just for your blog or your portfolio initially, there will be a need for it when you expect it least. Not developing your brand when you’re twiddling your thumbs. You aren’t getting any design work? Well perhaps this is the ideal time to show off your skills and design your brand! This can kick-start your creative process and sometimes it is the fact you don’t have that professional image is the reason why your calendar is so sparse of deadlines. Remember you most of the time have to spend money to make money. A new brand identity, some new business cards and a quick small website can do wonders for a designers self-esteem and gives you pride in your own work! Just Do It. A simple phrase we all know and associate with Nike, wherever we see or hear it. Now i’m not saying you need to have a catchy tagline (rather much the opposite!!) but you do need to have a consistency. Like any brand consistency is the key for it to work. Make sure you are using your brand in the same manner each time; size, colours, typefaces, layout, visual identity are all consistent! This gives you a much more professional look. But it doesn’t stop there; - answer emails - make sure you start to put a consistent footer with your details under your name, not a kiss, (it never goes down well with people in the upper echelons of the BBC take it from me…) Make phone calls, talk in a professional manner, leave your business cards with everyone - sometimes it is the person you least expect to get in touch about work imaginable! It is the hardest project for any designer or illustrator to design their own brand identity, but it really is an essential element for any successful designer. It isn’t an ego trip, it isn’t something that makes you an instant celebrity, but rather a method that you can present your professional self to other professionals. Don’t rush it, and garner as many opinions as your fragile designer ego can take, it is better to hear something is right or wrong before you go and have it splashed across business cards or the web, and hopefully your brand will give you pride and propulsion to expand your clientele.Then what?Ok, There are two essential things to have as a new designer looking for work: An online portfolio A physical portfolio Many designers are using Behance.net these days, and it is a really good way to show off their work. I would really reccommend setting up your Behance account with some of your work on - it gets a whole load of traffic, and you never know when a firm may come accross your work. However, there are thousands upon thousands of designers on there and it can be better to showcase your work by having your own unique website.If you aren’t good with web development tools, don’t go for something too flashy and all singing and dancing - most designers can get to grips with basic HTML (and if you don’t i’m sure you will have at least one friend who maybe able to help!) just let your work stand out and be the highlight! Just look at my website, i’m no web wizard, but it’s easy to navigate, shows off what I do well, and has a sprinkling of interesting elements.My first website I was dead proud of, but I heard from a second hand source a potential client had said “it looks nice, but it isn’t that interesting..” this made me re-think my website into what it is today - a simple bit of javascripting really made the design more interesting and other non-designers seem to appreciate little things like this; I mean, I’m not trying to impress other designers, i’m trying to entice potential freelance clients - as soon as you remember this designing becomes a lot easier! Other designers might like to show off how wonderful they are with beautiful Flash based websites, but if your client has to download the latest Flash player to view it, or is technically savvy and owns an iphone or an ipad (or even both!) they are going to be able to look at your site either! Remember you are designing for yourself first, then others.One thing these days some designers completely forget about is having a physical portfolio. The majority of the time having an online portfolio will be sufficient, but having a physical one to does no harm - and a lot of interviews for creative positions will expect you to bring along a physical portfolio.When making a physical portfolio, make sure it is a good format, diverse content and presented well. If you can see that an image is pixellated then chances are a creative director will too! Spend a little time and money to put together a clean and easy to understand portfolio - and remember, you are probably going to be judged on your weakest piece!Self promotion is key to your eventual success!You are a creative person, you have spent a lot of time widening your experience and design style, and most likely in the last year of your degree you will spend a bit of time looking at self promotion.Creating yourself a brand or an identity (like my Jamesydesign brand) it will enable you to guide your self promotion effectively. What you do for self promotion is really upto your creative avenue - if you are a typographer, utilising this skill in either your portfolio or promotional material you can send a creative firm will really help you stand out. Like all designers, creative firms really like nice things they can keep! I have stacks of packaging, postcards, zines, cut-out and keeps, toys, 3D glasses the list goes on - we are all creative magpies looking for the next shiny thing to catch our eye - in this case use it to your advantage and get yourself noticed!Use social media to your advantage!We all know the tales of how Facebook has ruined people’s careers with one set of drunken photos being added, and many people are scared to utilised social media sometimes when promoting themselves. I see social media as THE outstanding method to get positive attention, to both yourself and your work.Twitter is one of the most fantastic social platforms a designer can have. Things can go viral fast, you can direct your tweets towards people, you can follow design firms and designers you both admire and have aspirations to work with. Mention them in tweets, but DO NOT twitter stalk them, ever. Directing one or two tweets here and there is great, but if you constantly direct tweets to them you run the risk of seeming really desperate. Tweet fellow student designers and build up a network of people, the last three major freelance projects I have undertaken have came from the result of people following my twitter account and seeing my work through that. (just remember if you are using twitter in this way, try to remember not to post things derogatory about companies etc - it’s a world of pain and can see you frozen out of a community quickly!)Making friends with design companiesBe proactive; find local companies that you think you would like to work with and that you think you can offer something positive to. If it is a larger company, it is probably best to phone them up first, and most likely you will speak to either a junior designer, or the receptionist. At this point is where I recall something my grandparents always taught me - treat EVERYONE in a business like you would the most important person you could talk to. I have seen people lose job opportunities just by being rude to the receptionist - they remember these things, they are the ones who will report back to the creative director, AND they have better memories than elephants - they will remember you being rude and on the flipside, very polite.If you fail to talk to anyone higher up in the company hierarchy, then politely ask for their personal email and send your details through that means instead.When you do have that email address, and you go to send an email out, make sure that you have researched the company and you know what projects they have worked on - be complimentary but not over the top! Explain in the email why you would be such an asset to their company, make the email personal to each company, and attach a small example of your work, whether it be a consise portfolio, or just something fun that shows how creative you are.Visit some design companiesWhilst completing your degree, chances are there will be lots of design companies coming to speak to you, or giving you advice, or even helping out with interview practice. This is always an opportunity to find out more and to present yourself as someone who is enthusiastic and interested in what they do, and how you can learn off them. Ask them about the possibility of doing some unpaid work experience, it is all about getting your foot in the door! Most design companies will look for people to come in and experience what they do this way, just keep trying, but don’t ever hound a poor design company and beat them down into giving you a days placement!Most designers when they get their foot in the door like this it possibly will lead them further, if not with this company another - once companies can see you are being proactive in getting experience of real world design, then they are usually more interested in talking to you!And finally….There are many more avenues that you can take to help get you ahead in the industry, but I think that one of the best things that you can learn quite quickly is that just because your tutor tell you that you are an amazing designer and you keep getting firsts in all of your work, it does not make you the best candidate for a design job. Creative companies thrive on a good, positive and most importantly creative and hard working atmosphere, and if you come into their world as the ‘big-I-am’ most likely you will be leaving before you’ve even made your first round of coffees for everyone!Be humble, be pro-active, don’t try and be something you aren’t - design companies want designers that will help raise their profile and earn them money, not persistent headaches!Be actively pursuing all of these things throughout your design course, get work experience whenever you can, and build up these networks over a good amount of time - do not expect to try and do all this networking at your final show! Chances are you will have had too many sleepless nights and glasses of wine to make any coherent sense! Utilise all of your time throughout your course to gain the best and most rounded experience and never ever give up, because it is usually when all looks lost that the best thing will come along! Again I hope all this helps in someway to someone! The post is photo reply enabled too - so show us your designs!!! For more design articles and advice follow us here at Design Lecturer to get an insight and any advice you may need! Jumping on the Brand Wagon!So, every potential designer gets to that dreaded point where we have to take on that difficult client. You know the one I mean, bad tempered, foul mouthed, indecisive, the worlds biggest critic, never happy….. Yes, that shitty client called yourself! You could have a client list of all the most indecisive people in the world, and yet still we are our own worst enemy when it comes to branding ourselves. Most designers need an identity when dealing with freelance work, or even to utilise in your portfolio or website. It gives you a more professional look and a good brand can tell creative agencies or PR agency just how well they can sell your services to clients. I went for years without facing up to the fact that I needed a brand. I eventually needed one quickly for some potential freelance work, and I just went bowling in and came out six hours later with about half a dozen A3 sheets of scribbles and ideas and going WHY DID I START THIS?! Eventually at the end of it all, it was my playing around with type rather than fiddling about with some sort of icon or monogram which I was trying to do. I over thought the situation, and forgot what I hold dearest in design, typography and simplicity. (Although one can argue that i’m quite a simple person anyway so it represents me incredibly well!) So this all begs the question - what do I need to consider when i’m jumping on the ‘brand’ wagon? Design for yourself. You aren’t designing for another designer necessarily, but it is your brand, you want to show off every bell and whistle of design you know - but don’t! Instead approach the project as if it were for any other client, sit down list down what represents your design style and what you stand for as a designer. Clean simple branding rather than avant-garde design will not offend other designers, and won’t alienate other companies that may want to work with you! Listen to other people. Collaborate with other friends that are both designers and non-designers, talk them through your ideas and concepts - tell them to be honest. Friends love this