The advice that most stood out to me from this week’s class was to research the company’s values before the interview. In previous job interviews I have done, it was never something thsat occurred to me that would help to ensure the job, but particularly in the design sector, where an important responsibility is to create, develop and work within a brand identity, I understand how important it may be to employers to choose candidates who understand and (at least appear to) appreciate the company’s brand values.
I also enjoyed the mock interview task. It gave me the opportunity to consider various questions which I otherwise may not have expected and therefore not prepared for if they appear in a real interview. For example the reason I chose the company in particular (which also links to my earlier point of aligning to the company’s values), and the question about which designers I am inspired by. Although, naturally as designers we take inspiration from everywhere, I had not considered to note which designers influence me the most, therefore I will research this more in preparation for future interviews.
For project work this week, I chose to further develop my portfolio by adding two case studies regarding projects from first year modules. The first of which was the bank branding project. I thought this was of utmost importance to include as it showcases the complete scope of the design process, including ideation, research, sketching, development and iteration. It also includes evidence of my ability to design for a wide variety of purposes, such as logo and wordmarks, websites and mobile interfaces. I also created a case study of my music app interface. I chose this because it serves as a stark contrast to the bank’s minimalist brand, with its colourful backgrounds and intricate icon set. I believe showcasing both these works provides the employer with evidence of my range of ability due to their vastly different design features and aesthetic qualities.