reaction to "Plain talk about learning and a life in design"

"Plain talk about learning and a life in design" by Sharon Helmer Poggenpohl (found here)
This article spoke about the various routes that designers have in current society. What was very interesting for me was the article stating that all graphic design jobs required an actual degree. When I was completing my Graphic Design Associate Degree, at least 1/3 of the class were older established adults that pretty much had some form of design skills after having worked as a designer for so many years. Most of their situations were that their job was now requiring that they held some form of paper that stated they were graphic designers, even though their employer knew that they could design. I remember that there even was a man in his 70's who was pretty awesome at typography; it feels like a totally different world than the school that I have been for the last three years.

KCAI, I feel was described when the article writer was describing grad school. We are basically making lifelong connections while in class, many of us have put in very long hours and sometimes not sleeping, because we are dedicated to the work that we are doing—or just managed our time incorrectly. Many of us are pretty much so wrapped into graphic design that other classes fade away and a bit so does our outside life. I fully understand that grad school is a different environment, but art school feels like that half step to grad school. Had I just attended a college that had a design program I may not feel as if I am in a mini grad program, but who really knows for sure.

I keep thinking about that statistic that on the low end we will have I think it's 4 or 7 careers in our lifetime—then I wonder how long I will be here in design. At this point, I could definitely see myself going to grad school for some form of design/design writing, but who really knows what the future is going to hold yet. I think I will know in 3–5 years, if design is my main field. I have a variety of interests still, so I'm not majorly concerned if it ends up being some similar field to graphic design or storytelling or communicating. I do think that right now I belong somewhere in the design or advertising field and can't wait to learn more. I'm also excited for the possibility to move around and see what design culture is like in different states + cities, perhaps even countries. 

I wonder where my classmates + professors will end up though...hmm

"an open letter to design students everywhere" response.

"An Open Letter to Design Students Everywhere" by Jessica Helfand

This article basically spoke to that fact that no matter the major + no matter the age that we get out of school; the newly graduated is normally nervous of the future. THUS, calm down y'all (myself included) before it becomes a negative issue. Post graduation is still a time of learning and growing, just in a different format than school. Learning in school gave us the ability to just reach blindly and leap; we had freedom to explore. Post graduation our learning and growing is more about our self and the way we work. We should ask lots of questions + be informed of who gets what kinds of jobs to better figure out where you belong. We're really not about to be in a new age of figuring ourselves + our favorite design methods out. Embrace it and run, for we will get nowhere walking.

two quote highlights of article.
"Later on, you’ll look at what you wrote and saved and drew and you will realize that without even trying, you created a time-capsule that is, itself, a manifestation of what mattered."

"Your education will not end the day you graduate: on the contrary, what you're doing is learning how to learn, and how to think, and how to visualize the ideas that percolate in your brain."

reaction to "HR lessons from Steve Jobs."

"HR lessons from Steve Jobs" excerpt from What Would Steve Jobs Do?: How the Steve Jobs Way Can Inspire Anyone to Think Differently and Win by Peter Sander (McGraw Hill)] 

When I first started reading this article, I was hesitant to follow Steve Jobs lesson/employee finding procedure, but I read on and realized that I did in fact agree with his methods. I've been finding for the last 7 years that the people that are of the most benefit are the ones that are unbeknownst moments of interaction. I can't tell you the number of times that I have been sitting places and observing some of the same people walking by on a regular interval to only meet them months to years later and become friends or coworkers. Whenever that happens, it actually is super fascinating to me. Then I often ponder if it was all with reason that I saw them so many times before yet not know them.

"recruit a team of diverse, well-traveled, and highly skilled pirates, and they’ll follow you anywhere."

The line above is pretty solid but also true. The number of officer teams/groups of individuals that I have had around me over the years, whether I had a "higher title" or not is larger than I can count on my hands. Most of the teams were full of individuals that did not have their lives together; there often was at least one drama focused person, if not two individuals that were always sparing.

What often worked well with these teams, were the varied minds that came together to solve problems. It wasn't necessarily a walk in the park, but our jobs/tasks always got done. There were always at least a few individuals who rose to more lead roles, but we all had our spot. 85% of the officers that I have had over the years have been dedicated to the various organization causes and that truly is why we succeeded. A great group of individuals means nothing if they aren't invested and don't feel passionate at all about the end goal.

