As a year 10 work experience student, I was looking for an insight into the world of work, in order to determine my career path later in life. At school, I study graphics as i am interested in design and thinking behind a product. I often look at a poster or a website and think to myself; “wow, that’s good,  i wonder who designed that,” or sometimes say to myself  ”I could have done a better job than who ever designed that.” My clear interest in design and branding lead me to think that Studio North would be the ideal placement and it definitely was.

As soon as I arrived on Monday morning, nervous yet apprehensive, I was welcomed into a friendly working environment. It was immediately clear that there is a strong relationship between each member of staff, each with a fun sense of humour.  This positive atmosphere proved vital as everyone must work together in harmony to fulfill the clients needs. Each person responsible for a specific area of a job. Perhaps logo design one day, web design another. If I’m honest, this team work is remarkable, clearly shown by the end product. I was able to see each step progress through development and able to understand each part right through to final production on a live job. I was also shown many other projects that Studio North had done. This was a great insight.

Given a design brief, I was able to show my take on a project. I produced a suitable logo which then went on to a poster. This allowed me to use software which I was new to and is specialized. Initially, the task of producing a logo using this software seemed daunting, but with the help from  designers I was taught the basics. I glanced at the screen of a designer next to me,  who had produced logos for the same company. There was certainly a difference in quality, but you can only do your best right? During my week, the Studio North staff were working on a project aimed at a target audience of my age. Understandably, they wanted my thoughts. Again I read the design brief and produces a summary on how I would brand this particular campaign. I included research on existing websites and the good and bad points about them, giving references. This was interesting and as a result enjoyable. With the enormous amount of jobs that Studio North undertake they have to keep in control. I was shown how each park of a job was maintained together. This involved learning about the complex yet clever filing system. Perhaps not the most exciting part of my week, but then again this must be organised for the business to function correctly. This week of work experience has also shown me how many recycling bins will fit into one room. I was told on my arrival that Studio North that they were “big into recycling.” This was an understatement. It is now a fact that wherever you stand at the office you will always be within a  5 meter distance from a recycling bin.

Overall, my week at Studio North was extremely enjoyable. I most definitely got an insight into design and branding. It was amazing to see, first hand, how a company works as a unit in order to fulfill a number a tasks requested by the client with such quality.  More importantly, it will definitely play a part in my future career decisions.