What is Industrial experience?
It is the chance to gain an understanding of how you as a graphic designer functions in a professional environment.
Getting an insight into the design process by working for a designer or design studio.
A way to learn first hand about the business side of graphic design, such as working with a budget.
Creating work for live briefs that require you to work to specific professional constraints.
An essential experience for a graduating designer.
What can you learn from Industrial experience?
How to communicate professionally with clients, design peers and others within the working creative industry.
How the design process works from receiving a brief through to the final resolution and presentation of it to a client.
It can inform your decisions about which direction you would like your design work to take once you have graduated and are a professional.
The ability to present your work to a broad range of clients with a confidence that is necessary to ensure you are successful after graduating.
It can inform you about the business side of graphic design, and also gives you an insight into the business ethos of companies.
What form/format could industrial experience take?
Work experience/ Placements are one of the primary ways of gaining industrial experience, as they offer you a chance to work in a real studio environment with professionals and real working deadlines. From this you have the chance to engage in the design process, and learn from the people you work with.
Similarly, you could simply ask to shadow a freelance designer for a greater understanding of how they work independently, and project manage briefs and the business side of graphic design.
Working on a live brief is another way to begin to understand how design works in a professional context, as the work you produce will be seen and judged by professional designers, and it will also potentially be viewed by the actual audience you intend it for, as opposed to work being critiqued by designers in the studio.
Studio visits are another good way to interact with professional designers and get some questions you have about designing in a studio answered.
Visiting professionals into the studio are another good way to get some of your questions about the industry answered in a smaller period of time, and can also give you an insight into the style of design you may be interested in during the 3rd year and after graduation.
You can also visit printers to see how the actual production of graphic design works, and be informed of how to prepare design work thoroughly. It also helps students to understand time frames and the costings of design jobs.
What areas of industry are you interested in?
Print is something I have been interested in both during foundation and my time here. I love the process of screen printing and would love to be able to work with a print studio, but I also aim to have my own studio at some point (probably a long way) in the future.
Advertising is another interest I have, because there is a large audience you can reach with your ideas, and I feel like one of my strengths lies in my ideas and communication with a target audience. I also think there is a lot of scope for humour within advertising, which is another interest I have.
Similarly, I would love to work as a copywriter, which is an area of graphic design which I think gets overlooked in favour of image production. Whilst I love creating images, I also think I have a strength in communication via writing, which is an important part of a design.
Branding and Identity is also another thing I enjoy looking at and also attempting myself. I love the ability to communicate a brand to an audience with something as small as a logo, and there is some seriously beautiful, high quality work being produced in this industry.
Publishing and Editorial for lifestyle and fashion. I think this industry combines both my love of writing and of imagery. I love luxury lifestyle books and magazines, where high quality printing is combined with some fantastic concepts and quality writing. I particularly love cook books at the moment, for which there is some beautiful editorial being created.
What are your concerns about Industrial experience?
Being treated poorly by an agency or studio, basically running errands or making cups of tea and not producing or learning anything.
Not living up to a high standard being set by other students also gaining industry experience.
Having to interact and communicate with the industry seems incredibly daunting, and I would hate to be deemed unprofessional.
Being rejected by a studio I would like to work for.
Being comfortable and confident enough to present myself, my ideas and opinions in a studio or agency.
10 Qualified Statements about Industrial Experience
Industrial experience gives valuable insight into the design process in a professional environment.
Industrial experience allows students to understand better the business aspects of graphic design, such as working to a budget.
Industrial experience is a necessary part of a graphic design student's development and understanding of the industry.
Industrial experience can improve the confidence of the student, both in dealing with professionals and in presenting their own work.
Industrial experience also teaches professional conduct.
Industrial experience allows you to communicate with professionals and create contacts that could help you after graduating.
Industrial experience can take several formats, such as internships, work placements, studio visits, visiting professionals and printer visits.
Printing and advertising are the primary areas I am interested in looking into for industry experience.
A confident and enthusiastic attitude is necessary to approach studios with and also for when you undertake placements or visits.
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