5 reasons why I chose to study Graphic Design at Leeds College of Art
1. Broad Graphic Design Course - After studying Graphic Design for two years at A level, I wanted to be able to develop the skills I had, at degree level. I therefore chose the programme at Leeds College of Art as it covered all aspects of Graphic Design.
2. High Employmment Rate - Once I have graduated from the course, I would like to within a company as a designer, and therefore the high employment rate of past students from Leeds College of Art appealed to me.
3. Emphasis on context aswell as practice - I particularly enjoy collecting and analysising research to inform my own ideas as part of a design brief. As the programme has a focus on design context aswell as practice, I felt it would give me the opportunity to develop this.
4. Opportunity to experiment - The emphasis of the first year of the programme at Leeds College of art is to experiment. As well as experimenting with ideas, I would also like to experiment with media, I particularly enjoy working with hand-rendered media, and feel the first year of this course would give me the opportunity experiment with new media which I never used before.
5. The available facilities - The programme at Leeds College of Art gives many opportunites to experiment and learn about the available facilities, some of which I had never used before. This was important to me as, I would like try new techniques as well as developing the skills I have already gained.
5 things I want to learn during my time on the course
1. Confidence in Mac software - Despite using Mac software such as photoshop on the Graphic Design course I studied at A Level, I do not feel as confident with digital media as I do with hand-rendered media. I would like, by the third year of the course to be as confident in digital media as I am with hand-rendered media.
2. Printing Processes - As I am particularly interested hand-rendered medias, I would like to experiment with techniques I have never tried before such as printing processes. I feel this will develop the skills I have already gained in this area.
3. Communication Skills - I feel presenting to my year group, will help me to communicate confidantly to an audience, however I would also, by the end of the course like to able to communicate my ideas in group work and crits.
4. Time Management - Throughout my time on the course I would like to learn how to mange my time effectively in order to be able to produce work for several briefs rather than one. I think this will be an important skill as it will required in a graphic design industry.
5. About the Graphic Design Industry - In order to decide on where I would like to be when I graduate, I would like learn about the Graphic Design industry, particularly the different fields and what it takes to be a successfull Graphic Designer.
5 Things I think are my Strengths
1. Hand rendered techniques - When prdoucing design work, I prefer working with hand-rendered materials as I feel it gives more personal expression, I therefore feel my design work shows experimentation into a wide variety of medias.
2. Design context / research - I enjoy collecting research from a variety of sources as it often inspires my own design work. I believe researching into other artists/designers has increased my design awareness.
3. Evalution / annotation - As well as collecting the research, I believe I am able to analyse the designers use of layout, typography and colour in depth to, again, form my own ideas.
4. Organisation - I feel organisation is a vital skill within the design industry, and I belive I am able to use this skill to produce all given work and meet deadlines
5. Working Independantly - Although I do enjoy working as part of a group, I feel I am also able work confidently on my own to produce solutions for a brief.
5 things I would like to improve
1. My Photoshop skills - Although I am able to use photoshop to produce my ideas, I would like to be as confident with the software as I am with using hand-rendered techniques. I feel confidence with the photoshop software will develop and improve my final solutions.
2. Communication skills - Again, I would like to gain confidence in this area. I feel being able to communicate my ideas to an audience as well as in group work is vital part of the Graphic Design industry.
3. Academic writing - A believe I have a basic knowledge of academic writing, however I would like to be able to produce comprehensive body of type that is at a degree level.
4. Critical analysis - Although I feel I am critical with my own design work, I would like to be able to analyse what wored and what did not, in order to develop my work further. I would also like to be able to confidently share my opinions of others work in group work and crits.
5. Group work - I feel when working as part of group I could improve by sharing ideas and opinions, these skills will be vital to me as a Graphic Designer in the industry and will improve my confidence in communicating with others.
5 ways I will evaluate my progress
1. Sharing ideas - Sharing my ideas whilst working in groups will help me to evaluate my progress as it will give me the opportunity to here others opionions on ideas I share and how I can improve them.
2. Blogging - As part of the Design Context/Practice blogs, I will keep a track of any work that I have collected or produced, I feel this will help me to evaluate the progress I have made throughout the years on the course.
3. Tutorials - One on one tutorials will again, evaluate my progress by discuesing how the course/briefs are going as well as hearing the opinions of my progress from my tutors.
4. Group Crits - Again, group crits will give me the opportunity to hear others analysis of my own design work. I feel having another persons perspective on my work will be useful as help to develop my ideas.
5. My design work - I feel reviewing design work frequently, will show me how much my work and style has developed since the start of the course.
5 questions I want to know the answer to
1. How do I fit in the Graphic Design industry?
2.What is Graphic Design?
3. Where will I be in three years time?
4. How can I develop my design work?
5.Who am I?
5 things that inspire me
1. Rene Magritte - I am particularly inspired by Magrittes use of texture within his paintings, especially in 'The Empty Mask' where there are several different textures within the one painting. My design work is also inspired by the unusual and and humourous ideas used by Magritte and the surrelist movement.
2. Alice in Wonderland - As with Rene Magrittes work, my own design work is inspired by the unusual ideas and imagery that Lewis Caroll uses within the novel, particularly the page layout that Caroll designed for the book himself.
3. My Family - My family indirectly inspire my design work, whenever I was given a brief or project for my BTEC course I would talk to them and usually something they said would inspire one of my initial ideas or perhaps my final design.
4. New York - I visited New York for the first time recently, which I found particularly inspiring as I have always been interested in American culture. In my design work I would like to interpret the American signage style which I found particualrly interesting whilst I was there.
5. John Lennon - I am more inspired by John Lennon personally, rather than in my design work.