You can never replace true dedication and those are individuals that I have never broken ties with; they are the individuals that will come in handy one day—keep them close, but not a choke hold. :)

reaction to #The50 Things Every Creative Should Know.

This was actually super awesome for me to read because I love twitter and could tweet those little moments while reading for class. I also thought that they were quick, to the point bits of information that we really should keep in mind. I truly believe that there is a moment to be aggressive, but you can't really go around thinking too high or low of yourself; you must keep at that solid line that goes up and comes down but never too one way or the other. Life and experiences are all about the balance of good + bad/staying in your box + getting out once in a while.

The totally valid + retweet worthy moments from this article was:

If you don’t know what you want, then how can you pursue it? Having a goal defines an end point, and subsequently, a place to start. #the50

Your self-perception is your most important asset. See yourself as the person you want to be and others will see this too. #the50

Assume nothing. Ask questions, even if you think you know the answers. You’ll be surprised at how little you know. #the50

The creative industry is a small world: it’s a network where everyone knows everyone else. Remember this before pissing someone off. #the50

A good intern will find their reputation precedes them. Jobs are nearly always offered on this word-of-mouth evidence. #the50

New ideas are conceived with no context and no measures of success — this falsely makes them feel silly, awkward or even impossible. #the50

Clients fear arbitrary decisions – they want problem solving. Have a reason for everything, even if this is ‘post-rationalised’. #the50

Good design is crafted from understanding the relationships between things. These connections can’t be found when locked in a studio. #the50

Awards look good on the shelf, but clients seldom pick up the phone because of them. Solid work encourages that. #the50

reaction to "How to Answer the 64 Toughest Interview Questions."

"How to Answer the 64 Toughest Interview Questions"

First off, I didn’t think interviews were always the same or had the potential to be rehearsed so this whole read was very interesting to me. One of the reoccurring things to do was to ask questions multiple times to prompt the interviewer for what they were really looking for and then restating your information in the format of what they need. It seems that almost every response is based on reformatting the information that you know about the employer into describing yourself. You should also never say anything negative about yourself including weaknesses. There is no perfect interview; there will always be “traps” that you can’t avoid. But be humble but firm, talk about your positive marks, talk positively about your not so great parts and just prepare for these questions ahead of time.

reaction to "What Interviewers Wish They Could Tell Every Job Candidate."

"What Interviewers Wish They Could Tell Every Job Candidate"

by Jeff Haden

I’ve been learning about interviewing and holding a professional front honestly, since I was in middle school; that’s really the first time that I remember that phrase being mentioned. Then all throughout high school the phrase kept coming back, as we had to “put away our childish habits and step into the real world.” While in community college, I attended quite a few conferences that confused on professional demeanor, connecting and first impressions. What is kind of funny is how many people I have met whom claim that first impressions “don’t mean a thing,” which is totally false. We judge our self, others, food, places, shows, movies, everything really; we are in the middle of a judge fest in today’s culture.

While I will give the slim chance that there are a very small handful of people who literally don’t treat others differently based on that initial interaction, most of us do. I know some people that have recovered from a bad first impression, those that have greatly benefited from a good first impression; it all depends on where you really want to put that work in. We all have our off days and many times those first impressions can be later fixed, if you already have the job. But if it is during a job interview you cannot normally recover from that and this article set up a nice set of facts to follow.

Be likable.
Be memorable/stand out.
Don’t be super negative or talk negative on previous experiences; everything is a moment to learn from.
Make sure the job fits you; ask any questions on your mind that would to fulfilling the position.
Research the potential employer + be able to talk about them. Ask for the job + explain why you want the position.
Follow up, post interview with some form of thank you/remind them of you and your interview.

reaction to "How Awkward People Can Start Non-Awkward Conversations."

