About me

Hello,

I am emailing to apply for your Graphic Designer job. I have just completed my degree in Graphic and Communication Design (Industrial) at The University of Leeds. I believe I am a good candidate for this position because of my keen eye for detail and my competence in Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign, as learnt to a very high standard during my degree. I credit myself as being a very fast learner, good at taking direction and capable at working both independently and as part of a team.

I opted to take a year 'in industry' to further my taught knowledge and to gain in-house experience. Throughout this year I worked at several different agencies in London and Sydney. In the UK I completed a four month design internship at Barnardo's, the UK's leading children's charity, where I gained a great deal of experience working on one particular brand following brand guidelines for a diverse range of projects. Working at Barnardo's provided me with an excellent insight into brand management and showed me the importance for consistent, detailed attention within brand design. Following this, I completed a month long design internship at Medicine Man, a small marketing and design studio. At the end of the internship I was offered a temporary job as a Junior Designer. At Medicine Man I became more aware of the print process and was involved in art working and preparing files for print. Sitting alongside account handlers I gained an insight into different printing methods and studio/design management.

After interning and working for nine months in London, I headed to Sydney to take in the Australian culture and gain further experience working at Sku Brand Design as a freelance designer. Here I got to work in a massive agency designing for one of Australia's biggest supermarkets, Woolworths. It was exciting to be amongst so many creative people and work independently on the brand guidelines project I was hired to complete. As a reward for my hard work and achievements I was allowed to shadow the Art Director on a food packaging photoshoot and meet and chat to one of the food stylists, which was a personal highlight of my time in Australia.

During this placement year I had a lot of fun and gained a great deal of studio experience, which I have been utilizing during my final year at Leeds. I was able to expand my typography skills in all my work placements and found the varied and demanding environments suited my ability to meet deadlines and thrive under pressure.

Outside of working I am a keen cook, enjoying all aspects of food including cooking, styling and most importantly eating! Alongside this I enjoy arts and crafts and making things from scratch. I also enjoy being outside walking and improving my photography skills.

It would be great to hear back from you with any opportunities you might have for me.

I have also attached my cv and portfolio and hope to hear from you soon,

Kind regards,

Natalie

Natalie Shortt