While trawling through Digg i found this handy post…

I’m planning on desperately thinking through each point before i make those promotional items (that i mentioned previously) and send them out. I feel like they have to be absolutely perfect because once i have posted them, they exist forever, not like if i make something here and dont like it i can just delete it or throw it out, but once its in the mail and posted people can keep them and then they’re around forever whether i like it or not.

Whoever will see them, whether they are infact the people i posted to or not, it will reflect on me and i only want it to say good things about me and my “skills” because even though my targets might not like it someone else who visits the office (for example) or empties the bins might like them and decide to employ me!

But only if they are utterly amazing! ^_^

Im still not 100% sure what i should be deciding to contain in these little promotional packs. They need to be informative but not boring or too wordy. Yet at the same time they need to be visual but they also need to be accurate enough so that anyone who wants to employ me will understand what i am capable of.

On the other hand i could make something that gives just enough information to make them want to look at my portfolio or my website? hmmm this is a tough one.

on the off-chance that someone looks on this page i thought i would post my “employ me” information…

I graduated from the University of Portsmouth Communication Design course with a first class honors. I’m proficiant in most major design programs including Adobe Creative Suite 3 (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign… etc)

I am able to think conceptually and creatively alone or in a team, I have had design experience freelancing for the past 3 years, and have also had some relevant work experience in studios. What I lack in experience I make up for it with enthusiasm! I will try my hand at anything, and am a fast learner.
I am looking for a permanent job in london, in any area of design, i have quite a broad portfolio but am looking to specialise so am open to all suggestions. Ideally i would just need a salary that would cover the costs of living/travelling in london.

Please feel free to view my online portfolio at www.likeyougiveadamn.com and email me if there is anything else you would like to know.

A copy of my CV pdf is available to download from here

or if you prefer, a microsoft word copy from here

Thanks for your time!

ok, its the night before my first interview and i am so excited! a company called Parker Williams Design have “shown interest in me” and booked me in for an interview at 2.00 tomorrow after noon in london… i am so nervous! ugh and what is so annoying about it is that im only nervous because i really want the job!
it sounds just so perfect, its basically the job equivalent of how excellent that MA was for me. the position is for a junior packaging artworker/designer and i get the impression i will be doing alot of the random office jobs, (which i am completely fine with because i want to learn more) but at the same time working my way up and getting more responsibility as time goes on.

the only problem is that a recruitment agency called me about it, and even though i asked for the job description for this job to be sent to me… so i know what im in for… i never got one.
i used my brain and went to the recruitment agencys website and searched for anything that sounded simillar to what the man had described to me on the phone and i found this…

Junior Packaging Artworker

Central London, to £21,000. I’m working with a London based, well established packaging design agency who are looking for someone with a real passion for artworking. They deal with some very reputable clients and work alongside them to create some of the most recognisable brand ID’s and packaging and want someone who can bring these ideas to life! You’ll need to know your way around Photoshop and Illustrator and a good working knowledge of Powerpoint is a must. This would be a great role for someone looking to carve a career into artworking and develop their skills with the support of a friendly and supportive agency. If this sounds like something you’re interested in, please send your CV through to me with samples.

i dont know if the job is permanent or how much the salary is but everything else sounds fulfilling. money is important but im not greedy, as long as i have enough to pay the rent, food, bills and because i realise that most design jobs are not strict 9 - 5 and i wont be able to do things in most of the evenings, so as long as i have the change to do so at weekends its a plus! ^_^

im just really excited about it!! and really nervous too. theyre a big deal, have a look at their website, i recognise pretty much everything they’ve done…. sainsburys “taste the difference” range for example. *nervous*

oh well… for tomorrow… wish me luck!

Ok, one of my more desperate ideas for getting a job.

I’m thinking send this out to every single design studio in london and hopefully one of them will reply… even if its just out of curiosity.

Try to imagine its me when you watch the clip, because i’m so desperate i might actually end up sending this one day in the not so distant future /sigh

For those who dont know, this is a clip from the film Spirited Away. Chihiro the main character (the girl in the clip) is trying to get a job because her parents have been magically transformed into pigs by a witch… erm, but isn’t that why we all want jobs? Oh just me then.

hmmm searching for jobs is repetitive and stressful!
most job searching websites dont allow to remember jobs you have already applied for, so when repeating the same search on the same websites everyday to see if there has been any more posts added often means you are reading and replying for the same jobs more than once…
and yes, you could use your brain and remember them, and what you have already applied for, but i have personally applied to over 50 jobs so far from titles such as artworker, graphic designer, junior graphic designer, designer, creative artworker, junior artworker, design graduate, retail brand designer, art designer and graphics all-rounder… i cant remember all of them!! thats never going to happen.

lucky that i have such a broad portfolio and that i can be applicable to all these different titles… but that was the opposite point of doing the masters, that i would ultimately thin down my portfolio and chose an area of design to specialise in. like magazine layouts or desktop publishing. which is something that i really enjoy being involved in. designing the page layouts for magazines would be fun.
but im hoping to vent that area of design frustration by making “likeyougiveadamn” newsletters in the form of pdfs… they will be like emagazines. i might make it monthly, im undecided yet.

