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The Creative Kit
Perfect if you're studying: Graphic Design, Multimedia, Fashion & Textiles, Interior Design, Photography.
We’ve put together the perfect starter kit for all the creative students starting university this year. We also sit down with our Affiliate Marketing Executive, Saba, as she talks us through her best tips and tricks to schooling your degree.
What to look out for...
Apple iPad
Designers, artists, photographers, musicians…. The iPad is designed with creatives in mind. With a 10-hour plus of battery life and portable design, you’ll be free to work from anywhere on campus.
Apple Pencil
For any course that involves drawing or writing, consider an Apple Pencil. It uses clever tech that helps you create perfect shading and thick, bold lines. So, you can forget about worrying how to submit a hard copy of your next assignment.
Wireless Mouse
With all your sketches and equipment lying around, the last thing you want is any unnecessary cables! Wireless houses use a Bluetooth connection to make navigating your PC a breeze.
External hard drive
With all different drafts and portfolios, you’ll easily clog up your laptop’s storage, so it might be a good idea to pick up an external hard drive. Some even have a recovery service, meaning you don’t need to stress about losing any of your final designs.
Meet Saba, Affiliate Marketing Executive for AO
I currently work in Affiliate Marketing at AO but this is definitely not something I thought I’d have ended up in after having studied something totally different at university. I was always back and forth between interior design and graphic design before ultimately deciding on graphic design and I’m glad that that’s what I chose!
There are always crossovers between marketing and design, and I've had the opportunity to put my design skills into practice when creating banner ads, infographics or other marketing material.
I’ve always been an arty/creative person and graphic design gave me the ability to explore this further. I enjoyed creating new logos and brand identities for companies the most, as well as designing packaging. I remember being so invested in a project that I’d stay up until 4am on some days. Once I was in my creative element, I didn’t want to stop designing.
Nowadays, I prefer to design in my free time and I do some freelance on the side too. Recently, I’ve been trying my hand at UX design, and as this grows in popularity, I hope there’ll be an opportunity to pursue this as a career path someday.
Saba's Tips...
Do an internship! Whether its unpaid or paid, just try it for a bit to get a deeper insight into the industry. I did a 3-month unpaid internship, and yes it was difficult (I’d say go for a paid one if you can, of course!) but I don’t regret it at all. I got a lot of experience and insight into the world of graphic design and learnt so much.
Keep working on your portfolio and try and keep it updated. Constantly updating your portfolio is really important, don’t make it too long though. Maybe pick around 10 of your best pieces, something that really showcases your capabilities and is a good reflection of your skills. Open and close with your two best projects. Also, never stop leaning new trends and picking up new skills. If you can show a varied skill range in your portfolio it’ll be really beneficial.
Be open to criticism. Get used to people critiquing your work and don’t take it personally. Remember design is totally subjective, everyone’s tastes will differ, so just try and stay positive and don’t be discouraged. It doesn’t make you a bad designer if someone doesn’t like your work, but maybe think about any changes you can make to improve.
FAQs
- Which MacBook is best for graphic design?
MacBooks are great for all kinds of design work, but some models might be more useful depending on the type of design you’ll be doing. For print design choose the 27in iMac 5K, its huge screen resolution gives you a great view of everything, ideal for perfecting details. For web design, a MacBook Air has a 5K display so you can get a good idea of how your work will look on mobile display. And when it comes to 3D design, get the MacBook Pro because you’ll need all the power you can get. Or if you want a great all-rounder on a budget, go for the Mac Mini.
- Which laptop is best for Photoshop and video editing?
MacBooks are great for all kinds of creative work thanks to powerful hardware including a professional graphics card. A MacBook will effectively support all the apps and software you need for video and photo editing.
