Final Year Uni Survival

This January thousands of final year students will be going back to uni to complete their degrees and get the grades, my boyfriend and friends included. While thinking about them and what they would be facing in their most stressful term I began to think back to how I was feeling this time last year.

The last part of uni can be difficult with the amount of work and revision balanced between trying to have a social life and still get the results you want. These are some tips I stuck to to make my last term easier and a lot more fun.

1. Get organised.

This sounds like an obvious tip and it is, but get organised about being organised now. Get all the equipment you are going to need to revise, write your dissertation or do your coursework now so you can start as soon as possible. You can't cram two months of work into two weeks.

2. Don't rely on technology.

When I was at uni I had to submit digitally a couple of times. It's much more convenient and can be done from the comfort of your home. Unless the uploading system goes down, which I did on the day of one of my submissions. Luckily I decided to submit early so as not to risk our unpredictable uploading system crashing and I'm so glad I did.

Uni regulations don't count their intranet going down as a valid reason to submit late meaning you loose 10% of your overall grade per day your work is late. It can be the difference between a grade.

Source 

3. Whatever it is - it will get done.

The amount of work you have to before the deadlines or exams can be SUPER daunting. Don't stress;  just break it down into lots of smaller, manageable deadlines so you can chart your progress and ensure it get's sorted on time. Plus, if it's really important then it will get done, somehow you just make it happen. You'll be surprised how fast you can work when time is short.

A picture from final hand in day. 

4. Don't Stress.

This sounds simple now but don't stress. Just don't. I wasted hours worrying over small details that seem insignificant now. Stressing just wastes time and energy that can be put towards something productive. Put it to one side and move on.

Source

5. Party

Your lecturers won't advise this but I definitely do. The final term of uni is long and difficult and you need to remember that it is your last term, so make the most of it while you're there! I worked very hard but my housemates and I always made time for a few cheeky drinks to de-stress and get away from the pressures of finals. It's not all about work!

Self Promotional Illustration

For a while I have been debating on wether to change my blog from dynamic view (how it is at present) to simple view which would allow me much more freedom over the layout. I really like the dynamic view as it prioritises images to make the home page visually exciting, and, of course, it's very user friendly. But, there is a lot of restriction in terms of personalising the page.

I decided to create an illustrative piece that will act as a header for the blog for two reasons. Firstly because the illustration could work as my new header bar for my blog when viewed in mobile and secondly, I really enjoy creating this style of illustration so it's no hardship to spend time doing so.

While I am preparing my blog, website and CV for job applications I am really keen to put my own personal stamp on every aspect of my web presence; and this header could be enough of a feature to achieve this and made me stand out from the crowd.

These are some images of the print out and then on my blog viewed through my mobile.

Tips for Student Designers

If you follow me on twitter or have read this blog before you will know that I have just finished my BA (hons) in Graphic Design. During the three years of the course I learnt a few things: graphics is expensive, time consuming, and at times frustrating.

But it doesn't have to cost a fortune, take up all your time or drive you insane when a project just. won't. work. These are some tips I picked up during the three years that can be useful and helped me to become more professional about my design career.

Books


I find books and essential part of my design process as they can give so much inspiration from simply flicking through them. As I have said before, I love adding to my expanding collection with new examples of great design that I can come back to over again. The usual staple for online book purchasing is Amazon, but I find Play.com is equally extensively stocked with  great design books, usually a few pounds cheaper than Amazon, and always with free delivery. This doesn't sound a lot, but when I come to order five or six books the difference can mount up.

Scrapbooks


I take a lot of photos when i'm out and about (see here & here). Instead of leaving them languishing in files on my desktop I get them developed and stick them into old sketchbooks. This is another inventive way of providing yourself with some inspiration from exhibitions or places you have visited. I have a number of scrapbooks with photos from 2011 and 2012 degree shows I visited to remind me of the most influential pieces.

Cameras

My DSLR is used for many things; photographing final pieces, blog posts and just taking my own photos. The quality and vibrancy of the images far our weighs that of my compact camera, which isn't quite up to taking good final piece shots. But with them both being Sony the memory card is can easily be swapped between the two without having to purchase a second, which is extremely convenient when you are a poor student.

Printer

Admittedly my printer is a beast and takes up most of my desk (annoying) but it is probably one of the most useful things I have ever bought so I can forgive it. I have a Brother MFC-5890CN which is capable of printing anything up to A3 and anything as small as a 4" x 6". This was amazing as at uni we had A3 sketchbooks so I could print my pages straight out instead of faffing around with glue/scissors/paper/trying to make it look professional. Along with this it scans, faxes, copies and can link directly to a USB or memory card. This meant that I could complete most tasks myself without having to out source more equipment and just focus on my work.

Although it is not advised by the manufacturer, I tend to use recycled ink for day to day printing. The quality is comparable and recycled ink is SO much cheaper. I get ink from INKcredible, an amazing site where you can get C, M, Y and K for £10 and the speed, service and quality is awesome. If you print as frequently as I did during the three years then this will definitely persuade you to swap to recycled ink.

Sketchbooks


My last bit of good advice would be to always carry a sketchbook with you to note down or sketch down ideas. Some of my best ideas just dropped into my head when I was on a bus or walking somewhere. It helps clarify ideas, keep records and develop concepts into a functioning solution to a brief.


These are just a few things that I find useful to inspire me when i'm stuck with a project or just save some money on things that I use all the time like printing. Either way I hope somebody finds it useful.