-Work experience is an essential component on the CV for postgrads
- Some skills are learnt/developed from actual experience within the work place, cant be taught in a classroom
-personal development from real experience
-Placements develop the skills you already have and give you new skills
-Working with role specific equipment and software
- Gives students an opportunity to experience real life issues which come hand in hand with working e.g punctuality, presentation
- These placements can act as a transition stage between education and full time work
-they also boost your CV
- Help people to gain further insight into a specific role before fully committing to it
- Give a student the opportunity to work in this field with the ability to ask to assistance and guidance without being deemed unable
- Learn the culture of the work place
-These placements can lead to being offered a perminant position, allows to showcase your skills
Internships -- short periods of time, multinational organisations, usually during summer, highly competitive, tend to have salary but much lower rate, often employed after
Voluntary work, course specific placements,
Reflections:
Experience within work force is a widely sought after and important by employers, it is key for a student to compete against other qualified applicants. Placements are a really good idea to get hands on experience in a role specific to your chosen career it also gives you a chance to prove yourself a reliable and esteemed part of the team, so that they might decided to hire you as a paid member of the team. It is important to consider that when I graduate, I will be competing with other post graduates for one role- a placement or placements can help to set you apart from the other applicants. It is also a really good idea to give yourself an idea of what the role involves before deciding that it is definitely what you want to do.
Sunday, 14 May 2017
Graphic Design?
In my research I have found out so much information about this career option. Although I definitely would consider a career in graphic design, I have found that I am still leaning towards film production. Graphic design seems like a forward thinking and creative role but within quite restrictive guidelines, I'm not entirely sure if this is something that I want to pursue a career in. Whilst I am still definitely a keen designer and illustrator, maybe I will use this to my advantage in a different role and as a hobby.
So now I need to be productive in trying to gain some experience in this division. I can use my newly improved communication and research skills to find an appropriate placement to take part in, where I can begin to establish appropriate contacts. From my reading on Why do a work placement, I have learnt about how useful placements are in giving you skills which are "practical in nature and stem from familiarity with particular equipment".
I think the most appropriate place for me to start will be as a free runner for an independent production company based in a media hub. I am currently looking at production companies in Brighton and London. Here are some I am researching into:
East Studio, a video and production agency based in Brighton
Wild Stag Studio is also a Brighton based, Video production company which has a quirky vision for film.
So now I need to be productive in trying to gain some experience in this division. I can use my newly improved communication and research skills to find an appropriate placement to take part in, where I can begin to establish appropriate contacts. From my reading on Why do a work placement, I have learnt about how useful placements are in giving you skills which are "practical in nature and stem from familiarity with particular equipment".
I think the most appropriate place for me to start will be as a free runner for an independent production company based in a media hub. I am currently looking at production companies in Brighton and London. Here are some I am researching into:
East Studio, a video and production agency based in Brighton
http://eaststudio.co.uk/studio/
Wild Stag Studio is also a Brighton based, Video production company which has a quirky vision for film.
Reflections after speaking with Duncan from Disney
Duncan seemed to love the work that he does but not the corporation that he works within in some ways. I should consider this when looking at roles to apply for, whether the company fits the role I want to take.
I learnt that building up your contacts is crucial in this industry and to try and make creative friends. Duncan advised me to give my time to people for free when possible as it may help you in the future when you need help and also helps to develop these contacts. It is clear from my time with Duncan that careers in this industry are not always a straight path and this encourages me to look for opportunities where they are available.
Duncan highlighted the process of working to a brief. I learnt that there are 3 products that are developed from a brief. Your ideal version, the clients ideal version and somewhere in-between which is often the most successful. Sometimes it is impressive to show your client all three to show contrast. This is an interesting to me.
This short experience helped me to develop and harness my social skill in a professional environment. I feel much more at ease at the thought of meeting someone of authority who I don't know.
Meeting Duncan was important to my experience. I now feel like large established brands such as Disney maybe aren't as charming as they seem.
I plan to stay in contact with Duncan, he has a lot of contacts over a range of different areas in animation, PR and film and also has a lot of knowledge within his realm.
I learnt that building up your contacts is crucial in this industry and to try and make creative friends. Duncan advised me to give my time to people for free when possible as it may help you in the future when you need help and also helps to develop these contacts. It is clear from my time with Duncan that careers in this industry are not always a straight path and this encourages me to look for opportunities where they are available.
Duncan highlighted the process of working to a brief. I learnt that there are 3 products that are developed from a brief. Your ideal version, the clients ideal version and somewhere in-between which is often the most successful. Sometimes it is impressive to show your client all three to show contrast. This is an interesting to me.
This short experience helped me to develop and harness my social skill in a professional environment. I feel much more at ease at the thought of meeting someone of authority who I don't know.
Meeting Duncan was important to my experience. I now feel like large established brands such as Disney maybe aren't as charming as they seem.
I plan to stay in contact with Duncan, he has a lot of contacts over a range of different areas in animation, PR and film and also has a lot of knowledge within his realm.
