Project - Creative Thinking

Outcome - Poster displaying a string of text demonstrating the application of Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats to a problem

Commentary - Following the creative thinking workshop I felt most inspired by De Bono's Six Thinking Hats as a process for overcoming problems. As the end of the course was approaching and I was unsure of my future in graphic design I decided to apply the theory to my personal prospects and future as a graphic designer. I typed for exactly 10 minutes assuming the attitude of each hat in turn. Changes in hats are represented by relevant colour squares. By the end of an hour I found I had resolved a few issues and formed a plan of action to undertake when the course has finished. The text has been left unedited to represent exactly an hour long string of thought process.

Here is the full text:

OK, so I’ve almost finished my Graduate Certificate in Design For Visual Communication. My next step is to try to get employed as a graphic designer. I have no work experience as a graphic designer. I have a GCSE in art, a B grade in art and design at A Level. A geography degree. 7 years experience of working in an office environment. I am computer literate. I have had a piece exhibited in the Hype gallery on Brick Lane. I came in the top 5 entries to the Sprite Urban Creations competition to design a Sprite can. I have made a well received pitch to Cancer Research for their Art For Life event. I have designed posters for Stane Street Players theatre group. I have made two websites for my band Dirtburg, one Flash and one HTML. These have taught me how to use Flash and Dreamweaver. I have designed 2 CD inlay books and on body prints for runs of 1000 CDs. I have designed flyers and posters for music events and coordinated the marketing campaigns and publicity. Throughout all of this I have learnt Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator to a good working level. I can quickly produce pieces of design work using these products. I can think laterally and generate creative ideas and concepts when given a brief for a project. I have journalism experience and can write well. I have a B grade A Level English. I believe that I will come in the top third of my class in the graduate certificate. The number of graphic design graduates outweigh the number of jobs available by a large ratio. I really believe that if I was employed as a graphic designer I would be a useful asset to a company. I would be able to generate ideas and concepts without much assistance. I am aware that I would probably have to start in a junior position, and at my age some companies might not want to take me on in such a role. Because my first degree wasn’t design related, and I did a job that wasn’t design related for 7 years it could make me appear indecisive. What is to say that I wouldn’t get tired of graphic design in ten years? I don’t think I’ll ever be a ‘superstar’ designer, but I do think I have the potential and responsibility to eventually become a senior designer, or even run my own company. If it all goes tits up though I can always earn a living working in a boring office job. But being made redundant has given me such a perfectly timed opportunity to give it a shot at what I want to do! But I am also lazy sometimes. I worry that if I did get a job then I could disappoint a company or not fit in with their work ethic. Especially because I don’t like it when people go over the top justify design in retrospect to make it look like they have a bigger purpose. I am also hopelessly addicted to the internet. I do genuinely have a strong feeling that I will succeed. My hunches are usually right, and my confidence usually sees me through situations and leads me to fulfil my ambitions. Eventually I feel like I will do an MA in graphic design as well. But first I must get some good industry experience. I think that in two years time my wage as a graphic designer will be equal to the peak of my salary as an analyst. I will also be much happier and feel like I live a worthwhile existence, rather than the pointless number tweaking drudgery of my previous life. Why am I chasing this dream of being a graphic designer? My Dad was right when he said that I should pursue a science based degree and a sensible job. Eventually I will want to buy a house and maybe even have children to support. So why would I want to enter into such a volatile industry? There will always be a torrent of younger designers with fresher ideas and more contemporary knowledge entering the job market and vying for my position. I am a reasonable designer, but not a great designer. I didn’t actually win the Sprite competition, I came in the runners up. I didn’t get the Cancer Research role because someone had a better thought out design. I didn’t get a distinction for my last elective, even though I worked harder on it than I’ve ever worked on anything before. 