OUGD602 - Thinking Ahead

As this is the final year of the course, I need to consider what I want to do when I finish. I am set on travelling once University finishes and am aiming to go around Thailand, Laos and Cambodia for roughly three months. This is one thing that I have been wanting to do for a while and feel that it is the best time to take the opportunity to do it before working in industry and trying to achieve a successful job.

As I will be away for a quarter of a year after University, the one aspect that I need to consider is whether I can line up a job for September 2018, or whether I should wait until coming back from travelling. I sent Alec the following message this week:

"In terms of the question the one thing i’d like to know the most/gain some opinion on is what to do about getting a job in the industry months after graduating. I’m planning on going travelling at the end of Uni for a few months so the main challenge I want to work out is how to sort a job when coming back from being away for so long. Aiming to work in London so thinking of coming back and getting a temporary job whilst trying to get a studio job somewhere."

His response was as follows:

"A similar question did get asked, so maybe we’ll cover it in a future Talk it Out session. In the meantime, check out this project by Michael Lester.

He took a break to travel the world with his gf for 9 months and came up with this while he was out there. It’s well executed and drummed up heaps of press upon his return to work, ensuring that he got lots of new job offers.

There’s plenty of ways you can be thinking strategically and building networks while you’re away".

The project mentioned by Alec is fantastic. The concept is super simple; however, the effect of completing such a project clearly pays off. I am going to think about the possibility of completing a project like this when I go travelling. I do not plan on bringing my Macbook with me; therefore, I would have to do something that is not necessarily digital at first.

In a recent session, Alec highlighted another travelling-focused project called The Cool Bus. As opposed to Michael Lester's project, members of the project got in touch with studios that they wanted to work with before going travelling.

With this project, the team were able to combine their interests and desired lifestyles with their job - which for me, is a main goal. Alec went on to explain that one of the members was offered a role in a company as the art director, after being interviewed for a role as a junior designer. The interviewer was mostly interested in this project alone as opposed to the guy's portfolio, which highlights how it is important to have something different and unique to show studios/agencies. Alec said that this was mainly because The Cool Bus has a story to it, and isn't just a typical design project. 

This has inspired me to try and promote my practice in a way that includes my interests outside of Graphic Design. To stand out you clearly need a story behind you, or something that shows you have interests in other things. When I go travelling, I am going to try and document my time out there; however, want to somehow link it with my design skills. I am very much into audio production and video editing; therefore, will try to combine them in too. I aim to utilise these skills throughout this module this year also, to show off myself as a person, as well as my practice.