There are few places I’d ideally like to work, I’d be grateful of a job most places. A little while ago I had an article written about me on Ugly Baby. A company based in Bethnal Green contacted them asking to see my portfolio. I emailed them and tried to stop by but couldn’t get passed the iron gates so I lost hope of hearing anything back.

Bethnal Green is where my grandparents live. I’ve known the area all my life and it would be more than fantastic if I could work around there. Also, the company in question looked excellent which is a double win.

Today, I got a reply. I should mention that they responded to my tweet thanking them for adding me to their list. This I consider a result as my campaign is based on social networking. The reply consisted of a short message promising to reply to my portfolio and CV email. A promising glimpse at something I’d considered a near lost cause. The tweet came from Prague so I’m guessing the person in question is on holiday. I’m all the more grateful for that fact. I know it’s nothing concrete, it’s just nice to have this show some promise again.

Other news: I’ve been working back at the school as I’ve mentioned and I’ve been asked to get involved with creating some vouchers for ‘Cafe Belgique’ which is located in their new 6th Form Block. They wanted to make the vouchers so they couldn’t be photocopied so they couldn’t be basic, they needed something to them. They suggested perhaps using a watermark but the cost in relation to their budget would never be a sensible move. I ended up creating a circular voucher, much like a tax disc. This helped meant that teachers couldn’t photocopy and unless they had the precision of a robot, also couldn’t cut the perfect circle. It was the first time I’ve been involved in sending a job to print that involves a die-cut so it was a nice change.

Although it was quite a simple job it’s really boosted my confidence and enjoyment of the profession. The die-cut made it even more interesting. I’d like to be involved with all kinds of print and finishes, learning all new techniques. I’m still very much in the early stages of my career but if I can get this excited about die-cutting then I think may face may be in danger of cracking through the many possibilities that the world of print holds.

Also, I’ve been asked by some people at the school whether I have any contacts in the printing industry which, thanks to LinkedIn, I have got back in touch with a guy named Robert Grundy. His company Advance offer great quality, affordable prints and have excellent staff who always went beyond the call of duty not only for the company I was at but also for me (as someone who was just starting out - They had a lot of understanding).

So, although the job search and seemingly endless applications continue, I’ve had a nice few days with an element of Graphic Design to keep me going.