Lydia Gerakaki GMD While working at Landor London, we had this new a daily “habit” at the studio, which was checking the Coronavirus cases in China. From very early on, we were examining the data every morning - when we got to the office, after lunch and before the end of the day. I remember the whole studio being surprised by how fast the cases were going up. Gradually the “habit” changed and instead of looking at the number of cases we started spotting the countries on the map that the virus was reaching. Up until that moment the epidemic felt so distant to us. But then people started feeling threatened; they were thinking of their families all around the world; some colleagues were coming from countries like Italy or Spain, that were very badly affected and all of a sudden it wasn’t so distant anymore. Covid-19 managed to affect everyone. As expected, our office closed down, like every other. The timing was really unfortunate, as Landor was moving offices at the very same weekend that the measures were enforced, so nobody got to see the new office in Knightsbridge. And while these changes were happening, I decided that it was best for me to travel back home, to Greece, where the measures were enforced faster and the predictions were saying the crisis would be dealt unexpectedly well (we all know modern Greece isn’t famous for dealing with crisis). So there I was, fleeing the country that I have been living in for the last three years, without getting to say goodbye to anything or anyone and not even knowing for how long – could be worse, but still not ideal. It took me the whole 14 days of my self-isolation - obligatory due to travelling – to adapt to the new reality and find a routine. But even then I felt like the world was moving too fast and too slow, simultaneously. On the one hand, everything was at freeze: nothing was open, everyone was forced to stay at home and practically be inactive. On the other hand, I observed the creative world online being on fire (!) I couldn’t catch up. Online exhibitions, seminars, workshops, open calls, short courses for free, software tutorials for free, Instagram challenges and so on and so forth. I COULDN’T CATCH UP and I started having fear of missing out! Fear that there’s so much going on, so many opportunities – and for free! - that I needed to be a part of. My instant reaction was to try to get involved in as many opportunities as I possibly could, but that didn’t really go very well, as I can only focus on so many things at once and get an outcome I am satisfied with. So I started setting priorities, as I normally do. PRIORITY #1 D&AD NEW BLOOD AWARDS FINALLY!!!! To be honest, I am almost feeling grateful at the Coronavirus for the extension of the New Blood Awards. I have been wanting to submit a project for this competition since the beginning of the DPS year, but I always let life get in my way. One internship after the other, I never felt like I had enough time to dedicate to it, so this was a sign – it was my last chance. And I didn’t think twice, I just grabbed it. Within two weeks, I managed to choose a brief, analyse it, brainstorm ideas, start working on them, get feedback, and submit my project. I went for the Durex brief, which was about disabilities and sexuality – a subject I feel really passionate about. My idea was inspired by the eroticism of the Greek sculptures, which are amputated and with distorted features. Hence, I created a movement to celebrated disabled bodies as equally erotic as anyone else’s and as ecstatic as the Greek sculptures. I named the movement #EquallyErotic, from the Greek word ‘Eros’ which connoted both love and sexual desire. PRIORITY #2 Be part of an open call for designers As I already mentioned, the creative industry responded so well and so much to the pandemic that studios and designers all over the world were looking for young talent. And I did have this one complaint from myself this year- that I rarely do something spontaneous and fast just to respond to the news, as a designer. So again, this crisis allowed me to get involved in something new and exciting. I saw this initiative on Instagram, by a creative studio in Germany called studio Othertypes. In these chaotic times, they invited people to create a poster wall together, without getting too close to each other. The theme and medium were open (photography, illustration, typography etc.) and so I couldn’t resist. I submitted black and white photography with the title DIVE: a symbol of summer and a representation of the liberty and escape from the daily routine, which at the same time shows how the pandemic has turned everything upside down, including this sense of freedom. My poster is now printed and up in the streets in Hamburg and I just feel so blessed that I didn’t let this opportunity pass me by. Greece is now finally released from the measures and life is slowly going back to the way it used to be. Shops are re-opening, people are finally going out. And this gets me thinking of the things I have learned and the things I have achieved during this weird period of time and I can’t help but feel very positive about it. I am aware that our new life will never be the same that it was before, but having seen how fast everything and everyone adapted to the changes, I feel optimistic and positive that we have used this time and this situation to our advantage. Particularly the creative industry has set a great example and once again has proven that this is why creative people are best at solving problems.
