Good Honest Work

As I reached the last months of my MA and my final project loomed, so too did the pressure to find a job in the industry. Speaking to friends in different fields, I noticed how strange creative job ads seemed in comparison. Vague person specifications ask applicants to “bring the magic every day” or “be your own person”. Fluffy, at times bizarre language and the same old tired buzzwords made for application processes that were entertaining at best and impossible to decipher at worst.

I gathered 100 graphic designer job ads and counted which buzzwords are the worst offenders in the industry. Making them into ‘live, laugh, love’ style slogans, I styled and shot cheeky yearbook portraits of my course mates as the perfect applicant. Every phrase and word used in the project is taken from real entry level job ads. This project was featured in It’s Nice That and Creative Review in the year I graduated, and made lots of people uncomfortable during the interview process. It’s all in good fun, I promise.

Research, photography, art direction, graphic design - Ruby Donachy

Willing and patient models:
Jamie, Hazal, Luis, Kwan, Elaine, Ryan, Madhura