WORK PLACEMENT EXPERIENCE Edited & Designed by Obie Campbell
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Offering a design service to a charity Going freelance! Working in a design studio Future aims
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Contents Offering a design service to a charity Pg 40 /_
Going freelance! Pg 10 / _ Working in a design studio Pg 12 / Future Aims Pg 16 / _
Offering a design service to a charity
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Listen:
A New Fundraising Charity
My first step to gaining a work placement was to decide on a list of companies that I wanted to approach. The list will be beneficial for my mailing lists in the future. Phoning companies to gather contact information was nerve racking at first, I also found that many studios have halted taking placements due to the current recession. When organizing my portfolio I found it challenging to edit the content, and I re-photographed my work to show it at its best. One of the contacts I successfully applied to was a new fundraising charity called Listen. I wanted to offer my design services to a charity and thought that this would be a great opportunity. It would also be interesting to experience what it is like designing work for social change. I feel that it is important to offer a design service for a positive result. David Robson, Director of Operations at Listen, invited me for an interview; I had a week to prepare. In the email I was asked to bring my ideas for the company. My initial response was I didn’t want to discuss my ideas for free, I felt I was being exploited as a student! However Catherine Smith, PPD Lecturer at LCC, wisely told me “The harsh reality is that you need to get some work experience into your portfolio and CV.
All graduates work for free - increase your chances of getting a job on graduation by starting early and doing it as a student. If you do this well it could lead to other, better opportunities”. With that I took on board this advice and looking back I do not understand why I had this mentality because I have done free placements before.
Adrian Shaughnessy states “...demonstrate some knowledge about the client’s field of activity you will be astonished at how receptive your new client will be”. At the interview I arrived early and did so throughout the months placement, I also worked over time to show my commitment. I tackled the brief by using the thought process technique that I had learnt in a workshop at university. I then prepared a booklet that deconstructed the company’s profile, and illustrated my ideas for a new logo and web site design. This has taught me to really use the advice and skills gained at university and
apply them to the live projects. Adrian Shaughnessy states “...demonstrate some knowledge about the client’s field of activity...you will be astonished at how receptive your new client will be”. It is true, David was impressed that I had shown an enthusiasm towards the company. “I can recommend Obie Campbell’s work without reservation. She is an enthusiastic and talented designer and everyone at Listen greatly enjoyed working alongside her.” David Robson, Listen. “Obie Campbell worked at Listen during July and August 2009 on a work placement as a Design Consultant. During this period Obie was provided with three main briefs: to review and suggest improvements to the Listen website; to review and suggest improvements to the interior design of the Listen Fundraising Centre; and to review and suggest improvements to all Listen training and recruitment materials. These were major projects for someone on a short-term placement but Obie completed all three to a very high standard. As well as this Obie also worked with our Client Account department to standardize documents used in client communication.” David Robson, Listen. Right: Listen Logo Ideas
Offering a design service to a charity
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“ Even though Listen is not a design studio the experience taught me how to interact with non-designers and communicate an idea effectively without using design idioms. ” Obie Campbell My first expectation for working at Listen was that I would be using my graphic skills to encourage people to contribute towards charities. Instead I helped to improve the company design. This taught me that branding is very important for a company. I still feel that I have used my design skills positively because design can help a company to be taken seriously. If a design is good people will believe in it. At university they do not teach us to ‘design’ powerpoint presentations or Microsoft document templates, however I took every job seriously. “Although many companies give small admin tasks combined with minimal design roles, it is worth taking just as much time over the things which may not be as creative as it is to the actual design work.” Corinne Myers, CDT Design. The experience taught me to use my graphic skills not just to make objects look aesthetically pleasing but to meet the clients requirements, I also had to edit and develop my ideas independently. Even though Listen is not a design studio the experience taught me how to interact with
non-designers and communicate an idea effectively without using design idioms. “Obie’s approach to work was excellent during her time here. She is able to take a brief and work independently to complete that brief. She is inclusive and encourages input from stakeholders in the projects that she is working on, but also has a keen idea of how she wants her work to develop and is comfortable arguing her corner to get what she believes to be the best outcome.” David Robson, Listen. Although I enjoy designing I also like to manage projects. On the placement I improved my organizational skills by arranging meetings with team members to discuss projects to be done and I also had weekly deadline meetings to show the progress of my work. Many a time I completed my work early so I used my initiative and ask for more projects. Through this work placement people noticed my design skills and I have been offered a freelance job with a new charity. I believe that I was offered this opportunity because I communicated with people within the office and talked about what I was doing.
Interior of Listen Office
Offering a design service to a charity
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From Left: Designed Recruitment Poster, Research about client logos, Website Ideas, Sourcing Images associated with the word Listen.
“ I completed my work early so I used my initiative and asked for more projects. “ Obie Campbell
When leaving Listen I received a card and vouchers.... it was a lovely surprise to finish off with. “Everyone at Listen found Obie very approachable and easy to work with. She is totally professional in her approach, but also brings a real sense of fun to projects that she is involved in. Many of Obie’s suggestions have been implemented at Listen, and others are still being developed further prior to full implementation.” David Robson, Listen.
Going freelance!
GOING FREELANCE!
