Giving young designers an opportunity

Having the opportunity to discuss a topic of my choice, prompts me to look back at my experience of the industry before joining the course in September last year.

Web design is something I’ve expressed an interest in for a number of years, however the prospect of further education has never appealed to me. I attempted at the end of year 11 and again at the end of year 13 to persuade a company to take a chance and employ me as a trainee or apprentice, with little success. I sent off approximately forty letters on each occasion, to organisations of all sizes, both local to Halifax and in neighbouring cities.

On each attempt a mere number of replies were received, which was rather disheartening. I hoped such companies would take an interest in young designers and the future of the industry, offering advice or work experience if they couldn’t offer a job.

It seems poor that successful businesses aren’t willing to take an interest in developing designers. Disappointingly there is no obvious route into the industry for those who want to get straight into the work place. Perhaps there is good reason, maybe it would drain on their resources and be too costly for it to be productive, however offering an explanation of this would be far more effective than simply dismissing the interest shown in their company. I believed they might see the plus side of paying a non-qualified wage and tailoring the learning to their own way of working.

An apprentice job advert: Unfortunately, you don't see many of these around.

Another, similar problem is the lack of relevant courses for web designers, such is highlighted on the Fda Web Design course. Many students travel long distances because there are no good, or even acceptable alternatives nearer home.

Something that has stood out to me since joining the course, is a different attitude within the businesses of Wakefield to the one that I have encountered previously. The class had great success when approaching designers for interviews during a previous module. This being due I think, to some very important links that my tutor has fostered with local professionals, and there is a network of people on hand willing to give help and advice. It is something which I believe, we as students should make the most of as I believe it to be a rarity.

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Turning Point

Having been given the opportunity to reflect on a single, critical incident on the course so far, I had a decision to make. So many things have happened, it seems almost impossible to pick just one thing to talk about. After much deliberation, something stuck in my head. 

The typography module was approaching, and so was the unbearable thought of my first design work; it wasn’t something I was looking forward to. Considering that, it may sound obscure that I’m on a design course. The fact is, I want to design, but having no experience gave me little confidence in my ability. 

The night before we were to be given the task, I don’t think saying I was petrified would be an exaggeration. I was dreading it. My lack of experience and not knowing the exact details of the task worried me. I dislike being unprepared and working under pressure. Something I will have to adapt to. 

When the details of the task emerged, my nerves hadn’t settled. I knew though, that it was just something I had to get on with. I couldn’t avoid the inevitable. 

The FontBook book cover.

The task was FontBook; to design a book cover. Instant panic, I hadn’t designed a book cover before. How did I know what it should be like. With a set time limit, I had no option but to get on with it. And sceptically, that I did, however pondering over the lunch hour first. 

I did some sketches before moving onto the computer, scraping a design together. It was okay, I guess, but not something I thought looked fantastic. I then learnt the importance of feedback. A prompt from my tutor improved the design dramatically, and I realised I didn’t really mind my work being examined. Previously, this had never been a problem providing I had confidence in what I had done. I feared this might be an issue. 

I was reasonably happy with the submitted piece. The experience had proved to be okay, and taught me some valuable lessons. Future tasks were no longer so daunting and I was disappointed to have let it bother me so much initially. Looking back now, the worry seems somewhat unnecessary. It certainly improved my confidence, such that, there after I actively sought and remain to seek feedback on my work. Something I believe will prove crucial in my success as a web designer. 

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One down, three to go

Having had the Christmas break and the first semester being complete, it provides a good opportunity to evaluate what has happened so far on the course. Four months gone, it is now 2010, and I am in at the deep end trying to become a web designer.

Starting right back at the beginning of the course seems a natural place to begin. Fourteen faces sat there feeling undoubtedly nervous and excited at the same time, not really knowing what the future had in store. It didn’t take long, however after some ice-breaking games for the group to form a bond, one that surprised most. Those induction days were invaluable in terms of getting to know everyone, and I believe to be the reason the group gelled so well together. I also learnt the importance of bringing equipment and books on all days.

Work-Related Learning 1, provided a great insight into the industry and what the place that I am heading for career-wise is like. It formed an idea of what would be expected of me throughout the course. It was a task that at the time seemed almost impossible, although future assignments have been yet more challenging.

Two significant events happened, one at quite a crucial moment during the first assignment and the other at the beginning of the new term; the loss of two people from the course. Although disappointing, on the bright side, we had a new addition to re-boost the numbers.

A mile stone, one that sticks in my mind is the first hand-in. I was anxious to say the least, there are so many things to consider; will the CD work? Is everything there? There is no better solution than to prepare well and leave yourself generous amounts of time to allow for the worst. Subsequent submissions have been less terrifying now that it’s something we have experience of.

