Notes for New Students

06
on presentation
08
on presentation
learn indesign early
try not to read off a script
A rookie mistake is to do all your large format
presentation layouts in Photoshop. You may end
up with a massive file that verges on crashing
whenever you try to export a high quality PDF
or update text... InDesign is your friend. I would
personally develop Adobe Suite skills up to a
level of confidence, before getting into all the
parametric doodads and 3D rendering software
out there.
07 09
Based on the sheer amount of quality time one
spends with their design project over semester
alone, I would honestly advise losing the palm
cards on presentation day. You don’t want to be
looking down, misreading lines and looking unsure
about your design when deep down you know every
aspect by heart. Take time to practise in an empty
room the day before and put visual cues in your
drawings that enable you to talk to the work.
plan your time
Time management works (surprise!).
You’ve probably spent a lot of time talking about
how little time you have; now it’s time to act on
it. Draw up a visual chart, make a checklist and
track your deadlines from the get-go.
Avoid designing down to the last second before
doing a shoddy job with photoshopping and
printing. Allocate at least 2-3 days at the end
for rendering images, editing drawings, at least
a day for curating and organising panel layouts,
and at least another full day for printing. It also
helps to write out a project summary which
structures your final presentation and really
clarifies what your project is trying to achieveextremely
useful when explaining and defending
your project in the finals.
present with credibility
Make sure your work is logically sequenced, with
an easy-to-follow narrative, so that your audience
arrives at the same conclusions and epiphanies as
you. While it is difficult to present like an ‘expert’
in the field as a student, use all the research you
have to back up the project on your own terms.
10
remember the little things
Include a scale bar with all your drawings, and
make sure your photoshopped people are not
weirdly enormous. Run a spell check. Make a
model that isn’t overly fiddly or prone to collapse.
Don’t give your crits any chance to be distracted!