TASK 01 - Where do I stand://

What skills do I have?

As a designer going through my 2nd year of my degree, I feel that I've been developing a range of skills and qualities, that is helping me to define and pin point who I am and how I work as an individual and collaboratively as a Graphic Designer. I have a good knowledge and experience with a range of software, which has helped utilize and resolve my ideas, without allowing it to take over my work process and the way my ideas develop. As experienced from the past and particularly during the 1st year, my skills as a designer have been tested with numerous projects, which has helped carve who I am at the moment and the range of work I have produced have certainly reflected this. I don't really have a particular 'style' to my work because I feel that it restricts what you do and ultimately makes your work rather predictable as you're working towards what is expected of you already. Also, I feel that I'm still in the process of exploring different specialist areas of graphic design and have yet to define what my main field is. The way I interpret myself as a designer is the way I work and the way I challenge a brief to utilize a resolution. I am comfortable working independently, I know where my interests lie and where I want to be as well as working collaboratively with small teams, I'm vocal when it comes to pitching and communicating my ideas and as a visual learner, I find it easy to talk about ideas and offer constructive feedback. My main interests in graphic design often jump from one to another, proving that I have yet to identify my main specialist area. However I do know that the areas that I have grown a huge interest and almost obsession in include: editorial design, typography, book designs, packaging design and info graphics, while still continueing with my interest in photography. Outside college, I took part in a 3 weeks internship at Hong Kong based HK magazine as one of my first industry experience, which has helped realize my interest in the above.

Who needs them?
From current course work and the little industry experience I have, I feel that my practice as a designer would fit well in a small design studio that takes in commisioned work. I'd choose this over an in house design studio as I believe that a successful team would only require a small focused team as apposed to huge teams of people who would only deal with a small part of a brief each. I would aimed to work in a small studio with individuals who carry different specialist fields, where we can easily feed off each other's knowledge and collaborate. Aswell as offering less corperate orientated work, this approach would hopefully offer me the freedom learn from other people in the industry, gathered my own contacts, which would hopefully lead me into a freelance practice in the future.

In reflection to all of the above, I feel that I should conclude with the process of the 4 P's://

Product
typography, editorial, identity/ branding, promotion material, packaging, exhibition work + genereal print based design.

Place
Based in the south of England and would like to focus in London. Also a Hong Kong citizen so potential of moving there to gain work experience.

Promotion
Print based, ethical aware design strategy with established branding/ identity by the time I graduate.

Price
"Will come back to this one - "