So next week I will be starting #sofivshonours as I've officially got into honours. I am going into my fourth year of university my gosh I can't really believe it, it's gone so fast. Seriously this is my last year and next year I'll be released into the big wild world! So you could class me as one of those old wise people full of handy advice for all you new design students out there. (But really I'm still learning heaps and heaps and you'll figure this out soon enough if I wasn't here to tell you).
Buy Adobe Creative Cloud. Now.
Seriously it's actually really cheap and it's never going to be as cheap as that for the rest of you life once you graduate. I didn't until now, I relied on outdated copies I'd obtained, and boy do I regret it now I've witnessed the greatness.
Trust Your Gut.
I know your tutors most likely know best but that doesn't mean you have to change everything they tell you to. Trust your gut, if you feel like it's right and works for your design then stick with it. Design, after all, is a lot of personal preference. Of course if it's the basics then maybe you should change but it's entirely up to you.
Know The Library.
There will come a time when you need books from the library, not everything is online I'm afraid. But once you get there you're going to have to know how to use it. In first year for one of my essay papers I couldn't find a book I needed, it was in a section up some stairs, so I just decided to leave instead of asking a librarian. I ended up with a pretty good grade but who knows, that book might have stepped me up to an A+. Know your library, and if you don't know ASK.
Write Everything Down.
That little visual diary that you have should be where every thought and idea goes. Seriously even if you only have time to scribble down a little sketch of an idea it'll be worth it when three weeks later you really needed that idea to improve your work.
Manage Yourself Well.
Easier said than done right? The sooner you figure out the best way you work, the better. If it's going to bed at 10 every night instead of pulling all those late nighters and dying the next day, then do it. Do whatever it takes to ensure that you're not having to work all day and all night the day before hand in, all the way up to the last minute to make sure your work is finished. There's nothing better than sitting there an hour before hand in with your work ready while everyone around you are stressing and sending you dirty looks because they aren't done.
Try New Things.
There aren't many times in your life when you can have access to all this top of the range gear and can have the freedom to try out new things. Some things you might not like, but you may also find a new skills. They don't have to be big things either, for example the lettering in the image above is a new style for me and I think it's working? It may even make you want to change your major!
All in all have fun and actually put in the hard work, it'll pay off! Good luck!
