Design Mechanics Talk

Dave Pannell (Director) advised when applying for a job the following should be considered; that work must be commercial and appropriate to the company plus a good knowledge of the company is required. Also I found it reassuring hearing the opinion of somebody in the design industry who could advise me how to submit an application. This was to submit a CV digitally and electronically and this should be followed up with a phone call, failure to do this meant they would not be contacted. In addition a strong portfolio was considered above a qualification.

In The Deep End

Whilst away from college for the summer it felt as if I had been away forever, I had forgotten about college and was relaxing. Now that I am back it feels as though I have never been away.

I feel that I have settled back in well and I am pleased to be back even though a few friendly faces are missing.

I can definitely feel a difference between this year and last in terms of work. Last year we seemed to have longer to ease ourselves into the course but this year we have dug straight into our first project. It feels a bit like jumping in at the deep end. Having said that we have already been taught to swim…

The current project we are undertaking requires us to implement CSS in a design. I have been excited to learn CSS from the start of the course. Now that I am actually learning it I can’t believe how fast we seem to be progressing.

Over the summer I looked into CSS (as required) and I have to admit I found myself doubting my ability to finish the course. Now that I am having lectures on it I feel as though I understand it and that I am learning, I think were I asked to do the summer project again now I would have half as much trouble as I did have.

By way of teaching us CSS we have been having lectures in class which are usually followed with a practical exercise in which we are asked to use the information provided.

I feel this is a great way to learn as it can often be difficult to grasp something when information is provided verbally. When we are able to transfer this information to a practical session it provides a way to experiment and this can often help me to come up with questions that hadn’t previously occurred to me.

The project we are undertaking is to edit an html document using an external CSS document. We are to provide a style for the document using one of seven possible themes.

Pencil and Paper
Graffiti
Newspapers
Industrial
1950's
Black & White
Fruit

Immediately I was drawn to 1950’s as this initially conjured up the most visual responses in my mind but to acquire the best grade and achieve the best results I know that I have to explore all avenues thoroughly. Doing a few brainstorms provided me with some great responses to four of the categories but the ones I will be taking forward are the 1950’s and Black and White.

My main idea for 1950’s would be to do a design based on Hollywood’s ‘Golden Age’ and my idea I will develop for Black and White will be a design based on Punk Rock.

I have shown my ideas to my peers and have feedback; the feedback received was that my ideas for the Black and White design were the strongest.

The implantation of CSS in a web page only forms part of the current task we must undertake; in addition we are required to write two essays about CSS.

The first essay was to write about the effect of software and hardware on the use of CSS. I have nearly completed this task now and it has made me see the benefits of using CSS and why it is so popular with companies who are seeking new employees.

Having almost completed this section of the project at such an early stage is a refreshing change for me, I have already put the written work into the template which for me is usually something that is at the bottom of the ‘to do’ list. I can now definitely see the benefit of getting this done sooner rather than later and although I have been nudged in this direction it will definitely be something I will ensure I do in the future.

Another benefit I have had from getting my written work completed at this stage is that I have been able to ask John to read through it. In doing this he has provided me with alteration to make which will benefit my written work, this isn’t something I have done in the past.


Now that I have got this done (with a few changes to make) I can look to correct a few mistakes I have made on my summer assignment. I realise that had I worked in a more structure way, as I am in this project, some of these errors would not have occurred.
Overall I feel that this semester is off to a good start, obviously the written work isn’t exactly excited but I can see the information is relevant. I am looking forward to designing my CSS page for the CSS Beauty ‘competition’, I do think it would have been exciting if the competition had been running and I would have like to have entered a design.

What my study means now and in the future.

Personal Development Planning

I have developed my skills, on the course, in this area. The skills I have picked up are being able to self evaluate and also to plan for what I want to achieve in the future.

I think in my future career this will translate to my workplace when I have a performance review. Also I will be able to set myself goals for my career and plan out what I hope to achieve.

It has also developed my skills in terms of being able to write about myself, this will translate very well when it comes to me writing my CV to apply for jobs.


Attending Lectures, Seminars, Tutorials etc

When attending lectures and tutorials at college I have been able to develop my listening skills, not only this but I have also furthered my ability to take notes whilst listening.

I can see that in my future career these will be valuable skills as an employee I would be expected to take notes of a brief when it is first given so that I don’t have to get my employer to repeat themselves.

In addition I have learnt to take criticism through peer and tutor review. This is definitely something I would have to get used to when working with a client as I cannot afford to take things personally when a client doesn’t like my work.


