Skill Evaluation

This is my current design skill set, this makes it easier for me to see where my strengths lie and what I need to improve on. I think my focus as a designer is on materials and technique with a heavy obsession for paper and handmade publications. I prefer design for print in general and i prefer it over digital design as i like to have a hands on approach to designing. I will and can use a mac but i dont really have any interest in designing things like websites or animations. I feel that I am reasonably good at researching and writing, such as critical studies, blogs, analysing briefs and annotating design sheets but lack the confidence and skills when it comes to verbal communication, such as presentations. I would like to further develop my typography and layout skills and have chosen to do a work experience placement at the Leeds Guide to focus on these areas of weakness for me. I think this intense experience of type and layout will force me to address these weaknesses and will give me something more 'real world' to maybe put into my portfolio or at least i will have that experience with me. I would like to play around more with illustrative type and illustration in general too. I feel i need to improve on my illustrations too as i have always put of drawing as i it seems like such hard work! I feel i need more practice in Indesign and illustrator which i feel i will get from my work experience placement and my personal work over summer.

To keep up momentum for when i go back to university in September I’m going to have a play around with some illustrative typography, create some small publications, update my university inspiration blog and this blog regularly, start illustrating more, researching for my dissertation, interviewing people for my dissertation, updating my digital and printed portfolio and updating my career CV to include my work experience at Leeds Guide.