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On the first freelance project I did the client disliked my design, this was because I had not organised a meeting to discuss the brief and the client’s needs ; a lesson learned. Doing a business course might be beneficial because I find it hard to calculate how much I should charge for a freelance project and how to structure an invoice. Building up a good working relationship with the printers is very useful, they advised me on bleed settings and other technical problems that I needed to be aware of. Working from home was challenging because it was lonely. I had to have strict discipline with myself and avoid taking too long a break. I also had to learn to work quickly but effectively to meet deadlines. Recently I have built a website , blog and designed a personal logo.
“You have to listen very carefully to what the client wants, and be careful not to approach the project with a preconceived idea of what it should look like.” Ruder Vanderlans Right: A Brochure designed for the Nottinghill Housing Trust promoting Youth Engagement Projects.
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Working in a design studio
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Working in a design studio: TimeOut London I was first noticed by TimeOut Editors, Simone Baird, Alan Rutter and Designer Richard Keenan when I started my Secondary School magazine. Throughout the years I have helped to design and then to mentor a yearly supplement called TimeOut Trashed. When briefed for the TimeOut / Rolex Project I was informed that the brief deadline would be very tight. I had two weeks to design a 5 page supplement that featured articles from other work-placement contributors; the theme was ‘Inspiration’. Over the two weeks I had mentors Lisa Burke and Chris Rain and my brief was to design a supplement that broke the TimeOut house style. I get quite nervous about showing other designers my work and working on a studio computer was a good opportunity to overcome this. I had to become used to Derek Pratt the Brand Solutions Director looking over my shoulder. After meeting the Brand Solutions Team we had a mini meeting, we
discussed the flat plan and started listing ideas for visuals. I created mock spreads to gain a feel for the software Quark Xpress. I looked at TimeOuts font and image library too. “It is so important to jump in there at the deep end, as the work placement provides the playground for the aspiring young designer. A place where you experiment, learn & make mistakes.” Adrian Shaughnessy. The main difference for me working in a design studio is that the end project is a group collaboration. For example David asked me about my opinion for the paper stock. I had to make a decision but also debate and justify my reasoning. To achieve the best results I had to work closely with other creatives, I organized meetings with Bhav Mistry and Rob Greig the photographers; we shared our ideas and each set targets for ourselves. I also talked to the editors about their articles to gather an idea about possible visuals. By keeping everyone informed and updated by email or verbally it
Working in a design studio
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helped me to keep on top of the production of the magazine and how it was progressing. Whilst doing this I realised how much I enjoyed the organizational aspect of the placement and that it was a skill I wanted to develop. This has inspired me to think about aiming towards project management, however I will need to do research into this first. Not everything ran smoothly. Firstly the writers did not meet their deadlines, this had a knock on effect on the design process. I learnt that it is very important to stick to deadlines otherwise it looks unprofessional and it also affects the whole team. Then another disaster struck, the content of an article was rejected and had to be rewritten, this meant another delay to the schedule. I was not able to gather a clear idea of a word count or what visuals I could use to illustrate the article. This experience taught me to be flexible and to work efficiently. Also that you do not always have plenty of time to design something. Overall I learnt that magazine design isn’t as glamourous as it seems. You work long hours under stressful conditions, but the outcomes are rewarding.
Future Aims
“Demand for print specialists and art-workers is in decline, while jobs in brand identity, packaging and fmcg are still reasonably healthy, report the recruiters. However, brand-owners are increasingly squeezing budgets, says Beasley, and they commission less new product development and innovation work.” Karina Beasley, Design Week
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Future Aims My original goal for a placement was an internship in New York. However I had left applying too late, I was disappointed in myself. I also realized that many placements abroad are longer than a month and I would need to allocate time and money. Realizing this has encouraged me to build a strong portfolio for 2010. Karina Beasley in Design Week warns that “only the best will survive’, and that completing good work placements is vital. “Those who will be graduating in 2010 should also be looking at getting placements this summer to get ahead of the rest.” I am aiming to take this advice on board for 2010. From doing a placement overseas I hope to build a world wide range of contacts. I would also like to experience how design work values and trends change in different countries and how I might adapt to them. Karina Beasley in Design Week also states “Demand for print specialists and art-workers is in decline, while jobs in brand identity, packaging and fmcg are still reasonably healthy”. I think it would be wise for me to improve my web and digital skills as-well as print. I also need to start publicizing myself and keep my contacts informed about what I am doing. I am going to avoid depending on being freelance because I do not like the unreliability of the work flow, I would also like to work with creative people around me.
Bibliography Books & Magazines Shaughnessy, Adrian (2005) How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul, London, Laurence King Publishing Ltd McCormack, Lee (2006) Designers are wankers, London, About Face Publishing Eye, No.74, Vol. 19 Winter 2009 Computer Arts, Issue 167, October 2009 Creative Review, Graduate Guide, June 2009
Websites http://www.ycnonline.com/opportunities/ http://www.designweek.co.uk/ http://www.designweek.co.uk/features/salaries-take-the-long-view/1141674.article http://www.creativeboom.co.uk/news/graduates-go-global-to-find-work-says-new-head/ http://www.designsalaries.org/advice.shtml http://noisydecentgraphics.typepad.com/ http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2009/june/advice-for-graduates
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“Don’t look upon the placement/internship as a job as such. Look at it as an opportunity.” Jeremy Leslie, John Brown Group