Tag: careers

Cover of IDEA magazine

Toshi Omagari featured in special issue of IDEA magazine

The highly esteemed Japanese design magazine IDEA dedicated an issue to the career of Toshi Omagari with the theme “Typeface design for the voice of the world: The Works of Toshi Omagari”. Toshi graduated with Distinction from the MA Typeface Design in 2010–11, and went on to work for several years for Monotype. More recently he set up his own foundry, and is now also a visiting teacher in the Department.

Toshi’s work spans both original work and revivals, and extends to numerous scripts: he is particularly notable for his work in Asian scripts for which there has not been extensive coverage in digital typefaces. He is also the author of Arcade Game Typography, the definitive book on arcade game pixel fonts, as well as numerous plugins to support font development. His teaching in our Masters spans workflows, design feedback, and approaches to global script design.

Colin McHenry talk to BA students

Colin McHenry, most recently Group Art Director for Centaur Media,  delivered a very engaging and inspiring talk to students on the BA programme yesterday. While recounting entertaining stories from his long and varied experience, Colin stressed the value of typographic skills and their contribution to a successful career. Colin urged students to read widely, engage with events, and pursue opportunities with vigour. He rounded off the talk showing some wonderful hand-rendered paste-ups from the pre-DTP era, while describing the changing professional roles in print production.

Star Wars internship at the Theme Group

Craig and his pixel art sign
Craig and his pixel art sign outside the Old Chapel

Local design agency Theme Group change their road sign every month, using pixel art to mark an anniversary or seasonal topic. The winner of the May competition was Part 1 student Craig Melvin, whose design reminds passers-by that this month is the 35th anniversary of the Star Wars film premiere. Although Craig would have preferred the sign to go up on May the 4th (ed. Oh, come on!) he is pleased with his internship at Theme during the summer vacation.

A career in design: advice from industry experts

‘What to do with a degree in design studies?’ was the question posed by The Guardian’s Career Blog today. Among the industry panellists answering the question were Will Nice of Goosebumps Brand Consultancy, Simon Manchipp of SomeOne, Robin Levien, and Rob Ball and Greg Quinton of The Partners. On the education side, Paul Luna was joined by Stephen Westland from Leeds, Nicola Francis from Nottingham Trent, Helen McCarron from Lincoln, Andy Edwards from Leeds Metropolitan, and Jamie Dobson from Surrey. Rhiannon James gave the D&AD point of view.

Topics covered included getting the best from an internship, getting a job in a different field from your degree, and the benefits of taking an MA. The panellists also gave advice on networking, portfolio building, presenting yourself to potential employers, how to overcome nerves in stressful situations, and how to cope with the current state of the job market.