My Exit Strategy

My final student finance payment goes into my bank account on April 15th 2013, which means I should be able to cover rent and other bills for three or four months, and then what? I need to get a job! Ideally I would like to work for a small to medium-sized design studio in Bath, Bristol or the surrounding area, preferably no more than an hour’s commute each way. I originally planned on being self-employed but I realise that not only is this very tough without having a good list of clients from the off, it is also a bit depressing working on your own, especially out of a box room at home. I did it for a couple of years in the past and I would rather not do it again.

The type of work I would like to do would be branding/marketing/advertising for local businesses, although I would of course like to deal with a multinational given half the chance, provided the financial rewards balanced out the risk and stresses involved. That sort of work is unlikely to come along for a while, so I should have the experience to handle it if it does. I can always fall back on web design for a quick buck, as this is what I used to do and I reckon I could get up to speed in next to no time, although I would prefer to work more with logos, packaging and editorial design. I would be comfortable with some photography and even a wee bit of illustration, although I tend to leave that to the experts. One skill that I can offer to a potential employer is my writing - I was a games journalist for four years and am still pretty confident of my writing ability. This is certainly something that not many design graduates can provide.

I haven’t ruled out the idea of teaching, although in reality I think you need to have worked in a field for a significant amount of time before you can start telling other people how to do it. Maybe this is something I could do part-time once I have more experience as a designer. I am not sure I can afford to do an MA at the moment – I need to start earning money, not accrue more debt. And then there’s the prospect of a 25,000 word essay! I do really enjoy helping people with their work though, either through my technical knowledge (web stuff) or by helping them think of original design solutions, so I shouldn’t rule it out entirely.

In terms of concrete plans for the future, I am currently in the process of chasing up some contacts in the design industry. Martin Lawless, formerly of 300 Million, has given me details of people to contact for work placements at The Chase (London) and Mark Studio (Manchester). A week or two at either or both of these places would give me a real insight into the industry as well as a useful foot in the door, not to mention the benefits to my CV. Talking of which, that could do with a bit of a spruce up, as it has not been updated since my last job as a games designer. I also plan on creating my own portfolio website in the next few weeks, to replace my Blogger site, which looks unprofessional. I am already using the URL www.aa72.co.uk, which I will continue with for the time being, along with the name AA72, the logo for which I am currently redesigning. I will get business cards designed and printed as soon as I have the logo in place. Putting some of my best work on Behance and other design networking sites might be an idea too...

After final hand-in I want to put together a nice printed brochure about myself and my services that I will send to all the design studios in the Bath/Bristol area. This needs to be really impressive as you rarely get more than one chance to make an impact. I will follow this up shortly after with phone calls, as I have learnt that most of them ignore unsolicited emails. There is also a company in Bath who design labels for wine bottles, something I am passionate and quite knowledgeable about. I have been given the mobile number of someone who works there, via a mutual friend, who says I am welcome to pay them a visit sometime, to see what they do. This is definitely worth following up and I will do so as soon as I have the time.

If I cannot find any work or placements in design within a month or so of graduating then I will have to take a McJob or do some temping to pay the bills while I develop my portfolio. I will use any spare time to work on my own self-initiated projects that may help to get me the sort of job that I actually want.