Before DPS had started, I was lucky enough to have worked with two different brands. They were very different from each other, one being a magazine and the other being a clothing brand, however they both, equally, taught me a lot. 

Sighted, the magazine I worked for came from a quick DM. I was very intrigued by the magazine, having seen the reception from their event celebrating their last release. The onboarding process was interesting. Quickly I realised, this wasn’t going to be something that lasted, but it was a good way to exercise my design skills. 

I designed several spreads for the magazine featuring the artists of the UK underground scene and some more mainstream ones like Skepta. The issue with the magazine was that, it lacked structure and a clear identity. There was an everything goes mentality, likely because they wanted to get it done within two weeks of starting it. 

If i’m honest, the turn around surprised me. They got it done in time for launch, but it wasn’t a product I would have sent off. It looked rushed. And when I went to the event for it’s release to see my work in person, I was shocked. They had, due to their lack of content, changed parts of my design and made it something that I wouldn’t want my name on. It was a shame, but if I am honest I saw it coming. Some of my work was kept the same, and the work that was ended up being the work that people liked. 

I learnt from this experience that I am at a level beyond this, not in a “I am better than everyone way” but in a professional way. At the event, in conversations I realised that they had tweaked photographers’ images, changed other designers’ work and for me, it didn’t make sense to work with them again, especially when the work was unpaid.

What I liked most about this opportunity was the shift in the way I treated designing. Immediately, I became a designer. I was no longer a student. For Sighted, I was of value, and they found my portfolio very impressive. 

What I didn’t like was working without structure and to a standard much below mine. I later will learn that, this is just what working with a client is.