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What is Industrial experience?
Industrial experience can come in a range of forms, whether it be a few weeks experience with a company, communicating and hearing feedback for some work by a professional from the industry and any form of insight into a company through communication; email, phone calls, face to face contact with a graphic designer.
By doing so you can hear how a professional outsider describes your work and may offer you advice on what to work on, any improvements, develop ideas with you and perhaps give you new approaches. One of the main advantages is the honesty within the feedback.
In regard to experience, a lot of companies won't mind you sticking around for a few days, or organising unpaid work within the firm to get to know how the industry works. Longer placement are available through much organisation and internships.
Its all good and well reading and being told about how the industry works, but until you have some experience within the field, you don't physically know how it works. By doing so, you can gets hands on, figure things out for yourself and learn, rather than being spoon fed information.
What can you learn from industrial experience?
You can learn so much from industrial experience, the more effort and time put into getting it, the more you shall learn. Learning the entire process from being sent a design, to sending it off a big learning curve. You can begin to learn how a document needs to be retrieved and changed if needs be, to specific requirements. The design process, how long it takes, or the time frame you need to work to. Eventually leading to the finalising, whether that be to send the work, in an appropriate format to the client, a printer or other.
Learning about costing within the industry is an important area to learn about, materials and printing costs will be different to what I know, as university provides costings appropriate for students. In the industry its about where you go, the contacts you have, and the knowledge you need to know the cheapest way to produce the product. Learning about how much you can charge is also something you need to know, getting experience within the industry gives you an idea about hourly cost and how time comes into play.
Time management, learning about how long a job needs to take, and how to get it done in the time given. How to prioritise jobs according to time.
By getting a lot of research with a range of placements, it will give you a better understanding into which area your most interested in working within. With this, you can begin to get more specific experience, choosing firms which deal with the sort of work your interested in.
By getting hands on, it can broaden your design practise and develop your computer skills and software knowledge. It could broaden your printing and technical skills too.
What form/format could industrial experience take?
-Simply contacting a practise is experience in itself, knowing how to contact and speak appropriately is a skills itself and you learn from every person you speak with.
- Taking a visit to a studio, it gives you an idea of what to expect for when you begin work within the industry. It also gives you the opportunity to speak to those working there, asking any questions you feel appropriate.
- Emailing companies, whether it to be for feedback on your work, or ask about their practise.
- Placements - a huge level of experience can be gained from a few short weeks.
- Internships - A years worth of experience no doubt will come in handy!
- Lectures, visiting professionals, workshops
What areas of industry are you interested in?
Advertising - I have always been interested within this area, and how words and image work together to sell a product, and the impact it can have on the way a viewer thinks. I'm more interested in the science behind the aesthetics, the thinking behind the work. I like how the placement of words can determine how we read it, and how image can make us think a certain way.
Print making - After doing the printing modules and visiting print workshops I have found a real interest for it. I'm a very 'hands on' individual and like to work this way, having something on screen alone, I find little interest in, but when I have something, a material to work with, something which is a 'one off'. I feel I prefer the idea of using old print methods within my work, rather than simply printing digital work.
Illustration - I love drawing, and will use it when ever I can. Drawing is a skill I feel you should take full advantage of it you have it. Illustration is a form of this I enjoy using, producing and including within my work. I have come to learn when it is appropriate and when it isn't within graphic design. If I had the choice I would work a brief around using illustration. I would love to just do it, not have to think if its the best approach to take. I really enjoy designing illustrative posters, books covers and typographic designs.
Store branding - When looking in stores like Accessorise and Topshop I find myself looking at the posters, shops windows and advertisements rather than the products. Some of the work produced for the stores in absolutely amazing. Working at a range of scales, materials and products is something I'm really interested in. Also working to 3d and 2d, sometimes 3d structures are created within shop window displays, along with decorative hanging designs.
Producing and selling own work (freelance) - I would love to own my own shop, selling a range of products, by doing so I can use my range of styles, as I feel I work well both digitally, minimalistically and illustratively. The only way I feel I could apply all my interests and skills is through a range of products and freedom, rather than being stuck in a particular niche.
What are your concerns about industrial experience?
- Lack of knowledge and skills needed. Whether that be to set up my own business or to understand how much I need to charge, how to approach a brief effectively etc. There is so many elements you need to know about, before 'getting out there'.
- Stress. Something I possibly need to work on. Sometimes work can get to me that bit too much, I need to learn to cope with constant pressure and work, without hitting breaking point!
- Competition, I somewhat don't feel I have the appropriate personality to be able to make a mark within the industry. I feel you have to be extremely strong willed, patient and feisty!
- Cost, if I want to set up my own business, I need money, simple. How do I go about getting a loan? Can I save enough instead ? agh!
- Lack of knowledge and skills needed. Whether that be to set up my own business or to understand how much I need to charge, how to approach a brief effectively etc. There is so many elements you need to know about, before 'getting out there'.
- Stress. Something I possibly need to work on. Sometimes work can get to me that bit too much, I need to learn to cope with constant pressure and work, without hitting breaking point!
- Competition, I somewhat don't feel I have the appropriate personality to be able to make a mark within the industry. I feel you have to be extremely strong willed, patient and feisty!
- Cost, if I want to set up my own business, I need money, simple. How do I go about getting a loan? Can I save enough instead ? agh!
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