During my last year of my BA Graphic Design degree I suppose you could say ‘one found oneself’, in the sense that I established a confidence in my design that I never I knew I had. Over that year I challenged myself in new ways, adapting along the way, whilst also playing towards my strengths in art direction and visual identity. Much of my work was of a typographic nature, so towards the end of the course I challenged myself to produce a piece of non-typographic design. The result was my most successful piece to date and one which has led me into a new way of thinking towards design.
Confidence is no longer a factor for me. Now as a result of my success, I find myself beginning a postgraduate MA in Design. At first this felt like a daunting task – but then what design challenge isn’t? Over the past two weeks that feeling has transformed into excitement and a sense of opportunity – one that I’m relishing.
Recently I’ve been reflecting on where I stand in design – looking at the ethics of graphic design in particular – and trying to derive where my design voice is taking me. I’m forever looking for new and improved ways to live my life. For me the way you live your life is reflective of who you are as a person, as well a designer. From this, I find myself relentlessly questioning how I can live my life in better ways to harness my design ability.
Throughout this Postgraduate journey I intend to discover how my design can compliment the lives of others – design to make a difference. I’m fascinated by design that alters the way we think, the way we live – ambient media in particular. As a designer I am driven by a sense of responsibility to excite, engage, enchant the audience with new found forms of visual communication. Fuelled from the feeling my work has impacted the viewer’s lives, here I embark on a year of design discovery.