Assignment 3- Employment/Interview poster

Assignment 3- Task 2b

Graphic Design

There are many issues available for individuals looking to enter the media sector of employment. Having to compete with a lot of applicants is applicable for most job roles for our generation. 

 It is very competitive when trying to get a job within the media sector. The media sector is constantly growing and progressing. Trainees may have to start working for little all nothing. With the high level of competition, most candidates go to university to study their chosen topic before applying for jobs. This means that they cannot afford to work for free.

The job requirements to be a graphic designer-in most cases- require university level qualifications. 

Some people who study graphic design in university graduate still cannot gain employment in their desired job due to the fierce competition. 

Besides the competition and university fees (which come along with the majority of jobs in most areas of employment) being a graphic designer has other issues such as the developing software. Employees will constantly have to be learning how to use new software. Softwares and styles are constantly evolving. There are expectations which have to be met. There is also a chance that clients do not like your designs so it is a pressuring job role. 

However, there are a lot of benefits with entering a job role in the creative media sector. The job roles will always have an element of creativity, so the job role will never be the same thing day to day. Most people working in this sector have a passion for what they're doing so it will be enjoyable to work within a sector that you enjoy. 

The money can increase lots throughout the career. Starting off the wage could be starting at£14,000 climbing to a possible £65,000 for project managers and top senior designers. 

Creative flair and individuality can be expressed through work as a graphic designer. 

Day to day roles as a graphic designer can range and will never be the same every day. A few examples are: 

• Finding out the project requirements.
• Coming up with design ideas that meet the clients requirements.
• Estimating the time the project will take and working towards that deadline.
• Presenting options and design treatments.

Graphic designers usually work a 37 hour week- Monday-Friday. Extra hours are common when working towards a deadline. There will be long hours spent on computers.

Graphic designers must have:

• Creative flair.
• Strong visual sense.
• Originality. 
• Strong PC skills.
• Good teamwork skills.
• Confidence.
• Flexibility.
• Ability to work with developments in software.

Most graphic designers decide to work freelance for a year or so to gain some experience before obtaining a job role in a company. 

There are no entry requirements to be a graphic designer. However, the competition is fierce so qualifications and skills help to sell yourself and your skills.

It is possible for entry into this job role without a degree. If the candidate has enthusiasm, experience, and a strong portfolio there is a chance of employment. 

Think-Creative is a design company offering salaries ranging from 11K - 65K per year. 

I would like to work for companies like 'Think-Creative' such as strawberry soup, graphic evidence & afishinsea. 

Think-Creative is a company which offers professionalism and quality in the work they produce for their clients. The company produce logos, direct marketing and general graphic design.

The company provide contacts with their best employees where clients can contact leaving their desired requirements.

The benefits for working for this company is that it will promote your name by providing links to your own page with your work and your contact details. So, instead of feeling you are working on behalf of a company, you are working in your name. 

The drawbacks is that the client will choose the employee to contact and they choose who they wish to design for them. This means there may be a decline in your work or on the other hand, lots of work to complete. 

The job role of a graphic designer appeals to me as i am very visually creative and I enjoy working with creative individuality and flair. 

I feel that I would be suitable to be a graphic designer as I am a creative individual and I have enthusiasm with tasks I am passionate for. I have a passion for design work and I am good at time keeping and working towards deadlines. 

To ensure I have the capabilities to work in this industry, I would have to further my knowledge and skills working with new software. I would need to develop skills to enable me to fluently work using unfamiliar software. 

There are many paths to go down in graphic design. Starting off as a trainee in graphic design may lead me into senior executive in marketing. My salary could increase from 11,000 pounds a year to 65,000 thousand pounds a year. Flexibility in the industry means I could gain the knowledge for graphic design and could change job roles in the future to work in web design. 

Assignment 3- Online Portfolio

http://rosiewinslade.carbonmade.com/

Assignment 3- Creative CV

 Creative CV

My creative CV is double sides keeping the theme of Apple using an Ipad, Messaging, Apps etc. I hand drew the Ipad and then edited it using effects on Adobe Illustrator and coloured it as an Illustration. The Ipad features apps representing characteristics I have.The second page contains a personal statement and personal details about myself. 

Assignment 3- Accompanying letter for CV

14 Smarts Corner

London

WC2T 5YZ

Mr S Mark

Recruitment Manager

Opportunities LTD.

