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Owen Pouncy - BA (Hons) Design Typography

I love design and loved Uni. Wish I was back there all the time!!!

My mum and dad are both teachers. I was schooled in a normal state school but realised how important education was.

I went to secondary school and FE college in Blackpool. I left school, started A levels, dropped out after 5 months (not for me!), worked until September then started a BTEC in Design (Photography) which was a two year course. I started at University at 20 years of age and I graduated in 2002.

I went on to Higher Education at the University of Plymouth to educate myself so I could ensure a good job and social status. Why did I choose my degree subject? At first I started on a photography degree. I soon realised there were zero job opportunities so changed to Design Typography (Exeter School of Art and Design).The best thing about the course was that sub-standard work was never tolerated therefore made us all better designers. The worst was the lack of facilities.

I did paid work whilst studying - I worked in nightclubs evenings and weekends. This enabled me to have a good social life and still get paid. I also worked in a design studio for an hour a day after uni. My first job upon graduating was as Media Fields Sales Rep for Local newspaper. I currently live in Blackpool.

My advice to others who are thinking about going to university is to treat the degree like a job. Don’t be caught in the trap of working late and sleeping all day!! Ensure that you are working 9-5 Monday to Friday AT THE LEAST (need more work in last year).

My financial advice to others is to always work whilst at uni. It is too easy to not have a job for 3 years and then come out skint and not used to work.

In terms of life after university – I am self-employed. I am the Creative Director of a design company. I have built the company to a large annual turnover and will now concentrate on a business I have started with selling property abroad.

The best thing about my current job is making a lot of money. The worst is that it is design projects that are middle-budget and customer orientated. Never get the chance to work on really high-end creative projects.

My advice for somebody wanting to get into my line of work is to ensure that you know all the main computer packages well or finding a job or doing your job becomes much harder.

My final comment - I hope to go back to Exeter School of Art and Design and visit the lecturers and talk to other students there. If anyone would like some advice then please contact me. I love design and loved Uni. Wish I was back there all the time!!!
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