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William Lyons, GMD - Written February 20th, 2020 Since my last blog post, I have managed to secure a position as an intern at Kino Design, a renowned London based branding design studio. I’m coming to the end of my time here and it has been a fantastic experience. I have been working alongside a small but excellent group of designers who are all very understanding of the role of an intern and it feels as though my position is being treated in more of a professional manner. I have mainly been working on a single branding project for the airline and hospitality however, due to a non-disclosure agreement, I am unable to mention more of the project details. I can mention that I have been working mostly with UI/UX design; a discipline which I found very intimidating before my time at Kino. We are currently developing an app alongside the branded assets which is a fantastic opportunity for me to develop my disciplinary skills and understand a different side of the industry within a professional context. During my time at Kino, I also started to take a course in Sign Writing; the traditional craft of hand painting letters for advertisements and branding projects. The course is held by Nick Garrett an artist with over 40 years of experience in the trade and fills an entire weekend with gaining the professional knowledge to push amateur calligraphers and designers to start sign painting for paid jobs. After the weekend course was finished, I reached out to Nick and expressed how much I enjoyed learning from him and he agreed to let me work alongside him at his studio for a few weeks afterwards. I have always been fascinated with the hands made aspects of sign writing as I feel that it would be a perfect professional context to present my style of work in. I have been working with nick on a range of projects mostly with the intention to benefit my skills of the trade. While working at his south London based studio, I aided him in the creation of a very large board commissioned by the Shoreditch based pub, Truman’s Brewery. I have been working on developing my sign writing skills for a couple of weeks now and I’m looking forward to finding jobs in which I can put my abilities into practice. Besides working in studios around London, I have continued to freelance and recently completed an album cover for a close friend of mine. Although the project sounds seemingly insubstantial, I felt that it was a great opportunity to provide a context for my unusual style of design; a truly autonomous brief where I was chosen for my specific capabilities within certain disciplines. I plan to continue my sign writing endeavours and I’ve even decided to commit to purchasing the correct materials in order to paint from home. One thing that really fascinated me during my time with Nick was that he was insistent on using the highest standard of tools for the job. I had always understood the adage “it’s not the pencil, but the hand of the artist”, however this has been completely undermined by Nick Garrett, who believes that without the correct tools and materials, the mediums quality decreases vastly. William Lyons - Written December 16th 2019 Since my time at R Design came to an end, I briefly worked as a freelance designer on several small design jobs featuring a branding refresh and accompanying assets for a pub based in Wolverhampton. I found it intimidating to work on my own at first, but soon after, I found it a lot easier talking with clients; citing the knowledge I had gained from R Design. I still find it fascinating how remote working can be a satisfactory method of creation, and I believe that freelancing will be a continuous practice within my professional development. I really enjoyed working on this job for the pub in Wolverhampton as it felt like a big step in my design career. Going from an intern position at a large design studio to working solo on a large-scale branding job within the space of 4 weeks has been a huge step in my practical development. In all honesty, my time at R Design was an incredible learning opportunity for me and a great insight into the corporate side of the industry, however, I felt at times that the creative director had elicited a stressful working environment and would often clash with designers in the team, myself included. Besides the fairly insubstantial work I was given at R Design, I aided on a branding project for a Golfing and Hospitality company, where a large portion of my design work was used in one of the routes the clients could select from. This was really exciting and reinforced, in my mind, that I would prefer to be working on branding or identity projects as opposed to more corporate or FMCG briefs. For the time being, I will continue to work as a freelance graphic designer using the well-known job posting website Upwork, which is similar to Fiverr. Upwork allows me as a student designer to find small scale jobs without an extensive portfolio review which is both good and bad. I have noticed that within my most favoured disciplines (Editorial Design and Branding and Identity Design), job advertisements will quickly become inundated with responses and applications, meaning I am less likely to be selected for the position. As a designer on the site, you can see how many other creatives have applied for the position which can be disheartening when you find a job that takes your interest. Alternatively, without such a platform, finding work and small jobs such as the ones I have completed on the site would be nearly impossible, and my experience within this side of the industry would non-existent. Other than Freelancing, I plan to utilise my time outside of design offices to develop my skills in other disciplines. I believe that by trying things which I have been hesitant to try in the past, I will radically change my professional practice; especially within the freelance design sector. For the majority of my design education