because they never get the opportunity to say something you do is shit, and other designers will give you straight honest critique, but will probably help you with constructive criticism. You want people to understand your brand, and that it connects to you. Listen to other people part 2: Listen Harder. Being your own branding you tend to end up working too close to it and you clutch it to your bosom never wanting to hear it doesn’t look right. You basically lose all objectivity! Talk to your lecturers, other professionals you have encountered, or other designers on your course - they will bring you back to reality and talk to you objectively about the design and how it may be improved. Putting off designing your brand in the good times. You have left uni and you have freelance work coming out of your ears? (Hey look, it’s that pig flying past again..) Even if everything is going amazingly well, maybe you work in a studio, it is still important for you to develop your own brand image. You never know when it is useful, even if it is just for your blog or your portfolio initially, there will be a need for it when you expect it least. Not developing your brand when you’re twiddling your thumbs. You aren’t getting any design work? Well perhaps this is the ideal time to show off your skills and design your brand! This can kick-start your creative process and sometimes it is the fact you don’t have that professional image is the reason why your calendar is so sparse of deadlines. Remember you most of the time have to spend money to make money. A new brand identity, some new business cards and a quick small website can do wonders for a designers self-esteem and gives you pride in your own work! Just Do It. A simple phrase we all know and associate with Nike, wherever we see or hear it. Now i’m not saying you need to have a catchy tagline (rather much the opposite!!) but you do need to have a consistency. Like any brand consistency is the key for it to work. Make sure you are using your brand in the same manner each time; size, colours, typefaces, layout, visual identity are all consistent! This gives you a much more professional look. But it doesn’t stop there; - answer emails - make sure you start to put a consistent footer with your details under your name, not a kiss, (it never goes down well with people in the upper echelons of the BBC take it from me…) Make phone calls, talk in a professional manner, leave your business cards with everyone - sometimes it is the person you least expect to get in touch about work imaginable! It is the hardest project for any designer or illustrator to design their own brand identity, but it really is an essential element for any successful designer. It isn’t an ego trip, it isn’t something that makes you an instant celebrity, but rather a method that you can present your professional self to other professionals. Don’t rush it, and garner as many opinions as your fragile designer ego can take, it is better to hear something is right or wrong before you go and have it splashed across business cards or the web, and hopefully your brand will give you pride and propulsion to expand your clientele.Then what?Ok, There are two essential things to have as a new designer looking for work: An online portfolio A physical portfolio Many designers are using Behance.net these days, and it is a really good way to show off their work. I would really reccommend setting up your Behance account with some of your work on - it gets a whole load of traffic, and you never know when a firm may come accross your work. However, there are thousands upon thousands of designers on there and it can be better to showcase your work by having your own unique website.If you aren’t good with web development tools, don’t go for something too flashy and all singing and dancing - most designers can get to grips with basic HTML (and if you don’t i’m sure you will have at least one friend who maybe able to help!) just let your work stand out and be the highlight! Just look at my website, i’m no web wizard, but it’s easy to navigate, shows off what I do well, and has a sprinkling of interesting elements.My first website I was dead proud of, but I heard from a second hand source a potential client had said “it looks nice, but it isn’t that interesting..” this made me re-think my website into what it is today - a simple bit of javascripting really made the design more interesting and other non-designers seem to appreciate little things like this; I mean, I’m not trying to impress other designers, i’m trying to entice potential freelance clients - as soon as you remember this designing becomes a lot easier! Other designers might like to show off how wonderful they are with beautiful Flash based websites, but if your client has to download the latest Flash player to view it, or is technically savvy and owns an iphone or an ipad (or even both!) they are going to be able to look at your site either! Remember you are designing for yourself first, then others.One thing these days some designers completely forget about is having a physical portfolio. The majority of the time having an online portfolio will be sufficient, but having a physical one to does no harm - and a lot of interviews for creative positions will expect you to bring along a physical portfolio.When making a physical portfolio, make sure it is a good format, diverse content and presented well. If you can see that an image is pixellated then chances are a creative director will too! Spend a little time and money to put together a clean and easy to understand portfolio - and remember, you are probably going to be judged on your weakest piece!Self promotion is key to your eventual success!You are a creative person, you have spent a lot of time widening your experience and design style, and most likely in the last year of your degree you will spend a bit of time looking at self promotion.Creating yourself a brand or an identity (like my Jamesydesign brand) it will enable you to guide your self promotion effectively. What you do for self promotion is really upto your creative avenue - if you are a typographer, utilising this skill in either your portfolio or promotional material you can send a creative firm will really help you stand out. Like all designers, creative firms really like nice things they can keep! I have stacks of packaging, postcards, zines, cut-out and keeps, toys, 3D glasses the list goes on - we are all creative magpies looking for the next shiny thing to catch our eye - in this case use it to your advantage and get yourself noticed!Use social media to your advantage!We all know the tales of how Facebook has ruined people’s careers with one set of drunken photos being added, and many people are scared to utilised social media sometimes when promoting themselves. I see social media as THE outstanding method to get positive attention, to both yourself and your work.Twitter is one of the most fantastic social platforms a designer can have. Things can go viral fast, you can direct your tweets towards people, you can follow design firms and designers you both admire and have aspirations to work with. Mention them in tweets, but DO NOT twitter stalk them, ever. Directing one or two tweets here and there is great, but if you constantly direct tweets to them you run the risk of seeming really desperate. Tweet fellow student designers and build up a network of people, the last three major freelance projects I have undertaken have came from the result of people following my twitter account and seeing my work through that. (just remember if you are using twitter in this way, try to remember not to post things derogatory about companies etc - it’s a world of pain and can see you frozen out of a community quickly!)Making friends with design companiesBe proactive; find local companies that you think you would like to work with and that you think you can offer something positive to. If it is a larger company, it is probably best to phone them up first, and most likely you will speak to either a junior designer, or the receptionist. At this point is where I recall something my grandparents always taught me - treat EVERYONE in a business like you would the most important person you could talk to. I have seen people lose job opportunities just by being rude to the receptionist - they remember these things, they are the ones who will report back to the creative director, AND they have better memories than elephants - they will remember you being rude and on the flipside, very polite.If you fail to talk to anyone higher up in the company hierarchy, then politely ask for their personal email and send your details through that means instead.When you do have that email address, and you go to send an email out, make sure that you have researched the company and you know what projects they have worked on - be complimentary but not over the top! Explain in the email why you would be such an asset to their company, make the email personal to each company, and attach a small example of your work, whether it be a consise portfolio, or just something fun that shows how creative you are.Visit some design companiesWhilst completing your degree, chances are there will be lots of design companies coming to speak to you, or giving you advice, or even helping out with interview practice. This is always an opportunity to find out more and to present yourself as someone who is enthusiastic and interested in what they do, and how you can learn off them. Ask them about the possibility of doing some unpaid work experience, it is all about getting your foot in the door! Most design companies will look for people to come in and experience what they do this way, just keep trying, but don’t ever hound a poor design company and beat them down into giving you a days placement!Most designers when they get their foot in the door like this it possibly will lead them further, if not with this company another - once companies can see you are being proactive in getting experience of real world design, then they are usually more interested in talking to you!And finally….There are many more avenues that you can take to help get you ahead in the industry, but I think that one of the best things that you can learn quite quickly is that just because your tutor tell you that you are an amazing designer and you keep getting firsts in all of your work, it does not make you the best candidate for a design job. Creative companies thrive on a good, positive and most importantly creative and hard working atmosphere, and if you come into their world as the ‘big-I-am’ most likely you will be leaving before you’ve even made your first round of coffees for everyone!Be humble, be pro-active, don’t try and be something you aren’t - design companies want designers that will help raise their profile and earn them money, not persistent headaches!Be actively pursuing all of these things throughout your design course, get work experience whenever you can, and build up these networks over a good amount of time - do not expect to try and do all this networking at your final show! Chances are you will have had too many sleepless nights and glasses of wine to make any coherent sense! Utilise all of your time throughout your course to gain the best and most rounded experience and never ever give up, because it is usually when all looks lost that the best thing will come along! Again I hope all this helps in someway to someone! The post is photo reply enabled too - so show us your designs!!! For more design articles and advice follow us here at Design Lecturer to get an insight and any advice you may need! Jumping on the Brand Wagon!So, every potential designer gets to that dreaded point where we have to take on that difficult client. You know the one I mean, bad tempered, foul mouthed, indecisive, the worlds biggest critic, never happy….. Yes, that shitty client called yourself! You could have a client list of all the most indecisive people in the world, and yet still we are our own worst enemy when it comes to branding ourselves. Most designers need an identity when dealing with freelance work, or even to utilise in your portfolio or website. It gives you a more professional look and a good brand can tell creative agencies or PR agency just how well they can sell your services to clients. I went for years without facing up to the fact that I needed a brand. I eventually needed one quickly for some potential freelance work, and I just went bowling in and came out six hours later with about half a dozen A3 sheets of scribbles and ideas and going WHY DID I START THIS?! Eventually at the end of it all, it was my playing around with type