Today’s lecture was joined by Callum Peters and Al Jones, two digital designers who work at the BBC UX&D Programme in Salford. Prior to working at the BBC, both individuals studied Graphic Design and Computer Science at Chester University. From a student perspective, it was really interesting to hear about their design journey. More specifically, how they transformed from students, into senior designers, working at one of the largest corporations in the world. It displayed that anything is possible once you put your mind to it. In Callum's words, working hard has its rewards.
Their discussion raised the inevitable question of 'what do you do once you leave university'. This is a daunting question for most people. For me, it has always been quite clear. From my studies, I have discovered that my main passion lies in illustration. It's always been a subject which I've enjoyed and have excelled in. As Callum highlighted, it's important to do something which you love. More specifically, something that raises your skillsets, increases your passions towards a subject and strengthens your abilities. It should also creatively challenge you as an individual. With this said, I believe a career in illustration would fulfil this criteria, and provide me with the right level of satisfaction from a job.
With any design role comes challenges. As Callum states, the main difficulty of becoming a designer is getting your foot in the door. In other words, finding a way to make your work stand out from the crowd. As an illustrator, this takes up a large number of the role’s responsibilities. Illustration is a highly competitive field to work in. Every illustrator in the industry is competing for that same top spot. It’s hard not to think negatively about this. Automatically, my thoughts are how will I meet up to this standard? Or how do I get my work to be recognised amongst thousands of other talented illustrators? Although these are daunting factors, I’m determined to work hard and push my skills, in order to succeed in this role. I think illustration relies on trial and error, it’s unpredictable. Sometimes it takes for us to fail before we succeed. As Callum states, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter manuscript got rejected 12 times before it got turned into a multi-million franchise. With this said, you never know when your work will get picked up or recognised. It's about being consistent, hard-working and determined.
Social media is one of the main ways to help your work get recognised. Sites such as Instagram are hugely popular amongst the art/illustration community. In a digital age, most clients, commissioners and agencies look online to find the latest talents. Over the past year, I have tried to increase my social media presence, with the hopes of getting recognised. So far, I have gained a positive response from the community. It provides a great platform to speak to other designers, clients and discover who the main competitors are. I believe this platform will be of great use to me, between now and after university.
My Instagram Profile
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