Sarah Jones - Adidas

Sarah Jones is a graduate from Stockport college who took part in the Come Design With Me event at the college which involved previous students to come and discuss their experiences since leaving college and to give advice about entering the industry. Sarah was honest about her experiences and gave some great advice so I was looking forward to meeting her again.

Jules contacted Sarah and asked her whether we both could go to her office to discuss our portfolios, we was worried about whether she would be happy to see us both but Sarah said it was fine and we arranged a suitable time. The Adidas offices were amazing, beautifully designed and the staff were professional and efficient, she met us with the current intern called Christina, who was a recent graduate from Manchester Met. 

After a general discussion about our work and college, Sarah looked through our portfolios, I showed mine first but was a bit worried because some of our work was similar but Sarah discussed each piece and brought us both into the conversation, asking our different opinions about the work which was really good as it made us both feel relaxed and involved.

Sarah gave us some great advice about the realism of entering the industry, and how a lot can depend on your personality as well as your work. She discussed various options and different sides to the industry and how important it is to aim for what you really want to do, however difficult it is. She gave some great tips on how to get yourself known to potential employers, telling us about her own ideas, including a tea bag with contact details on. This has made me and Jules really think about how you can use creativity to show your skills and personality as well as getting you noticed in a unique way. 

We discussed the importance of understanding different technology, especially web design and she encouraged us to learn as much as we could and to keep up with new design trends. She also told us about various ways of getting placements, Christina also gave us her advice about how she had juggled paid work and placements to eventually get a permanent position.

It was interesting to hear two points of view about entering the industry and Sarah offered some great practical, realistic advice which myself and Jules have took on board and want to put into practice. We talked about the various agency's and aspects of design which was a real eye opener to myself and Jules, Sarah told us how some designers work together in teams, combining their skills to be employed as a team, which is something we are looking into further. She explained the different aspects of design and discussed which we preferred, which made me realise the importance of understanding what you personally want to achieve in design and ensuring that your approach to agencies portrays that message.