design

as a Profession
Design WHAT GOT ME HERE?
Prior to returning to education
I worked for a printing and
vehicle graphics business as
a workshop assistant. It was
there I became interested in
logo design and working with
colours, while in my spare time
I would design posters and CD
covers for the band I played
in. Studying Interactive Media
I fell in love with design, and
after a lot of hard work, arrived
here on the Visual Design and
Communication degree, with
the goal of one day working for
myself as a graphic designer.
There are not a lot of
opportunities for employment
in graphic design in the area that
I live in, so freelance has always
been in my thoughts. There
are in-house opportunities
but I don’t feel that this would
satisfy my desire to explore
creatively and allow me to
use the full range of my skills.
I like the idea of undertaking a
range of jobs, from web design
and album covers to social
media banners and motion
graphics. The personality traits
that lead me on this path were
my creativity, problem-solving,
empathy, attention to detail
and determination.
It is important to understand
what is involved in your
chosen career path. Below
is a job description from
targetjobs.co.uk. I have been
undertaking freelance design
jobs since my first year at
college and I have learned
that these skills are vital.
Several of these are skills I
already possess, some need
development and some will be
ongoing. I believe that in this
field the learning should never
end.
CRE-ATE
I am inspired by independent
creative design company,
Cre-ate based in Aberdeen.
Unfortunately it was not
possible to get a placement
there. Every piece of work they
do is beautifully presented
and they are advocates of
collaboration, outsourcing
photography and illustration
work at times to get the best
results. They have helped me
visualize my end goal.
HAVE YOU GOT
THE SKILLS TO
PAY THE BILLS?
“We all work to make a profit, but for many
designers, deeper motivation stems from something
greater than the need to earn a living. Designers
take pride in a job well done.”
David Holston, The Strategic Designer
Excellent IT skills, especially with design and
photo-editing software
Exceptional creativity and innovation
Excellent time management and organisational skills
Accuracy and attention to detail
An understanding of the latest trends and their role
within a commercial environment
Professional approach to time, costs and deadlines
Working
from agreed
design briefs,
graphic designers
use text and images
to communicate
information and
ideas.

PREPAREFORLANDING
“I didn’t emerge into the world with a fully formed
style or approach. Rather I’ve worked hard for
years, not just learning the tools of my trade
and experimenting with different visual ideas and
materials, but at being an asset to my peers.”
Kate Moross, Make Your Own Luck
READ BOOKS
To prepare myself for working
in the industry I have been
using a range of resources. Books
such as ‘Make Your Own Luck’ by
successful London designer, Kate
Moross show how it is possible to
go from designing logos for local
bands to working with huge brands
such as Cadburys and Adidas. I
love how Kate has successfully
created her own identity, making
her work instantly recognisable.
She plays to her strengths and
collaborates when necessary. I
don’t believe a designer should
try to be a master of every
aspect of design.
It is important to keep up with the
latest software. It is easy for a
freelance designer to get stuck in
the rut of using the same version
of the software they initially
learned, without a company to
enforce change. I have been using
lynda.com for three years now
and there are always new skills to
learn. It is an amazing resource I
never tire of.
One of the challenges facing
the freelance designer is the
lack of interaction with others
so it’s important to keep up with
trends by keeping up to date with
what’s happening in the world of
design. I subscribe to Computer
Arts magazine and it has some
wonderful articles to help
designers stay on top of trends
and technology. They also have an
abundance of tips for freelancers.
I love to find out what the colour
trends are, whether flat design is
here to stay, what are the latest
typography movements, who are
the best young designers and
what is Pantone colour of the
year? Putting in the work will make
you a better designer allowing you
to confidently interact with clients
and find a solution to their visual
problem.
Another way to keep up with
trends is by following other
designers and resources on
social media. I love keeping up
with Creative Bloq, Drawing
Vector Graphics and Digital Arts
on Facebook and I follow some
wonderful design companies on
Instagram. One of my favourites is
North American design company,
Draplin. They have some lovely
design work and also sell a lot of
merchandise online and at their
pop-up shops.
Networking events are a good
way for the freelancer to meet
other professionals and contacts.
I enjoy the local arts festival Xpo
North and one of the highlights
of my college time has been a
lecture by Wayne Hemmingway
formerly of Red or Dead. It was so
inspirational - showing his journey
from selling second hand clothes
at Camden Market to designing
housing schemes.
Keeping equipment up to date
is another important factor. In
preparation for going freelance
I have purchased two macs, a
DSLR camera with external flash,
a graphics tablet and paper
trimmer. I have also ordered
various paper samples from some
of my favourite online printers.
LEARN NEW
SKILLS
SPOT
TRENDS