Seminars, Group Work, Team Projects

When working in groups I have learnt to communicate and compromise with my peers. I have developed my skills in listening and debating which has also helped to further my confidence to speak up and argue my opinion when I feel that a wrong decision has been made.

As an employee these skills will be very valuable, being able to speak up and voice your opinion is an asset and an employer would favour this type of person over somebody who didn’t contribute.

Oral Presentation

Oral Presentation to a group is something that requires you to have confidence and clarity when talking in front of a group of people. I feel that I have picked up some pointers here and have definitely improved in this area. I have been in this situation three times since I joined the course and it is no longer an alien concept to me. I have presented to my tutors once the class once and also a combination of tutors, peers and prospective employees. It wouldn’t worry me if I were told I needed to do it again thanks to this experience.

I can see this will be valuable in the future; if I needed to present work to clients or if it was used as a tool by an employer in an interview process.

Writing essays and other forms of academic writing

In this area I have managed to develop my grasp of English in terms of spelling and grammar. In addition I have learnt how to present my work in referenced format and in a structure that is easily read.

In the future I can see that this will transfer as I will, in any employment, be required to write. Specifically in terms of web design I would be required to write web content. The practice I have received at writing will no doubt have improved and help me to write more fluidly so that my content isn’t dull and difficult to follow.

Maths and Statistics

Maths and Statistics have been employed when carrying out research and I have had to display my findings in the form of a chart. The program I have used in this instance has been Microsoft Excel.

In the future this is a skill I will be able to use on my CV as I think employers would consider this to be a valuable skill to have.

Observation

I have used observation skills on the course when I have had to complete things such as competitive analyses. In this respect of this I have learnt to look at things thoroughly at the minor details and also to analyse things more.

Another example of this is when I have been asked to review websites created by peers but also myself.

The skills of observation and analysis will be of great use in my future career as a web designer as I will have to write in code and these skills would come into play when trying to find errors.

Research

On many occasions, in all projects, I have been required to carry out research. This is a skill that has developed and I realise that I have developed in this area. I know it is important to check multiple sources to check I have the correct information.

In my future career I will be able to use this skill when I am looking for employment as it is important to know about the company for which you are seeking employment from.

Also whilst in employment I will be able to use this skill as a designer when I have to generate ideas, it will help me to find inspiration. In addition to this I would be able to corroborate any written content I have produced by checking it against multiple sources.

Exams and Revision

Although on this course we do not have to complete any exams we do have to submit a project to a strict deadline. This is a similar type of learning curve as to when studying for an exam and each has a final deadline for which the work must be completed.

In this respect I feel that on the course I have learnt to plan my time and I am learning that this is something I must strive to improve.

Also in term of revision this can be likened to our self study, this is something that requires self discipline. This is another area for me where I am striving to improve.

I know that in the future I will need to apply myself if I want to progress in the industry, in a large company I may be required to work out of hours or if I were freelance it could be required of me to be contactable out of hours.

From A to B

A. As I embark on a new semester at college I will now start to look at my plans for the next 6 months and what I hope to achieve.

First of all I would hope that in this semester I can achieve an average grade of a merit, at least. This would be a great achievement for me as in the first year I achieved only pass grades.

To gain a merit grade for the first project would be my first goal; from there I can hope to again achieve more merit grades or continue on the road of improvement and achieve a distinction grade.

I hope to improve my grades by applying more emphasis on my time planning. Where I feel I have lost marks in the past is either my actual time planning or as a result of bad time planning. What I propose to do to counteract this is to make a more specific plan from the outset in addition to making my usual daily plan that is produced week by week. By monitoring this I hope to achieve better results in all aspects of the project.

Also with my improved time planning I will produce a checklist of submission criteria which I will then be able to mark off as I progress which will help me see the steps I am making towards completion of each project.

By making these changes I hope that my grades will improve.

Aside from my grades I also hope to become proficient in using CSS, this is the programming language I have looked forward to learning the most. This is because I have often looked at jobs roles that are available in the current market and most wed design roles require applicants to be able to use the language.

I feel that if I am to be a success when I leave this course to achieve this goal is a must.

In addition to learning CSS I am also looking forward to learning Flash as I am already familiar with using vector art, I think this is a skill that I can transfer across to this program and produce some great work.

B. In the future, 2-3 years time, I hope that I am working in a company that offers Graphic and web design services. I hope that I am in a role within a company in which I get to use both of these skills.


My plan when I finish this course is to look for employment straight away, had I not already completed a Degree qualification in Illustration I would have considered topping up my qualification or doing some further study.

However with my past experience I now feel more than ready to enter the world of work in the design industry. I hope to achieve this by a professional portfolio site and lots of enthusiasm.