Love Hate Relationship

As soon as I started the FdA Web Design course I was immediately introduced to Adobe CS4. We started to use it on a daily basis and I therefore started to seriously consider whether I was going to purchase it for use at home.

Some parts of the work were really hard to complete in the first couple of weeks because I didn’t have CS4 to use at home. I could only do my work at college. Luckily the first project wasn’t about design and was writing a report and therefore I had other means to get around this. However when we started the typography modules I really needed it at home. I therefore downloaded a 30 day trial version from adobe.

The trial allowed me to get more used to the software and this therefore improved my learning and the skills I had. I could see the benefits of having the software at home, and I obviously wanted to purchase it. However with it being so expensive I wanted to fully make sure that the course was for me. After all, I didn’t want to spend the money and then not have it to use…

When the trial ended, I then couldn’t have another trial on my computer; I really had to get it. I spent £290 on the software, spending £20 more to download it (I thought this was the better option, ha I was so wrong). I downloaded it on my computer… it didn’t work. We tried swiping all adobe off the computer; properly uninstalling it and then reinstalling everything back onto it… it still didn’t work. Hours have been spent phoning adobe trying to fix it; we still haven’t had any luck.

After using CS4 for many months I have got used to the software and enjoy using it. These problems with adobe have made me hate doing work for college, as I know it will be difficult to get my work done. Surprisingly, I have managed to get the work complete and handed in on time, with great results at the end of it. At some points I have felt so stressed out with it all, I just couldn’t be bothered. I hope that soon things work out, so finally I can concentrate on my work, and actually enjoy it!

I hate adobe. I love adobe.

Word Count: 394

Me, Myself and I

I don’t believe in myself, I don’t know why, it’s just the way I am.

It has been the same throughout the whole of my education, especially with my Art work and writing. I feel ashamed when people read anything I have wrote, worrying about spelling mistakes and bad grammar. This to me has been the hardest part of the course so far, believing in myself. I know I shouldn’t feel like this though and judging on the grades I have achieved, it shows I do have a firm understanding.

At the beginning of the course, and still now, I don’t contribute in class as much as I would like to. Sometimes I may have an answer that I want to share, but worry about what happens if it’s wrong? I know I shouldn’t worry about this though, as my friends won’t laugh. Taking part is a lot better than sitting there quite. At least some form of answer shows that I am taking notice.

On the first assignment, Work Related Learning 1, I achieved a pass grade. I was very happy to have passed, after all it was my first assignment. However, I couldn’t help comparing myself to other people in the class. By doing this I put myself down because I look at what other people have achieved and this makes me feel like I’m not good enough to pursue a career in this industry. I know I shouldn’t compare myself to other people. We all came to this course with different levels of skills and experiences. Some people already knew bits about typography and have experience using some of the software, whereas I had none.

Now I know everybody a lot more, I feel a bit more comfortable in answering questions and I am able to participate a bit more. This is also probably because I am more aware of the web industry so I know what I am talking about more. However I still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do before I will start to fully believe I am capable of producing work to a professional level, and can earn a successful living out of this industry.

Word Count:374

Looking back

Already one college semester complete – 12 weeks, 24 college days, hundreds of hours… and I have thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. Yes it has been tough but I feel already I have come along way. Since the course began I now have a better eye for design, I have learnt Typography and on top of that have had the chance to talk to professionals.

The first assignment, Work Related Learning 1, was not what I expected. I thought straight away we would be designing websites. I have to say I wasn’t happy when I understood the aim was to right a report. As I have come straight from doing A-Levels, that is all I have seemed to do. However looking back now, I understand the importance of this assignment. I felt it was a really good way to set us off by exploring the web design industry. Starting out by having to go interview somebody was scary. I new I would have to do it at some point but not for the first assignment. However I think this helped as from day one my confidence has been improving.

Presentations… I really do not like them.  I’m fine with preparing for them and getting all the work done. I just get so nervous. When starting the first presentation in the first week I have never been so scared. All I wanted to do was hide. Right now I feel my confidence has grown immensely and I really feel that’s from being put in these situations again and again. It may be awful but in the long run it’s going to help.

