Read more
As students prepare to enter the world of work, there are many decisions that they need to make about what type of career they want: Freelancing? Working in a design agency? Setting up their own business? They also need the practical advice about how to work with clients, how to organize themselves, billing, etc. Through interviews with people at all levels of design, the author provides down to earth and straight forward information that is relevant to today's students looking to start a career in design.
List of contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Career opportunities
Too many choices?/ The transition from education to work/ Interview: Holly Karlsson, Shillington College/ Work, work-experience, internship or go solo?/ The 'traditional' design agency
Publishing/ Branding/ Advertising and marketing/ The digital world/ Working for agencies as a freelancer/ Interview: Jessica Hische/ Working directly with clients
Interview: Jamie Sergeant, This is Crowd
Chapter 2: Getting out there and getting noticed
Standing out from the crowd/ Self-promotion/ Your portfolio/ Web presence/ Social media and promotion/ Interview skills/ Networking/ Curriculum Vitae/ The right opportunities
Interview: Cameron Sandage
Chapter 3: The workplace
The Studio/ Interview: Caroline Aufort and Elodie Mandray, Acmé Paris/ Interview: Dalton Maag
Roles within the design studio/ Interview: Joshua Ogden/ Design roles explained
Service providers/ Non-design roles/ Managing a design business
Chapter 4: The work of a designer
The job cycle/ From brief to outcome: an overview/ Finding the right clients/ Pitching your services
The Brief/ Working with the client / Pitching your ideas/ Interview: Jessica Walsh
Chapter 5: The essential skills
The necessary attributes/ Developing your knowledge/ Drawing and sketchbooks
Design for print/ Interview: Janine Vangool, UPPERCASE/ Design for screen
Motion and time-based work/ Photography
Chapter 6: Forging your own path
Starting your own agency/ Interview: Anne Brassier/ Working as a freelancer
Interview: Lotta Nieman/ Co-working and collectives
Interview: Rena Tom and Bryan Boyer, The Makeshift Society
Exercises and Templates
Conclusion
Index
Acknowledgements & Credits
About the author
Neil Leonard
Summary
As students prepare to enter the world of work, there are many decisions that they need to make about what type of career they want: Freelancing? Working in a design agency? Setting up their own business? They also need the practical advice about how to work with clients, how to organize themselves, billing, etc. Through interviews with people at all levels of design, the author provides down to earth and straight forward information that is relevant to today's students looking to start a career in design.
Foreword
For every graphic design student, there comes the day when they make the transition from student to budding professional. They need a guide to help them navigate such questions as: Will I work in a design company or freelance? What is the best way to present my work? What is a typical day like in a design office? And so much more. This book is the guide they need.
Additional text
This is an amazing book and one I am very pleased to have come across. I will be using this as a one of my key texts for the unit, and I will be encouraging all students to buy it. It covers all aspects of how to move into a successful design career; from looking at places of work, to the range and how to apply for varied and different types of opportunities, including the importance of attitude and networking!
Report
Neil Leonard has quietly and thoughtfully managed to write a book that is less strident than its title suggests by carefully assimilating a lot of practical wisdom that many design tutors would hope to impart to their students before embarking on a professional career in graphic design ... In summary, Becoming a Successful Graphic Designer is a solid and valuable edition to the any professional practice reading list. Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education
