As a designer now, I feel like I have matured a lot and take my work more seriously. I am really passionate about graphic design and other creative fields and will do what ever it take to be successful. I think I have always been a enthusiastic person but in my first year I felt I lacked behind a little bit, due to being a completely new environment. I think during the and of my course and my time over summer, I realised who I wanted to be and what I would have to do to able to achieve this.
I think I have achieved a lot so far, my skills and creative style as a designer has become more refined but I still feel like I have a wide focus on what I want to do. I can't just stick to one thing and thats something I need to maybe focus on trying to do!
Reflecting on your Summer what is your most memorable event and why?
Reflecting on summer, I think it was a shock to the system when my work schedule had dropped dramatically. I am the sort of person that can't be comfortable doing nothing so in that time I managed to get 2 part time jobs and a internship. I decided to stay in Leeds mainly because of my jobs.. all on my own!
The first job I received was working for a independent clothing company called AQ/AQ. I initially applied for the job because I really liked the way the brand marketed themselves, specifically through their promotional packaging and look books, which is something I am interested in doing in the future on the side. In my interview I spoke to them about being on a creative course, wanting to do design and my interest for the brand which secured my position. Due to me saying these things in my interview I was told that I would be able to work my way up into the design side of the company and had been offered to do some visual merchandising which was something I was really excited about.
Due to applying to a few jobs in the summer, a few months after getting my position as a sales associate at AQ/AQ. I also received my second job role at Victoria Secrets, from a young age I had always had a passion for the company and also the way they branded marketed themselves through their promotional packaging and the design of the store. I then took on this role on top of working at AQ/AQ and I was working every single day of the week and still living in Leeds.
Inbetween applying and getting both those Jobs I then secured a placement at a fashion, culture and nightlife magazine as a Junior Creative at La Vida magazine, which is based in Manchester. This was something I was really excited about and was really happy I achieved due to me never having not a lot of experience in a professional graphic design environment and only finishing my first year. I spoke to John a few times over summer and he gave me invaluable advice on how to impress these people. During my trial period as an intern I was asked to create a concept for the Summer Issue. I was assigned to only create one mood board. But I created 3 strong concepts in the form of a magazine on Issu.
My concepts ended up being chosen and I was invited a long to the photo shoot.
(the issue / concept i worked on)
However, having two part-time jobs in Leeds and also an internship in Manchester were I had to commute, became really stressful and I couldn't juggle all these things at once. I knew once university had started again I wouldn't even have enough time to keep one job let alone 3! I then decided to leave AQ/AQ because working for the company wasn't I expected, I felt that I wasn't being able to flourish creatively like they initially proposed, and I preferred Victoria Secrets. I felt by leaving that I might have lost some good opportunities, however I am still in contact with the managers. I then spoke to my manager at my internship and asked if I could do assignments from home which he was happy about, although after the magazine had been launched their wasn't much work for me to do for the company.
This summer was a massive learning curve for me, I understood that I can't take every opportunity that is thrown at me because it will stress me out and I won't be able to perform to the best of my ability. However I am really proud that I put myself out there and met a lot of great connections for the future. I feel like my confidence in applying for jobs and presenting myself as a professional has increased dramatically and i'm glad I made the decisions I made, although I would have enjoyed some more time to relax!
2. Have you made any contacts over the Summer that you feel could be helpful over the coming year or so and what outcomes did you feel you achieved?
From my internship I met a lot of connections from photographers, publishes, illustrators, designers and editors. One of the best connections I made was with the creative director of La Vida. After finishing my internship he contacted me, telling me he's working for a new brand called 'pretty little thing'. I was offered another role as Junior Creative and a starting salary of 16k. Although I was really tempted by the offer I told him I wanted to finish my degree and that I wouldn't mind working again with him in the summer or for a few weeks when I have spare time which he said I could do.
How did you meet/contact these contacts (methods or how it happened)
I met my contacts at La Vida, AQ/AQ and Victoria Secrets through online applications. phone call interviews, studio visits, open-call / face to face interviews and trial work. I thought that I would apply as many ways as possible to get noticed and to show my interest which worked and paid off.
If you didn't make any contacts, why? too busy working? holiday?
I made a lot of contacts over summer, but didn't have a lot of time to do substantial design work, which is something I would have liked to work on. One of my goals for the summer was to develop my skills on software but this is something I will have to do in my spare time, now that university has started again.
What methods of creating contacts can you think of and what would you ask?
Other methods than what I have used to contact people would be to possibly send out more creative cv's or a little sample pack of my work. Continue to visit studio's and connect with people that work their, I think it's more beneficial to speak to people face to face than over an email as they can't get a sense of who you are!
I would ask them what type of design they like, who inspires them, what other things do they do apart from what I know.
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