I don't want to name individuals because it's so hard and there are so many talented designers out there. But there’s some studio/agencies that I really look up to and would love to be apart of. The whole team over at Resn are just crazy in the stuff they are able to make. Sons & Co are another kiwi favourite for me with their clean approachable style. Unit9 are a digital production company, producing exciting new media stuff like VR. Bureau Borshce produce really interesting experimental graphic design. Hello Monday always seem to be working on the most interesting projects.
2017 is my final year of study, so it's kinda my last chance to really put a lot of time and effort into one big project that I have complete creative freedom over. I am not 100% sure what I exactly want to do yet, but I know it will involve something to do around a short film/interactive website. I also want to get into VR storytelling and how to experiment with different types of formats within that media. While I'm studying, I want to keep up with my passion projects throughout the year as well.
I’ve actually got a few in the works at the moment. My biggest one is probably a san serif typeface that I’ve been working on for quite a while now. Also Im getting pretty close to being able to launch a site that I've been working on since the middle of the year. Its basically a extension to a book that I made about the Pike River Mine Explosion. In Addition to this I’ve been doing some digital painting in my spare time.
My immediate goal is to get through my degree and have a good body of work to show for it. Then hopefully I can use that as a good stepping stone into the industry. I would love to get a job where I will be working on projects that I enjoy doing, and that keep me challenged and learning as a creative. I think It's extremely hard for creatives to look to the future, because the industry is changing so fast and people are constantly changing there workflows to adapt. So I just want to take the opportunities that arise and see where that takes me.
I think the future for designers is really exciting, as a lot more companies are valuing the benefits of design on a business level. So I think a lot more higher level design positions will start appearing in the future, which will be good for the industry as a whole. It seems like online digital media will play a huge part in the successfulness of businesses in the future. So designers will have to adapt as the market does, which is looking like virtual reality and social media will be some of the biggest drivers in the market. So overall, it’s pretty exciting to be in the design field in the next few years in my opinion.