To become a designer...finishing school, job interview.

This is going to be the last article about this short series of suggestions and advices on "how to become a designer". We already talked about an entry-portfolio necessary to apply to the right design school, then we explained a bit about a school-portfolio important for internship and today we will tell about finishing school to arrive well prepared to your thesis project, final presentation and in conclusion your job interview.

Photo: via www.uc.edu student Matt Zoller works on his clay model.

It is crucial to be between the best students when completing the last 2 years of school, specially the last year during which you will work on your thesis project.
In some Design schools the thesis project is a choice up to the student (you choose your topic), in other cases it is a given project, in others a sponsored project.
It is clear that no matter what.. you must give your best! The time to play a key role in your adveture has come...it is YOU! organize your project it is your baby, work on it costantly it needs you to come to life, design it and shape it, touch it and correct it untill its fluidity and design are the right expression of your inner part. Be demanding on yourself because it will improuve your model and your 2D presentation, do not be happy too quickly about it, go over an over it then step back for a while, come back recheck, model and sketches. When everything seems to be cohesive then (according to you time schedule) paint and complete your model and 2D final work.

The final presentation.

Be ready to prepare your final presentation, ask yourself about the image of your presentation. What message does it give when seen for the first time? Organize your 2D works by display only the best ones (remember quality more than quantity). Where do I position my model? Where do I stand when I'll present? Write

down a layout to be organized. Sketch quickly your "stand" and then realize it.

Photo: via www.cardesign.ru Benoit Tallec presentation at Strate College, Paris France.

The last important part of your final presentation will be the "oral" one. In other words what you will say. Here some suggestions: do not talk too much, prepare your speech dividing it in 3 steps. Step 1- introduction sentence with clear strong message, Step 2- explane very shortly the 3 main key features of your Design, when you do this indicate your model or drawings but do not move your body like you are dancing (hide your nervousism), you risk to look like a clown Step 3- conclusion statement with which you will repeat some words of your introduction sentence. This is done to reinforce the message of your project, remember people are very awake in the beginning and at the end of a speech so you get the point.

Now when you get rid of all this you will have a Diploma, a portfolio ready to be presented to promote yourself for job applications.

The job interview.

Sorry guys, but it is not going to work like this! The Design world is a particular one, you can be the best young designer with an incredible brilliant portfolio & look...you go to your appointement for a job interview, you meet a Design manager and a Design director, you show your projects etc. etc., you will tell about yourself and ability to have produced such a portfolio, that in school you helped other students, you talk about your Design credo your philosophy, you say that you would love to work with them because that is your dream......at the end of your cinema you will not be chosen...a lost opportunity! Naturally I am provoking here, but believe me this happens! Never behave like a professional because you are not yet one!

Photo: via www.gizmondo.com

So I'll advice you to be quiet, sure of yourself but without showing how proud you are about your works. We (designers) are a bit "ego-centrics", we want to be the ones to discover your abilities, we do not like too much to be passive in front of a young "kid" with a great portfolio...We love to provoke you on some details of your projects to bring you to talk about your way of thinking, we want to analyse you to understand if you can be part of our team.....and I could go on and on, but I stop here.

The job interview to be successful has to start knowing that "we" know that you want that job, so show your portfolio talking clearly and shortly about your projects. Let us talk instead of you wanting to show all you have inside, let us discover. You will express yourself at a precise question, answear without critisizing existing designs or your ex teachers, try to play safe like: I tell you my point of view, but I do not talk on the back of someone to prove it. To provoke sometime is done on pourpose to study your reactions.

This will demonstrate your ability in taking a conversation with people a lot more important than you.

That's it for this time on "how to become a designer", I hope that those small informative pills have been useful to you. Soon I'll treat the "Portfolio and its content".

Good luck!