Don't Get a Job? Make a Job: How to Make It As a Creative Graduage

Don't Get a Job, Make a Job explores strategies for graduates to gain exposure in the creative industries – including design, fashion and advertising.

Too often a design or architecture degree is seen as a means to an end (a job in an established practice). But imagine for one moment that there are no employers, no firms to send your CV to, no interviews to be had – what would you do? How would you forge your own path after graduation?

The current economic climate has seen many graduates chasing a finite number of positions. The most ingenious and driven designers have found weird and wonderful ways of making opportunities for themselves, often by applying their skills across the creative disciplines of art, design, architecture and interiors. Knowing what you want from your design career and being able to adapt your strategy to suit is basic and vital – just like in the wild, designers need to evolve.

The book celebrates the various strategies that students and graduates are taking to gain exposure, while also including interviews and inspirational advice from those who are now enjoying success as a result of their creative approach to employment.

"Brilliant book, really helped motivate and inspire me whilst looking for work. Great quality print, very vibrant and unforgettable."– Amazon reviewer

"Great book, well laid out, looks great from the start. An enjoyable read."– Amazon reviewer

Gem Barton is a design writer and academic. She has 10 years' experience teaching architecture, interior design, interior architecture, and design thinking at graduate and postgraduate level, and is currently Senior Lecturer at Brighton University. With professional experience as a writer in the fields of architecture and design she actively engages with and challenges the relationship between education and practice.