Where to begin?

The main vein running through David's lecture was that there's a lot of competition out there. Apparently this country churns out nearly 20% of the total number of graphic designers required EVERY year. That's a lot of us who are going to end up doing something else. So...
I need a unique selling point.

The country is full of mac monkeys and adobe apes. The far east is full of the same - I recently read that there are over 400 design schools in China - and they come much cheaper  And all of them are more adept with the software than I'm ever going to be. Plus I'll be fifty - five by the time I graduate. Despite the best efforts of the age discrimination legislation, there's no way I'll walk into a job unless it's with someone I know. The malleable twentysomething will be hired every time. I've always assumed that I'm going to be freeelance or independant. So I've got to make myself different. Original, even.
That's why I'm drawn to the linocut. Making images in my own way, unlike anyone else. And my compulsion to crowbar a joke into any and every situation will come in handy.

The phrase 'Simplicity of Communication' made my ears prick up. I like simplicity. It's easier than complicated, for one thing. I'm drawn to the 'Smack 'em between the eyes' approach - grab their attention at the first glance. That's why I went with the 'leaves' image for the allotment poster, though I changed the original phrase 'These need sweeping up' to a more cuddly 'Don't worry, you won't have to sweep them up'.
I'm reading 'London Calling - a countercultural history of London since 1945'.Theres a pertinent quote about Charles Saatchi's art collecting: "Saatchi was an advertising man, and he liked his art to have immediate impact, and if possible also to have a pun attached - rather like an ad". Which is exactly how I like work to come out.
So perhaps advertising will be my forte. The cunning puppetmaster, convincing eskimos that what they really, really need is more snow - now there's interesting work.

Branding also appeals. The current orthodoxy is that the brand is everything about the company, not just the logo. So easy to say, so hard to do. And easy to lose.
A brand is like a tree - it grows huge on a diet of trust. And then the tree is chopped down and the trust is harvested. Look at Martin Lewis's moneysavingexpert website. That was trusted as an honest voice. Then he sold it to moneysupermarket for &87 million quid. Why do they want it, do you think? To milk its reputation for trustworthinness.
Innocent smoothies made much of their green, co - operative, charitable image - and they were hammered when their drinks were served with McObesity meals (check it out here). And now they've sold out to Coca - Cola. Who will probably milk the brand for all it's worth.
 Mind you, that shows the brand's power, not to mention it's value.
And as a designer, why should I care about the ethics, if the job puts food on my table? Do BaE employees worry about the people killed by the weapons that they make?
Anyway, I'm not sure that ethics matter as much as some people think. Primark are weeping crocodile tears about those folk in Bangladesh who were killed working in that deathtrap of a factory, but I bet their customers are still there next week.