When I first moved to Malta in August, I was straight out of finishing my University degree and knew I wanted to find work doing what I loved but wasn't sure where. After spending some time trying to establish a personal brand while working full time in bars and restaurants, I started offering design work to my local businesses to try and build a portfolio. Although this side of business was slow, and often left me working for free or for very little to make social media posts or café menus I feel the experience I have had in finding clients and working independently to their expectations gave me the experience I needed to get better at what I do.

Volunteering as an Art TA / Technician on a part time basis. My role mostly involves preparing equipment and materials to be used, creating displays and visual communication in the classroom, as well assisting the students.

Similar to my previous role but with emphasis on the production of print and quality assurance. This brought me new skills in machine operating, stock control, admin and quality control. My main duty was to assure end to end that designs were coming into production the correct size and quality, as well as being produced and sent to be installed at a high standard.

• Original designs and branding – At my time at the company, I have created large scale designs for events and businesses that have been seen by hundreds of people from the time of their installation. These were either created to client expectation or were my original designs under client approval.• Project leadership – Some larger projects required me to supervise and assist along the entire process while communicating with the client. This would include measuring the area for fitting, collecting or creating client artwork, adjusting artwork for print, assuring print and measurements are correct, and finally assisting the team on site on how the print should look and where each piece will be placed. • Preparing work for print – A large part of my work at this company was to be printed, and therefore I needed to keep certain details in mind to assure the designs will not lose quality when enlarged. This could be as simple as adjusting the width and height accordingly or as complicated as rearranging an entire design’s structure to better fit print specification when working with previously prepared artwork. This has been the part of my job I have learnt the most from, as large-scale printing and cutting was not something I had in my previous experience.• Communicating with clients – I found that my time working in customer service has helped build me into a highly effective communicator when working to a client’s specifications. This allows me to create relationships with the clients I work with, and often leads to repeat clients and trust in my work.