As I have begun a placement at a graphic design company, I was unable to attend the final class with Ness.

Throughout the design section of the course, I have realised my interest for design and hope to pursue a career in a design department. Ness has provided me with great feedback on my work which has been beneficial not only for the assessments but for my future career. I have learned a number of skills and feel that my technical abilities have advanced quickly.

The guest speakers that we have had the privilege of meeting through this course have given me a fantastic insight into the different roles in a publishing house, whether this is one of the big 5 publishing houses or a small independent publisher. Before this course I had no idea of the process that goes into producing a book from commissioning to printing. I feel that I have a good understanding now of how the different teams interact and the process that a manuscript goes to before becoming a book. I particularly enjoyed the visit from Leah at Floris books who gave us a funny yet thought provoking talk about design. I also enjoyed hearing from Kevin Duffy towards the start of the year who brought up issues involving diversity in publishing and risk taking in the big 5 compared to independent publishers.

I feel prepared to start a role in industry, equipped with the skills and knowledge I have gained over the past year.