Networking Events

One of the first networking events for this semester was lino cutting and printing. I thoroughly enjoyed lino printing in GCSE art and was a great opportunity to relax and have a break from the stresses of third year university whilst talking and networking to different years as we do. As you can see from the image, I decided to go with a panda which was easy to cut and allowed plenty of time to enjoy the printing process. I believe my prints come out extremely well in most of my prints but unfortunately one or two prints come out a little blurred/distorted due to the lino moving when rolling. Overall, this was one of my favourite networking events to date and provided me with some much needed space from university submissions and finals.

On the 29th March 2022, the design cohort had the opportunity to go to London and attend the design museum exhibition for this year. The Amy Winehouse exhibit was on display this year in the basement level and the top floors as seen from the image covered all manner of design and technology. It was intriguing to see the 3D printing area since several large-scale models were on display and with the evolution and popularity of 3D printing growing exponentially, the displays further reinforced how versatile 3D printing is and can be used in any aspect of design. This could range from packaging to building models, prototypes to functional mechanisms. However, whilst in A-levels I attended a product design exhibition at the venue down the road from the design museum which provided more chances to network as each business had its own stall and display which was more interactive compared to the design museum. Although, the architecture of the building was more inviting and from this day, I started to take photography of forms and patterns seen in modern architecture which I hope to continue after university.

The Transmedia 2022 was my first official, face-to-face exhibition held at the university on behalf of the students of Digital Media Design cohort. As a part of my final submissions, I was required to pitch my business plan created in the first semester of year 3 toward four panellists and local business owners. Due to the varying legalities around my business plan, I pitched the product as a future incentive which requires laws to change in June 2022 whereby the product can be created and retailed from this date onwards with the expected financials proposed. The pitch went extremely well and the questions raised allowed me to further show the research I have regarding the product that wasn’t in the pitch. More importantly, after 3 years of presenting and pitching numerous client projects, I believe my skills and the way I deliver the pitch over the years has improved drastically and although the product was a simple electric skateboard, I was able to keep the panellists engaged and valuable feedback and questions were raised.

Prior to my pitch at 16:30, I was able to explore the transmedia event that was organised by the second-year students and view some of the work their cohort has done this year. I can safely say that every stall and display was fantastic, and I was able to network with multiple individuals who share a similar interest in design to myself. At the end of the day, we completed an award ceremony for the best pitch, most viable business plan, best display, and most interactive display with several bottles of champagne as the prizes. The end of the awards ceremony and words from numerous students and lecturers concluded my last day at the University of Winchester which was sad to realise that 3 years has flown by but the projects and experience I have had at the university has been brilliant and hope to stay in contact over the foreseeable future.