to be honest there are so many things i want to do. lots of things interest me but i have to pick one in order to get a job, and which ever one i pick will ultimately change my career forever.
so i cant just pick any job (even though im desperate for the money) and hope that i can move on in 12 months time, because maybe it will mean i will be denied jobs in the future because the experience i have had “isn’t relevant”.

ohhh! difficult times! >_<

hooray! my Degree diploma arrived today. i was wondering if it would ever turn up, given that i graduated back in july… apparantly we were the first year to not get their diplomas on the day (scrolls) but now its here. all i have to do now is find a pretty frame to put it in. i dont know if that is too cheesy… it might be something my mum will want to do and keep here rather than me myself keep it and take it to London.
incidently… buying a one person flat in London is not as cheap as i thought it would be, a small studio apartment is about the same price as double apartment! well they are in the same price bracket. the thing is, and this is the most annoying part, i cant even start looking for a house until i have a job >_< because i wont know where to look!

i am so desperate for a job now too, i think i have applied to about 20-25 jobs over the last 4 days, apparantly - so my boyfriend says - he applied to about 30 jobs and only heard back from two. so that might be the case... but i think if i was offered something really little with an equally "little" salary of about 17k... i would still take it.
as long is its enough to keep me living in london i dont mind.

also i updated my portfolio again lastnight, with a couple more projects, so take a peek!

i was recently informed that the set of mugs commissioned for ECP Designs were nominated for “Gift of the Year” award 2007, and came highly commended under the category of classical home accessories.

The marking criteria for this award was:

*Design innovation and originality
*Quality of manufacture
*Sales potential and commercial viability
*Presentation and packaging
*Customer appeal and value
*Retail profit potential
*Marketing and merchandising support to the trade and the consumer
*X / WOW factor

… and was judged by people from such organisations as House of Fraser, Selfridges, Waterstones, National Trust and Lakeland.

to find out more, please see the website

as im looking for a job i have just updated my portfolio with some of the new things i have been up to… and also i have removed some projects that i didnt think were relevant. (/wave goodbye animations, ew!)
im going to try and put up some more things in the next week or so, to aid the employment process. as i dont want to advertise myself as part of a work area that i am no longer interested in.

watch this space!

…and here is the second canvas, this was a *joint operation* with myself and george these aren’t all the images, and it doesnt show it completely finished in these pictures but you can get the idea.

i said that i was going to do more work and i had taken alot longer than i had first thought to actually get some of this stuff going but here is number one of two canvas’ completed recently. there is still alot more stuff to be put up… but i dont want to show a work in progress because it looks really sloppy!

Graphic Designer/Creative Artworker Needed
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Location: Central London
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I run a small company (just me at the moment) and I need a good all rounder to help me 3-4 days a week with a view to going 5 days a week after a few months. InDesign/ Quark and Photoshop essential. knowledge of Dreamweaver and web design would be a big advantage.

Most of my clients are involved in the Classic and Sportscar market, an interest in cars might be of some benefit. My work is mainly designing coffee table books, I also do websites, magazine ads, and the odd corporate ID.

The candidate will need to be fast and ready to work on any aspect of a project. The position will suit a graduate with a good skill base (InDesign/Quark/Photoshop) but also wanting to learn on the job. The pay will be based on £19,000 per year but the right candidate will progress quickly!

I am located on The Strand in central London in an office share with 2 other companies so we have a great location.

*it sounds easy going but also alot of room for creative growth and also pays very well considering that its 3/4 days a week. needless to say i have applied. this was the first on my list, i’ve found 7 others, the pay is higher on some of them but they sound alot more like pizza leaflet jobs.

looking for jobs is alot harder than i had first thought, not that i persumed it would be easy but to be honest i thought there would be alot more small design studios around looking for graduates. I’ve looked on 5 different job search websites including jobs.brandrepublic.com, monster.co.uk, designweek.co.uk and gumtree.com and most of the graphic design jobs are for senior designers, which i am not!

the search continues…

the new plan is to not go to do a masters… atleast not yet… and go and get a job! excellent. the thing is, even though i would love to do an MA now, and the course is perfect, i cant go because i cant actually pay for the course myself.
the tuition fees are £3200 and then living in london is a minimum of £6000 a year. I dont even know if the course lasts a year because the University of the Arts havent even sent me the course information yet. I was told that when i accepted they would send me the course info.

anyway, so now im looking for a graphic design job in London, doesnt nessesarily have to be central but i need to be able to get there easily by public transport or preferably walking because i cant drive (to be honest probably a good thing because in the city there is really no use for cars… your just making the world a smokier place)

I’m looking for a graphic design/illustration job that pays over £17k a year, ive found quite a few for around £25,000 but i figure that £17,000 should be the lowest i go, mainly because london is so damn expensive! I hadnt even begun to think of council tax because i forgot i wasnt a student anymore >_< I'm sure that wont be the only slip up i make.

here is my CV for anyone who might be interested/curious.