rather than fiddling about with some sort of icon or monogram which I was trying to do. I over thought the situation, and forgot what I hold dearest in design, typography and simplicity. (Although one can argue that i’m quite a simple person anyway so it represents me incredibly well!) So this all begs the question - what do I need to consider when i’m jumping on the ‘brand’ wagon? Design for yourself. You aren’t designing for another designer necessarily, but it is your brand, you want to show off every bell and whistle of design you know - but don’t! Instead approach the project as if it were for any other client, sit down list down what represents your design style and what you stand for as a designer. Clean simple branding rather than avant-garde design will not offend other designers, and won’t alienate other companies that may want to work with you! Listen to other people. Collaborate with other friends that are both designers and non-designers, talk them through your ideas and concepts - tell them to be honest. Friends love this because they never get the opportunity to say something you do is shit, and other designers will give you straight honest critique, but will probably help you with constructive criticism. You want people to understand your brand, and that it connects to you. Listen to other people part 2: Listen Harder. Being your own branding you tend to end up working too close to it and you clutch it to your bosom never wanting to hear it doesn’t look right. You basically lose all objectivity! Talk to your lecturers, other professionals you have encountered, or other designers on your course - they will bring you back to reality and talk to you objectively about the design and how it may be improved. Putting off designing your brand in the good times. You have left uni and you have freelance work coming out of your ears? (Hey look, it’s that pig flying past again..) Even if everything is going amazingly well, maybe you work in a studio, it is still important for you to develop your own brand image. You never know when it is useful, even if it is just for your blog or your portfolio initially, there will be a need for it when you expect it least. Not developing your brand when you’re twiddling your thumbs. You aren’t getting any design work? Well perhaps this is the ideal time to show off your skills and design your brand! This can kick-start your creative process and sometimes it is the fact you don’t have that professional image is the reason why your calendar is so sparse of deadlines. Remember you most of the time have to spend money to make money. A new brand identity, some new business cards and a quick small website can do wonders for a designers self-esteem and gives you pride in your own work! Just Do It. A simple phrase we all know and associate with Nike, wherever we see or hear it. Now i’m not saying you need to have a catchy tagline (rather much the opposite!!) but you do need to have a consistency. Like any brand consistency is the key for it to work. Make sure you are using your brand in the same manner each time; size, colours, typefaces, layout, visual identity are all consistent! This gives you a much more professional look. But it doesn’t stop there; - answer emails - make sure you start to put a consistent footer with your details under your name, not a kiss, (it never goes down well with people in the upper echelons of the BBC take it from me…) Make phone calls, talk in a professional manner, leave your business cards with everyone - sometimes it is the person you least expect to get in touch about work imaginable! It is the hardest project for any designer or illustrator to design their own brand identity, but it really is an essential element for any successful designer. It isn’t an ego trip, it isn’t something that makes you an instant celebrity, but rather a method that you can present your professional self to other professionals. Don’t rush it, and garner as many opinions as your fragile designer ego can take, it is better to hear something is right or wrong before you go and have it splashed across business cards or the web, and hopefully your brand will give you pride and propulsion to expand your clientele.Then what?Ok, There are two essential things to have as a new designer looking for work: An online portfolio A physical portfolio Many designers are using Behance.net these days, and it is a really good way to show off their work. I would really reccommend setting up your Behance account with some of your work on - it gets a whole load of traffic, and you never know when a firm may come accross your work. However, there are thousands upon thousands of designers on there and it can be better to showcase your work by having your own unique website.If you aren’t good with web development tools, don’t go for something too flashy and all singing and dancing - most designers can get to grips with basic HTML (and if you don’t i’m sure you will have at least one friend who maybe able to help!) just let your work stand out and be the highlight! Just look at my website, i’m no web wizard, but it’s easy to navigate, shows off what I do well, and has a sprinkling of interesting elements.My first website I was dead proud of, but I heard from a second hand source a potential client had said “it looks nice, but it isn’t that interesting..” this made me re-think my website into what it is today - a simple bit of javascripting really made the design more interesting and other non-designers seem to appreciate little things like this; I mean, I’m not trying to impress other designers, i’m trying to entice potential freelance clients - as soon as you remember this designing becomes a lot easier! Other designers might like to show off how wonderful they are with beautiful Flash based websites, but if your client has to download the latest Flash player to view it, or is technically savvy and owns an iphone or an ipad (or even both!) they are going to be able to look at your site either! Remember you are designing for yourself first, then others.One thing these days some designers completely forget about is having a physical portfolio. The majority of the time having an online portfolio will be sufficient, but having a physical one to does no harm - and a lot of interviews for creative positions will expect you to bring along a physical portfolio.When making a physical portfolio, make sure it is a good format, diverse content and presented well. If you can see that an image is pixellated then chances are a creative director will too! Spend a little time and money to put together a clean and easy to understand portfolio - and remember, you are probably going to be judged on your weakest piece!Self promotion is key to your eventual success!You are a creative person, you have spent a lot of time widening your experience and design style, and most likely in the last year of your degree you will spend a bit of time looking at self promotion.Creating yourself a brand or an identity (like my Jamesydesign brand) it will enable you to guide your self promotion effectively. What you do for self promotion is really upto your creative avenue - if you are a typographer, utilising this skill in either your portfolio or promotional material you can send a creative firm will really help you stand out. Like all designers, creative firms really like nice things they can keep! I have stacks of packaging, postcards, zines, cut-out and keeps, toys, 3D glasses the list goes on - we are all creative magpies looking for the next shiny thing to catch our eye - in this case use it to your advantage and get yourself noticed!Use social media to your advantage!We all know the tales of how Facebook has ruined people’s careers with one set of drunken photos being added, and many people are scared to utilised social media sometimes when promoting themselves. I see social media as THE outstanding method to get positive attention, to both yourself and your work.Twitter is one of the most fantastic social platforms a designer can have. Things can go viral fast, you can direct your tweets towards people, you can follow design firms and designers you both admire and have aspirations to work with. Mention them in tweets, but DO NOT twitter stalk them, ever. Directing one or two tweets here and there is great, but if you constantly direct tweets to them you run the risk of seeming really desperate. Tweet fellow student designers and build up a network of people, the last three major freelance projects I have undertaken have came from the result of people following my twitter account and seeing my work through that. (just remember if you are using twitter in this way, try to remember not to post things derogatory about companies etc - it’s a world of pain and can see you frozen out of a community quickly!)Making friends with design companiesBe proactive; find local companies that you think you would like to work with and that you think you can offer something positive to. If it is a larger company, it is probably best to phone them up first, and most likely you will speak to either a junior designer, or the receptionist. At this point is where I recall something my grandparents always taught me - treat EVERYONE in a business like you would the most important person you could talk to. I have seen people lose job opportunities just by being rude to the receptionist - they remember these things, they are the ones who will report back to the creative director, AND they have better memories than elephants - they will remember you being rude and on the flipside, very polite.If you fail to talk to anyone higher up in the company hierarchy, then politely ask for their personal email and send your details through that means instead.When you do have that email address, and you go to send an email out, make sure that you have researched the company and you know what projects they have worked on - be complimentary but not over the top! Explain in the email why you would be such an asset to their company, make the email personal to each company, and attach a small example of your work, whether it be a consise portfolio, or just something fun that shows how creative you are.Visit some design companiesWhilst completing your degree, chances are there will be lots of design companies coming to speak to you, or giving you advice, or even helping out with interview practice. This is always an opportunity to find out more and to present yourself as someone who is enthusiastic and interested in what they do, and how you can learn off them. Ask them about the possibility of doing some unpaid work experience, it is all about getting your foot in the door! Most design companies will look for people to come in and experience what they do this way, just keep trying, but don’t ever hound a poor design company and beat them down into giving you a days placement!Most designers when they get their foot in the door like this it possibly will lead them further, if not with this company another - once companies can see you are being proactive in getting experience of real world design, then they are usually more interested in talking to you!And finally….There are many more avenues that you can take to help get you ahead in the industry, but I think that one of the best things that you can learn quite quickly is that just because your tutor tell you that you are an amazing designer and you keep getting firsts in all of your work, it does not make you the best candidate for a design job. Creative companies thrive on a good, positive and most importantly creative and hard working atmosphere, and if you come into their world as the ‘big-I-am’ most likely you will be leaving before you’ve even made your first round of coffees for everyone!Be humble, be pro-active, don’t try and be something you aren’t - design companies want designers that will help raise their profile and earn them money, not persistent headaches!Be actively pursuing all of these things throughout your design course, get work experience whenever you can, and build up these networks over a good amount of time - do not expect to try and do all this networking at your final show! Chances are you will have had too many sleepless nights and glasses of wine to make any coherent sense! Utilise all of your time throughout your course to gain the best and most rounded experience and never ever give up, because it is usually when all looks lost that the best thing will come along! Again I hope all this helps in someway to someone! The post is photo reply enabled too - so show us your designs!!! For more design articles and advice follow us here at Design Lecturer to get an insight and any advice you may need!

