The Individual and The Designer

Individual:

Quality. Quality is very important to me throughout my life, be that material quality, such as clothes and food, or human quality in a person. I would rather pay that amount more for quality than settle for satisfactory when it comes to material quality and when it comes to human quality it is something I strive for as well as look for in others. This is not just the quality of the person but also their qualities, whether they are someone I would want to work with, get to know or go for a drink with.

   

The Now. Although I think we can learn a lot from the past and it is an important factor in how we live and act what is going on now is more important.  If we concentrate on what has happened in the past it does not leave any space or scope to move forward. By limiting ourselves in such a way means that we would be stuck in a cycle where we are all the same. This is something I do not like and thrive on individuality.

Appearance. At the risk of sounding vain, my appearance is very significant to me. Although many people see appearance as superficial and irrelevant to me it is something that I am interested in and something that makes me who I am. This can be physical appearance, how I look and what clothes I wear but also how I come across to others. I do not want to come across as an arrogant dick; neither do I want to fade into the crowd.

Active. I am not the sort of person that can sit around all day and do nothing. I would much prefer to walk somewhere than take a car, a bus or a train and, although I am not as active as I used to be, the thrill and enjoyment from football is something that without, my week would be slow. Football also gives me an opportunity to release some frustration/anger/physicality, which I cannot do in everyday life. Football is also a good way to form friendships and helps improve collaboration skills.

 

Variety. This can be applied to almost everything about my life, my interests, my influences and what I like. I don’t confine myself to certain trends, themes and genres as I think this limits me. I prefer to indulge myself in anything and everything that takes my interest.

 Designer:

Professionalism. In my work I strive for a professional finish and quality. I don’t like producing and presenting work that I am not happy with and that does not showcase the quality and ability I believe I am capable of. The work I produce is not always as professional as I want it to be, however, this is something that should improve over time.

Structure. My strength, I believe, in my designing is my structure and layout. I produce my best work when working with graph paper and a ruler, as I like a certain level of accuracy and constraint to what I am doing. I still find it possible to produce work without these tools; however, I feel more confident and more in control with them.

Photography. Another element of my design that is strong is my photography, both the use of photographs and the taking of them. It is something that has grown from an interest and has become a large part of my design process. Photography helps me document and show off my work to a standard I am happy with and on I see as more professional.

Simple. I like my work to have a simplicity to it. I do not like work that has too much going on, is over crowded and confusing, leaving the viewer with no clear message. Although I have produced work that has been too simple and too safe in the past I aim to produce work that has a powerful impact with a simple design. I enjoy the use of and exploitation of negative space and how it impacts on the design.

Perfection. I am under no illusion that my work is nowhere near perfect and that’s where I want it. Without imperfection there would be no ability to learn and develop. I do not think that perfection is possible to achieve as there is always something that could be done to improve what is being worked on. Even if I think the work is perfect someone else will pick it apart or I will realize something more relevant, or something that would have produced a greater impact after it has been submitted.. This also illustrates the importance of criticism as that details what needs improving, changing and adjusting to make my work better, fulfill the brief more or be more to the clients liking.