33-35 Golden Lane

London

N4 3JA

1 May 2013

Dear Mr Mark

REF: Graphic Designer with Steve Mark (Apprenticeship)

I am very interested in the above vacancy and I would like to apply for the position. I have enclosed a copy of my CV for your consideration.

As you can see from my CV I have just finished studying media at South Downs College. Throughout the two year course I have developed skills and knowledge essential for graphic design work.
I have always had an interest in visual design and I enjoy creating pieces of work. I am confident with the software I use. My skills were initially recognised whilst in school when I obtained an A grade in GCSE Graphic Communications.  I feel that the skills I have could be adapted and progressed throughout the apprenticeship. I am highly motivated to learn and would be thrilled with the opportunity to work for your company for the beginning of my career in design. 

In addition to College, I have managed two part time jobs in retail. This work experience has given me the opportunity to work as a team, individually, and provide excellent time management when working on tasks such as stock replenishment. During my time at college, I have learnt to use important software in order to work on project work. I have also developed a passion for creativity and freehand illustrations. 

I have a drive to succeed and I am able to work well in a team and individually under pressure. 

Contact me should you require any references or any further information. I am available to attend an interview at most times each day. 

Looking forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Rosie Winslade

Assignment 3- CV

 Rosie Winslade

19 Pangbourne Avenue, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO62NT

            Mobile:0711111                                                                  Email: rosiewinslade@hotmail.co.uk

Personal Statement

A BTEC L3 Creative Media Production Student at South Downs College. Studying Graphic Design, I am familiar with design software such as Photoshop and Adobe packages. In addition to graphics, I have also studied units such as writing copy, music programming, and photography which have helped me to understand the importance of managing deadlines, working in teams and meeting the development of creative briefs in order to produce work for a specific audience.
 I am looking for a post college Apprenticeship in Graphic Design and other Creative Design work in order to begin a career in the creative industry. 

Education

BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production (print/mixed)

current

GCSEs 2012

I obtained 1 Level 2 NVQ and 9 GCSEs ranging from C grade to A grade. Including English Language/Literature- B and Graphics at A grade. 

Work Experience

July 2011- Boots Chemist, Cosham, Hampshire. Sales Assistant. 

Provided high quality customer service and worked as a team on checkouts dealing with pressure at busy times. 

October 2012-Present- Homebase, Farlington, Hampshire. Checkout Assistant. (part time)

Working in retail, it was my responsibility to meet sales targets and contribute towards the customers positive experience in store. There was often complications in store which I dealt with using my customer service, communication and problem solving skills.

Interests

Keeping Active- In the Summer, I enjoy walks and bikerides with my friends. I like keeping active and I consider myself to be a competitive and motivated individual. 

Going out- I am very outgoing. I like to get out the house and socialise with my friends and family. I  spend my free time going to concerts, shopping, and being in the outdoors.
TV, Journalism , Music- I enjoy watching drama & documentaries, reading a wide range of publications such as tabloids, broadsheets and magazines and listening to different genres of music and  going to concerts. I also enjoy writing blogs which I do regularly in my free time.
Skills
Computing- I passed ICT at GCSE level. I have the basic skills to operate standard programs such as Microsoft Office. I also am familiar with design software such as the Adobe packages and Photoshop. Other graphic design software I am familiar with is: Inkscape & Gimp.
Teamwork- Enjoy working as a team and independently.
Time Keeping- I am good at working to deadlines.
Communication skills- I work well in groups and deal with customers effectively.

Assignment 3 - Task 2a

Job role research-

Magazine Journalist- 

The daily roles of being a magazine journalist consist of :

• researching a subject and story;
• writing and editing news stories and features in the publication’s house style;
• ensuring work is well written, accurate and submitted to deadline;
• conducting interviews, either in person, over the phone or via email;
• attending seminars, conferences and fairs (some magazine publishers hold exhibitions and events to allow advertisers to meet their readership);
• generating ideas for stories;
• sourcing images to accompany written pieces;
• meeting with colleagues to plan the content of the issue and the character of the publication;
• keeping up to date with trends and developments relating to the magazine’s subject matter.

Responsibilities of this job role are covering the topic also able for online journalism form as most magazines have a website. Online journalism has to be written in a different style to the published content. 

