Dave Greengrow joined us from Maidstone, Kent for the IDI Graduation Ceremony 2016 at Edinburgh Castle. Having studied with us for a BA (Hons) Graphic Design, Dave was thrilled to have achieved his degree having returned to study after already starting his working career. Dave talked to us about combining full-time work with online study, and about the excitement of meeting his fellow students in the flesh for the first time.
In the Summer of 2016 after completing his degree with us at IDI, Dave officially established Dave Greengrow Design and now continues to grow his freelance design career.
Dave’s Design Work
“My creative journey started in the summer of 2001, after completing my BTEC Diploma in Graphic Design. Eleven years of full-time employment in the creative industries later, the opportunity arose to finally gain my Graphic Design Bachelor’s degree. After nearly four years of study, a lifetime goal has now been achieved thanks to the Interactive Design Institute.
“My aim whilst developing any creative project is to somehow stimulate a viewer – to create artwork that is somehow that little bit different, to make the piece standout and become memorable. All of the artwork selected for the Degree Show has a raw energy. I employed humour, exciting visuals and bespoke use of typography that jumps off the page with the same enthusiasm that I’ve put into creating every piece.”
Interview Transcript
I’m Dave Greengrow and I studied Graphic Design, a BA Honours course.
Where have you come from to be here today?
Outskirts of London, in Kent. Little place called Maidstone, don’t know whether you know it.
What made you chose to study online with IDI?
Basically, my work wasn’t quite going in the right direction and I wanted to get my degree and I stumbled across the internet about IDI and that I could have a full-time job and get my degree, all at the same time.
What were the worst moments?
Essay writing, by far. Having been sort of in the creative industry for a matter of years, the design side was easy… bearing in mind I hadn’t exactly been in education circles for about 11 years, going back and writing essays, oh my God.
What were the best moments?
Getting the 2:1 result, I was at work at the time, I went onto the IDI course suite, saw the 2:1 and it was like bang, I’ve done it. I rushed downstairs and told a couple of people, “look at the screen, look at it”, yes!
How would you describe the peer interaction and student support?
Brilliant. Right now is the first time I’ve actually met people and it’s like I’ve actually known them for ages. It’s like “oh my God, Kimberly, you alright?”, we’ve been nattering away for about three and bit years and that, but this is the first sort of physical interaction I’ve had with them but other than that it’s been like a tiny little avatar on the screen, everyone has been saying “you’re a lot taller” and I’m thinking yeah, everyone says that.
Do you have any advice for people thinking about studying online with IDI?
Do it! I think one of the greatest pieces of advice I’ve had doing it, was my nan, it’s a case of, she kind of did the same. She wasn’t able to do education like university and everything, she had to sort of get a job and go back to it, so my advice is never say never. So, if you get the chance, do it basically.
So, what’s next?
At the minute, since finishing my degree I seem to be getting freelance work chucked at me all over the place and haven’t quite managed to find the employment from it but I get the impression it’s going to happen. I keep getting titbits of advice from people already in the industry and it’s heading in the right direction, at the minute. It’s like, chuck us your CV and we’ll see what happens. We shall see what happens with that…