Todays industry talk came from Dave McDonald, a freelance design consultant based in Newcastle. Having previously worked for a number of agencies including Gardner Richardson and Infinite, Dave now works for himself and sees himself as a problem solver, stressing that the most important part of being a graphic designer is having THE idea, that one idea that sets your work apart from everyone else that could have had the brief. Stating the fact that anyone can learn how to work on a computer or draw, "You dont want to be known as a great graphic designer, you want to be known as a great problem solver." This made me think back to a question we got asked right at the beginning of the course, the good ol' "What is Graphic Design?" and at the time it stumped a lot of us, coming up with answers of capturing a brand in a logo and things like that, but what about other projects? The answer is quite simple when you think about it, we're solving problems in a visual way, a client comes with a problem and we go with it, solve it, make something from it. "The solution is always in front of you, its in the brief", this line has stuck in my head nearly as much as the title of this post (which will come later), its a good way to get past a mental block, where ideas just don't seem to be happening and you feel like youre at a dead end. A simple solution, read the brief again, as tedious as reading it over and over again will be youll get a better understanding and something will just spark an idea out of what seems like no where, definitely something I'm keeping in mind for future projects.
The question was raised of how Dave got into the industry, what he did when he left education and went out into the big bad world. An interesting answer came that I wasnt expecting, half thinking he was going to say I jumped from placement to placement until I got offered a job it was a shock to me when he mentioned that he worked on his portfolio for a full year after graduating, and even mentioned that it was his sketchbook that got him to where he is now and not the polished work he has, relating back to the most important core factor, the idea.
Dave then when onto talk about interviews and how you put yourself forward, this was a great insight into both what he has done and looks for and some helpful advice for the future. Saying the first thing he'll do if someone comes in for the chance at a placement is giving them a simple search, checking social media to see if the side theyre putting out is actually them, or just a front to impress. He stands by the fact that being yourself will get you more opportunities than if you put on a facade, mentioning that he would much rather be spoken to like you would usually speak, within reason. Mentioning how even he got nervous when he first started pitching to clients (if you ever meet Dave youll never think this), until he thought of a great way to think about pitches, "Theyre just people", this quote is the one that stuck with me the most through the great advice given. Clients are people, they need you and you need them, its a working relationship that should be back and fourth, if you be yourself and are friendly to them they'll do the same back.
Unfortunately I cant talk about any of the work that Dave shared with us, but the advice he gave was priceless and gave a great insight into the industry and the mindset of a great designer (or problem solver!), I also had the opportunity after the talk to have a quick chat with Dave, asking me about what I wanted to do with my time after college and asking if I had any placements lined up it was nice to get a bit of one on one chat going, asking for his critique on my portfolio when he is free was also mentioned, so I'll get my work all up to the standard I want it and get as many opinions as I can, it will be great to get someone who isnt familiar with my work's critique.
You can see some of Dave's work on his website: http://www.david-mcdonald.net/
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