and career, my skills have lied mostly within printed matter and I have been actively avoiding more digital forms of design such as UI/UX. I believe that by developing my skills in computer-based programmes, I will be able to obtain more work as a freelancer who can work across a range of design disciplines. I have already started to expand my knowledge in fields that have always intimidated me such as Motion Graphics and Generative Coding Design. I hope that these new skills will boost my portfolio, and in conversations I’ve had with my personal tutor, we agreed that by utilising these specific design programmes with my adapted style, it may enhance the context that I present my work in. Whilst developing new skills and practices, I have also been in contact with a London based design studio named Kino Design. Kino is a fairly well-known branding studio made of a small team but with a long and impressive list of clients such as Chelsea Football Club, Visa and Barclays. I found them through a family connection and decided to reach out to see if I could get an interview or at least some feedback on my upgraded portfolio. I hope to find out soon if I could come in and have a quick chat as I feel it would be a great opportunity to talk amongst designers who are more aligned with the disciplines I wish to be working in.
Image 1: A screenshot of the user interface of my Upwork profile Image 2: A selection of screenshots of my development and exploration into new disciplines like Motion Graphics. William Lyons - Written, November 16th 2019 It is mid-November and since the commencing of the year, I have struggled with reaching out to prospective employees over work placements and internships. I created a successful piece of self-promotion however which got me into contact with several large design agencies. From this, I managed to get in touch with a designer named John Richmond, the founder of R Design; a packaging design studio based in Kentish Town, London. I found out that my mother briefly worked with him in the 1980’s at the design firm Smith & Milton so I used this to my advantage. He was very kind in offering me an interview and a quick chat about my portfolio with the possibility of me gaining a few weeks as an intern at his offices. I got on the tube with my portfolio last week on the 5th in order to talk with him over my work. Before I arrived, I had looked over the firm’s portfolio and had done a fair amount of research on the kind of projects they take on. I immediately recognised that R design is quite a commercially orientated agency, with their main focus being packaging design for consumer goods (FMCG); something which I had been consciously trying to avoid within my professional practices. Although I wanted to stay clear of commercial graphic design within the year out, I felt that it would be an interesting opportunity to work alongside a successful agency specialising within a field that I have very little knowledge about. During the chat between Dave Richmond and myself, he expressed an interest in my portfolio but commented on the fact that the reoccurring style I had used had very little context especially within the world of fast-moving consumer goods and commercial design. I assured him that my employment at his offices would be an incredibly enlightening learning experience and that despite my lack of knowledge within this lucrative field, it would give me a beneficial insight. He agreed to give me a couple of weeks work for which I was incredibly grateful. I am now a few days into my internship and it has been a challenging yet rewarding experience. Although I have had experience visiting and working within a traditional office setting, I have never worked in an agency with so many employees. Being the youngest of the three interns currently at the design studio, It seems clear that my role is fairly insubstantial, however I am trying my hardest to enjoy my time here and to prove myself useful when and where I’m needed. So far the most beneficial learning experience I have received has been talking to the other employees about their experiences as interns. There are around 20 employees in total, including freelancers and the business management staff. I have been having some great conversations with the two mid weight designers that sit across from me about what my next steps in the year should be. They expressed that now more than ever, it is extremely difficult as a graduate designer with little experience to push out into such a competitive industry and commended me on the proactive and unique ways I had been reaching out to prospective employees. I hope that these conversations will lead to lasting connections in the future as well as any potential employment at other design firms. So far, the design work itself has been pretty mundane. Although working on fast moving consumer goods is completely new to me, the work that I have been asked to complete consists mostly of art-working, image research and sourcing, and icon design, all of which I have experience with. The studio is currently working on a long-term project with the German supermarket chain Lidl, to develop a wide range of labels for an unreleased series of Gins and other Liqueurs. The concept of working with such a high-profile client as well as developing a product that will be produced and sold globally is incredibly exciting. I have been given the small task of creating a series of icons that correspond to the flavours of the liqueurs, which are to be included on one of six potential design routes the client is encouraged to choose from. I have been working on this project for a couple of days now and I have become increasingly aware of the different roles allocated to a variety of designers. As an intern, it feels as if there’s an understandable leniency in the work I’m expected to hand in. My work is then passed onto a mid-weight designer or a creative director who oversees the project and all its internal elements.