There are no strict entry requirements. However, most new magazine journalists have a degree or HND. With fierce competition a degree is recommended but with hard work and determination it is possible to work your way up from a local newspaper or magazine with a background in writing ready to work up to specialist magazine journalism.   

Starting this job the salary would begin at £15,000-£26,00 however some may be as low as £12,00 depending on the company. Many graduates have to work unpaid to get into the business however senior and experienced magazine journalists can earn from £18,000 to £36,000 a year. If working with a big company and become editor in chief of a magazine you can earn anything from £22,000 to £65,000+. 

Graphic Designer-

The daily roles of being a graphic designer are:

• meeting clients or account managers to discuss the business objectives and requirements of the job;
• interpreting the client's business needs and developing a concept to suit their purpose;
• estimating the time required to complete the work and providing quotes for clients;
• developing design briefs by gathering information and data through research;
• thinking creatively to produce new ideas and concepts;
• using innovation to redefine a design brief within the constraints of cost and time;
• presenting finalised ideas and concepts to clients or account managers;
• working with a wide range of media, including photography and computer-aided design (CAD);
• proofreading to produce accurate and high-quality work;
• contributing ideas and design artwork to the overall brief;
• demonstrating illustrative skills with rough sketches;
• working on layouts and artworking pages ready for print;
• keeping abreast of emerging technologies in new media, particularly design programs such as QuarkXPress, FreeHand, Illustrator, Photoshop, 3ds Max, Acrobat, Director, Dreamweaver and Flash;
• developing interactive design;
• commissioning illustrators and photographers;
• working as part of a team with printers, copywriters, photographers, stylists, illustrators, other designers, account executives, web developers and marketing specialists.

This job requires all graphic designers to be very creative and individual with their designs, up to date knowledge with the software used when designing. Also a professional approach to projects and keeping dates and deadlines are part of the job criteria. 

A degree of HND is not essential as some graphic designers have got their work by building up a port folio of work and designs demonstrating all their skills. Competition is fierce in this industry.

Entry to a course at university to obtain a degree or HND is unlikely without a BTEC in a design related topic. 

Salaries for this job range from fairly low to very high depending on experience and qualifications. Typically the range is from £14,00 and £25,00 however it can reach up to £45,000 if a senior designer. A creative director can earn up to £65,000. If you are experienced then working free lance can gain you up to £40 per hour. So starting at £14,000 with hard work it is possible to promote to 65K. 

Back up plan-

With these two job roles and the type of industry they're in there are key advantages and disadvantages to keep in mind. Competition can be harsh in this industry making it very hard to get a job. Lack of skill means that it is less likely that you obtain the desired job role when compared to someone with lots of experience in the industry. Location is also a key disadvantage as most jobs going in these roles will be in London or the north e.g Manchester or Birmingham. Technology can cause redundancy if there becomes a time that a machine can replace your job role. 

Because of these issues I have devised a back up plan which will also meet my interests and I feel I will find fun. However the money opportunities are not as high as those in the media sector. But there is always a demand for this job role and when leaving university there is a much higher chance of getting a job and that job being local as it will always be in demand. The reason this is a sensible back up is if I want a family and to live local. It is more practical and realistic.

Primary school Teacher

The day to day roles will include: 

• teaching all areas of the primary curriculum;
• taking responsibility for the progress of a class of primary-age pupils;
• organising the classroom and learning resources and creating displays to encourage a positive learning environment;
• planning, preparing and presenting lessons that cater for the needs of the whole ability range within their class; 
• motivating pupils with enthusiastic, imaginative presentation;
• maintaining discipline;
• preparing and marking work to facilitate positive pupil development;
• meeting requirements for the assessment and recording of pupils' development;
• providing feedback to parents and carers on a pupil's progress at parents' evenings and other meetings;
• coordinating activities and resources within a specific area of the curriculum, and supporting colleagues in the delivery of this specialist area;
• working with others to plan and coordinate work;
• keeping up to date with changes and developments in the structure of the curriculum;
• organising and taking part in school events, outings and activities which may take place at weekends or in the evening;
• liaising with colleagues and working flexibly, particularly in smaller schools;
• working with parents and school governors (in England, Northern Ireland and Wales) or School Boards (in Scotland) to maximise their involvement in the school and the development of resources for the school;
• meeting with other professionals such as education welfare officers and educational psychologists, if required