The day came in the first semester when we were to receive our first assignment result. I appreciated that the result was what it was, and I wasn’t nervous throughout the day leading up to it; after all it wasn’t going to change the outcome. That was until I got up to go into the other room… All of a sudden I was overcome with an outburst of nerves, a feeling I don’t encounter that often.

PPD 1, comprising of the three previous entries in this journal allowed me to express my thoughts about aspects I would otherwise not voice. I quite enjoyed this task.

The Typography module was challenging, yet I felt I took to it reasonably well, and the tasks were not as daunting as I first imagined they would be. Surprisingly, I liked seeking feedback in order to improve my work, something I felt I might take a while to adjust to.

Similarly, the Interface Design assignment, was more achievable than I feared it might be, and the pitch, although unnerving, I completed without too much trepidation.

Created for Ann Rutherford as part of the Interface Design assignment.

Something applicable throughout the whole course is self-study time, I may need to re-evaluate the planning of this for the next semester. Throughout November and December, I feel I was perhaps spending too much time on the completion of work and not managing my time as effectively as I had previously. It may be necessary to set myself stricter deadlines for the time I take to complete work, to prevent me continually working away.

I feel I have improved greatly my use of the relevant software and from at one point being scared to click on something with a fear of not knowing what it might do, I am now much more confident. Purchasing the software has given me the opportunity to experiment without being under pressure.

Although it may seem trivial to most people a personal highlight of mine was the purchasing of a domain name and web hosting. Although there is nothing even there at the moment, I feel a sense of excitement at being able to type my domain name into the address bar and know that it exists. It somehow makes the dream of becoming a web designer feel more real.

There was a great sense of relief on the 15th December when all assignments had been submitted and we could enjoy a Christmas night out and a well deserved break.

It’s now the beginning of a new semester, and loaded with the knowledge of a good read of HTML Dog, I look forward to the challenges ahead.

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Where I am going

It’s difficult to identify what my long term goals are, due I think, to the fact that coming on the course was a last minute decision and by my own admission I am very indecisive, however I will give it some serious thought.

Considering the weaknesses identified in the previous post, I will recognise how I can improve them. Regarding the design aspect of the course, it is going to be imperative to find inspiration in other work, and crucially I must experiment. Presentations require practice and I must accept this is a major element of the job I want to do. In class discussions, I must begin to contribute my ideas more openly; I appreciate my already marginal improvement is due to the relationship within the group.

Having passed the first assignment, I aim to remain at a consistent level or improve my next results. However, I am a little sceptical about this; two design pieces and a presentation. To compensate, I would like to score highly in the typography exam.  In the future, I would like to achieve a merit for the majority of assignments and even the odd distinction; a tough ask I appreciate.

My short term employment target is to reach a level enabling me to freelance during the course, in order to gain experience, put my skills into practice and earn some extra money, ideally by the end of the current year. Acting on advice from the second years, it is important to keep the skills you have learnt fresh in your mind and in practice over the summer break.

I have yet to decide whether or not to complete a third year gaining a full degree. There are many factors affecting this, including the location, cost, my achievement on the preceding years and job prospects at this time.  I’m yet to make my decision on this; however predict if run at Wakefield, I will do it.

Following the course, whether that be two years or three, I hope to gain employment with a small company, and remain there for up to three years, acquiring the invaluable experience that you receive only once you’re in the workplace. After this, my ambition is to set up on my own or in a small partnership, hopefully within the next five or six years.

Completing the course and being in the workplace will help me to solidify skills required to be in the industry such as good communication, the ability to present and time management skills.

To summarise:

• In the very short term, I would like to pass the current assignments.
• Over the next two years, I would love to achieve a merit for the bulk of modules and the occasional distinction. Perhaps towards the end of the course this may be a realistic proposal.
• After the course, I would like to gain employment in a small company and remain there for a maximum of three years before becoming self-employed.

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Where I am now

Being two months into the course and having just received my first assignment result it seems an apt time to evaluate where exactly I am in terms of my skill as a web designer. I am pleased to say I passed the first assignment; a great sense of relief.

It is difficult to pinpoint exactly where I am in terms of my ability as a web designer due to there being a diverse range of aspects to the course, and having varying experience in each. This module for example, to write a learning journal, rather surprisingly I am enjoying. I imagined that I would be uncomfortable with other people reading about my thoughts and experiences, but have been happy to share them so far.

A further area within the course is the skill to perform well in presentations. Although I am not particularly nervous at the prospect of this, I am aware that it is an area that can be improved, which will undoubtedly come with experience and good planning. I believe the standard of my performance needs to be of a professional level and at present is not so.

