OH SH*T WHAT NEXT!
'OH SH*T WHAT NEXT' is a contemporary, playful survival kit that acts as a friendly companion to aid graduating students when transitioning into the working world. This project was a group effort as part of a final year module. As a class, we identified an issue evident for graduating design students—a lack of knowledge and confidence when entering industry, and how to adjust from student life to working as a designer. Entering a daunting stage of our lives, it’s difficult to know where and how to start your career. How do you prepare for interviews? How do you organise a portfolio? Who should you turn to for advice? And the list of questions grows. Our survival kit aims to cater for all graduating designer’s needs by creating an advice booklet, with insightful advice from over 30 design alumni and their experiences. The kit also contains a smaller booklet focused specifically on industry advice, a deck of interview prep cards, and a selection of branded essentials which every designer needs.
The constant driving force behind the overall design was the user, it is very much about that transitioning stage, and the building of relationships and contacts. As we currently live in an overwhelming, information dense digital world, the group as a whole opted for a simple print solution. We wanted to create something with a human touch that felt comforting, something the user can physically turn to when stressed, looking for inspiration or even simple guidance from a person who has previously been in their shoes. Because of this, the designers took inspiration from the alumni themselves and created a humorous, light hearted tone of voice based on their feedback.
