1. Do you think that it is beneficial for students to have industry experience before graduating?
Imperative. It's the most important thing for employers but more importantly the students. The world of Design as work is inevitably and undeniably different to the world of Design as study. If you take a placement and gain industry experience you'll have an understanding of the workings of a studio, the life that it takes and the things that are involved. You'll know that it's not just about having an idea or making something look nice and that it takes more than a good portfolio to get a job. None of this can be experienced in a classroom studio.
2. Do you think graduates are prepared for the Design industry ?
I don't think this is a very relevant question. I mean if you were prepared for the industry then you wouldn't be a graduate would you? There has to be a degree of preparation in everything you do but you should only, really, be prepared to work hard and to learn more. Placements are valuable and should be done and they prepare you for the studio experience but this changes as you graduate and as you're employed, so the preparation is different.
3. When receiving E-mails, Letters etc, What do you think makes a individual stand out when contacting you ?
Ultimately, it's the work. Sure there are things about the correspondence that will put me off or on to a person, but they're usually basic things and change with every person someone will contact. I like in people what others hate and likewise others like I don't. There's no universal here. Just be polite, be formal, be punctual and have good manners. Make it easy for me to say yes.
4. What is your attitude towards students contacting the company? Are you happy to help or do you get frustrated by the amount of emails you receive ?
Both. I will give as much time as I can to see, speak to and correspond with students. Sometimes it takes longer than I'd like but I have priorities I have to work to which consequently take precedent sometimes. When I have more to trawl through, it's daunting and keeps me late sometimes but it's worth it in the end.
5. As a company would you take on a graduate who had no industry experience ?
Again, this depends. Our placement philosophy is made of deciding factors that include work, attitude, fit and personality (amongst others) but you don't have to have a good score on all of these things to get a placement or job. If you learn whilst you're here and want to learn and are competent then we might not care that the portfolio is average or worse, or if they've been to some glitzy well-named agency beforehand.
6. Do you think it is important for a design student to have a online blog? If so, what do you think are the benefits?
I don't think it's important. Blogs are for expressing one's opinions. If you have a design blog and have something interesting to say then sure it won't hurt. But fill it full of 'look what we did last night—how drunk were we' kind of shit then I think it'll be disregarded.
7. As a designer what are your goals for the future?
Do great, honest, and meaningful work for as long as I can.
