I must say that I was a little less than enthralled about receiving a project, which required me to hunt down and interrogate an established designer to the point of annoyance. After reading the circulated example and seeing that, the author Chris Metcalf, started with the same viewpoint. I began to be swayed to the same train of thought, which had enlightened Chris. A sudden and drastic change in my thoughts leads me to see that this is, hopefully, my final year as a student designer. The final year, in which I can ask the questions, delve into, what is commonly believed to be, general knowledge within the design field.
Immediately I sought to find a designer whom I could interview. Making a list of who was in the immediate area that could or rather would let me interview them. After exasperating all the contacts on my list, I turned to my lecturer for more contacts that he may know who would welcome the interview. At this point after sending out about fifteen emails to various design companies, firms and individuals around the Cape Town and its extended areas. I had learnt one thing, designers are busy people, so busy in fact that replying to an email is far too grand a task or perhaps not grandiose enough.
Three weeks down the line and still no reply. With all contacts exasperated and the fear of asking the same people again might annoy them to the point of filing a case of harassment against me. I began to do what any designer in the face of failure would do – start designing an escape. A day or so later I realised through my intense planning that I did in fact know a designer outside Cape Town and that he would be my final hope. So out of desperation I wrote my email in the hopes that maybe this designer will not be that busy and I may even get a reply.
Monday, May 28, 2012 at 11:41 AM, My worries melted away as I read the email that I had