“Freelancing can indeed offer immense creative and professional
satisfaction, but there are plenty of challenges too. From the stress of
juggling multiple projects and knowing you’re 100 per cent responsible
for them, to clearing your schedule for work that never materialises,
freelancing can be as distressing and infuriating as it can be brilliant.”
Anne Wollenberg, Computer Arts, Feb 2016
With the lack of options
in the area and without
having the funds for travel I
decided to freelance for my
placement. Last semester I
undertook a large job for a
client that included wedding
invitations, place names, a
seating plan and photography
on the day. The client now
required a wedding book.
This job as a whole was a
huge undertaking during my
degree and I had to manage
my time incredibly well to
fit it all in. Editing images for
days on end is repetitive and
monotonous but necessary.
Problems that can arise include
delays in receiving information
from clients and continual
changes to information
provided. There are also
instances where the client
has requested something
that goes against what you
consider to be good design
and you must put forward
your opinion. Sometimes they
will be happy to take advice,
sometimes not.
I learned from this job that I had
underestimated the length
of time the editing would take.
I also determined that I would
be better served getting more
familiar with Adobe Bridge for
work-flow efficiency. I was left
frustrated by not having a good
file naming procedure from the
outset as I had to spend a bit
of time locating raw files where
the name didn’t correspond to
the jpg chosen by the client. In
industry, where time is money,
this would be wasteful.
As this is the first time I had
printed a book, I wanted to
get a sample book to test the
quality, The client was delighted
with the results though I know
this will not always be the case.
Some clients are very specific
with their needs and exact
shades of colour. I had a great
deal of experience of this in my
previous employment, where
the employer would sometimes
have to take a hit in the name of
customer satisfaction. The book
design was time consuming but
the experience will allow me
to make a better estimate in
the future. Only experience will
enable me to judge how long a
job will take and how much to
charge a client.
The second job I undertook was
to design an album cover for
Aberdeen band Seas, Starry.
The album is primarily for digital
release. They wanted simple
block colours along the lines
of David Hockney’s paintings
“If there is
one thing that
design is about,
designers are
taught, it is
problemsolving.
At college
and then
in business,
designers
learn that
what they need
in order to
practice design
is the brief -
the problem.”
David Carson, 2nd Sight

of swimming pools but with
random, inappropriate colours.
I had allocated a working week
for this which was not ideal for
an album cover that may need
many revisions. However, only
minor changes were needed.
I wanted to create something
that suited the bands recent
change from ambient to having
a harder edge. The idea was
that the owl from the previous
album cover had re-located
to the city and gone rogue.
The colours were mixed up as
requested. I tried many colour
combinations and fonts and this
was the final cover they chose.
“I think there is a new generation of
designers emerging who are naturally
entrepreneurial. They do not necessarily
‘like’ design in its traditional sense, or
the way that we are presenting it to them.
They respond by making their own model
of design practice.”
Mike Press, Design Transitions
This was an enjoyable job.
Great clients, who know what
they want and are not afraid
to say “Change that font’ or
‘Make that bigger”. Feedback is
incredibly important and clients
need to feel comfortable to
give it. I believe it is important to
learn not to be precious about
your work as ultimately you are
being paid to make someone’s
idea happen.
On reflection, it would have
been good to have managed
to arrange a placement at
a design company. It would
definitely have been a valuable
experience as I have read that
a lot is expected of you and
there is no time to waste. I know
from my previous employment
that time management and
prioritising jobs is one of the
best skills to have. I do work
well under pressure and I do
have the determination to get
things finished. I am aware that
not every job will be exciting
and sometimes it may involve
mundane tasks. The challenge is
to make a name for yourself in
your chosen field and hopefully
through hard work you will steer
your career in your chosen
direction and have the freedom
to pick and choose jobs.
“I’ve worked for large
companies and I know the
pressures they exert in terms of
having to do things you don’t
want to do. I value independence
enormously, and the pay-off for
the relative lack of financial
security is you can be selective
about what you do, and strong
about what you don’t do.”
Jeremy Leslie, People of Print
I’m excited to begin the journey.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Carson, D (1996). 2nd Sight. London: Laurence King Publishing. No Page Numbers.
Cook, A & Smith, M (2015). People of Print. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd. p51.
Cousins, C. (2014). Freelancing 101: How to Stay on Top of Trends. Available: http://designshack.net/
articles/freelancing/freelancing-101-how-to-stay-on-top-of-trends/. Last accessed 5th Feb 2016.
Holston, D (2011). The Strategic Designer. Cincinnati: HOW books. p77.
Moross, K (2014). Make Your Own Luck. London: Prestel Publication Ltd. p10.
Target Jobs. (N.D.). Graphic Designer: job description. Available: https://targetjobs.co.uk/careersadvice/job-descriptions/279603-graphic-designer-job-description.
Last accessed 5th Feb 2016.
Yee, J, Jefferies, E & Tan, L (2013). Design Transitions. Amsterdam: BIS Publishers. p201.