Jay-Mcfc said:
svennis pennis said:
Jay-Mcfc said:
Cool, what Uni are you at?
Did you have to do a foundation course before hand?
Im at Portsmouth uni. Its one of the better ones for Graphics. I did a foundation because I had mainly been studying product design and didnt feel it was relevant when applying. Great course though and dont think I would enjoy anything else. Always wanted to be a designer when growing up, now my aim is to graduate and start my own company, which I am laying the foundations for at the moment.
Wow Portsmouth, I was looking more locally like Manchester Met, Leeds Met etc. But I'd be willing to move out of Manchester.
My strongest skill would have to be my drawing; do you do a lot of that on the course? Or is it more Photoshop?
*Sorry for all the questions, I pick my Uni's next year, and just want an insight of what your course consists of*
If you can draw to a high standard then definitely use it! You will stand out far more than the mac monkeys that usually reside in uni computer suites. Photoshop should be used as a tool to assist rather than the be all, you will be taught illustrator and inDesign. You should also be taught Flash for building websites, some great stuff can be made on there. With a bit of luck the uni you apply to will have a type setting studio. The stuff you can produce in there with individual lead letters is stunning and will really make you appreciate your type. I spent days typesetting paragraphs for a small book.
If your going to do graphics then try not to get sucked in to short cuts on computers. I consider my drawing to be to a high standard but its very difficult to use at times. Anything you can do by hand will get you extra marks and show you genuinely interact and enjoy your study. You can always tell the work that has been created with actual designer interaction. It may not look as crisp as others work but it will give it an edge. Alot of my work is hand sketched or positioned by hand and photocopied at the concept stages. I then embellish on the these and use creative suites to refine and perfect them. I always like to think that when growing up and being creative, I always used a pencil and paper. Its the best way to get your ideas down.
One thing I will warn you about with Graphics is the elitist attitude on display but dont let it put you off. Take on board what people say, but always make up your own mind. Read as many books as you can and be your own person. Some of the accepted notions of what the modern designer should be are frankly bollocks and pretentious for the sake of being just that. Hope thats helpful mate, any questions and feel free to ask me. I love it.
Wheelsy is a professional graphic designer and im sure if you asked him nicely he will give you some top tips too.