Jumping on the Brand Wagon!
So, every potential designer gets to that dreaded point where we have to take on that difficult client. You know the one I mean, bad tempered, foul mouthed, indecisive, the worlds biggest critic, never happy…..

Yes, that shitty client called yourself!

You could have a client list of all the most indecisive people in the world, and yet still we are our own worst enemy when it comes to branding ourselves. Most designers need an identity when dealing with freelance work, or even to utilise in your portfolio or website. It gives you a more professional look and a good brand can tell creative agencies or PR agency just how well they can sell your services to clients.

I went for years without facing up to the fact that I needed a brand. I eventually needed one quickly for some potential freelance work, and I just went bowling in and came out six hours later with about half a dozen A3 sheets of scribbles and ideas and going WHY DID I START THIS?!


Eventually at the end of it all, it was my playing around with type rather than fiddling about with some sort of icon or monogram which I was trying to do. I over thought the situation, and forgot what I hold dearest in design, typography and simplicity. (Although one can argue that i’m quite a simple person anyway so it represents me incredibly well!)


So this all begs the question - what do I need to consider when i’m jumping on the ‘brand’ wagon?


It is the hardest project for any designer or illustrator to design their own brand identity, but it really is an essential element for any successful designer. It isn’t an ego trip, it isn’t something that makes you an instant celebrity, but rather a method that you can present your professional self to other professionals.


Don’t rush it, and garner as many opinions as your fragile designer ego can take, it is better to hear something is right or wrong before you go and have it splashed across business cards or the web, and hopefully your brand will give you pride and propulsion to expand your clientele.

Then what?

Ok,

There are two essential things to have as a new designer looking for work:


Many designers are using Behance.net these days, and it is a really good way to show off their work. I would really reccommend setting up your Behance account with some of your work on - it gets a whole load of traffic, and you never know when a firm may come accross your work. However, there are thousands upon thousands of designers on there and it can be better to showcase your work by having your own unique website.

If you aren’t good with web development tools, don’t go for something too flashy and all singing and dancing - most designers can get to grips with basic HTML (and if you don’t i’m sure you will have at least one friend who maybe able to help!) just let your work stand out and be the highlight!

Just look at my website, i’m no web wizard, but it’s easy to navigate, shows off what I do well, and has a sprinkling of interesting elements.

My first website I was dead proud of, but I heard from a second hand source a potential client had said “it looks nice, but it isn’t that interesting..” this made me re-think my website into what it is today - a simple bit of javascripting really made the design more interesting and other non-designers seem to appreciate little things like this; I mean, I’m not trying to impress other designers, i’m trying to entice potential freelance clients - as soon as you remember this designing becomes a lot easier!

Other designers might like to show off how wonderful they are with beautiful Flash based websites, but if your client has to download the latest Flash player to view it, or is technically savvy and owns an iphone or an ipad (or even both!) they are going to be able to look at your site either! Remember you are designing for yourself first, then others.

One thing these days some designers completely forget about is having a physical portfolio. The majority of the time having an online portfolio will be sufficient, but having a physical one to does no harm - and a lot of interviews for creative positions will expect you to bring along a physical portfolio.

When making a physical portfolio, make sure it is a good format, diverse content and presented well. If you can see that an image is pixellated then chances are a creative director will too!

Spend a little time and money to put together a clean and easy to understand portfolio - and remember, you are probably going to be judged on your weakest piece!

Self promotion is key to your eventual success!

You are a creative person, you have spent a lot of time widening your experience and design style, and most likely in the last year of your degree you will spend a bit of time looking at self promotion.

Creating yourself a brand or an identity (like my Jamesydesign brand) it will enable you to guide your self promotion effectively.

What you do for self promotion is really upto your creative avenue - if you are a typographer, utilising this skill in either your portfolio or promotional material you can send a creative firm will really help you stand out.

Like all designers, creative firms really like nice things they can keep! I have stacks of packaging, postcards, zines, cut-out and keeps, toys, 3D glasses the list goes on - we are all creative magpies looking for the next shiny thing to catch our eye - in this case use it to your advantage and get yourself noticed!

Use social media to your advantage!

We all know the tales of how Facebook has ruined people’s careers with one set of drunken photos being added, and many people are scared to utilised social media sometimes when promoting themselves. I see social media as THE outstanding method to get positive attention, to both yourself and your work.

Twitter is one of the most fantastic social platforms a designer can have. Things can go viral fast, you can direct your tweets towards people, you can follow design firms and designers you both admire and have aspirations to work with. Mention them in tweets, but DO NOT twitter stalk them, ever. Directing one or two tweets here and there is great, but if you constantly direct tweets to them you run the risk of seeming really desperate. Tweet fellow student designers and build up a network of people, the last three major freelance projects I have undertaken have came from the result of people following my twitter account and seeing my work through that. (just remember if you are using twitter in this way, try to remember not to post things derogatory about companies etc - it’s a world of pain and can see you frozen out of a community quickly!)

Making friends with design companies

Be proactive; find local companies that you think you would like to work with and that you think you can offer something positive to. If it is a larger company, it is probably best to phone them up first, and most likely you will speak to either a junior designer, or the receptionist. At this point is where I recall something my grandparents always taught me - treat EVERYONE in a business like you would the most important person you could talk to. I have seen people lose job opportunities just by being rude to the receptionist - they remember these things, they are the ones who will report back to the creative director, AND they have better memories than elephants - they will remember you being rude and on the flipside, very polite.

If you fail to talk to anyone higher up in the company hierarchy, then politely ask for their personal email and send your details through that means instead.

When you do have that email address, and you go to send an email out, make sure that you have researched the company and you know what projects they have worked on - be complimentary but not over the top! Explain in the email why you would be such an asset to their company, make the email personal to each company, and attach a small example of your work, whether it be a consise portfolio, or just something fun that shows how creative you are.

Visit some design companies

Whilst completing your degree, chances are there will be lots of design companies coming to speak to you, or giving you advice, or even helping out with interview practice.

This is always an opportunity to find out more and to present yourself as someone who is enthusiastic and interested in what they do, and how you can learn off them. Ask them about the possibility of doing some unpaid work experience, it is all about getting your foot in the door!

Most design companies will look for people to come in and experience what they do this way, just keep trying, but don’t ever hound a poor design company and beat them down into giving you a days placement!

Most designers when they get their foot in the door like this it possibly will lead them further, if not with this company another - once companies can see you are being proactive in getting experience of real world design, then they are usually more interested in talking to you!

And finally….

There are many more avenues that you can take to help get you ahead in the industry, but I think that one of the best things that you can learn quite quickly is that just because your tutor tell you that you are an amazing designer and you keep getting firsts in all of your work, it does not make you the best candidate for a design job. Creative companies thrive on a good, positive and most importantly creative and hard working atmosphere, and if you come into their world as the ‘big-I-am’ most likely you will be leaving before you’ve even made your first round of coffees for everyone!

Be humble, be pro-active, don’t try and be something you aren’t - design companies want designers that will help raise their profile and earn them money, not persistent headaches!

Be actively pursuing all of these things throughout your design course, get work experience whenever you can, and build up these networks over a good amount of time - do not expect to try and do all this networking at your final show!

Chances are you will have had too many sleepless nights and glasses of wine to make any coherent sense! Utilise all of your time throughout your course to gain the best and most rounded experience and never ever give up, because it is usually when all looks lost that the best thing will come along!

Again I hope all this helps in someway to someone!

The post is photo reply enabled too - so show us your designs!!!

For more design articles and advice follow us here at Design Lecturer to get an insight and any advice you may need!

So you are coming to the end of your design course? Want to get a creative job? Well there are a few things that you will need to concern yourself with to start getting ready now, because a job is very unlikely just to land in your lap! It’s a difficult world out there and lots of other designers competing for the same jobs you are - not just graduates, but other established designers too! But fear not, with a good portfolio and CV (resumé for my American readers) there is hope for designers of all standings. So here is a run down of the essential things you should be doing over the next couple of months! Checklist: Existing CV’s: Research existing good and bad examples of designers CVs that reflect the area of design that you are interested in working within. Analyse those CVs thinking of their good and bad points - reflect on typography, information, effectiveness and ease of reading. You need 2 CVs One which is a creative CV One which is a simple black and white formal CV This is because not every agency you may work for will require a creative CV - also bear in mind sometimes you may have to go through external agencies to get positions, they generally ask for a standard CV so it’s good to have one ready! (plus, if finding that perfect design job is taking too long, most regular companies will not be impressed with that Neville Brody-esque excellently produced CV - they just want to know you are skilled, experienced and mostly that you are not a serial killer…) How to write your CV: Keep to an A4 size
. This is pretty obvious. Who’s gonna print out an A3 CV for their records anyway? Provide your potential employers the convenience as they are really busy people. It’s politeness. They will need to print out your CV for their own records and references. Try to keep it to one A4 page, maximum two.

 Keep It Simple, Stupid (K.I.S.S)
 - Make sure your CV looks simple, easy-to-read and not full of visual jargon. It’s too easy to get carried away with over-decorations of your CV. Easy reading and relevant content are your utmost priorities, NOT aesthetics. Type your contents on white space. Not only does it make reading easier and gives breathing space, potential employers wouldn’t want to waste so much printing ink on CVs they would throw away after the interviews, so don’t expect them to print your beautiful graphics in full colour. Try to stick with white, black and/or grey. Be creative, even within the box!

 Use 2 columns instead of one so that you can maximise the space on one page. You are the designer, so demonstrate your graphic solutions here.

If you are planning to send your CV by snail mail, you are free to be creative with it. However, content, readability and relevance are still the mandatory rules!

