Networking Workshop

Today we had a networking workshop with John Hector from Spike Design. A lot of what he told us was common sense, although it was worth noting down a few of the organisations that can offer help to people in the creative industries. Bristol currently has a vibrant design sector, centred around Stokes Croft, Paintworks, the Watershed and Spike Island. Bath is sorely lacking at present but perhaps that presents an opportunity, plus Bristol is not far to go for a bit of help.

John stressed the importance of keeping up-to-date with local industry bodies, such as Spike Design and Design South West. He also mentioned the West of England Design Forum, who run a series of professional lectures and workshops from the Arnolfini in Bristol. I will sign up to e-bulletins from all of these places to ensure that I am not missing out on any opportunities. Obviously, showing your face at these kind of events can lead to work or project collaborations. Other useful organisations include Creative & Cultural Skills and the Design Council.

He told us to be curious, keeping up-to-date with other designers' work, in the area (in direct competition) as well as on a more global scale. It is clear that I need to conduct some more serious research on the design sector, so I can figure out exactly where I fit within it. What do I like? What am I passionate about? What am I good at? These are all questions I should be able to address when I have a bit of time after final hand-in.

When it comes to actual formal networking events, John told us that planning is key and that you should figure out what you want to achieve. Who's in the room that you want to speak to? If you get to speak to that person, make sure you say something memorable. Get a business card and follow up the next day with an email. Also, it is vital to rehearse the answer to the question "what do you do?". I currently don't have a satisfactory answer to this, certainly nothing more vague than "graphic design", whatever the hell that is!

Social networking is something I need to learn how to use properly, from a business perspective. It seems that many businesses are using Twitter in particular to get work, as well as getting known to the design community by blogging about conferences and exhibitions that will be of interest. I need to look at how my favourite local/global design studios use social media effectively and try do something similar. This is something else that I can research in earnest after hand-in, unless I can find the time before.

One thing that keeps coming up in these events is that you need to make a massive initial impact. It seems obvious but it's amazing how many designers send a CV or letter out that isn't really designed, or even checked for typos! I know I have nothing to worry about regarding the latter, but I should definitely think about producing a beautiful piece of print design that will stand out from the rest. Perhaps I can create a CV that folds out into a massive A1 poster or something...