CREATIVE REPORT

In order to find someone to interview, I searched on linkedin to find people that i found interesting and i had some sort of connection to. I found Chris Lawson who is alumni of the university. I have contacted him via email and we have been talking ever since. I also found a man called Sam Lane who works for a company called Alphabet, he was a lot harder to contact so i didn't end getting interview him. However i learnt a lot about persisting when trying to get hold of someone. 

Speaking to Chris, both of our intentions into getting into graphic design are very similar. He to told me in our interview that he got into it from having a keen eye for design and seeing the universal language that good design can create. I feel like this is the same with me, i have always had the eye for creativity which brought me to graphic design. It is nice to hear that you have things in common with someone that has been successful in the field and has definitely boosted my confidence speaking to him.  

As Chris graduated from Leeds College of Art in 2013, I asked him what he thought the most important part of the course was. He told me that crits were really valuable and if he was to redo the course, he would make a conscious effort to set goals for each week to get things ready for each crit. This is definitely something that i don't do enough and i sometimes don't even go to crits if i am worried i have not made enough progress with my work. From speaking to Chris i have realised my mindset needs to change in order for me to develop as a graphic designer and i need to get rid of the mindset of heres my progress so far and look at crits as time to develop my work and gather new ideas. Another thing Chris mentioned that was really great about the course was that you were around loads of other creatives here at the uni and i should take advantage of this and collaborate with them as much as possible. This is something i have been trying to work on recently after i did a collaboration with a photography student. 

Chris told me that experience is the best way to prepare yourself for industry. You can read every book and listen to every piece of advice but it never really sticks unless you’re actively part of it. To get clients you should keep developing your skills so you have the best skillset you can have and network as much as you can in order to get your name out there. I am going to try and find myself a placement to do in the holidays in order to gain some experience that i have been told is so valuable. I have already secured a visit to a studio in Thailand this summer when i go travelling. 

Chris told me that he works best without distractions, so he finds a quiet place and sticks to planning work out with pen and paper to avoid the limitations of software. This method means that his imagination can be as wild as it wants to be. This tip is a great idea and i definitely want to try this technique as i think it is often easy to hide behind the computer and loose the creativity that is needed for good design. 

ISSU Presentation Link: 
https://issuu.com/jessicaschofield1/docs/creative_report.docx