- The course offers Workshops and seminars not many other graphic design courses have for example on printing and enterprise. These extra workshops give me the edge on other graphic design students who will graduate at the same time as me.
- The college has top facilities i can use to my disposal to better myself and my work.
- I had come to leeds a few times to visit friends and i loved the city and the student atmosphere.
- The course offers really good tutor student opportunities which really help when im stuck on a project and just need a nudge in the right direction.
- The course is very timetabled and has so much to offer, this drives me to work harder and to better myself.
Identify and explain 5 things you want to learn during your time on this program:
- I want to learn more about industry standard printing methods and techniques, printing has always interested me and its what drew me to graphic design initially.
- I want find out what direction within graphic design is the right one for me.
- I want to learn more about building and designing websites using dreamweaver, i have always been very interested in the software side of graphic design.
- I want to learn more about magazine editorial and the type & grid system, i am still not sure what direction i want to go but type, grid and layout interests me a lot.
- I want to learn how to manage my time as efficiently as possible.
Identify and explain 5 skills that you think are your strengths:
- I am very confident when it comes to using illustrator i find that using this software can save me a lot of time to help me work more efficiently.
- Working with typography or creating my own typefaces is also one of my strengths this has so far saved me money instead of buying typefaces.
- I can confidently work within a group to brainstorm and generate idea's.
- I am a very process driver designer and after the initial idea process is over i can work very fast and efficiently to produce my final outcome.
- Always keeping a sketchbook, during my foundation program i was told to always keep a sketchbook to put idea's down and this is a skill i haven't lost, i will always write down whatever idea pops into my head and then refer back to it later.
Identify and explain 5 things that you want to improve:
- I would like to improve my photoshop skills i feel like this is holding me back a bit as illustrator isn't that good in editing photo's, but i still havent managed to get my head fully around photoshop.
- I feel like i go onto software too quickly after a brief has been set i would like to improve my drawing ability or illustration skills so i can do more detailed work before going onto illustrator.
- Presentation skills is another thing i would like to improve i find myself still getting very nervous before talking even after a year of getting to know my year group.
- I would like to improve my printing techniques to make my work look more professional by trying different print methods and stocks.
- I would like to improve my organisational skills more, i seem to organise my time alright just not my work and briefs.
Identify and explain 5 ways that you will evaluate your work:
- I would like to put more examples of my work within my sketchbook and critically evaluate it more.
- Blog, blog, blog, blog. Blog each little stage of my work and projects this will help me understand my project better and spot cracks before its too late.
- More informal crits with students in the class, one of the biggest strengths on the course i think is that i can ask anyone for advice or feedback and in the majority of cases its really helpful.
- Student - Tutor progress crits are also incredibly helpful to evaluate my work and spot vaults and cracks.
- Keep referring back to my lists of things to do so i dont miss anything out.
Identify 5 questions you want to know the answer to:
- How much can i charge for my graphic design services per hour?
- What type of Designer am i?
- How much money does a small design company make?
- Is a freelance designer a actual option or would i just run the risk of becoming bankrupt?
- Do i need to win any prizes to become noticed by employers?