Before the Interface Design presentation I was a nervous wreck, however, no where near as bad as I would have been 4 months ago. When I got the feedback from the presentation I was shocked that I did actually come across as confident. All I can remember are the bad areas, where I may have stuttered or pronounced a word incorrectly. My feedback was pretty good, therefore increasing my confidence even more. I do believe one of my weaknesses is that I need to believe in myself more. I think that this is probably one of the reasons why I get so nervous. I need to be more positive and believe in my abilities more.

Going into the typography module was a little easier for me. I come from a design background and therefore this was one of my stronger areas. Yes I have a lot to learn, but I could approach the tasks feeling a lot more comfortable. The hard part was implementing my designs and creating them on screen. This is something I’m not that used to. My background is Art Graphics and Fine Art so a lot of what I did was on paper, delicate drawings. This background did help me though when we needed to create our sketchbook work. I have carried a sketchbook around with me for years, so having to plan ideas on paper beforehand was nothing new to me.

Learning the typography theory was the part that stumped me. Probably some of the hardest things that I have ever had to learn and remember. Learning 52 different typefaces when a lot of them look identical is really difficult! However after time I started to understand all the different areas that you need to look at to tell them apart.

I think the typography module has really helped me to become more aware of designing something to meet its purpose rather than just doing a ‘nice’ design. Before this module I used to use the drop down box to select the typeface and just picked on what I thought looked nice. I now understand more and pick a typeface to suit the job.

A lot of my time this semester has been spent sat on my computer learning how to use InDesign. This was completely new to me and it therefore took me a long time just learning how to do the basics. Over the period I have become a lot more confident with what it can do, which has helped me when designing as I am able to do a lot more.

To summarise, I have learnt an incredible amount over the last 4 months. Some of which I never even thought I could, such as in the Typography module. I’m looking forward to the next semester, in order to carry on using my skills and carry on learning.

Word Count: 750

Where I am going

To be truthful, I really have no idea where I will be in 5 years time. Ideally I hope to be in a successful job that is giving me challenges and something which I enjoy. As well as this I don’t know whether I will be working for myself or for a company. However, I have always liked the sound of having my own business. These things are what I hope to discover in the next year when I start to find my feet more on the course.

Deciding what choices to make after leaving this course is difficult for me because I have never been out of education. From leaving school, I went straight to sixth form college, then onto where I am now. I have never had experience of having a ‘career’ rather than a ‘Saturday job’. Hopefully, by the end of the year, I will have decided which choices are the best for me.

For now, I believe setting targets for the next couple of years to be more useful. I understand what I want out of the course and what I want in terms of preparing myself for work. These are things that I have already picked up on in the last 8 weeks;

In the next year I really hope to improve my weaknesses. These range from presentational skills to understanding some of the course terminology more. I am going to set myself targets in order to try to overcome these weaknesses. Firstly, in order to gain a better understanding of course terminology, I hope to set aside an hour or two a week just that so I can learn what these words mean. There are a number of things that get mentioned in class which I don’t have a clue about. By learning some of these I think it will help me get more out of the course. I will be able to respond better in group discussions as I also will actually understand what my course friends are talking about.

Another important aspect of the course for me is improving on presentational skills. Already I feel, since the course began, that my confidence has improved. The next step is performing in front of groups. This is something that I look forward to all the way until the very last minute but then, when it comes to it, there is nothing I dread more. This is because I get really nervous which causes me to forget what I’m meant to be saying. I hope that, with time, I will be able to further improve these skills by practicing.

By improving all of the above weaknesses it will improve my employability as these skills are essential to anyone who works in the design industry.

My targets for the future are:

• Improve my presentation skills.
• Achieve a merit in one of the course modules.
• Gain a better understanding of terminology.
• Be employable.

Word Count: 497

Where I am now

Eight weeks have now passed since the course began and already I feel I have come along way. I have a better understanding of my strengths and weaknesses in the course modules, but more on a personal level I am more confident and I am participating in group activities more. This is a real change from when I walked in on the first day shy and apprehensive.

One thing that I have done in order to improve my learning, is a questionnaire by Honey and Mumford. This was set in place in order to help people find out their own learning style. After completion I found, that out of the four possible learning styles I could fit into, I am a reflector. After reading about the reflective learning style I definitely agree this is the way I learn.  