 Content Structure and Relevance
 - Your CV should include the following (in order):  Full name  Job title  Contact  Objectives  Skills  Work Experience Clients Achievements Qualifications Interests 
a. You don’t necessarily have to put in the words “Curriculum Vitae” or “CV”. It’s already understood that it’s a CV. Also, it saves space.

 b. Your full name should be the heading, followed by your job title.

c. Avoid putting your photograph. The same applies for date of birth and gender. According to UK laws, this is to prevent age and sex discrimination.

d. Make sure your contact details are visible. Include your website, email, phone number and address so that it’s easier for the potential employer to contact you. If you are quite conscious about your privacy, at least include the postcode and city in where you live, so that potential employees will know where you are based.

e. Objectives must be written in third party format. eg:

 Wrong
 “I am a competent graphic designer who is flexible. I can work within tight deadlines…”

Correct 
“A flexible and competent graphic designer who is able to work within tight deadlines…”

Keep your objectives to a minimum of 30 words.

f. Skills should be put first rather than your education, followed by the next important information in line. Because you will have to impress your potential employer in the first few seconds, make sure you sort the information according to priority, as stated in the list above.

Categorise your skills according to the following: Advanced / Intermediate / Basic

This will give potential employers a clear gauge on where you stand.

g. Okay, so you’ve worked as a cashier in MacDonalds, and a sales assistant in a clothing shop….but how is that relevant to the graphic design job you are applying for? If it’s not relevant, remove it.

If you had experience working in a design agency, it’ll be good to give a short description of what you did. Highlight your key skills in here.

h. Include the clients whom you’ve worked with under the category ‘Clients’. Not only does it enhance your work experience, it shows your professionalism. If you’ve none, just leave the category out.

i. If you’ve won awards or you had your artworks exhibited, list them in the category of ‘Achievements’.

j. Make sure your latest education qualification is on top, followed by the earlier ones. The same applies for achievements and work experience.

k. This may look like one of the easiest to fill, and the most neglected, but it’s actually one of the trickiest. Interests allow employers know a bit more about you. If surfing the internet is your hobby, chances are you are put in a more negative picture because it gives the impression that you may surf the net and not work! Avoid the terms ‘clubbing’ or ‘socialising’ as this may give employers the connotation that you ‘play around’. Unless you are working for a tour agency, ‘travelling’ may be something you want to speak less about as it makes certain employers think that you may want to take more leave (or swan off to Thailand for 6 months!) Include interests that would not otherwise jeopardise your image.

4. Use bullet points - 
It makes reading a lot quicker and easier. Remember, employers scan, not read!

5. Be honest - Common sense really, but if you choose to go down the dark route, it will show, and you’ll soon be discovered.

6. References
 - Be sure to prepare at least 2 references (if you’ve got no work experience, include your tutors’ references) in advance, as some employers will request them. While you do not necessarily need to include that in your CV, it is essential that you put a phrase at the bottom: “References available upon request”

7. Use appropriate mediums
 - CVs are to be saved in pdf format, not doc.(except for a few exceptions) or jpeg. Make sure that the file is saved for web viewing (you can do this in InDesign > File > Adobe PDF Presets > Smallest FIle Size), so that it is small and does not clog up the inbox.Moving onto looking at your preparation for interviews and portfolios: Write ups on any live projects or creative work experience you have done: 
Include examples of work done and any client feedback you have. You should also write about what you learnt in these projects, and how your design work improved through this work. Research the opportunities that are on offer to you in the area of Design you would like to go into: Research Jobs, Job requirements and necessary skillsets you may need to progress in your career. The link here will help you get started! http://www.ycn.org/opportunities Research how you can promote yourself: For example;    •    Facebook, blogs, Twitter, websites, flyers, business cards, instagram, Youtube    •    How much do business cards cost to be printed? Research and printscreen and include.    •    How much do flyers cost to be printed? Research and printscreen and include.    •    How much does web hosting and a domain name cost?Design your own identity to use within your promotional material:Research;    •    Logo    •    Business Card design    •    Letterhead design    •    Invoice design    •    Social Media pages    •    WebsitesProduce;    •    Logo    •    Business Card design    •    Letterhead design    •    Invoice design    •    Social Media pagesSOCIAL MEDIA FAUX PASDon’t put unprofessional photos, comments, opinions etc onto your social media pages - it’s the first and fastest way to lose credibility and makes yourself look daft to potential employers. More and more employers are also heading straight to Facebook and Twitter to check potential employees out - so if there’s a photo of you drinking beer out of your mates bum crack as you profile picture, don’t be surprised if you don’t get that callback!If necessary have a professional site, and a personal one - make sure that your privacy settings are set to high on Facebook - it can solve a lot of issues!Portfolio: Right, before starting your portfolio I suggest you read my post:“9 Ways to Make your Portfolio Suck…”You should produce a creative portfolio that is appropriate to your chosen path eg:    •    Printed    •    Personal Website    •    On-line etcas this is the big one that can get your foot in the door!The images at the top of the post are from the book Flaunt by Underconsideration an essential book for any prospective designer - plus you can get it instantly via purchasing the ebook directly from their site!Some other useful tips to consider are;Show your best work, in a sequence that makes sense. Make sure your resume is flawless, and has excellent typography. Keep it simple.Marc EnglishDo good ideas and execute them well. Do not spend an extraordinary amount of time mulling over the size and the form of the portfolio itself.Stefan SagmeisterIn web portfolios, I rarely gravitate toward the fancy stuff . I look for functionality, simplicity, beauty, and restraint. Make the site thoughtful.Hillman CurtisAvoid having to over-explain your work to the viewer. Walk into a review, or interview, prepared with the best work possible. Let the work speak for itself.Carin GoldbergIt strikes us that the digital form of the portfolio has now taken on paramount importance. We’re much happier clicking through a straightforward PDF of greatest hits than having to waste time hearing about someone’s issues with their typography tutor or how they passed their cycling proficiency test. By pre-vetting electronically, it speeds things up massively.Michael JohnsonDon’t include work just because it’s real. The fact that something was actually printed and used doesn’t make it more valuable.Petter RingbomThe work should be current—ideally from the past year. It’s not a retrospective of your time in school, or proof of all of the classes you attended. It’s good to think of the collection of work in the portfolio as evidence of your skills and conceptual abilities.Petrula VrontikisMake sure that your craft is tight and clean. Pick a device that comfortably holds your work—be it a leather-bound box or a fur-covered suitcase—and reflects the type of work you hope to do. It makes a big difference, since it is usually resting on a table, in plain sight.John Foster I hope this helps in some way to kick starting your design career - again anymore advice you may need just drop me a line here at Designlecturer! So you are coming to the end of your design course? Want to get a creative job? Well there are a few things that you will need to concern yourself with to start getting ready now, because a job is very unlikely just to land in your lap! It’s a difficult world out there and lots of other designers competing for the same jobs you are - not just graduates, but other established designers too! But fear not, with a good portfolio and CV (resumé for my American readers) there is hope for designers of all standings. So here is a run down of the essential things you should be doing over the next couple of months! Checklist: Existing CV’s: Research existing good and bad examples of designers CVs that reflect the area of design that you are interested in working within. Analyse those CVs thinking of their good and bad points - reflect on typography, information, effectiveness and ease of reading. You need 2 CVs One which is a creative CV One which is a simple black and white formal CV This is because not every agency you may work for will require a creative CV - also bear in mind sometimes you may have to go through external agencies to get positions, they generally ask for a standard CV so it’s good to have one ready! (plus, if finding that perfect design job is taking too long, most regular companies will not be impressed with that Neville Brody-esque excellently produced CV - they just want to know you are skilled, experienced and mostly that you are not a serial killer…) How to write your CV: Keep to an A4 size
. This is pretty obvious. Who’s gonna print out an A3 CV for their records anyway? Provide your potential employers the convenience as they are really busy people. It’s politeness. They will need to print out your CV for their own records and references. Try to keep it to one A4 page, maximum two.

 Keep It Simple, Stupid (K.I.S.S)
 - Make sure your CV looks simple, easy-to-read and not full of visual jargon. It’s too easy to get carried away with over-decorations of your CV. Easy reading and relevant content are your utmost priorities, NOT aesthetics. Type your contents on white space. Not only does it make reading easier and gives breathing space, potential employers wouldn’t want to waste so much printing ink on CVs they would throw away after the interviews, so don’t expect them to print your beautiful graphics in full colour. Try to stick with white, black and/or grey. Be creative, even within the box!

 Use 2 columns instead of one so that you can maximise the space on one page. You are the designer, so demonstrate your graphic solutions here.

If you are planning to send your CV by snail mail, you are free to be creative with it. However, content, readability and relevance are still the mandatory rules!

 Content Structure and Relevance
 - Your CV should include the following (in order):  Full name  Job title  Contact  Objectives  Skills  Work Experience Clients Achievements Qualifications Interests 
a. You don’t necessarily have to put in the words “Curriculum Vitae” or “CV”. It’s already understood that it’s a CV. Also, it saves space.

 b. Your full name should be the heading, followed by your job title.

c. Avoid putting your photograph. The same applies for date of birth and gender. According to UK laws, this is to prevent age and sex discrimination.

d. Make sure your contact details are visible. Include your website, email, phone number and address so that it’s easier for the potential employer to contact you. If you are quite conscious about your privacy, at least include the postcode and city in where you live, so that potential employees will know where you are based.

e. Objectives must be written in third party format. eg:

 Wrong
 “I am a competent graphic designer who is flexible. I can work within tight deadlines…”

Correct 
“A flexible and competent graphic designer who is able to work within tight deadlines…”

Keep your objectives to a minimum of 30 words.

f. Skills should be put first rather than your education, followed by the next important information in line. Because you will have to impress your potential employer in the first few seconds, make sure you sort the information according to priority, as stated in the list above.