Writing emails to companies or people about experience or work
I was really nervous at the beginning of this module about writing emails to people, enquiring about their profession. I was concerned that they wouldn't respond if I didn't construct them well enough.
In lesson, it was made clear that you shouldn't attribute the reason for your email to needing a placement for a module, instead reflect this reason as being down to your personal interest. This is something I had to keep reminding myself of throughout the whole thing.
Key parts of how I plan to structure these emails include:
- A self introduction, brief
- A personal interest within the specific sector/role
- A personal interest in the company
-Examples of this??
-Why you would like to know more etc
The format of these emails is also important. It is a good idea to finish them with a positive statement for example "I look forward to hearing from you". It is key to keep the format professional, so finish with "Kind regards" and sign your full name. It might also be useful to include your university name if you haven't already mentioned it.
I now feel a lot more comfortable reaching out to employers.
In lesson, it was made clear that you shouldn't attribute the reason for your email to needing a placement for a module, instead reflect this reason as being down to your personal interest. This is something I had to keep reminding myself of throughout the whole thing.
Key parts of how I plan to structure these emails include:
- A self introduction, brief
- A personal interest within the specific sector/role
- A personal interest in the company
-Examples of this??
-Why you would like to know more etc
The format of these emails is also important. It is a good idea to finish them with a positive statement for example "I look forward to hearing from you". It is key to keep the format professional, so finish with "Kind regards" and sign your full name. It might also be useful to include your university name if you haven't already mentioned it.
I now feel a lot more comfortable reaching out to employers.
Reflection on my time at Tin Racer Design
The two days I spent shadowing the Tin Racer team were very helpful in a number of ways.
It really opened my eyes to the process between a client and the designer, which is a very long winded and frustrating process for a designer. But the most successful designers are the ones that take arguments and changes against their work and their creative vision within their stride and use the feedback to develop successful products and happy customers.
I also learnt about how important it is to consider the audience, the third party, especially when in relation to creating a product which has a sole purpose to advertise or inform.
There is a lot of work, especially when you are a self-employed designer. The end to end process of graphic design is long winded and often complicated especially when there are a lot of jobs to be done in a short period of time. As I mentioned previously, I hadn't considered tasks such as completing the admin.
It was explained to me that this line of work can involved unsociable hours. Simone told me that she has had to work through the night before to get briefs fulfilled against deadlines after having power cuts and computers crashing.
I hadn't realised before that, sometimes it is a hard sector to work in, this is particularly true of those working outside of major cities. You are in competition with other local companies and those in major cities like London constantly. As a small company this is a big challenge that Tin Racer face.
By engaging in the task that Simone and Steve gave me I was able to understand the stress of the end to end process and the impact of tight deadlines and having to work with topics and briefs that you don't connect with in a creative way and also that my Photoshop skills were not as polished as my skills with other softwares.
This experience helped me to develop my social and communication skills both in a personal and professional way. I was skeptical at first, visiting an unfamiliar area and meeting new people on a professional level. I didn't realise how outgoing and calm I was! (ha) . I am now a lot more comfortable talking with people in person and also on the phone in a professional way and will be able to transfer this skill across in the future when trying to find an appropriate placement or position. This can also be said of my ability to email people I don't know to ask for a favour. I feel more comfortable addressing people I don't know after speaking with one of Tin Racer's clients in a meeting.
I have gained an understanding of what tasks this job involves and the reality of how un-creative and motivating some of them are, which was a key realisation for me that in any job there are going to be less glamorous and stimulating.
On a professional level I found that self presentation is an essential skill, along with an eagerness to learn. I developed my software skills and have learnt a lesson in organising my time according to deadlines. These all seem like significant skills which are required across most professions.
It really opened my eyes to the process between a client and the designer, which is a very long winded and frustrating process for a designer. But the most successful designers are the ones that take arguments and changes against their work and their creative vision within their stride and use the feedback to develop successful products and happy customers.
I also learnt about how important it is to consider the audience, the third party, especially when in relation to creating a product which has a sole purpose to advertise or inform.
There is a lot of work, especially when you are a self-employed designer. The end to end process of graphic design is long winded and often complicated especially when there are a lot of jobs to be done in a short period of time. As I mentioned previously, I hadn't considered tasks such as completing the admin.
It was explained to me that this line of work can involved unsociable hours. Simone told me that she has had to work through the night before to get briefs fulfilled against deadlines after having power cuts and computers crashing.
I hadn't realised before that, sometimes it is a hard sector to work in, this is particularly true of those working outside of major cities. You are in competition with other local companies and those in major cities like London constantly. As a small company this is a big challenge that Tin Racer face.
By engaging in the task that Simone and Steve gave me I was able to understand the stress of the end to end process and the impact of tight deadlines and having to work with topics and briefs that you don't connect with in a creative way and also that my Photoshop skills were not as polished as my skills with other softwares.