It has been an incredibly enlightening experience so far, however I feel that as a whole, the studio works unlike any other I have seen. Despite their success in the field, being a multi award winning agency, I was surprised about the lack of collaboration between the team, as well as the strict direction and influence of the creative director role. At R design, Dave Richmond is both the Creative Director and the founder/partner. Despite his role as a leader of the team, it was still interesting to see how much he influenced the final outcome of a project. This is something which I had not anticipated, and while I believe this is not the case for all design firms, it was definitely a learning experience for my first experience working in a renowned studio. All Photos are my own or found on the R Design Website (https://r-design.co.uk/about/) William Lyons - Written, Oct 10th, 2019
Since the commencing of the Diploma in Professional studies, the first few months have proven to be more challenging than I had originally imagined. After receiving a few sessions worth of feedback on my portfolio, both physical and digital, I became aware that I would have to tailor my work in order to make it appeal to a wider and more corporate audience. I always knew that it would be challenging to find a suitable context for my work, however I had underestimated the role of an intern within a graphic design studio, and how an agency has to favour designers who follow a certain style over others. I discovered this the hard way, as for the past few weeks a lot of the applications relying on my digital portfolio to showcase my work received positive feedback but with negative results. This in itself was incredibly disappointing and although the feedback I’ve received from several large design agencies has been enough for me to understand how to reshape my portfolio, It can still be disheartening to be told that your work doesn’t fit in. It’s the start of October and for the past couple of months, I have focused entirely on my personal branding and my communications with potential employees. As my Self-Initiated project will discuss the topic of good client and worker relations, I felt that by creating a piece of self-promotion that I could send out to prospective employees would not only allow me to further my research into the SIP but may also provide me with more positive results in my applications. I have always found working on my portfolios and my presence within a professional context to be quite challenging. Without another perspective, looking at your own work with a discerning and objective eye can become incredibly frustrating. I had to push through this in order to create a simple yet effective piece of branding ephemera that would summarize my working style in a unique and original way. I decided to design a small parcel that would carry several small objects that showcase my work efficiently and attractively. Featuring in the envelope is a small hand stitched mini portfolio (showcasing a maximum of 5 of my best pieces of work), a small hand stitched pencil case including three personally branded pencils, and an additional cover letter and following curriculum vitae. Illustration has and always will be at the centre of my creative process, so I wanted to highlight this within the envelopes and create a coordinated and consistent identity that could be applied to all future branded assets. Overall, the project took around 3 days from start to finish. As I was working with a limited budget, the majority of the money I spent went towards the branded pencils, whereas I managed to save a lot by asking for paper samples from several companies like GF Smith in order to create the mini portfolios and the pencil cases. I have had very little experience in hand sewing but I managed to borrow a sewing machine and through trial and error I was able to sew and complete around 100 individual parcel sets. In designing these, I created several patterns and cutters in order to speed up the production process, meaning that, with the supplies I have left, I can produce more if and when I need them. I really enjoyed making these parcels and I was really happy with how well they represented my work and my working style. I sent approximately seventy-five parcels around the world to large design agencies and organisations with the hopes of gaining employment or at least more exposure for my work. As I am still currently receiving emails responding to the piece of self-promotion I sent out over two weeks ago, I can only partially comment on the feedback, however, I have had some really encouraging replies expressing their appreciation for the parcels. Although I hadn’t necessarily tailored my style to cater to a more corporate audience, I feel that the parcels effectively showcased my work within a context more aligned to the professional working world of graphic design, something which I had not yet realised with my previous portfolios. I received a couple of emails from studios telling me that they were impressed by my ability to find a context for this kind of work, rather than it being confined to digital viewing and without any commercial adaptability. I feel that this experience and feedback alone has completely changed the way I think about the efficiency of my portfolios and graphic design in general. Besides looking for someone who aligns to the style of the studios work, It became clear through feedback, that the design agencies searching for an intern are looking for someone reliable and with a basic understanding of professional practices. I have understood now that it is of the utmost importance to showcase a wide range of projects within a portfolio, including examples of work using different kinds of processes. I have also learnt that despite my attraction towards a certain style or process, design agencies will always want to see your work