Personal & Professional Practice: November 2015

As daunting as it is to present yourself in front of a group of people is, it's also one of the most rewarding things you can do. It allows you to better discover who you are as a creative and as a person, and it allows you to slowly but surely make your place in the world. If no one knows who you are, then what you do might not make as big a difference as it could.

There are things, as there are with everything, that can be done to make presenting yourself easier, and whilst at first they may seem simple, everything that helps helps.

Project your voice.
By doing this you appear confident and sure of what you're saying and presenting, and it also helps alleviate shaky-voice, if or when you get it.

Have water handy.
You often see professional speakers drinking from a bottle of water during their presentation. This is handy for a number of reasons, the simplest of course being to avoid a dry throat, which can in turn coarsen your voice. It also allows you to take a mini break whilst you drink, allowing you to think about what you want to say next.

Be you.
Talking like you usually talk and dressing like you usually dress will help convey a sense of legitimacy and integrity. There is no point in doing a presentation of yourself if you're attempting to be someone you're not.

Be prepared.
Going through your presentation in your mind helps you to create a kind of storyline for what you say. Going through it out loud is even better - it allows you to set a pace and add offshoots to what you have written down.

Humour can work.
Making people laugh puts you at ease and breaks the ice between you and your audience. It can also make what you say more memorable or more impactful. Be careful not to reach the extent where you reduce the legitimacy of what you're saying, however.

Anecdotes add a personal touch.
Anecdotes give an immediate personal and emotional element to your talk, making it more memorable and effective. They also improve the impact or add a storyline to what you're saying, giving reasons for who you are or why certain things happened or have to happen.

Identify and explain 5 reasons why you chose to study on the course

To learn the rules and theory behind design - you can't break the rules without learning them, and the history of design will always have to be acknowledged.

To learn about design as an industry and how it works and how to access it. It's the only way to be successful in it.

To work in an academic, albeit studio-esque creative environment with other creatives in an experimental way. It'll help me be more creative, and prepare me more for the life after.

To form relationships and make connections with successful creative people. People are everything.

The position of LCA as a specialised institution, former work seen, the GD yearbook and the college facilities and environment. I was impressed by most aspects of the college.

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

Traditional methods of graphic design e.g. printmaking, printing press typesetting etc.

The rules and theories behind design and design philosophy, studying design masters like Vignelli. By observing what made them what they became, it becomes easier for you to become that.

Effective research methods behind good design decisions. It's almost impossible to create something good without starting somewhere good.

How design studios operate and how to deal with clients - it would've been dangerous for me to try and wander into the world of design and services without being prepared.

How design can change the world. I want to make a difference through design. There's no point in doing anything if it doesn't make a difference.

Identify and explain 5 things that you think are your strengths

Selecting (mostly) successful compositions, layout and type. Using type for impact. I'm good in creating and composing something in a way which just looks good, and mostly has reason.

Creating UI/UX concepts. Understanding how people interact with machines. I've used technology and machines since I was 3 years old, and along the way I've picked up what makes a machine easy or hard to use, and what makes people enjoy interacting with them.

Forming a whole identity instead of just a logo. It can be easy to forget that an identity doesn't just stop at a logomark, but I can prove how it's so much more than that.

Communicating verbally and visually. I like observing, talking to and interacting with people.

Thinking about the impacts of design and what we can do to improve the world. I like to think long term, at the things that matter (and the things that might not), in order to assess how I can make the things I do improve the world.

Identify and explain 5 things that you would like to improve

Creating and modifying typefaces? I'm good at using type, not at making it.

Illustration and technical skills in Adobe CC suite. I'm relatively fluent in Photoshop, Illustrator, I can use InDesign, and I'd love to learn how to use Premiere Pro, After Effects and more.

I have a passion for beautiful films, featuring both nature and people.

Very deep research and research analysis.

Communicating in a way which inspires and convinces.

Identify and explain 5 things that inspire you

Elon Musk/Tesla/Space X. They're changing the world for the better, and their motives are simple: to make things better. To do the things that have to be done.

Silicon Valley tech companies and start ups. I love the power and influence they have, and I love how they try and use it positively to improve people's lives.