Categorise your skills according to the following: Advanced / Intermediate / Basic

This will give potential employers a clear gauge on where you stand.

g. Okay, so you’ve worked as a cashier in MacDonalds, and a sales assistant in a clothing shop….but how is that relevant to the graphic design job you are applying for? If it’s not relevant, remove it.

If you had experience working in a design agency, it’ll be good to give a short description of what you did. Highlight your key skills in here.

h. Include the clients whom you’ve worked with under the category ‘Clients’. Not only does it enhance your work experience, it shows your professionalism. If you’ve none, just leave the category out.

i. If you’ve won awards or you had your artworks exhibited, list them in the category of ‘Achievements’.

j. Make sure your latest education qualification is on top, followed by the earlier ones. The same applies for achievements and work experience.

k. This may look like one of the easiest to fill, and the most neglected, but it’s actually one of the trickiest. Interests allow employers know a bit more about you. If surfing the internet is your hobby, chances are you are put in a more negative picture because it gives the impression that you may surf the net and not work! Avoid the terms ‘clubbing’ or ‘socialising’ as this may give employers the connotation that you ‘play around’. Unless you are working for a tour agency, ‘travelling’ may be something you want to speak less about as it makes certain employers think that you may want to take more leave (or swan off to Thailand for 6 months!) Include interests that would not otherwise jeopardise your image.

4. Use bullet points - 
It makes reading a lot quicker and easier. Remember, employers scan, not read!

5. Be honest - Common sense really, but if you choose to go down the dark route, it will show, and you’ll soon be discovered.

6. References
 - Be sure to prepare at least 2 references (if you’ve got no work experience, include your tutors’ references) in advance, as some employers will request them. While you do not necessarily need to include that in your CV, it is essential that you put a phrase at the bottom: “References available upon request”

7. Use appropriate mediums
 - CVs are to be saved in pdf format, not doc.(except for a few exceptions) or jpeg. Make sure that the file is saved for web viewing (you can do this in InDesign > File > Adobe PDF Presets > Smallest FIle Size), so that it is small and does not clog up the inbox.Moving onto looking at your preparation for interviews and portfolios: Write ups on any live projects or creative work experience you have done: 
Include examples of work done and any client feedback you have. You should also write about what you learnt in these projects, and how your design work improved through this work. Research the opportunities that are on offer to you in the area of Design you would like to go into: Research Jobs, Job requirements and necessary skillsets you may need to progress in your career. The link here will help you get started! http://www.ycn.org/opportunities Research how you can promote yourself: For example;    •    Facebook, blogs, Twitter, websites, flyers, business cards, instagram, Youtube    •    How much do business cards cost to be printed? Research and printscreen and include.    •    How much do flyers cost to be printed? Research and printscreen and include.    •    How much does web hosting and a domain name cost?Design your own identity to use within your promotional material:Research;    •    Logo    •    Business Card design    •    Letterhead design    •    Invoice design    •    Social Media pages    •    WebsitesProduce;    •    Logo    •    Business Card design    •    Letterhead design    •    Invoice design    •    Social Media pagesSOCIAL MEDIA FAUX PASDon’t put unprofessional photos, comments, opinions etc onto your social media pages - it’s the first and fastest way to lose credibility and makes yourself look daft to potential employers. More and more employers are also heading straight to Facebook and Twitter to check potential employees out - so if there’s a photo of you drinking beer out of your mates bum crack as you profile picture, don’t be surprised if you don’t get that callback!If necessary have a professional site, and a personal one - make sure that your privacy settings are set to high on Facebook - it can solve a lot of issues!Portfolio: Right, before starting your portfolio I suggest you read my post:“9 Ways to Make your Portfolio Suck…”You should produce a creative portfolio that is appropriate to your chosen path eg:    •    Printed    •    Personal Website    •    On-line etcas this is the big one that can get your foot in the door!The images at the top of the post are from the book Flaunt by Underconsideration an essential book for any prospective designer - plus you can get it instantly via purchasing the ebook directly from their site!Some other useful tips to consider are;Show your best work, in a sequence that makes sense. Make sure your resume is flawless, and has excellent typography. Keep it simple.Marc EnglishDo good ideas and execute them well. Do not spend an extraordinary amount of time mulling over the size and the form of the portfolio itself.Stefan SagmeisterIn web portfolios, I rarely gravitate toward the fancy stuff . I look for functionality, simplicity, beauty, and restraint. Make the site thoughtful.Hillman CurtisAvoid having to over-explain your work to the viewer. Walk into a review, or interview, prepared with the best work possible. Let the work speak for itself.Carin GoldbergIt strikes us that the digital form of the portfolio has now taken on paramount importance. We’re much happier clicking through a straightforward PDF of greatest hits than having to waste time hearing about someone’s issues with their typography tutor or how they passed their cycling proficiency test. By pre-vetting electronically, it speeds things up massively.Michael JohnsonDon’t include work just because it’s real. The fact that something was actually printed and used doesn’t make it more valuable.Petter RingbomThe work should be current—ideally from the past year. It’s not a retrospective of your time in school, or proof of all of the classes you attended. It’s good to think of the collection of work in the portfolio as evidence of your skills and conceptual abilities.Petrula VrontikisMake sure that your craft is tight and clean. Pick a device that comfortably holds your work—be it a leather-bound box or a fur-covered suitcase—and reflects the type of work you hope to do. It makes a big difference, since it is usually resting on a table, in plain sight.John Foster I hope this helps in some way to kick starting your design career - again anymore advice you may need just drop me a line here at Designlecturer!

So you are coming to the end of your design course?

Want to get a creative job?

Well there are a few things that you will need to concern yourself with to start getting ready now, because a job is very unlikely just to land in your lap! It’s a difficult world out there and lots of other designers competing for the same jobs you are - not just graduates, but other established designers too!

But fear not, with a good portfolio and CV (resumé for my American readers) there is hope for designers of all standings.

So here is a run down of the essential things you should be doing over the next couple of months!

Checklist:

This is because not every agency you may work for will require a creative CV - also bear in mind sometimes you may have to go through external agencies to get positions, they generally ask for a standard CV so it’s good to have one ready! (plus, if finding that perfect design job is taking too long, most regular companies will not be impressed with that Neville Brody-esque excellently produced CV - they just want to know you are skilled, experienced and mostly that you are not a serial killer…)

How to write your CV:

  1. Keep to an A4 size
. This is pretty obvious. Who’s gonna print out an A3 CV for their records anyway? Provide your potential employers the convenience as they are really busy people. It’s politeness. They will need to print out your CV for their own records and references. Try to keep it to one A4 page, maximum two.



  2. Keep It Simple, Stupid (K.I.S.S)
 - Make sure your CV looks simple, easy-to-read and not full of visual jargon. It’s too easy to get carried away with over-decorations of your CV. Easy reading and relevant content are your utmost priorities, NOT aesthetics.

    Type your contents on white space. Not only does it make reading easier and gives breathing space, potential employers wouldn’t want to waste so much printing ink on CVs they would throw away after the interviews, so don’t expect them to print your beautiful graphics in full colour.

    Try to stick with white, black and/or grey. Be creative, even within the box!

 Use 2 columns instead of one so that you can maximise the space on one page. You are the designer, so demonstrate your graphic solutions here.

If you are planning to send your CV by snail mail, you are free to be creative with it. However, content, readability and relevance are still the mandatory rules!



  3. Content Structure and Relevance
 - Your CV should include the following (in order):


a. You don’t necessarily have to put in the words “Curriculum Vitae” or “CV”. It’s already understood that it’s a CV. Also, it saves space.



b. Your full name should be the heading, followed by your job title.



c. Avoid putting your photograph. The same applies for date of birth and gender. According to UK laws, this is to prevent age and sex discrimination.



d. Make sure your contact details are visible. Include your website, email, phone number and address so that it’s easier for the potential employer to contact you. If you are quite conscious about your privacy, at least include the postcode and city in where you live, so that potential employees will know where you are based.



e. Objectives must be written in third party format.
eg:

 Wrong
 “I am a competent graphic designer who is flexible. I can work within tight deadlines…”


Correct 
“A flexible and competent graphic designer who is able to work within tight deadlines…”


Keep your objectives to a minimum of 30 words.



f. Skills should be put first rather than your education, followed by the next important information in line. Because you will have to impress your potential employer in the first few seconds, make sure you sort the information according to priority, as stated in the list above.



Categorise your skills according to the following: Advanced / Intermediate / Basic

This will give potential employers a clear gauge on where you stand.



g. Okay, so you’ve worked as a cashier in MacDonalds, and a sales assistant in a clothing shop….but how is that relevant to the graphic design job you are applying for? If it’s not relevant, remove it.



