When thinking about myself like a Swiss army knife, I found that there were a couple of skills that I already have, and many that I need to develop. The tools I currently have I would consider to be illustration and creativity. I feel that my previous experience studying fine art gives me many of the skills and experience necessary to create illustrations. This ability is something that I find useful, because I feel that it in turn influences my process as a designer. Having spent time developing illustration skills means that I’ve developed some visual skills and that I have some experience communicating in a visual format. Building my illustration skills, as well as other creative pursuits, has encouraged me to think creatively and take a creative approach to problem solving.
The tools I have that need development: design skills, concepts, writing, typography skills. I know that my design skills are far from where I would like them to be, and I don’t always know the best design approach to communicate the idea or message that I am trying to convey. Likewise I have some conceptual skills from my previous education, but concepts in the world of fine art are very different from design concepts, so I intend to continue to refine these skills in a design space. I would also like to develop my copywriting skills, as I feel that it could be a helpful addition to my skill set as a designer. Additionally, I know that typography, especially text heavy layouts are something that are challenging and unfamiliar to me coming from a more illustration heavy background. Type layout is a skill that I need to develop more.
Tools I do not have that I need to learn: branding design, UI/UX design, building a portfolio, presenting and pitching. I am very interested in branding design, but I understand that I have only just scratched the surface of what there is to know. UI/UX design is also something that I have only just started to learn about, but I think that it will be a valuable skill, and help make me a more versatile and competitive designer. I also still have a lot to learn about what’s needed to put together a successful portfolio for design, and what types of projects to feature for what kinds of jobs. Similarly, I know that presenting my work not only in a portfolio, but also directly to a client in a meeting will be a very important skill that I need to practice much more.
Although I know that I have some skills already, there are many that still need to be developed for me to be a successful designer after my time at SCCA. I’m glad that I can start thinking about these skills now so that I can start to understand what kinds of projects and challenges I need to give myself to continue to grow as a designer.