True North

Today I made a visit to design agency True North to meet with designer Ady Bibby. I was looking forward to sitting down and chatting to Ady on a one to one basis about the design industry, his own reflections and experiences and also looking forward to receiving some valuable feedback about the work I had been producing for my major project.

As I arrived I was shown into a boardroom and offered a nice cup of tea whilst I waited for Ady to tie up a few loose ends. It was really nice and somewhat overwhelming to see all the awards that True North as an agency had won hung up on the walls, some of this work I had already seen in D&AD annuals such as the work for the Manchester deaf centre.

Initially myself and Ady spoke about the industry from everything to placements, to which agency I would like to work in and London. We also covered most of the questions which I had previously sent to Ady via email:

 Do you think it is harder to get a job in the industry now compared to 5 years ago?

Ady felt that it is harder now to get a job as there are so many graduates, however compared to last year where the recession hit people quite hard things are now starting to get easier.

 What would set a student aside from everyone else? What skills would you look for?

We spoke about students and I mentioned that from many guest lectures who had visited college many felt that being enthusiastic and dedicated would be what would set many students aside. Ady agreed with this but felt it was equally important for a student to have a very good portfolio also.

 Have you ever worked in London or considered moving to London? Would you suggest students move from their hometown to look for work?

We spoke about London and I spoke about our recent trip to London meeting with agencies. Ady expressed that moving to London never appealed to himself and he's quite happy commuting to London to meet with agencies but his home is Manchester. We spoke about London and how there are vast amounts of design agencies but Manchester is becoming just as popular. Once again this made me question where I would like to work in the future.

We spoke about placements and Ady was quite shocked that In my three years of studying design I had still not completed one single placement, however this wasn't a bad reflection on myself. Ady felt that the placement system is the most important way to get a job and it was what managed to get himself a job in the industry. 

After this insightful and extremely helpful discussion I spoke to Ady about my major project, my ideas and where I was up to so far. Ady gave me some honest constructive feedback which linked in ideas I had previously been working on with new ideas. He told me to think a little more about how to group everything together and maybe change my strap line but all in all he felt it was a good route to choose. Before meeting with Ady I felt at a somewhat loose end with my project and was confused with which direction to carry on in but Ady reassured me by saying that I already had my idea there and if I was to send my ideas to an advertising agency they would be able to understand it and tweak it to produce the outcome I want.

Before leaving Ady also asked what I wanted to do after graduation and who I want to work for, at the moment I still feel unsure. My heart lies with typography and editorial design yet more recently my work seems to be based around advertising design and agency wise I would love to work for the chase as I love their work ethics and the work they produce. However, after meeting with Ady today True North would definitely be in my top 5 design agencies in Manchester I would like to work for. I felt completely relaxed and everyone was friendly and welcoming. 

When emailing Ady prior to my meeting with him Ady joked by saying ' I'll provide the tea and coffee you bring the biscuits' so as a lasting impression I took some hobnobs and happy faces with me for the team to enjoy! 

I am very greatful to Ady for taking the time out to see me and I hope to stay in contact.