within a context. I have now started to restructure both my physical and digital portfolios in order to showcase more live briefs and contextually based projects with the hopes of successfully gaining employment. All photos are my own and of my own work. Madeleine Lin Graphic & Media Design As DPS year comes to an end, I reflect on my journey in Studio La Plage and the ways I have learnt. At this time last year I was busy sending out internship and placement applications, I had no idea what to expect and what DPS could bring me. It has been 9 months since I joined Studio La Plage. It is a challenging yet rewarding experience, as I gradually grow into a young professional in graphic design. In my DPS proposal, one of my objectives for the year was to undertake more illustration focus projects as it is the area of design I specialise in. I was given the opportunity to do this during my placement and enhance my ability and skills in my discipline. ![]() From the experiences and projects I worked on, I learned to adapt my illustration style with brands and their requirements as each company has a very different personality, tone of voice and expectation on how the illustration communicates the content with audience. I had the opportunity to work on interesting illustration briefs for many major brands. It is crucial to gain an insight of the brand’s story and branding guidelines beforehand to ensure the work is aligned.
From working on the DPS report, I began to analyse the things I have learnt and my improvement. I have become more confident with presenting my ideas and design, as well as gained a better understanding on how to communicate with clients professionally – this will help me greatly in the future for both employment and self – employment. The main focus of My DPS year is my placement in La Plage as a junior designer. The role provides me the experience of what it is like to work professionally full time in a creative agency. I am very glad I can be in a workplace where appreciate my inputs and trust my design ability to work on many exciting live projects with major brands. This journey has been challenging at times and not always about fun creative work, but I have no doubt grown as a person, both professional and personally in the last 9 months. Benjamin Hart HAR17514376 GMD 07/05/20 Unemployment levels have reached record highs due to company closures, social distancing measures due to Corona Virus. Many people, myself included are part of the growing statistic of unemployment. On 01/03/2020 I began working for Design Polite Located in a small studio in Amsterdam, I was mainly working for ‘What Design Can Do’. My role included creating graphics for their upcoming conference in Mexico, where they would be discussing the role of design in the harsh reality of climate change. Working on such a hot topic was really inspiring as I was in contact and among the most influential people in regards to the subject. Unfortunately only after 2 weeks of starting the, conference along with my internship were postponed due to the coronavirus. Feeling glum, I found myself dwelling on the matter, leading me to feel very uninspired for the following week(s) (month). It’s a difficult pill to swallow as I’d just begun working on something I felt very passionate about and would help me in the future. However, after some time off screen, realising everybody has been effected by this matter I came back recharged and focussed on finding and creating work. Hart, B. (2020) The act of social distancing [Poster]. Adapt being the key word in this time of uncertainty, I found it very easy to fall into an unproductive pit, which was difficult to climb out of. However once adapted, it made me appreciate the design tools and resources I have in my surroundings and sparks more of an incentive to learn something new and expand my skills as a designer. I found the presence of online courses had doubled overnight. Respected institutions, studios and individuals had begun offering courses for free or at a fraction of the price. I began signing up for as many as possible. Some included, Foundation HTML, CSS + Javascript provided by Super Hi, Technology Entrepreneurship: Lab to Market by Harvard University and Creative Coding Essentials by Tim Rodenbroker. They are all out of my comfort zone, however all offered insights into technology based-design. This relates to the topic of my thesis, hopefully exposing myself to technology-based creativity will broaden my knowledge on the subject, spark questions, arguments and case studies ready to be discussed in my thesis. Also, exposing me to the world of generative art and its unexplored territories. Tims course has really helped me learn the crucial fundamentals of coding by his simple step by step introduction to processing and javascript. Made me realise how reliant I am on the adobe creative cloud applications and how it’s a different way of working working with code, but the final result can be so adaptive. Perseverance means to continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no indication of success. Which is very applicable to the current circumstances, However, as it standsI have found myself at my peak in terms of engagement with current design affairs and productiveness. I have been applying to virtual internships and have found a post-graduate scheme back in Amsterdam. I have been offering my skills as a freelancer and reading lots about generative art. And of course making lots of typefaces which will probably never be finished, however they will end up being good sketch book material. To conclude, I have found this time to be really important to take a step back and look closely at myself as a designer and figure out what my ambitions are, where I see my work fitting in the world and where I see myself working in the future. Hart, B. (2020) The act of social distancing [Poster].
