Why Am I Here? What Do I Want To Learn?

Identify and explain 5 reasons why you chose to study on this programme:

1. I thought that I would get the most of my degree from LCA.  All other open days and the other institutions that I applied for seemed lazy, and wouldn't push me to be the best I could be.
2. The small numbers mean that I get more tutor time, and there's a tight-knit community within the program. Everyone knows everyone, which helps when approaching other students for feedback on work.
3. I studied my ND here.  This meant that I saw what the BA program was up to from time to time through numerous open days and visits up to Blenheim.  The work that I saw was amazing and gave me something to aspire to.
4. The facilities that are available.  The print screen room, laser cutting, numerous mac suites and much more made me realise that there was little to no limit to my work.  It encourages me to be creative and to produce various styles of work.
5. The tutors in my previous course recommended the program, Jane Denton in particular.  She told me of professional visits, the workload and what graduates from the course were doing at the time.  When I got the offer, I couldn't turn it down.

Identify and explain 5 things that you want to learn during your time on the programme.

1. How to transfer ideas into a visual form in the quickest and most effective way possible.  When I have many ideas, I tend to get overwhelmed and forget things.  I want to learn how to speed the process up, while still maintaining a quality to my work.
2. I want to learn html code, so I have a decent understanding when designing or altering a web page. Contemporary designs appear more often on the internet than ever before, and the digital age calls for more digital designs.
3. How to work with clients.  In an ideal world, I would want to be a freelance designer, but with little to no knowledge of pricing, realistic deadlines and how to deal with awkward customers I'm not in a position to do that at the moment.
4. Printing methods.  The current module focuses on this so I want to take full advantage to understand exactly what jobs are suitable for what printing methods.  Learning about stock and what is possible to print on is something I'm interested in learning about.
5. Effective layout designs.  I'm interested in type and layout; the sessions with Lorenzo in the first year interested me but my layout designs were a weakness in my practice.  I want to explore this area to ensure I'm effective at executing layouts and transferring them into digital designs.

Identify and explain 5 skills that you think are your strengths.

1. Typography.  I enjoy working with type and working with it in a digital format is a particular strength of mine.
2. Minimalist work.  Working with two colours plus stock always brings out the best work in me, and encourages me to produce a clean, crisp & clear design.
3. Vector work.  Although I don't think illustration is a strength of mine (I'll get to that later) producing clean vector shapes to complement my minimalist work is something that I feel is a strength.
4. Attendance.  Although not design related, I am always in college and never late.  I think this is beneficial to producing a work mentality, and would be a huge strength in the industry because of my reliability.
5. Software skills.  Even before the course, I had a good understanding of the software used in design and the best way to use it.  Through sessions with Mike, and the use of Final Cut Express in my video elective, I feel this has added to what is a huge strength.

Identify and explain 5 things that you want to improve.

1. Drawing, drawing, drawing.  I'm simply not good enough, which shows in my concept work.
2. Motivation.  I'm guilty of having the 'tomorrow' mentality, which I hope to change.
3. Presenting.  Although I'm not the worst, it's vital in explaining ideas and working with clients.
4. Time management.  I also aim to use the diary a lot more to ensure tasks get done in time.
5. Work pace.  Design is a quick industry and requires work production in lightning speed.

Identify and explain 5 ways that you will evaluate your progress.

1. Creating mini-deadlines for myself to keep up with the pace of work.
2. Evaluating my progress after each week.
3. Creating to-do lists, daily and weekly.
4. Ask for feedback from fellow students.
5. Book in for tutor feedback as often as required.

Identify 5 questions that you want to find the answer to.

1. What is the best place to apply my trade?
2. What amount of work do I need to produce on a daily basis in industry?
3. What kind of work do I want to specialise in?
4. What salary am I expected to work for after graduation, and in the ongoing future?
5. How am I unique as a designer, and why would clients want to work with me?