Overall, PPP this year has really opened my eyes to the importance of contacts and networking. By working on a variety of live briefs, inside and outside of University, I have tried to push my design skills in as many areas as possible, as well as improve my communication skills with different clients. I have also tried to gather a variety of contacts in the industry that I can use in Level 06 to gain feedback from and eventually hope to work with. This Summer, I am going to put a real effort into maintaining these contacts and building my online presence.
The main aim that I had going into this year was to essentially experiment and learn as much as possible, so that moving in to Level 06 I know my abilities and can feel confident when moving forward. I feel that this has definitely been achieved through experimenting a lot more with web, motion, 3D, illustration and more. I can now clearly see that I would like to focus mostly on branding and editorial work in Level 06. As I have picked up skills in a variety of other sectors, I am going to try and integrate them into these two main areas of work; however, as a career, I definitely want to be a Graphic Designer, as opposed to a Web Designer or 3D Designer etc.
Launching the Designbytwo project with Harrison was definitely one of the best aspects to come from this year. It was great to work with someone with a different set of skills, but with a similar mindset and general ambitions. The project allowed me to improve my skills hugely - particularly in 3D - and highlighted how something as simple as a poster project can lead to interest from a successful design studio, such as Deuce. Working with Harrison was hugely beneficial because we both drove each other forward and gave each other pieces of advice when learning new software/producing designs. Because of this, the outcomes produced in Studio Brief 02 were to a very high quality, as we were determined to put a lot of effort into impressing Deuce. I am very proud of the publication made - it is by far the most complex piece of editorial work I have worked on so far and it definitely increased my knowledge of the physical side of production hugely. Whilst Deuce did not mention about us possibly working with them in Summer, I am going to try and arrange another meetup with them, even if it is for a more relaxed drink, to get talking again and see if we can sort something out.
If I could have done anything differently this year I would have liked to have gone to a few more design talks. Alongside completing design work I have been producing a lot of music and DJing once or twice a week around the UK for the past 4 or so months. Because of this, it has been quite a challenge to attend as many design events as I wanted to. Despite this, I feel that I have definitely learnt a lot from the events I have been to - the Hey! Talks and It's Nice That x Printed Pages workshops were two of the most eye-opening experiences I have had, particularly in the essence of informing the directions of my professional practice. Looking ahead to Level 06, I am going to try and manage my time more effectively to see if I can visit various design talks and exhibitions when travelling around the UK for gigs. If this becomes too much, I am going to lay off of the music for a while and focus more on my design practice.
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