Benjamin Hart HAR17514376 GMD 23/12/19 Ethical choices of a designer The feeling of fulfilment of completing a placement is amazing, however, the feeling of dread of finding another one is quite the opposite. I began interning at a packaging and brand identity studio in Brighton two months ago, which has absolutely flown by. I was introduced to a team of 8 designers, each of which has varying experience, skills, and qualities. I was seated right in the middle of them so if I had any questions or queries they were close and more than happy to help. They also critiqued and challenged my outcomes, at first it was quite harsh and abrupt, but over time I realised they were helping me contextualise my work and making me provide reasoning for everything I was working on. The work I was doing was mainly digital and illustration-heavy. Which again, at first I was skeptical about as I see myself more of a printmaker/designer, however, I adapted and learned loads valuable technical skills and qualities which I will take away and use in everyday life. The studio pumped out products and packaging in a fast paced manor, often the first design is what they go with. This reinforced that the company understands the consumers desires. This was often evolved around trends, the creative director attended many trend shows during my time and was up to date on current affairs throughout, this was really interesting but It reminded me of the fast-fashion industry. Making products that will only have a one time use, which provoked thought about the ethical responsibility of a designer. I have the ability to make the conscious decision on who I provide my effort and time for, understandably there a reasons for having a job to buy food, rent and survive. However, I have made the decision I’d like to provide my time for a company with a slightly more sustainable approach. To summarise, the internship was very beneficial as Its given me an insight into functioning design studio the ways to communicate and look at my own work from a different perspective. However, it has been very broad and unspecific to my practices and like I say isn’t the most sustainable. Barnbrook J. et al. (2000) First Things First. According to the First Things First manifesto form the year2000 (2000, Barnbrook et al.), designers do not want to engage with trivial products just for the sake of designing, but they want to create for a higher cause. Even though creating packaging for a gizmo may seem insignificant, the way it is made can make a huge change in the producer’s carbon footprint and prevent pollution or unnecessary deaths of animals. A designer is responsible for providing a sustainable future for not only himself but the whole society. This will be my outlook when looking for internships in the future. My plan from now till I find my next internship is to focus on projects which I enjoy. Creating prints of posters, zines and books. Building and developing my portfolio and start sending examples of my work to potential employers. Having spent so much time behind a computer during my previous internship I’ve learned I’d like to have a balance of analog and digital. At first, I was reluctant to look outside the UK for placements however seeing the opportunities and work of fellow students has been massively inspiring. My ultimate goal is to work in Holland, specifically Amsterdam as I have always been fond of dutch design culture and find myself implementing aspects of the dutch design simplicity into my practice.
During the quarantine, I have been thinking about how things might change in the aftermath of the pandemic, wondering how the changes might affect me as a fresh graduate. For sure many people wish to have it settled down as soon as possible and move on as if it never happened. Yet, I suspect this global crisis will eventually and inevitably, to some extend, reshape the economy and our value. With my final year approaching in October (which the pandemic is likely to be still ongoing), I need to adapt to a new learning and working habit as the creative industry environment is changing. Even tho the changes seem to be temporary, but it does not harm to think about how the pandemic will do any harm or good to me future planning.