75%, B. That’s good but not great. What about Dad’s friend from the train? He worked as a designer for thirty five years and then lost his job. Because the market is so competitive he cannot get another similar position. He is over 55 years old and stands to lose his house because he has no income, because of a career in design. My portfolio is going to look good when I finish my course. But BA graduates and MA graduates are going to be going for the same jobs as me, They will be carrying better portfolios and better qualifications. I have had a good time on the course and proved that I am a decent designer, but now would be a sensible time to properly consider another career. A career in which I will have financial stability and good promotion prospects. Then I will be able to buy a house, go on good holidays, get a car and be able to retire on a good pension. But I do have a strong portfolio from my course. I think that if I can get into an interview in a design company then they will be impressed. I have always wanted to work in design or illustration and this will give me the drive to progress and find a job. Paul McNeil from the MA course at LCC liked my portfolio and said there was some good work in it, and that I was good at idea generation. He thought that I would be of a high enough standard to apply for the MA course. Cancer Research were also impressed with the ideas that I presented to them for Art For Life. They thought the optical illusion idea was great and going to suggest that another department uses me for a campaign. They also loved the progressive fold idea that I had created for their invite to the event. They didn’t give me the commission, but it was my first serious pitch and I think that I did a good job. MY Sprite Urban Creations design was also well received. I got good personalised feedback from the judges, who included top artists and Sprite’s design team. The websites I created get around 12 separate hits a day, and I regularly get complemented on the design. Reviews of the CDs I designed have mentioned that the covers have been stylish. Stane Street Players are really pleased with my latest poster design. They have even used the typographic concept and illustration on their handbills. At the end of the day I already have a good varied portfolio, have experience of dealing with printers, have worked to tight briefs and to deadlines. I am 100% certain that if a company gives me a chance of being a designer then I will be able to produce top quality ideas and designs, and also be able to generate good income and create new business for the company. I am a winner, and I’m not going to fuck about this time like I did in my last job. I am going to absolutely give it all my effort and be a success. OK, so I need to get my CV together properly. My existing CV is typographically good but I need employ the a better hierarchy to it to make it more visually dramatic. Then I need to write a covering letter. If I collect a list of design companies that I want to work for, then send them a CV and covering letter that will be a good start. I still have enough redundancy money left to support myself for 6 months. In this time I can take work experience, internships or junior positions and get some practical experience. Sally has friends at some cool magazines that I can contact and see if I like producing spreads as a job. I’d rather have a more graphically creative job, but doing layouts could be a reasonable bread and butter job. Better than being an analyst anyway. I enjoyed producing my books and working on spreads with InDesign, so I wouldn’t mind doing that. I also have a flair for web design. So it could be a possibility to take a similar course as the grad cert in web design. I can apply what I’ve learnt about graphic design to web design and produce high quality sites. Then I will have another skill to fall back on if graphic design doesn’t entirely work out for me. I would also like to take the MA in graphic design eventually. This would be satisfying for me because as a mature student I have loved studying, especially because its a subject that I have a passion for. After an MA I could definitely see myself being interested in teaching. Even teaching abroad. There are so many opportunities for me to do anything. I am 28, don’t have a mortgage, aren’t married, don’t have kids, and have a good education. I can move to any country and do whatever I want. So as soon as the grad cert course finishes I should look to see if there are any other courses I’d like to take. Illustration would be fun, web design would be useful and enjoyable in a geeky way, marketing, management, journalism, typography, printing, screen printing, book design, book binding, carpentry. There are so many options. If I was in prison I could do loads of these for free! So that’s it all sorted then. 50 minutes of thinking and I’ve got a game plan sorted and resolved a few issues in my head. Next week is going to be a hardcore week of full-time portfolio improving and finishing off my course work. My portfolio will look wizard! Then the week after if full-time job hunting. Starting with Monday morning buying the Guardian and look at the creative jobs. Monday late morning drafting a covering letter explaining my situation and my ambitions. Tasty lunch and watch the news. Then Monday afternoon I will work on my CV. Late afternoon I will go through my letter, realise it makes me sound like a cock and rewrite it. Tuesday I will compile a list of design companies that I would like to apply to. Probably in some sort of geeky table or something so that I can do a mail merge on the letters. Is using my letterhead from the grad cert really pretentious? Yes probably. By Wednesday I should have my covering letter sorted, my CV sorted and be ready to do a supergeek mail merge and print them all out on good quality paper and put them in some posh envelopes. Probably run out of ink during printing so I better buy some more black. Then buy loads of stamps and post my letters out. Probably buy 1st class stamps so that I don’t look cheap. Then Thursday I will look at the courses available for next year. Probably have to get an evening course because my inevitable job as head of design for a large multinational company might not like me taking a day a week off of work to study. Friday I will accept that head of design job. Sorted! In 60 minutes I have resolved everything.

15:12 to 16:12 on Saturday 10th September 2005. Nicholas Hearne applies Edward de Bono’s ‘Six Hats’ concept to the question of his career prospects in graphic design.

 

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