Task 5

As a designer my strengths lie in problem analysis and judging the success of a solution.

My practical skills include photography, illustration, craft/tactile with a developing understanding of typography.

I am able in Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and After Effects.

Interactive design is a particular interest (not specifically digital) and how design can change and develop.

Motion Graphics is something I am keen to explore further.

My professional aims are not to be an art worker but to be able to work on paper as well as using software.

It would be preferable to work for a design agency or freelance rather than work as an in-house designer.

Working on my own or collaboratively are both options. Working with someone who has good idea generation with advanced technical skills would be most beneficial.

As far as location goes, I am willing to relocate for work. Although my language skills are limited to English and a small amount of German.

Currently I believe I am most suited to design that informs or entertains.

SWOT Analysis

Of the three Design agencies I have looked at two are based in London and one in Germany. 'Studio One's' homepage opens immediately onto an 'About us' section, where it explains that their clients are businesses, art institutions and other organisations world wide. There is a drop down menu that separates information that visitors might be interested in. 'Studio Two's' website has a 'featured project' which is displayed, this gives an immediate example of the work available. Also present on the homepage is the latest news, letting people know exactly what's current straight away. 'Studio three's' website also opens straight onto news but rather than have any examples of work, there is a small illustration displayed which hints at the sort of design they offer.

Contact details are probably the most important feature of websites in my opinion, because if a client is interested in work they need to be able to get in touch. It would be very unproductive to have a fantastic website and no way of letting potential clients speak to you. All of the agencies I looked at included their address, phone, e-mail. Studio One and Two displayed a map of their location. Studio One also gave a fax number and a description of who worked their, so people know who to contact. Studio Two didn't do this, however they provided photo's of their studio and their designers which gave an idea of what they were like. As well as an email address they also provided a template for an email that could be filled in and sent straight from the website. Studio Three had the most ways to be contacted which included fax, myspace and facebook.

The format for portfolios differed quite a lot for each of the sites. Studio Three's was viewable only by clicking on clients names, and no previews were available. Studio One's however was viewable through the menu and separated by either the type of work (e.g print, branding) or the client. Studio Two's was the only site that showed thumbnails of their work and could be browsed by the type of work or who the client was.

Of all the sites, Studio Two seemed to promote their work a lot more, however the pages were very busy and sometimes it took a lot of searching a page to find what was being looked for. Studio One's was very minimal and by using the menu information was easily found.