Leeds Print Festival - Opening Night

On Friday evening I attended the opening night of Leeds Print Festival. The first thing I noticed was that I was surprised at how busy it was, which gave me an indication about the size and popularity of the print industry, something which I previously had no idea about. This was definitely beneficial.

That said, the second thing I noticed was that a lot of people tended to be talking to each other as apposed to looking around at what work was on display, which they could've done anywhere. To me, it felt like some people, being seen at the exhibition for the sake of reputation and impressions was probably just as important to them as actually going to see the exhibition. That said this was opening night, and I can't imagine that to be the case for any of the paid events throughout the festival.

The work on display was not was I was expecting. It seemed a little pretentious compared to what I was expecting, and I think it's helped clarify in my head the difference between print and design. That said, obviously the work was displayed in gallery, not in the context of what it was designed for, so that probably had a bearing on my thoughts. 

Networking

Networking is good for me personally because speaking to people with experience in graphic design might help me realise what I want to do more specifically. It's something that's probably worth doing because I might end up with a clear idea of what I want to do or contacts within design that could help me in the future. I probably wouldn't actively network if it wasn't part of the course because I don't think I'm pro-active enough as a person in general to think about doing it. At the moment I haven't really done any networking. I think in any kind of communication, language is a major barrier. Even in visual communication, a different language generally means a different culture, and so imagery may not mean the same thing to you as it does to someone of a different language.