design grads show off to creative bosses
Design Festival matches established designers with new graduates to learn about portfolios, pitches and presenting a CV.
A special Portfolio Clinic organised as part of the Cardiff Design Festival has seen established and experienced designers from across Cardiff giving advice and guidance on presentation, pitching and portfolio layout to this year’s design graduates.
The event, held at Cardiff Audi’s state of the art showroom at Cardiff Gate, saw more than 20 of Wales’ leading design company bosses and creative directors matched with graduates from across the design spectrum, including interior architectural, graphic communications and design for interactive media.
Organiser, Angela Gidden, Enterprise Co-ordinator at Cardiff School of Art & Design, UWIC said: “We have been delighted by the support from design studios across south east Wales. This type of event gives graduates a real opportunity to showcase their portfolios and CVs, and the refine their pitches without the pressure of a job interview or presentation. This is how they learn what is required in the design world to gain a commission or longer term job.”
The designers giving their time to the students were drawn from various marketing communications, graphics and interior design companies, giving the graduates a chance to get views and advice from three different professionals about their work and how best to present it.
Huw Moseley, managing director of leading design consultant and workplace strategy specialists Eastlake Design Partnership (edp), was impressed by what he saw at the Portfolio Clinic. He said: “The quality of work presented today has demonstrated the range of talent and creative thinking joining the sector this year. Helping these young designers to improve their presentation and portfolios is worthwhile, not just because its good to help graduates get a good start, but also give me a broad overview of the calibre and variety of skill sets coming through the system.”
Claire Hughes, 22, has just gained a 2:1 honours interior architecture degree. She said: “The Portfolio Clinic has given me a chance to see what is expected by design bosses, and to test my presentation and CV at the kind of people who will hopefully be giving me a job soon. The advice I have received today has helped me tweak my portfolio layout and given me an insight about the kinds of questions I might be asked at interview. I think I now have a real edge over at the outset, rather than having to waste job interview opportunities in order to get my pitch right.”
Huw concluded: “I have high hopes for the future. If these designers are anything to go by, the creative sector in Wales is clearly a hotbed of talent and I look forward to following the careers of these young people. Hopefully, some of them will remain in Cardiff and help us to cement the city’s position as a major creative hub capable of taking on the best from London and across the UK.”
The Portfolio Clinic was sponsored by Cardiff Audi as part of the third annual Cardiff Design Festival, which runs until 30 June.