Peter and Paul
Paid Work

Since completing mandatory work experience at Peter and Paul design studio in Sheffield in 2010 I have been going back every year since then for work experience during my summer holidays. However as of the end of first year I have started receiving paid work there.

Although this is an incredibly exciting development it is also one that I will have to balance with my uni work. Usually I would only work there during periods of time I am not within formal education, however given that this is both paid work and very beneficial for my career once I leave uni I have had to ask for excused absences so as not to avoid turning the work down.

 Work produced for several brand identity briefs within the studio

How it differs to Illustration

In terms of work process, outside of the obvious factor of not being drawing based and instead being focused on layout/art direction/typography etc, the main difference is working as part of a studio instead of being an individual practitioner.

Most of the direction comes from those above and, although your creative input is still what they value you for, you have to work to a lot more rigid guidelines/specifications than what you would receive for say an editorial commission. These are both in the form of what a client specifies as well as those higher up in the studio given that at this stage I am only working at the level of a junior designer. I think this is mainly due to the fact that being an illustrator usually involves a great deal more of personal interpretation and translating of specific idea/briefs whereas working at a design studio you have to be a lot more concise and specific with what is produce.

Furthermore working for actual clients as part of a team means there is a lot more pressure to get jobs done as if you are late with deadlines it will reflect badly on the studio as a whole rather than just you personally.

How it fits in with my personal practice

Given that in previous posts I have highlighted that my illustration practice fits in with more niche areas of the industry, many of which aren't very lucrative, ideally after university I would work full time within design given that I have both a strong interest in design, much of which carries through to my illustration work, and feel that it offers more security.

However I would still want to pursue a personal practice as an illustrator and therefore this would mean creating a balance between the two. Furthermore working as part of a studio would inevitably help me expand my personal practice given the contacts that I would be able to gain on a personal level through working as part of a professional studio. Although on paper this seems great I already realise just how demanding working as a designer is which may leave little time for my illustration practice. This balancing act is something I will need to consider as I complete my degree as well as with what I choose to do after uni.