Lord Whitney [ Studio Visit ]

'Graphic design gives you the chance to play again as an adult.' - LW

Today my class had a studio visit to Lord Whitney, a design agency who pride themselves on being 'connoisseurs of make believe'. The design duo Amy Lord and Rebecca Whitney and their team have worked with an impressive range of clients including Nicki Minaj, Missoni, Cartier and Vogue. My favourite example of their work however is their collaboration with Chambord Raspberry Liquor as I have long been an admirer of their wacky pastel coloured adverts and had no idea that the visionaries behind them were from my very own second home of Leeds!

The pair had a lot of useful advice on how to make it in the industry. Here were their top tips and words of wisdom:

• Just Keep doing something to stay motivated and excited. Don't slow down. If you're not enjoying the current brief you've been set, do something in your own time that you enjoy. Most importantly just keep going!

• To make it in the industry you don't need money, you just need perseverance.

• If you don't really know what you're doing it's fine to blag it!

• Volunteer at at least one festival while you still can. You'll meet loads of like minded people, make contacts and learn the value of hard graft. 

• Most of their client work has come from self initiated projects and things they have just wanted to do for fun, so make sure you're constantly being creative and showcasing your work. 

• You don't have to live in London to get involved in good design work. 

• Contacts, contacts, contacts! You never know who you'll meet or who they know in turn. Make sure you're networking by visiting exhibitions, opening nights and talks and if you're wanting to contact someone, make it more personal than just an email.

All in all it was a very inspirational afternoon and I felt lucky to be studying a course I love with such great career prospects. The talk taught me that with hard work and perseverance you can acheive things you would never dream of doing.