Enterprise - Task 1 - Who am I? Who are they?

Introduction

When I think of my self as a designer, I immediately think of music. It has always been something that never fails to disappoint me and is constantly growing in my life, effecting the things I do and always effecting the way I design.

As a designer it is important not to limit yourself too much, as there are many aspects of everyday life that influence my work other than music. For example tourism.

However if I were to obtain a job in the music industry as a designer there would be certain things that would be expected of me and also certain things that I could expect from the industry.

Product

The product they should expect from me is essentially myself a learned and experienced graphic designer, with an extensive software skills set, the knowledge of the many different forms of music and the ability to design accordingly.

The skills set is obviously important to the client as this is what you will be producing most of of your work on. The main programme that I have the most experience and skill on is adobe illustrator. This is a programme that I find myself using time and time again, for every product that I undertake.

This would come in very useful in the music industry for designing posters, event material such as flyers and of course album artwork. It would may also come in useful for re-branding music shops such as HMV and various record labels such as Virgin.

Another programme that I would like to gain more experience in is Adobe Photoshop.

If I had extensive knowledge in this programme, then it would allow me to create different styles of art work more efficiently.

Another skill that I have is the ability to understand different types of music. This would be essential to know because as a designer it is your responsibility to design to the content. For example if was working with a recording artist, they would expect me to have a good knowledge of the sound I was designing for. This would also mean building a positive and friendly relationship with them, which is something I am positive I can do.

Place

Throughout my life I have become infatuated (some would say obsessed) with the country of Japan. Its people, food, language, culture and design are all things that I am interested in. I am currently learning the language and hope to someday work in Tokyo.

In terms of the music industry in Japan, they are very quickly getting swamped by western electronic music which is also something I am very passionate about.

I would like to work somewhere where I am close to my co workers and my clients as think close working relationships are extremely important, although having said that it is becoming easier and easier to access peoples work from anywhere in the country.

Promotion

To promote yourself is one of the most important things you can do as a designer. You may well have some of the best work in the world, but if no one can see it then it is useless.

building your own website is a good way to promote yourself as it allows people to see your work anywhere in the world.

However getting noticed locally is the most important thing to do first. Word of mouth through other designers talking about your work is very important when it comes to obtaining bigger and better opportunities.

Price

The price you can charge as a designer depends on the quality of the product you deliver.

I would at first charge less when starting my career as I would be more open to making mistakes and my skills would not be as developed as a free lance designer. However, as time went by and my skills and reputation grew then I would steadily increase the amount I charge clients.