I would love to first talk about my current practice regarding the situation. Everyone is in quarantine, having less social interaction, and simply wait for further notice from the government. My offers from studios are on hold (likely to be canceled in the future), many plannings such as traveling and studying have been postponed or became uncertain. Spending the upcoming weeks indoor is expected. With my Mac as my only resource for work and entertainment, many things have moved to the internet including my studying and working. In the previous weeks, I have been working remotely for my placement provider. My duty and workload were pretty much the same but my efficiency was hugely affected due to the unstable network, causing issues such as unpleasant loading time and constant disconnections during online meetings. Having a poor network is out of my control as I live in a student hall, thus to me working remotely does not sound appealing as the unreliable internet connection does get on my nerves sometimes, therefore working alone is preferred. The pandemic also makes me rethink how designers can play their roles in society, as a communicator what and how can we offer to others with our skills. SSSS Foundation is one of my responses, uploading posters for free downloads aiming to encourage the community throughout the uncertainty. Moreover, when drafting a new personal project, I started to think from the perspective of the community as a whole, aiming to be innovative and practical. All in the purpose of setting a reference to my future self and others with my outcome, not merely just for personal interests. As anticipated, by the time I write this blog post the British Government has announced to extend the quarantine for 3 more weeks, with the expectation of it lasting until June. With no intention in repeating the same route every day (even tho it is comfortable), I did plan to apply for a remote internship or keeping myself busy with design competitions. AUFI, an organization that connects brands and design agencies, has recently announced a new platform allowing design agencies to offer free advice to brands that are having difficulties. I am planning to get involved and see if I could gain a few new insights, as most of the studios are top professionals and well known in the industry. Besides, many agencies begin to adapt to the new system and recruiting new interns to work remotely, thus offering me an extra option to keep in touch with the industry while having limited resources. My plans for my future or after graduation are inevitably disturbed as well. With years living in London and my previous internship experiences, London is one of my favourite cities and I sincerely would love to work and travel around Europe if I have the opportunity. Yet, due to my identity as Asian, the increase of hate crimes in London and all across Europe makes me worry about my safety. I worry about how when the crisis is over people will start the express their hatreds on us, resulting in both verbal abuse and even physical attack. I understand London has long been a melting pot of different cultures and people, I am glad to experience how well developed and sophisticated the industry is. But knowing how some areas remain conservative and narrow-minded, it makes me scared to travel and be alone outside the cities, eventually losing interest in working here. As the creative industry built on top of the economy, the depression for sure hurts the creatives as well. According to a survey, more than half of the designers are experiencing having less than a quarter of business, even with finical support from the government, it is no doubt many agencies will bear a significant loss which might take time to recover. Unfortunately, by the time I graduate in 2021, I fear that many agencies are still in recovery thus have little intention for new recruitments. Along with Brexit, it will be challenging for me to apply for a working VISA considering how less qualified job opportunities will be. Concerning such a situation, I am starting to draft an alternative plan which is aiming to southeast Asia. Throughout the period, many countries in Asia appears to be having the pandemic under control with their thoughtful and well-prepared strategy, I expect their economy will recover faster than others, thus providing more open doors for me at the right moment. Places like Tokyo and Taipei both embrace a high reputation for art and design. I do see those places as a great potential for my future career, the plan will remain flexible while London being my first choice. With no doubt the explosion of COVID-19 has put the world into upheaval, countless businesses are affected followed by a high unemployment rate. But at the same time, we have been seeing a lot of new opportunities and industries adapting to the situation and operate in a new behavior. The same thing to the creative industry, our work does allow the majority of designers to work from home, but the impact of decreasing income is undeniable. Luckily many professions have adopted the circumstance and figure out different ways of working. The crisis will eventually end and we will go back to live and work as we did before, but we should always remember how this historical event in 2020 has made us rethink the way we work and knowing how nothing is guaranteed. Thus it is important for me to always be adaptive and think wisely for my upcoming future knowing how things never go as planned. |
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March 2022
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