'You are a Designer' was born out of an opportunity to provide a targeted service for soon-to-be graduates from the University of Auckland's Bachelor of Design degree. From employability skills to career uncertainty, the experience of transitioning from university to the workforce is a well-documented area of research. With literature published worldwide, from South Africa to the Netherlands to Australia, it is a universal experience. In the context of Aotearoa, DiversityWorks highlighted the "employment transition for younger staff" among the most important diversity issues for organisations through their 2022 New Zealand Workplace Diversity Survey (Diversity Works, 2022).
It is already commonplace for graduates from subjects within the creative industries to struggle with the transition out of their study, as career pathways are less distinct than in other fields (Bridgstock, 2010). Therefore, this project set out to understand and address the experience of the University of Auckland's design graduates now, setting a precedent for the future.
As a design intervention, 'You are a Designer' is not trying to 'reinvent the wheel'. Instead, it is a service that thrives on collaboration - proposing an approach that suits the design programme's structure.
'You are a Designer' primarily manifests itself in the form of digital prompt cards. With their versatility, applying this concept to the realm of design graduates allows for a product that alters the experience while fitting into existing infrastructure. The set has been designed as an approachable step towards this goal, using prompts to promote discussion, action or reflection. It aims to be a part of a chain reaction demonstrating that preparing for the transition out of university can and should start small.
References:
Bridgstock, R. (2010). Skills for creative industries graduate success. Education + Training, 53(1), 9–26. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400911111102333
DiversityWorks NZ. (2022). New Zealand Workplace Diversity Survey 2022. DiversityWorks NZ
