When comparing my work from this year and last year, I can see a huge difference in the outcomes and the work I am producing is of a higher quality. Though I still make mistakes, such as making a mistake with my typography within my Digital Skills module, I have learnt from them and rectified them for my portfolio.
I can see there is still room to improve. My confidence using illustrator has grown to a point where I feel proficient using the program, but I believe that by following more tutorials and experimenting with the program I will better my standard and be able to use the program quicker than I do currently. This will aid me when working in the industry, as its extremely fast paced and if I want to succeed I need to be able to match that pace myself.
My ideas this year have been more creative and less heavily reliant on the influences found via pinterest. I think I have focused more on the brief itself rather than the final outcome: digging into what’s required and what is in front of me, I can see that the idea itself truly lies within the brief, it just requires being broken down and scrutinised before it becomes apparent. This has really helped me become a more conceptual thinker, and learning this will really help me in the future, especially through my final year of University.
This year I’ve taken the time to contact other designers, and have got to know others within the industry. Hearing their take and experiences, alongside advice has been extremely beneficial to me not just as a designer, but also as a person. I hope to take this through to my final year, and also further to my life within the industry.
I’ve also branched out on research websites, and feel that by no longer being heavily reliant on pinterest, I have found many different designers and work that has been inspirational and aided my own idea generation. Websites such as Behance which allow the designer to show their creative process and how they came to create their final outcome has shown me new ways of coming to a conclusion and breaking down the brief. I will be continuing to use these websites when researching.
Finally, I feel my time management and organisational skills have grown since last year. Leaving most modules until the last minute, this year I have used apps and diaries to help me plan my time more efficiently. Though there have been a few cases where I’ve struggled, especially when working 20 hours a week alongside, I want to continue to improve these skills to a higher level as it will be necessary within my final year.
Something I also hope to improve is my confidence. After researching on women in the design industry and why they are somewhat less represented than men, I found that this is mainly due to women not having the self – promotion and bold attitude than men often do. This is something I have recognized within myself, as I often second guess my work and do not want to open myself to criticism by putting my work out there: despite this, I have began to try harder with my own confidence and have created social media platforms to be able to share my work and blog. I hope to continue to do so, and upon finishing my portfolio, I will be adding many of my pieces onto Behance.
This year has been beneficial to my design, and my own personal development. I have grown in many ways I didn’t think I would, and I am excited for my future and the goals I have set. I aim to continue working on my design skills over summer using briefs and home study, and return to university for my final year whilst working placements and getting to know more industry figures.
