Starting off the semester Greg invited Niall Carlin from Double Jump to come and speak with us. It was so interesting to hear about his journey through the industry. I thought his mind set of “everything is awesome” was so relatable, coming into the course with expectations of what and how things would be done were blown out of the water! In the last two years I’ve found myself been blown out of many waters so to say, everything we’re learning and experiencing really is awesome, and getting the chance to speak with people in the industry here in Northern Ireland and abroad is one of many chances a lot of students and people don’t get.
Niall was so kind to give us advice and pointers.
- Reputation is key in the industry no matter what role you play, word of mouth helps. “Be the COOL GUY!!” fitting into a company is great, if you get on well with people you work then you’re already a step ahead.
- Value becomes great – Be great basically, learn everything you possibly can from design theory, colour, composition, typography & animation! Constantly ask why? Question things and learn the skills that don’t come in tutorials because everybody knows how to use google.
- Take on criticism – criticism is good, something I’ve learnt in the past two years to be very true. Bewaring the gap, “there is always somebody better” learn from them, take that opportunity to pick their brains, and you might even make a friend.
- There is no right answer to a creative brief
- Deadlines rule your creative life – I think we’ve all struggled with this one…
- Time is money
- The skill is not using the tool
We’re the lucky generation everything is out their waiting for us!
Beochan 