I am most anxious about the design aspect of the course. Lacking experience in this, it is something that I have little confidence with. Wanting to be a web designer does not mean I have the capabilities to do so. Ordinarily I would be comfortable with people looking at my work, however my first design piece I will be apprehensive to demonstrate.

The typography module is challenging yet interesting; being able to recognise 54 fonts from only a few characters is no easy task. However, I am finding with practice it is surprising what can be achieved.

Another skill, not necessarily an assessable aspect of the course yet a vital one is time management and self-study. I believe that this is a strong attribute of mine in that I am able to plan my time carefully and have so far been able to motivate myself to put the hours in. I hope that this will put me in a good position for the remainder of the course.

Using an article by Andy Rutledge on what makes an employable web designer it is possible to deduce a checklist from this and distinguish what I have to learn. The article highlights how many different areas there are that you need to be competent in to be a web designer. It is quite a daunting list in many respects. I appreciate however; that I am only at the beginning of the journey to becoming a web designer and that I will learn the majority of these skills over the next two years. A big thing to take from this is the importance of good communication.^[1]

The Sector Skills Council for Creative Media enables individuals to compile a generous list of knowledge and understanding required to be a web professional. After an intensive reading of this document, in brief, the skills I need to develop include learning how to use mark-up languages and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), how to achieve good search engine optimisation (SEO) and develop strong design skills whilst being aware of issues such as usability.^[2]

I have completed the Learning Styles Questionnaire by Honey and Mumford in an attempt to identify the type of learner I am. The results indicate that I have a very low preference as an activist learner, a moderate preference as both a theorist and pragmatist and a high preference for being a reflective learner. So what exactly does this mean? Being a reflective learner means that I prefer tasks where I am able to stand back and observe, have a generous amount of time to complete objectives in order to think, prepare and investigate thoroughly. I do not appreciate being the centre of attention or having to carry out tasks with a lack of information or little time to organise. In brief being a theorist indicates that I am very methodical and like to ask questions and pragmatist traits include the desire to experiment and focus on practical issues. In order to strengthen my utilisation of the activist learner it would be an idea to contribute more in class discussion situations.^[3] Similar questionnaires on the internet suggest that I am also a theoretical academic learner and benefit from visual aids.

Two months on, still at the very beginning of the journey, I have a lot to learn.

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1. Rutledge, A. [23/06/08], The Employable Web Designer, www.andyrutledge.com/the-employable-web-designer.php, Accessed on 13/11/09.

2. National Occupational Standards: Interactive Media, www.skillset.org/standards/standards/IM/, Accessed on 13/11/09.

3. Honey, P. & Mumford, A. [2006], The Learning Styles Questionnaire, Peter Honey Publications Limited.

Where I Have Come From

It‘s hard to identify where my desire to be a web designer originated, there is no defining moment where a light came on in my head and I knew that was what I wanted to do, but for some reason unbeknown to me it has been my ambition for approximately the last four years.

I guess it would be reasonable to say that my interest in design began in year ten where I did my work experience at Marshalls Plc, and especially loved the design department. Admittedly garden design using CAD is not web design, but design all the same.

Following my GCSE’s, with little aspiration to continue in education I took the decision to apply for a position as a trainee graphic/web designer. Forty letters later, only five replies and nothing particularly positive, the only option was to step on to the next rung of the ladder and complete my A-levels. Choosing where to undergo this was difficult, web design was not an option at my own schools sixth form, but leaving what I had known for the last five years was a daunting prospect.  I remained at Sowerby Bridge High School, taking Psychology, Maths, Business Studies and ICT, but no design related subject, a decision I would later regret.

By the time I had completed my studies, I had really lost my motivation to learn and wanted to be in the workplace.  I tried again to get an apprenticeship, but to no avail. Struggling, I said goodbye to the dream and became a trainee accounts clerk.

I started what I thought was going to be a challenging and interesting job, but to my disappointment from day one it was not what I expected. I put it down to the need to settle in, but the situation didn’t improve. I wasn’t happy and the job was not what I wanted. For six weeks I persevered, eventually choosing Monday 24^th August to resign, a tough experience but quite liberating once done.

The same day I set about finding a web design course. I had my A-Level results by then and hoped they would be enough to get me a place via Clearing. I found the course at Wakefield College and instantly emailed the course tutor. It became apparent that evidence of creativity was required, and although an interview was offered I had little faith of a successful outcome; I had no design or art work. I took the only work I could ascertain; my ICT coursework and hoped for the best.

The interview went well; I was shocked to be offered a place on the course and left feeling ecstatic. The next couple of weeks were busy, with forms to complete and the almost impossible task of arranging student finance, but it was not long before I was sat in the car park on day one at 8.15am pondering whether or not it was too early to go in. And then the journey began….

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