This experience helped me to develop my social and communication skills both in a personal and professional way. I was skeptical at first, visiting an unfamiliar area and meeting new people on a professional level. I didn't realise how outgoing and calm I was! (ha) . I am now a lot more comfortable talking with people in person and also on the phone in a professional way and will be able to transfer this skill across in the future when trying to find an appropriate placement or position. This can also be said of my ability to email people I don't know to ask for a favour. I feel more comfortable addressing people I don't know after speaking with one of Tin Racer's clients in a meeting.
I have gained an understanding of what tasks this job involves and the reality of how un-creative and motivating some of them are, which was a key realisation for me that in any job there are going to be less glamorous and stimulating.
On a professional level I found that self presentation is an essential skill, along with an eagerness to learn. I developed my software skills and have learnt a lesson in organising my time according to deadlines. These all seem like significant skills which are required across most professions.
My time with Tin Racer
Whilst I was at Tin Racer on both the 11th and 12th May, I was able to get a real idea of what the company gets up to on a day to day basis and what tasks this includes:
I spent the 11th May with Simone.
The first thing Simone does is check the outstanding tasks she has to fulfil within the briefs, she has them organised in a file with whether they are urgent or not. She advises me that this is a crucial part of her job , making sure that they finish all the jobs on time is so important when you are trying to build and maintain a client base.
I also accompanied Simone to the printing company that they use for their products, where she printed some posters that they had created and the process of making sure
I sat with Simone whilst she took client calls and listened to the structure of their conversations. It was clear to me that presentation through your voice is very important when speaking to clients, Simone was very polite but also direct and I got the impression that this is very useful when establishing a brief with the client. Communication is an important part of the creative business, as often people have very different ideas of artistic direction.
I also watched Simone using photoshop to complete some design work for a poster. She explained how one part of being self employed is that you end up spending a lot of money making sure that you have the most up to date and appropriate software. She also has to keep her skills as up to date as possible in order to be able to provide the best service she can.
On the 12th May Steve very kindly allowed me to join him in going to meet a client to pitch some of his initial ideas to. I was able to see the kinds of people he came into contact with and how the relationship works between a graphic designer and the client. Watching them discuss and refine the work was very interesting for me.
I also watched Steve organise and enquire into a lot of files which included the company spending on supplies, printing and research. Handling the admin is something I hadn't considered as part of a graphic designer's day prior to this experience.
Simone and Steve took the time to set me a design task whilst I was there! They have worked with a company called Murine, which produces eye products such as eyedrops. They create the packaging and the adverts for this company.
So my task was to create a mock abstract, seasonal product for the company to sell and to also design the packaging and an advert for this product within an hour. I also had to print and stick the packaging design together! This was a very useful and interesting experience for me. It gave me some experience of working to a tight deadline and also having to step out of my comfort zone and come up with an idea which was original and fresh.
Here are the finished products of my mock Murine pack:
This really taught me that I need to brush up on some of my photoshop skills, as I mostly use Illustrator, but I need to be fluent across these different softwares if I want to pursue a career in this kind of position. Despite this, Simone and Steve were very patient with me.
I spent the 11th May with Simone.
The first thing Simone does is check the outstanding tasks she has to fulfil within the briefs, she has them organised in a file with whether they are urgent or not. She advises me that this is a crucial part of her job , making sure that they finish all the jobs on time is so important when you are trying to build and maintain a client base.
I also accompanied Simone to the printing company that they use for their products, where she printed some posters that they had created and the process of making sure
I sat with Simone whilst she took client calls and listened to the structure of their conversations. It was clear to me that presentation through your voice is very important when speaking to clients, Simone was very polite but also direct and I got the impression that this is very useful when establishing a brief with the client. Communication is an important part of the creative business, as often people have very different ideas of artistic direction.
I also watched Simone using photoshop to complete some design work for a poster. She explained how one part of being self employed is that you end up spending a lot of money making sure that you have the most up to date and appropriate software. She also has to keep her skills as up to date as possible in order to be able to provide the best service she can.
On the 12th May Steve very kindly allowed me to join him in going to meet a client to pitch some of his initial ideas to. I was able to see the kinds of people he came into contact with and how the relationship works between a graphic designer and the client. Watching them discuss and refine the work was very interesting for me.
I also watched Steve organise and enquire into a lot of files which included the company spending on supplies, printing and research. Handling the admin is something I hadn't considered as part of a graphic designer's day prior to this experience.
Simone and Steve took the time to set me a design task whilst I was there! They have worked with a company called Murine, which produces eye products such as eyedrops. They create the packaging and the adverts for this company.
So my task was to create a mock abstract, seasonal product for the company to sell and to also design the packaging and an advert for this product within an hour. I also had to print and stick the packaging design together! This was a very useful and interesting experience for me. It gave me some experience of working to a tight deadline and also having to step out of my comfort zone and come up with an idea which was original and fresh.
Here are the finished products of my mock Murine pack:
This really taught me that I need to brush up on some of my photoshop skills, as I mostly use Illustrator, but I need to be fluent across these different softwares if I want to pursue a career in this kind of position. Despite this, Simone and Steve were very patient with me.
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