What is industrial experience?
- Industrial experience can be a days work placement, a few weeks or a month because you get hands on experience in the part of the industry that you are interested in wether this be shadowing a current professional or taking part in a brief yourself.
- It can also be a day visit to a studio or printers etc because this means you will have experienced how these things operate and have an understanding.
- Industrial experience involves having some sort of conversation possibly ongoing to build a relationship with a professional that could then lead to work experience or an internship.
- An internship is an important method of getting your foot in the door because this is a form of industrial experience that could then lead to a full time job.
- Industrial experience is a method of building on skills that may previously exist or learning new ones that will help you be a successful designer.
What can you learn from industrial experience?
- Industrial experience can help you decide if this is the field that really suits your personal design practice, it is likely to answer any questions you have and help you make decisions about your next step in life as far as your career is concerned.
- You may receive feedback on your own practice that can help you become a more confident and experimental designer, this coming from professionals that have experienced education so have an idea of what clients may be looking for and what sits well with the consumers.
- Through conversation with professionals you get an honest opinion of the particular design field your interested in which is likely to help you understand it more and make you aware the industry is quite competitive.
- It gives you the opportunity to test before you commit which is a rare thing in the working world.
- Industrial experience will expand your skills, possibly help you learn new tricks and also understand certain aspects better such as the printing process because although this is 'passed over' it is still important that the designer understands this so they format their work correctly.
What form/format can industrial experience take?
- Work experience is the most common form of industrial experience. Work experience comes in a range of different lengths from a day to a year depending on what position the person taking the work experience is in eg. student and wether or not this is part of their programme. Its the most popular form of industrial experience because it gives you the opportunity to take a hands on approach to the industry, learn from those who are already experienced and gives you greater understanding of what exactly you would be doing if you were to commit to this work path.
- Studio visits count as industrial experience because you are gaining the knowledge of how a certain aspect of the industry works although you don't get this hands on approach. You are able to see professionals in their working environment and ask questions in relation to what they do.
- A small understanding of industrial experience could come from live briefs. This is generally because you are working for a client so they ask for certain requirements but this work comes unpaid. If your work is chosen you also get an idea of how people how responded to this and responses are quite important in particular because graphic design needs to communicate. The contact with the client will also be of great importance because it will teach you how best to build the right relationships with clients and as more clients are contacted you will become more confident at this.
- Industrial experience also comes from workshops taught at university level wether this be digital software or more hands on such as screen print. The software used is of industry standard so although the skills learnt will be basic, they are a very useful thing to have so your not 'thrown in at the deep end' when it comes to starting out in industry.
- Industrial experience can come from lectures given by visiting professionals. This can be quite useful because they can give both the pro's and con's and will be very honest about their own experiences. Its also another opportunity to ask any questions you may have as a young designer.
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http://www.team-impression.com/
What areas of industry are you interested in?
- Design for print. I prefer to create work in which I have something physical to interact with at the end of a project, it somehow feels like more of an achievement for myself and some of the finishes you can get through the use of stock are great. I also really appreciate the more hands on methods of design for print such as screen print because its different and the handmade result produced is visually engaging. I also find all the industry standard methods of printing really interesting because the possibilities for design are endless.
- Illustration. This particular thing can fall into quite a few categories as far as the industry is concerned such as editorial in terms of children's story books. I've always had an interest in illustration because it holds character and uniqueness to the person who has designed the piece of work. I've always tended to hand draw all of my illustrations for my own work and then take it into photoshop to edit. Although at the moment I tend to doodle quite a lot i'm hoping I can develop this skill in the next two years at least for it to be a possible career choice.
- Freelance. The idea of being a freelance designer has always been at the back of my mind because i'm quite independent and more often than not don't really enjoy working in a group. I feel these two aspects are definitely two of my weaknesses but this is why freelance work speaks to me. Im aware this is one of the most difficult ways to become a successful designer because you have to put yourself 'out there' to be seen and work tends to be steady and may include quieter periods. I have seen quite a few people that inspire me and make me feel confident about this area of the industry, for this I need to be willing to work harder than ever.
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- Music. I'm a massive fan of music and the music industry. The idea of working as a designer for bands and record labels is something i've thought about since starting graphic design at college. I find this sort of area would suit me because I already have an understanding and can relate to it as a consumer. It's quite important to be able to understand what the consumers are looking for and what styles suit each singer/band. I've always had an appreciation for the artwork created to go alongside albums and also the posters and merchandise created for concerts and the fact these things are seen by millions of people would be a great way to make yourself known.
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- Advertising. This is probably bottom of my list for career options because although I enjoy creating this kind of work, I feel as though i'm not entirely passionate about it. All design work tends to have a purpose but I feel with advertising it could be a positive challenge because this is defined purpose and this area of the industry is so competitive it's more likely to encourage me to think outside the box. This is because i'd want to beat whats already existing out there.
What are you concerns about industrial experience?
- Sometimes when you get in touch with professional agencies etc they say you aren't experienced enough but how are you supposed to get this experience if people aren't willing to give you a chance?
- What exactly may you be required to do on a work placement?
- How good do your current skills have to be? Are they expecting you to be a fantastic designer?
- Where do I start if i'm not entirely sure what I want to do in terms of career yet?
- Is my confidence or lack of going to have a huge impact on industrial experience or will professionals be understanding of this?
SUMMARY
- Industrial experience is the perfect opportunity to take a hands on approach as to what your career choice will entail.
- Industrial experience is the opportunity to mix with professionals and ask questions.
- You will learn wether or not the area you are interested in is actually all that you thought it'd be and if it suits you.
- You will also learn how a typical industrial environment works on a day to day basis.
- Work experience is one of the best and most common ways of getting your foot in the door because it is recognised by potential employers.
- Industrial experience takes many forms, some which are optional and some which you have to pursue yourself.
- I have a broad range of interests within the industry but need to select a direction I think i'm going to enjoy most and get the most out of.
- Conversations with current professionals in each of these areas may help me decide.
- My concerns are all questions that I can pose to someone with the experience already.
- I will never truly know what industrial experience is like until I experience so I may end up answering my own questions by finding a work placement.
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