If you had experience working in a design agency, it’ll be good to give a short description of what you did. Highlight your key skills in here.



h. Include the clients whom you’ve worked with under the category ‘Clients’. Not only does it enhance your work experience, it shows your professionalism. If you’ve none, just leave the category out.



i. If you’ve won awards or you had your artworks exhibited, list them in the category of ‘Achievements’.



j. Make sure your latest education qualification is on top, followed by the earlier ones. The same applies for achievements and work experience.



k. This may look like one of the easiest to fill, and the most neglected, but it’s actually one of the trickiest. Interests allow employers know a bit more about you. If surfing the internet is your hobby, chances are you are put in a more negative picture because it gives the impression that you may surf the net and not work! Avoid the terms ‘clubbing’ or ‘socialising’ as this may give employers the connotation that you ‘play around’.

Unless you are working for a tour agency, ‘travelling’ may be something you want to speak less about as it makes certain employers think that you may want to take more leave (or swan off to Thailand for 6 months!) Include interests that would not otherwise jeopardise your image.



4. Use bullet points - 
It makes reading a lot quicker and easier. Remember, employers scan, not read!



5. Be honest - Common sense really, but if you choose to go down the dark route, it will show, and you’ll soon be discovered.



6. References
 - Be sure to prepare at least 2 references (if you’ve got no work experience, include your tutors’ references) in advance, as some employers will request them. While you do not necessarily need to include that in your CV, it is essential that you put a phrase at the bottom: “References available upon request”



7. Use appropriate mediums
 - CVs are to be saved in pdf format, not doc.(except for a few exceptions) or jpeg. Make sure that the file is saved for web viewing (you can do this in InDesign > File > Adobe PDF Presets > Smallest FIle Size), so that it is small and does not clog up the inbox.

Moving onto looking at your preparation for interviews and portfolios:

For example;
    •    Facebook, blogs, Twitter, websites, flyers, business cards, instagram, Youtube

    •    How much do business cards cost to be printed? Research and printscreen and include.

    •    How much do flyers cost to be printed? Research and printscreen and include.

    •    How much does web hosting and a domain name cost?

Design your own identity to use within your promotional material:

Research;
    •    Logo
    •    Business Card design
    •    Letterhead design
    •    Invoice design
    •    Social Media pages
    •    Websites

Produce;
    •    Logo
    •    Business Card design
    •    Letterhead design
    •    Invoice design
    •    Social Media pages

SOCIAL MEDIA FAUX PAS

Don’t put unprofessional photos, comments, opinions etc onto your social media pages - it’s the first and fastest way to lose credibility and makes yourself look daft to potential employers. More and more employers are also heading straight to Facebook and Twitter to check potential employees out - so if there’s a photo of you drinking beer out of your mates bum crack as you profile picture, don’t be surprised if you don’t get that callback!

If necessary have a professional site, and a personal one - make sure that your privacy settings are set to high on Facebook - it can solve a lot of issues!

Portfolio:

Right, before starting your portfolio I suggest you read my post:
“9 Ways to Make your Portfolio Suck…”

You should produce a creative portfolio that is appropriate to your chosen path eg:

    •    Printed
    •    Personal Website
    •    On-line etc

as this is the big one that can get your foot in the door!

The images at the top of the post are from the book Flaunt by Underconsideration an essential book for any prospective designer - plus you can get it instantly via purchasing the ebook directly from their site!

Some other useful tips to consider are;

Show your best work, in a sequence that makes sense. Make sure your resume is flawless, and has excellent typography. Keep it simple.
Marc English

Do good ideas and execute them well. Do not spend an extraordinary amount of time mulling over the size and the form of the portfolio itself.
Stefan Sagmeister

In web portfolios, I rarely gravitate toward the fancy stuff . I look for functionality, simplicity, beauty, and restraint. Make the site thoughtful.
Hillman Curtis

Avoid having to over-explain your work to the viewer. Walk into a review, or interview, prepared with the best work possible. Let the work speak for itself.
Carin Goldberg

It strikes us that the digital form of the portfolio has now taken on paramount importance. We’re much happier clicking through a straightforward PDF of greatest hits than having to waste time hearing about someone’s issues with their typography tutor or how they passed their cycling proficiency test. By pre-vetting electronically, it speeds things up massively.
Michael Johnson


Don’t include work just because it’s real. The fact that something was actually printed and used doesn’t make it more valuable.
Petter Ringbom

The work should be current—ideally from the past year. It’s not a retrospective of your time in school, or proof of all of the classes you attended. It’s good to think of the collection of work in the portfolio as evidence of your skills and conceptual abilities.
Petrula Vrontikis

Make sure that your craft is tight and clean. Pick a device that comfortably holds your work—be it a leather-bound box or a fur-covered suitcase—and reflects the type of work you hope to do. It makes a big difference, since it is usually resting on a table, in plain sight.
John Foster

I hope this helps in some way to kick starting your design career - again anymore advice you may need just drop me a line here at Designlecturer!

jamesydesign: Something that I think a lot of students find at this time of the year is the difficulty of finding their creative direction, getting stuck and getting increasingly frustrated in not finding the ideas their projects require. Why is this? Well mostly it is due to being stressed and trying to force creativity. If it isn’t going to happen straight away, this can really frustrate and infuriate a person and sometimes it can cause sleepless nights, worry and self doubt in their own abilities. The simple answer is go back to the drawing board - think of what helps you to find inspiration, and reflect on how you can over come problems rather than stare them down and get despondent. There are many of ways to over come this feeling; Research - go back to find inspiration from others, look at how other designers have created projects and follow their lead. Sometimes there might be just one thing you see that sets off a chain of thought and sparks an idea. In this case my research went back to basics and tried to use the basic 2x2 red LEGO brick as my basic inspiration. Look at these websites to help give you a starting point; http://www.thedieline.com/ http://visualgraphic.tumblr.com/ http://www.graphicdesignblog.co.uk/ http://www.youthedesigner.com/ Sketch - we are blessed with paper and pencils in this society, yet we tend to overlook these in favour for that big shiny expensive Mac sitting in the corner. Sketching can be both therapeutic and rewarding when it comes to ideas. Above you can see the design process I came up with to produce an idea to get my students thinking about the LEGO brief they have got. I used the inspiration of the basic red block and sketched out some ideas and quotes to inspire my thinking and you can see immediately that they aren’t the world’s greatest drawings, but it gave me enough inspiration to progress the ideas forward. Develop - From here I was able to develop my ideas further using the Mac and after a lot of development you can see the final net that I came up with. By looking into packaging I was able to create my own basic net shape that suited my design - I wanted the direct mail box to resemble the LEGO brick when it arrived through the mail, and create an excitement and a level of intrigue to the recipient. Evaluate - People underestimate evaluation and analysis - it is a key element to any designing you do. Something can look amazing on the beautiful retina display of a Mac, but when it comes to printing and constructing it could look completely different. Sizes, colours, construction all might need adjusting but until you physically look at it you have no idea! By evaluating a design you could actually find more ideas and developments from this one idea! You can see my physical model above and from that I found that some tabs needed changing, a few sizes needed adjusting but overall I was kind of happy with it. Talk to others - by talking to other people, creative or not, it can really help you see your ideas in a different perspective. Sometimes when talking about your ideas you yourself might see things from a different slant and again this can really help you develop an idea - talk to your audience - be a more considerate designer. You see, I hope that all these points may help others out, and show you that you are not the only designer that gets stuck with ideas - but you are in a better position to deal with these problems if you follow these simple points. I hope this helps a few people out there and remember any issues don’t hesitate to just drop me a message or head over to designlecturer to see more helpful articles! jamesydesign: Something that I think a lot of students find at this time of the year is the difficulty of finding their creative direction, getting stuck and getting increasingly frustrated in not finding the ideas their projects require. Why is this? Well mostly it is due to being stressed and trying to force creativity. If it isn’t going to happen straight away, this can really frustrate and infuriate a person and sometimes it can cause sleepless nights, worry and self doubt in their own abilities. The simple answer is go back to the drawing board - think of what helps you to find inspiration, and reflect on how you can over come problems rather than stare them down and get despondent. There are many of ways to over come this feeling; Research - go back to find inspiration from others, look at how other designers have created projects and follow their lead. Sometimes there might be just one thing you see that sets off a chain of thought and sparks an idea. In this case my research went back to basics and tried to use the basic 2x2 red LEGO brick as my basic inspiration. Look at these websites to help give you a starting point; http://www.thedieline.com/ http://visualgraphic.tumblr.com/ http://www.graphicdesignblog.co.uk/ http://www.youthedesigner.com/ Sketch - we are blessed with paper and pencils in this society, yet we tend to overlook these in favour for that big shiny expensive Mac sitting in the corner. Sketching can be both therapeutic and rewarding when it comes to ideas. Above you can see the design process I came up with to produce an idea to get my students thinking about the LEGO brief they have got. I used the inspiration of the basic red block and sketched out some ideas and quotes to inspire my thinking and you can see immediately that they aren’t the world’s greatest drawings, but it gave me enough inspiration to progress the ideas forward. Develop - From here I was able to develop my ideas further using the Mac and after a lot of development you can see the final net that I came up with. By looking into packaging I was able to create my own basic net shape that suited my design - I wanted the direct mail box to resemble the LEGO brick when it arrived through the mail, and create an excitement and a level of intrigue to the recipient. Evaluate - People underestimate evaluation and analysis - it is a key element to any designing you do. Something can look amazing on the beautiful retina display of a Mac, but when it comes to printing and constructing it could look completely different. Sizes, colours, construction all might need adjusting but until you physically look at it you have no idea! By evaluating a design you could actually find more ideas and developments from this one idea! You can see my physical model above and from that I found that some tabs needed changing, a few sizes needed adjusting but overall I was kind of happy with it. Talk to others - by talking to other people, creative or not, it can really help you see your ideas in a different perspective. Sometimes when talking about your ideas you yourself might see things from a different slant and again this can really help you develop an idea - talk to your audience - be a more considerate designer. You see, I hope that all these points may help others out, and show you that you are not the only designer that gets stuck with ideas - but you are in a better position to deal with these problems if you follow these simple points. I hope this helps a few people out there and remember any issues don’t hesitate to just drop me a message or head over to designlecturer to see more helpful articles! jamesydesign: Something that I think a lot of students find at this time of the year is the difficulty of finding their creative direction, getting stuck and getting increasingly frustrated in not finding the ideas their projects require. Why is this? Well mostly it is due to being stressed and trying to force creativity. If it isn’t going to happen straight away, this can really frustrate and infuriate a person and sometimes it can cause sleepless nights, worry and self doubt in their own abilities. The simple answer is go back to the drawing board - think of what helps you to find inspiration, and reflect on how you can over come problems rather than stare them down and get despondent. There are many of ways to over come this feeling; Research - go back to find inspiration from others, look at how other designers have created projects and follow their lead. Sometimes there might be just one thing you see that sets off a chain of thought and sparks an idea. In this case my research went back to basics and tried to use the basic 2x2 red LEGO brick as my basic inspiration. Look at these websites to help give you a starting point; http://www.thedieline.com/ http://visualgraphic.tumblr.com/ http://www.graphicdesignblog.co.uk/ http://www.youthedesigner.com/ Sketch - we are blessed with paper and pencils in this society, yet we tend to overlook these in favour for that big shiny expensive Mac sitting in the corner. Sketching can be both therapeutic and rewarding when it comes to ideas. Above you can see the design process I came up with to produce an idea to get my students thinking about the LEGO brief they have got. I used the inspiration of the basic red block and sketched out some ideas and quotes to inspire my thinking and you can see immediately that they aren’t the world’s greatest drawings, but it gave me enough inspiration to progress the ideas forward. Develop - From here I was able to develop my ideas further using the Mac and after a lot of development you can see the final net that I came up with. By looking into packaging I was able to create my own basic net shape that suited my design - I wanted the direct mail box to resemble the LEGO brick when it arrived through the mail, and create an excitement and a level of intrigue to the recipient. Evaluate - People underestimate evaluation and analysis - it is a key element to any designing you do. Something can look amazing on the beautiful retina display of a Mac, but when it comes to printing and constructing it could look completely different. Sizes, colours, construction all might need adjusting but until you physically look at it you have no idea! By evaluating a design you could actually find more ideas and developments from this one idea! You can see my physical model above and from that I found that some tabs needed changing, a few sizes needed adjusting but overall I was kind of happy with it. Talk to others - by talking to other people, creative or not, it can really help you see your ideas in a different perspective. Sometimes when talking about your ideas you yourself might see things from a different slant and again this can really help you develop an idea - talk to your audience - be a more considerate designer. You see, I hope that all these points may help others out, and show you that you are not the only designer that gets stuck with ideas - but you are in a better position to deal with these problems if you follow these simple points. I hope this helps a few people out there and remember any issues don’t hesitate to just drop me a message or head over to designlecturer to see more helpful articles!

