I finally graduated! ...and, er, got a job?!

Last Friday I made my last journey back up to Middlesbrough for my graduation, and besides a lot wind and a little bit of rain, it was a bloody good day. It was amazing to be back with the people I'd spent the last three years of my life with, and it was great to meet with our tutors and chat about what's been happening since our departure from university back in July. It was a day full of high emotions; elation to be together celebrating the fact that we'd all made it through the three years together, and a bit of sadness knowing that we'd probably never be back in Middlesbrough together again, but for me there was an overarching sense of nervousness because I was waiting for a phone call to find out if I'd been successful at a job interview or not.

London | D&AD New Blood Exhibition 2015

Well, I did it, I became the person I never thought I'd be: a person who loves London.

Leaving London on Friday (however relieved I was to finally be resting my poor, tired feet) definitely brought with it a few feelings of sadness, and I suppose that's how I now know that it's where I see my future. I love the hustle and bustle, the fact that everyone has somewhere to be, the diversity, the excitement, the sheer amount of things there are to do, the fact that everyone heads to the pub after work, everything. Ok, perhaps not everything, but London definitely has an atmosphere and a vibe unlike anything that I've know while living in Barnsley and Middlesbrough over the last decade. It's ever changing, it's exciting, and I can't wait to one day live there and soak it up in all its glory. Actually, I'm not sure what the hell I'll do if I don't end up there.

End of Year Exhibition

exhibition snippets

while browsing the end of year exhibition today and on tuesday, although i had a good ol' mooch around i didn't get the chance to take many pictures due to dedicated wine drinking, feeling a bit foolish and distractions in general, however i did manage to snap a few pictures of the corner of the exhibition where second year work was being exhibited and thought i'd share a few pictures with you all to give you a feel for what the rest of the exhibition holds. there was plenty to browse in terms of typography, motion and branding, however there seemed to be a lack of illustrative work compared to last year's show which for me was obviously a little disheartening, but prompts me to make sure i have plenty of lovely pictures to contribute to the overall exhibition next year.

and with that concludes second year! what an absolutely mental year it's been.

 

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first year is over!

work by kerry neesam

work by craig ainsley

 

work by liam dobbin

 

work by mitchell collinson 

work by joy-louise waterman

 work by maiken garen

some first year book work on display

it was really nice to see a couple of my own projects on display!

 some work by my fabulous friend josh!

 and finally, a cake a classmate made to celebrate the end of the year

when our tutor told us that first year would fly by, he really wasn't kidding! while it doesn't feel like i've been at university for the whole nine months that i have, i definitely feel that i've improved masses since the day i started there! i've had a bit of an up and down journey this year regarding my feelings towards the course, but i can happily say now, at the end of the year, that i think making the decision to come to university was definitely the right decision. i feel that it's helped to push me and given me the motivation i'd otherwise struggled to acquire, helped me meet a wide range of talented individuals, given me the insight of my tutors and will (hopefully) give me the opportunities to make valuable connections with people within industry (fingers crossed!)

this week i attended the third year exhibition and was blown away by the quality of the whole exhibition, from the quality of the work to how the studios were set up. the quality of the work displayed has helped to give me an idea of the level that i'll need to have brought myself up to by the end of year three, and in other places has inspired me to push and better myself as an illustrator; it's nice to know that when i graduate, if i want to, i can refer to myself solely as an illustrator. throughout this year i've realised that graphic design, as a general term, isn't particularly where my interests lie, so having the knowledge that i can make my course what i'd like it to be is comforting.

naturally i was drawn to the illustrative exhibited pieces, but i tried my best to capture some other elements of graphic design to share with you in this blog post. i've credited relevant designers/illustrators under their work so please check out their twitters/websites if you like what you see!

all in all, a good first year. i've worked hard and i've achieved grades that reflect that fact, so hopefully in two years time i should be able to graduate with a good degree. here's to two more years of hard work!

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