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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
Page 1: as a Profession Design By Lyn Ralph
Page 5: BIBLIOGRAPHY Carson, D (1996). 2nd

LynRalph

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