jamesydesign:

Something that I think a lot of students find at this time of the year is the difficulty of finding their creative direction, getting stuck and getting increasingly frustrated in not finding the ideas their projects require.

Why is this?


Well mostly it is due to being stressed and trying to force creativity. If it isn’t going to happen straight away, this can really frustrate and infuriate a person and sometimes it can cause sleepless nights, worry and self doubt in their own abilities.

The simple answer is go back to the drawing board - think of what helps you to find inspiration, and reflect on how you can over come problems rather than stare them down and get despondent.

There are many of ways to over come this feeling;

Look at these websites to help give you a starting point;

You see, I hope that all these points may help others out, and show you that you are not the only designer that gets stuck with ideas - but you are in a better position to deal with these problems if you follow these simple points.

I hope this helps a few people out there and remember any issues don’t hesitate to just drop me a message or head over to designlecturer to see more helpful articles!

The first annual Design Lecturer Design Awards are coming! After discussing, we have felt it wise to open the awards up to anyone in a full time degree or HND programme, or have graduated from one within the past two years (2011) It is free to enter the awards and no charges will apply whatsoever! Call for entries are open now - please read through the rules and lets get some good entries!! (There will be a physical award, hence why it is only UK entries at the moment - sorry guys!) You can ask any questions here and you can submit entries here Please reblog this about and follow designlecturer.tumblr.com - it is free to enter, and you could win something that would look fantastic on your CV!

The first annual Design Lecturer Design Awards are coming!

After discussing, we have felt it wise to open the awards up to anyone in a full time degree or HND programme, or have graduated from one within the past two years (2011)


It is free to enter the awards and no charges will apply whatsoever!

Call for entries are open now - please read through the rules and lets get some good entries!! (There will be a physical award, hence why it is only UK entries at the moment - sorry guys!)

You can ask any questions here

and you can submit entries here

Please reblog this about and follow designlecturer.tumblr.com - it is free to enter, and you could win something that would look fantastic on your CV!

Head over and read my editorial design support materials that I produced for my HND students (with a little help from Computer Arts!) http://issuu.com/jamesydesign/docs/grids

Head over and read my editorial design support materials that I produced for my HND students (with a little help from Computer Arts!)

http://issuu.com/jamesydesign/docs/grids
jamesydesign: Read the last issue of Ampersand featuring Jordan Debney of Eye Rupture fame! http://www.issuu.com/jamesydesign Get your work on the Ampersand Creative blog by dropping us a submission! We’re looking to then make an Ampersand 2013 annual of creative and graduate work so get involved now to have the chance to be featured!

jamesydesign:

Read the last issue of Ampersand featuring Jordan Debney of Eye Rupture fame!

http://www.issuu.com/jamesydesign

Get your work on the Ampersand Creative blog by dropping us a submission!

We’re looking to then make an Ampersand 2013 annual of creative and graduate work so get involved now to have the chance to be featured!

Dada is a CLUB founded in Berlin that one can enter without taking on any responsibilities. Here everyone is chairman, and everyone can express an opinion on artistic matters. Dada is not a pretense for the ambition of a few belletrists (as our enemies would like to have you believe), Dada is a type of intellect that can reveal itself in every conversation so that one has to say: that one is a dadaist, this one is not; the Dada Club has members in every part of the world, in Honolulu as much as in New Orleans or Meseritz. To be a dadaist can mean, under certain circumstances, to be more of a businessman or politician than an artist—or to be an artist only by accident; to be a dadaist is to be thrown by all things, to be against all accretion of sediment, to sit down for a moment on a chair means that one has brought life in danger (Mr. Wengs has already drawn the revolver out of his pocket).

A fabric is torn when touched, one says yes to a life that wants to move higher through negation. To say yes — to say no; the mighty hocus pocus of existence gives winds to the nerves of the true dadaist — he lies like this, he hunts like this, he cycles like this — half Pantagruel, half Franziskus and laughs and laughs. Down with the aesthetic-ethical attitude! Down with the bloodless abstraction of expressionism! Down with holier than-thou theories of the literary fools! We are for dadaism in word and image, for the dadaistic happening in the world. To be against this manifesto is to be a dadaist!

Richard Huelsenbeck, First German Dada Manifesto (via nec-plus-ultra)

jamesydesign: Lego direct mail concept #advertising #lego #design ..and here it is made up!

jamesydesign:

Lego direct mail concept #advertising #lego #design

..and here it is made up!

jamesydesign: ..and here’s the net, both front and back to the packaging. The concept is that with LEGO, you can “start small, think big” and inside the big red lego piece would be an actual 2x2 red LEGO piece. Being direct mail this could then have follow up opportunities where other bricks could be sent until you had the start of something big!

jamesydesign:

..and here’s the net, both front and back to the packaging.

The concept is that with LEGO, you can “start small, think big” and inside the big red lego piece would be an actual 2x2 red LEGO piece.

Being direct mail this could then have follow up opportunities where other bricks could be sent until you had the start of something big!

: Anon asked: I was warned after graduating that I would hate my first...
∞

Anon asked: I was warned after graduating that I would hate my first job entering the design industry. I was hoping it wouldn’t be true! but alas, it is. I don’t have the opportunity to design anything and even if I did we design strictly sportswear which isn’t my niche. Now, I realize I…

jamesydesign: Another of my students projects, this is Luke’s who is on my extended diploma course, he’ll have his pick of unis this year to do his degree at. This project was all about designing two book covers using mixed media for a selection of classic novels, Luke chose Dr Jekyll and the time machine

jamesydesign:

Another of my students projects, this is Luke’s who is on my extended diploma course, he’ll have his pick of unis this year to do his degree at.

This project was all about designing two book covers using mixed media for a selection of classic novels, Luke chose Dr Jekyll and the time machine

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