Having finished developing the identity for puffin, I have decided to reflect upon my thoughts regarding my work experience. As mentioned in previous posts, I am currently on a two week placement at Cardiff based agency Elevator.
So is it really worth getting work experience before graduating? I’d advise it. Disregarding any obvious benefits relating to the weight of your CV, and based purely on the introduction to such a different environment to that of university is something anyone looking to get into the industry should strive to do before they graduate.
Documenting the differences between the studio and university environment is something I’d like to try and compile. Hopefully an interesting read for someone, and something for me to look back on once I’ve made the transition myself.
‘Making the ordinary extraordinary’
A phrase written on one of my university briefs of recent months, which upon reflection becomes very ironic.
The main difference between university and professional work is obvious, you are going to have to do ‘real’ work. No more self indulgent posters or unnecessary installation pieces in the hope of catching a tutors eye for doing ‘something different.’
The reality of the majority of graphic design is mundane, scripted to the letter briefs that require a labour charge as opposed to a degree of ‘creative’ thinking.
The opportunities that don’t fit this bracket however, are those that lead me back to my earlier statement;
The art of ‘making the ordinary extraordinary’ is where the true talent lies in graphic design, and arguably the reason why many people choose it as a profession.
The aforementioned irony becomes apparent when looking at the statement in context. It was written on our ‘site’ brief, set earlier in the year. For reference, please feel free to check out the ‘netgear’ project on my portfolio.
A great exercise and another piece of work for the portfolio, but far from an ‘ordinary’ brief. I felt compelled to write this post after my first day here, having discussed the situation in depth with a colleague who has shared in my experience.
Personally I am confident in tackling ‘real world’ briefs, but the line becomes blurred between form and function within certain university projects. What I am suggesting is a more realistic look at things, perhaps a number of university projects should be geared more towards clever, workable solutions rather than self indulgent and irrelevant products. The existing nature of many university briefs are only making the transition more difficult and the ordinary seem even more ordinary.
I am more impressed by an effective identity, print campaign or packaging design now than ever before. Thanks to a number of first hand industry experiences I can safely say I am looking forward to making the transition from university life to that of a working graphic designer.
