I wasn’t sure quite what to expect from a module titled Creative Entrepreneurship, I knew we would be looking at how to go about securing a placement for next year. Apart from that I wasn’t sure. We started the module by creating a CV which was very important so we could apply for jobs, as one role was advertised before the semester even began. Then we moved on to creating a portfolio and interview skills, so by the end of week four we were well-versed on what we would need to do to secure employment as a designer. The rest of the semester was spent looking an alternative way to make a living, being self-employed. For this we looked at tenders and developed our own proposal document, before ending the semester by giving a pitch presentation for an idea we had come up with ourselves.
I’ve never really enjoyed creating CVs, its more of a task I must do than one I look forward to. I’ve found it has become even harder now that I have more qualifications and previous jobs, as I also have the added consideration of what I should leave out and what I need to keep. Another thing I have found with CVs is the advice given is always changing, I have done multiple employability related activities over the years and every time you come away with different advice and a new way that you should go about creating a CV. The new element this time was considering the design of my CV, previously the main advice was stick to Microsoft Word and keep it very simplistic. As a designer however there is a need to show some design skill and understanding even in a document as uninspiring as a CV. Learning how to use InDesign and to think about packaging and other concerns was interesting and added an extra piece to my skillset. As for the design of my CV I still went with a relatively simple design, but I was able to find a typeface that I like and able to develop a simple brand style for all my documents that I carried on through the whole of the semester and the other projects.
In terms of trying to find a placement a portfolio was the one thing I didn’t have that I needed, I had tried to at least consider what content I would need over the summer, and I had plans to try and get a head start with this task. However, work and life didn’t let that happen, so I started out with a blank sheet. I knew the projects my portfolio would include from last year, my Notion blog was not suitable to simply copy and paste across as a case study so I had to start these from scratch and develop them to get to the key points in a more succinct way, I have linked my Notion blog where appropriate on my portfolio for people who want a deep dive into an individual project. For the design of my portfolio, I deliberately went with a minimalist approach, I wanted my project work to take the lead, not the design of the website itself and I was happy with the outcome. I was able to secure a domain I was happy with and was able to develop a wordmark for my own personal brand that I can now use across all my personal projects. I decided to code my portfolio website myself using HTML and CSS, while this might take a little longer than some of the no code solutions, I find it much easier to debug my own code and I feel the results are more than a match for any site created in a no code tool. There are a couple of areas I would still like to improve but I would need to dive into JavaScript to do this, so that will be a job for when I have more time. I am very pleased and proud of the work I can showcase in my portfolio, four projects with case studies to show a range of my skills, as well as the site itself.
While I have heard of tenders before and was aware they were where businesses attempted to secure contracts for a particular piece of work, I was not familiar with the rest of the process. I found the task of creating a proposal for digital touch points and a brand identity for Hill Street a satisfying one. It was great to get out and do some on the ground research and explore the area, an area that I was aware of but had not paid a lot of attention to. I was able to then develop what I believe were solid design ideas that could work for the area and bring the added knowledge and awareness they would look for. A proposal document is not just about ideas however, and in class we looked at some of the more practical considerations surrounding pricing your work and protecting yourself as a self-employed designer. I feel these classes really improved my knowledge in this area and I know feel I have at least the base knowledge required to make an educated decision about whether freelancing is something I want to do, now or in the future.
This was the final project of this module and with a hard date in the calendar to give the presentation there was no leeway to spend any extra time on this task between the end of teaching and our hand-in. This was unfortunate as after completing the design task for a job application and attending some interviews, time was getting tight at this stage. Especially as for this task there was no brief for what the presentation needed to be about. Ideation can be challenging especially when there is a tight timeframe, its not easy to come up with an idea out of nowhere and create something people would be interested in. Coming up with an idea did take a bit of time and then the work of proving it could work started. I actually quite enjoyed the process of finding the facts, figures, quotes and user research to validate my idea, it was rewarding to see your assumptions be proven right or to let the research take you in a different direction. This is how it worked for me I started thinking about a parental control app, however my research showed that these were not popular. My research also showed that there was a gap for an app that children could use to learn about online safety and empower themselves, so this is the idea I pitched. I must be honest the visual design of my slide deck was not the strongest but as time was tight it was the best I could do. I believe the content of the presentation was strong and I was very happy with how I presented as I was quite nervous about that. I kept the slide deck minimal in design and in line with all my other projects from this semester to keep everything consistent across the board.
This semester has been tough with a heavy workload from both modules combined with the added complication of finding, applying for and interviewing for placement roles. It has been hard to find enough time to do it all alongside working and trying to keep some form of social life alive. However, it has also been rewarding, I have learnt a lot more about the realities of being a self-employed designer and I have a CV and portfolio I have been proud to apply for jobs with. As I have now secured a placement role I can also say all the work was worth it.