Task 4: Who else is out there-how good are they ?

Who am I competing against?

Other graduating Graphic Designer students from all over the country. Also other Graphic Designers looking for new jobs


What do they offer?

Some of the these competing Graphic designers may have had more experience than me. Those who have already practiced as a designer in the real world obviously has experience as their advantage. Many graduating Graphic designers would have had at least one or two work experience. Apart from that.



What makes me better/ different?

First of all, other than the enterprise module that we have been doing at the Art college ( which I don't think many other colleges do) I will be doing a masters degree in MBA after I graduate from this college. Therefore I will have a more extensive knowledge about marketing and businesses which could become a huge advantage to my potential employers. The Leeds college of art and design provides students with facilities that not many other colleges do and I have had the chance to familiarize myself with many of those facilities. Eg. Letter press, a great print and digital resources.

One of my values in my design practice is sustainable Graphic Design. Some agencies/ companies seeks designers who are environmentally and socially responsible.

Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of 3 design agencies

BEAM-

The strengths of BEAM agencies are that the studio is based in central London, which is in the heart of many businesses. It should not be easy for them to gain clients. They are also committed to designing with concerns for the environment in their mind. This is an ethical company that also produces work of the highest quality. They also take on a wide range of jobs from print to interactive to environmental designs. Their weaknesses would be that they are quite a small firm, but this could be what they were looking for. Their printed designs are quite similar to each other, almost generic. So, I would say that many of their designs are quite save , but that could be exactly what the clients want thought.

Celery Design-

This is quite a big agency with two studios in California and Paris. So, this could be both a strength and a weakness. There will be different types of people working towards toward the same goal with the same values. However, a smaller agency, designers might be more close knitted while working with each other. They are also very committed in sustainable Graphic Design. One of their founders is actually the author of ‘ Green Graphic Design’ a well-known book that most sustainable Graphic Designers would have read. The agency’s work is of the highest quality, especially with innovative sustainable designs. They’re very active a d involved. Lots of events and conferences etc. They are so focused on sustainable Graphic Design, naturally that would be a good thing. However, all their clients are all ‘green’ organizations and I am also really interested in layout and editorial designs but they don’t do very many of those.

Firebelly-

A design agency based in central Chicago. This is also quite a large agency I think but not as big as Celery design. One strength that I feel really strongly about as it directly relates to me is that they have a large section on their website about internships and how to apply etc. this shows that they welcome young students to be a part of their practice and giving us a chance to experience the real industry. They have a wide range of clients as well which is great for networking etc. I’m finding it quite hard to find weaknesses by just looking at their websites. So far, I feel like may be the agency gives off a bit of cooperate and generic feeling. A less carefree one but perhaps that’s not a bad thing?

To evaluate, there are many opportunities available to me but I will competing against so many other graduating and already practicing Graphic Designers. From looking at these design agencies, some are more vocal about their interest in taking internships. And some of them, a bigger agency than the other might also be more interested in accepting younger less experience designers as they will have more capabilities and resources to accept new young designers. All of these agencies are very committed to sustainable Graphic design. I need to make sure that I show them that I am also committed in the same values that they are in order for the 'opportunities' to present themselves. In order to stand out from the other competing designers, my portfolio will need to consist of a wide range of design works with different media. I have had the advantage of the facilities provided by the Leeds college of art such as, a great digital and print resources. We are able to build a strong portfolio showing our capabilities to work with a range of media ( some, others have had not the opportunity to ) and this is what will make me stand out from the rest. Lastly, although these agencies are quite big already and will have extensive knowledge in marketing and businesses, they might still see my degree in MBA as an advantage for their company especially compared to other young designers like me without such knowledge. Along with the right portfolio that shows my commitment in sustainable graphic design I hope that an opportunity to work in one of these firms or firms like these will present themselves.