Back to work!

So much has happened this year!

I was made redundant in February, so worked in a school temping as a receptionist. All the while I was continuing to do work for the previous company on a freelance basis. This involved designing adverts for Autotrader for Iveco and Fiat vans.

Gavin (also on the course) recommended me to his printing company, Siddalls. They phoned me up and within a week I was working there as a graphic designer! This provided me with invaluable experience as I really didn't understand anything with regards to getting things ready to print! I learned more about certain things and also some printing jargon like :

• litho printing (which only use for letterheads that are going through laser printers)
• gripper edge
• dot-gain
• work-and-turn
• creep
• trapping
  
• CMYK & RGB
• pantone inks printed in CMYK
• Printing.com
• finding fonts through certain websites
• Mac computers!
• Photoshop & creating masks
• Tiff files
• Bitmap images
• editing using Adobe Acrobat
• Freehand
• Quark
  

However, even though all this knowledge really helped me, I was getting much busier with my own work that I was working most nights and very late. I realised that if I was to actually get any web design business I just wouldn't have the time to do it! So with much deliberation I decided to hand in my notice and go it alone!

So without a website(!) I still decided that it was the right time to set up on my own and so far I've absolutely loved it! I'm reclaiming a social life and am so much happier being my own boss and setting my own goals and deadlines. I've earnt the same amount of money, although I'm still waiting for some to come in! I'm finding it very exciting with a few prospects in the "offing" and with the website due to be completed in a few days, I'll soon be able to get out promoting my company!