The Good Ship Salford

It’s nearing that time of the year where the next batch of design students will be finishing up their final year in university, and setting sail for a greater journey. The big bad design world.

After three years of education, most will be itching to get into a real creative studio and get their hands on some real work.

The University of Salford held their ‘pre-degree show show’ recently, and as an alumni of Salford I was eager to get down there and see what great talent was coming out of their Graphic design course this year. The pirate themed invite landed on my desk, and I set sail for the ‘Good ship Salford’ aka. Blackdog ballroom Oxford St.

One great thing about Salford’s design course is the way in which the lecturers push their students out there into the big wide world, encouraging them to talk about their work, and what they are passionate about.
During my final university days, I personally found this was a great way to gain insight into what the best steps were during that transition period. And for me, it bridged the gap nicely between Education and Industry.

I was keen to get chatting to some of the students, view their portfolios and find out what they wanted to do after leaving university. I was also keen to pass on some advice about what I had learned from my three years industry experience.

Throughout the evening I met some enthusiastic young creatives who had mainly chosen the communication pathway, and most were keen to start work and begin the real learning process. I hope I was able to pass on some pearls of wisdom to help them along the way!

Here are a few things which I think help as general rules for taking the next steps into industry, and also preparing for the final degree show:

1. Set goals – Know the types of companies you would like to work for, try writing down five studios and a short reason why.

This helps as it allows you to analyse what it is that draws you to want to work there. It maybe the work and clients they deal with, it may be the vibe you get from their brand, or you feel you could fit in and add another dimension. By doing this you become more employable. If you have a passion and drive to work for a company, you are more than likely going to get noticed by that company. If you don’t manage to get in there, you should have the drive to find a similar company to grow with, rather than settling for somewhere you just found off a job search.

2. Beef up your portfolio – Tell a story, and give projects the space they deserve

One of the things I learned after leaving Salford was to take people on a journey of your work. You have lived and breathed that project for no doubt 7 weeks, and people should get to see it in all its glory.

Expect the industry not to have a clue about what any of your projects are about, and imagine that you can’t be there to explain them. Keep it clear and concise, but take them through the process. If you have done something you are really proud of then give it a full page. This way makes it easier to digest as a viewer and tends to stick in your mind, as opposed to trying to soak up 5-6 images on a sheet of A4.

Don’t forget you’re trying to sell yourself here, give them all you've got!

3. Don’t be afraid to stick to traditions

I did notice the majority of students at Salford were presenting on tablet devices, and although this is a great way of talking through your work (and a cost effective way of doing so too) I wouldn’t advise doing this for your final degree show. One of the reasons for this is you are going to want to take that device with you wherever you go. That’s great for the people that you get talking to, but what about those who are viewing your stand as you are busy?

Create physical portfolios that people can pick up, view and make their own minds up on whether or not they think your work is a good fit for them. You can’t always be there to discuss projects, and although your strongest work is on show, it should be used as a taster into three years worth of creative.

Don’t let companies pass you by based on the fact you haven’t prepared a few portfolios for them to flick through.

4. Gain experience – Do what you love and the money will follow

The most dedicated creatives will always find themselves in the right place at the right time, and internships/placements are great ways of gaining experience in a creative environment, and will set you up well for the rest of your career.

The advice I give to students is to enjoy placements/internships as a time to soak up advice from experienced creatives who do this day in day out. It's always impressive to find out that a student has proactively gone out there and got themselves a placement. It filters out the keen and enthusiastic designers, from the ones who have other priorities and would rather be doing something else.

All in all it was a great night sailing on the ‘Good ship Salford’, and I left having had two free drinks and no voice from all the talking! We can’t wait to see the degree show in June.