Similarities between me and the reflective learner style are that I like to prepare myself before actually doing something. One of my fears is being put on the spot to say something when I haven’t had the time to prepare myself and give the best that I could. I fear things such as presentations if I don’t have the time to research. I like to look in detail and know what I am doing. This is something that I do hope to change in the future. I understand, from learning about the industry, that sometimes there is not a lot of time to prepare and, therefore, over time I hopefully will get more comfortable with less preparation.

Another area that makes me a reflective learner is that I like to make decisions when I am ready, and prepare myself and give myself time to reach those decisions. I prefer time to work on something and get it to the best standard, rather than producing it really quickly. This can often mean that it is not completed to my best. Again I recognise in industry it is not like that and I do need to be able to be fast and still produce good quality work. This is something over time I will learn.

In addition to this, I have read an article by Andy Rutledge called ‘The Employable Web Designer’. This was a very interesting read as it enabled me the chance to understand the many different skills that I will need to be a web designer. Honestly, I was amazed by the wide range of skills that you have to learn and know to be successful in the industry. When looking through there are some that I look at and believe I am on my way to achieving, however, there is a very large gap still to be learnt.

Alongside Andy Rutledge’s article I have also researched on a government website called Skillset. This explains the National Occupational Standards for numerous careers, including Interactive Media. This was another good website to compare myself and see where I am and how I need to improve. It explains the many skills, qualifications and experience required to work in Interactive Media. So far I have some of the skills but, again, there are still a lot that I need to develop.

Some of the skills that I have been learning now are Typography and Interface Design. I feel that I am coming along with these, especially in Typography where on the first test I didn’t get any correct and the second test I achieved 11 out of 25.

This week I also received my first set of grades from the Work Related Learning 1 module, which I was not looking forward to. This was because I had no idea as to the level I am at. This is the first piece I have done since starting the course that has been assessed. I was also nervous due to it being a written piece, which has never been my strongest, and I knew it wouldn’t be the best piece of work that I had ever done for that reason. However, when receiving my results I was shocked to find I had done well and passed.

When speaking to Steve about the weaknesses of the report, I understand every point and, thankfully, I now recognise the areas that I need to improve on. I always thought it was my spelling that let me down when, actually, it’s not. This really has helped me understand what I need to do to improve.

Word Count: 741

Where I Have Come From

I first realised I enjoyed design when studying ICT and Art Graphics at GCSE level. I really enjoyed both subjects and, luckily, they were also my strongest. As I enjoyed, and achieved in them, it led me to believe that I wanted a career in the design industry; I just didn’t have a clue doing what.

I’m lucky in that my dad actually works in design, designing checkouts for supermarkets such as the Co-op. This was a brilliant opportunity to visit them and understand how a design company works.

During this 2 weeks placement, in July 2006, I learnt a number of skills on design programs such as AutoCAD and got a real feel for work. Designing checkouts wasn’t for me, but I benefited with more of an understanding that I wanted a job in the design industry.

I, therefore, decided I would apply to college and take A-Levels. This, I knew, would allow me more time to work out exactly what I wanted to do and I would also gain more skills to get somewhere in the industry.

I studied 3 A-Levels at Ossett Sixth Form College, these were a course in Business Studies, ICT and Art. I also completed an AS-Level in General Studies and another in Sociology. In total, my A-Levels took 2 years and, at the end, I achieved great results which I am very proud of.

I would say that I always try hard in everything that I do. So, after receiving my results, I was very happy that I successfully achieved the grades which I desired. Even better is that I have been awarded prizes for my achievement in Business and also ICT.

It was actually from a piece of coursework on the A-Level ICT course that I learnt all about the web design industry. My brief was to design and build a website for the schools elections. I really enjoyed this project and, therefore, I started to consider a career in this industry.

When I had finally decided a career path for me, it was time to start applying for higher education. At first I was really unsure about university. I didn’t think it was for me. I believed the best thing to do was go straight into work and learn the many skills about web design through experience.

However, I still had a look at web design courses I could do. When looking through I was disappointed that a university didn’t actually offer a suitable course for me.

I never even thought about Wakefield College. I never even knew that colleges offered degrees. But, after looking at the website and actually talking to people who knew friends/relatives that had been on the course, I immediately thought that it was the right one for me and I applied for it straightaway.

This was the only place that I applied to and I’m so excited for the first day to begin.

Word Count: 495