When I started this course I didn't have that much idea what graphic design was all about, even though it was certainly something I was very interested in. On my foundation year there was very little focus on graphics compared to fine art. I did do some graphic design work but in the end I specialized in photography for my FMP and did consider doing a photography degree. In the end I chose graphic design as I thought I would be doing more varied work that may lead to better future prospects job wise. I have also had a strange love for fonts and have doodled letterforms from as far back as I remember, despite being dyslexic and having issues with actual words. I also like my own work to have a purpose, so this ruled out a fine art direction (at least in its current guise of pointless concepts, BS and self promotion), and led me to be doing some sort of design based course.
Where are you now?
Confused sums up a lot of my thoughts on where I am now. I have worked very hard this year but I cant say I like very much of the work I have done. I question if I am good enough to even be on the course sometimes. I have found less use for my photography on this than I thought I would, and have used far more of Adobe Illustrator than I ever thought I could. I feel I have developed a good critical eye for graphic design, and I do now have a good understanding of the design process, even if my results so far are often not very good. Another surprising thing on this course was my experiences working with others. In the past I have enjoyed group working (on previous jobs and courses) but all three group projects I have done on this course have been absolutely the worst weeks of the year. Maybe graphic designers are just difficult to work with, maybe I have been unlucky, or maybe I am actually the one who is impossible to work with.
Where do I intend to be in the future?
Going into the second year of the course I feel I am far more prepared for what is expected of me. I want to expend on the areas of design I enjoy and pull back and rethink when a brief leads me to be doing things I dislike, as this happened far to often in my first year. I want to develop a sustainable way of working and producing quality work while maintaining a balance in the rest of my life. I realize I am prone to becoming disillusioned and unhappy if I don't feel I have a clear direction and manageable workload. (I am speaking from previous life experience and not just from experiences on this course)
I still want to expand my knowledge and learn new skills in my second year, I am also conscious that ultimately I am doing this course so I can get a job I will enjoy. So I want to start exploring what skills I will need and want to develop that will be useful for industry.
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