A few small reviews of films that I’ve enjoyed in January, some of these you will have obviously seen and some I hope you will watch. These haven’t been released in January but thats when I watched them. A little late I know.

Adam (2009) I’ve been waiting for this film to come out for a long while. This is another love story with a twist, but its done in an incredible way that personally I am infatuated with. Adam has asperges a form of autism after his mother dying when he was young the film starts at his fathers death. He is then left alone in his apartment following his daily routine when he meets girl. Love this and every single actor plays a great, memorable part. I don’t know why this wasn’t more successful.

Avatar (2010) I had heard such good things by the time I hit the cinema that I thought I might hate it from overhype, how wrong I was. Watching this at the international cinema full of American GI’s I suspected they were cheering for the other team but I think they were as surprised and gripped by the story as me. The 3D was an incredible feature but the cinematic elements were truly incredible and pushed the effects to the back of my mind. The small things stay with me from the environments, the small elements the lighting up plants, and detail and design of the insects and animals. Added to this a fantastic soundtrack.

High Fidelity (2000) This is the first film in a long while that I finished the book before watching the film. I loved the book and in its element it was British I thought it was ported perfectly to America and really worked well. There are a few bad characters which could have been stronger but the main characters more than make up for it. This is a new favourite film I really enjoyed. This film in essence is a love story but if you watch it you will be crazed by how they got your life story. Written with thousands of men based truths. Loved it.

Thanks so much for an amazing 3 months,
I have made some great friends, met great people. More than a studio JK is a community and I am very sad to be leaving. I hope I have brought some fresh ideas during my internship and although my German was just as bad as my table football skills I still felt involved and had great fun. I have learnt so much in a short amount of time but I hope I’ve helped too. These 3 months have been incredible and overwhelming as I go on to look for something more permanent I will always remember my time in Germany, probably by the extra pizza weight I gained. You are all very talented and I am proud to say I have worked with you all. Keep in touch and I’ll be back when I am fluent in German but that may take a little while. Keep up the great work.

Lost in Translation

Monday 9am and my first day of work in a new studio approached, meeting new people, living in a new area and all the overwhelming experiences but this time with a pretty severe language barrier.

My first day and immediately I froze and culture shock seemed to set in when explaining who I was in English and getting a blank expression. After this I realised it might be more of a radical change of culture than I ever thought. Living in a different language everyday gives you mini triumphs and defeats. My phrasebook and iPhone help me win most of my victories where as my brain and fear attribute to my loses.

My main daily triumph is the mac at work with all of its options and program menus in German, memory serves me with most of the tools and options I need but sometimes I can work out from whats there and learn a new word. Coupled with the victory of this is the defeat of using a German keyboard although not very different the y and z keys switched around cripple me with every tap so this was changed back to UK English.

The next battle on a weekly basis seems to be with supermarkets and things work differently instead of asking “Can I help you with your packing sir?” here it seems to be “I’d love you to move quicker sir, how can I push you quicker?” in which I reply with panic and duress. Roughly timed I have just under a minute to find the correct money (which is another story all together) and pack all of my food into bags which are so extortionately priced they have to be linked to the Mafia. So after being pushed aside and blindly robbed by a supermarket (that would sell its own Grandmother to have me shop there in England) I arrive home, only to find out as the labels were in German and I have no idea what I have brought.

The everyday translations are the ones that so far I haven’t mastered, the ones where someone says something and your half listening or its so fast you barely caught the first word. I am beginning to be able to understand some of the office conversations that are in German and it makes me feel like Neo in the Matrix that suddenly with a click of a switch and you are aware but there are alot more switches and its a gradual process. I continue learning from books and through audio and one day I will order my lunch at the local market and not panic when she asks if I would like it heated up. I find the key is how ever many time you get confused and get knocked down the one time you understand and reply makes up for thousands of attempts.

But with all the mini triumphs and failures during the day there is one triumph that rules supreme and thats where I am during day. I am in one of the greatest atmospheres I have experienced from a medium/large agency and I am loving it. The people I work with are great at what they do and I have some of the best guidance and direction a young designer could ask for. Added to the wisdom are some great personalities and I am having the most fun.

Advice to Design Students and Graduates

Having received a large number of emails from students there was a trend in requesting advice. I feel compelled to answer every email I receive so I thought I would share my ways to be a design successful student or recent graduate in a post.

My 6 ways to become a successful design student

1. Keep your portfolio updated
2. Do placements and enjoy them
3. Be honest
4. Don’t be a dick
5. Work hard and take breaks
6. Share your ideas and participate

Keeping your portfolio updated is harder than it sounds. If your not a web savvy kind of designer have a website you can update easily without code or markup like Carbonmade, Behance or the new Cargo its really easy to add new projects and you can still make it individual. The other end of this is a print portfolio this is a part of you and needs to change constantly to suit whom your showing it to. Don’t try to include all your projects inside, but choose the best ones. Customising the portfolio depending on the job position you’re applying to is also important for example, if you’re applying for a web based position, the person interviewing you would be more interested in seeing your website designs rather than packaging and print. A strong start and finish are also important in comparison to your

Do placements and enjoy them, I’ve been on several placements and all of them have been great. If you need a refresh they always inspire. Don’t go into them thinking your going to be stuck making tea, make your ideas heard and get plenty of feedback. A small quote from other respected designers on your website straddles a fine ego line but might just push peoples opinion of you.

Be honest possibly the most important. If you get caught out in a lie about how long you have worked somewhere its worse than if you just tell the truth. If your not sure you are skilled enough in a certain area to complete a project especially in university say something you can get feedback and help.

Don’ be a dick. Simple, the design industry is a small place and word spreads quickly if your not a great individual it gets known. If you copy or steal you will be found named and shamed be inspired there is a huge difference.

Work hard and take breaks. Sometimes the most productive thing to do is to take a break but if your going somewhere and making progress, work hard. Working hard and meeting your deadlines is important inside your job and university but there is also a life outside design that’s important too, have a hobby.

Share your ideas and participate this is appropriate in a job and university. Share what you know with others and one day when your struggling they might just swing an idea your way. Participate in everything you can, being part of a team can really help your creativity

I hope this helps you as it has helped me get to where I am and another small piece of advice that works wonders is be excited, if you show your excitement for the situation your in you’ll enjoy it much more.