"How Awkward People Can Start Non-Awkward Conversations"
by Drake Baer

This article spoke to something that I've been trying to work on since I was in high school. Opening up, interacting and connecting are aspects of my personality that I've been attempting to build up through forcing myself into situations where I need, am asked or encouraged to talk. Due to that, my own need to work hard and excel at what I do while meeting expectations of those above me, I have held various leadership positions. I have held leadership positions at school level: Yearbook Editor-in-Chief, Literary Magazine Editor, main lead intern at CLC's Program Board, Phi Theta Kappa Illinois Northeastern Vice President, local chapter Alpha Alpha Pi President, AIGA KCAI Chapter President, Mentor Team Organizer + Leader, as well as multiple internship positions. I currently attend TEDxCROSSROADS meetings, where we watch a TEDtalk and then discuss. I am constantly trying to push myself out of my own comfort zone and talking, versus giving into my normal quiet + shy behavior.

I have already come a large way since my youth; I can tell you about favorite band members, singers and authors that I've met and been unable to talk to. I used to be so nervous and shy that my face would flush red and I would just be silent. I grew up thinking my opinions didn't matter and that I couldn't do anything. But I have continued to grow, working on my leadership and communication skills. Through my leadership roles I have also become a better and more confident speaker. I have since youth presented to groups from as small 6 to as large as presented to hundreds.

The main thing that I have since learned is the ability to stay humble, affect others and build connections along the way. I don't regret any of it, but I wish I never had to push this hard to connect with others. I think that I have lost out on other connections that I could have obtained along the route. But here is to hoping that this push will continue to place me at where I need to be and help others who also struggle with the inability to talk, communicate or connect along the way.

reaction to "The Brand Called You" + "My Last Portfolio Sucked"

"The Brand Called You"
by Tom Peters

What is in a name?

You are defining yourself through every action, thought, breath, post and breath that you have or will take. You are constantly defining + redefining yourself. Yes, first impressions matter, but what matters more are the continued fronts that you put up on everything, everywhere. Not only your logo is your brand, but also so is your life.

We are a constant representation of our brand. This is an intense statement to think about, but it makes sense. All of the connections that we make + hold, all the places we leave some form of an impact, our first appearance to everyone we meet is a new representation of us; our company/brand is always being critiqued. This fascinates me, as my various connections only know parts of me, not the whole person. I know this is how many individuals are, but it’s just interesting to think that two people, who know different aspects about me, are equally benefiting me now and in the future.

some of my favorite statements:
“To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”
“Everyone has a chance to learn, improve, and build up their skills. Everyone has a chance to be a brand worthy of remark.”
“Burn that damnable "ladder" and ask yourself: What have I accomplished that I can unabashedly brag about?”
“When you've done that, sit down and ask yourself one more question to define your brand: What do I want to be famous for?”

--

"My Last Portfolio Sucked, Yours Might Too"

The tips that I noted: make navigation easy, have email + contact information up front, give gist of the project with the thumbnail, not a close-up shot and don't have music on your portfolio. I feel like a few of those were given thoughts, but apparently not by all. I do hold all of those tips as a normal set of guidelines when designing, so that makes me feel a bit better about the potential to one day have a design job and not be overlooked due to my website or portfolio.

reaction to Chimero's advice.

"Frank Chimero's Advice To Graphic Design Students" article can be found here (thanks MML).

Advice is just that, the automated thoughts associated with a given topic. We fuse together our thoughts of advice based on our own observations, be that first-hand, second-hand, or many sets of mouths later. With that idea, it makes sense that much of what Chimero stated I knew or had heard before, but that did not make any of it less important. Graphic design or being a creative is about interacting with everything and not necessarily putting one experience before another.

As designers we are merely interpreting data in a visual language, same as foreign language interpreters, translating information in one format to another. The great and difficult part about our language as designers is knowing the correct layout, wording, imagery and appeal to attain the target audience and inform them. Through our process we figure that out all of that, as well as battle our own demons, which sometimes get in the way of executing the designs. To be a great + effective designer, we must constantly re-observe + re-experience the world in as many ways as possible.

My favorite Chimero quotes that also helped to form the above response were:
“Sympathy is medicine."
“Aesthetics are fleeting, the only things with longevity are ideas.”
“Take things away until you cry.”
“The best communicators are gift-givers.”
“Look people in the eyes when you are talking or listening to them.”

When Graphic Plays Beyond Narrative/Logorama. the response.

response to: this article + Logorama(2009).

It was an interesting concept that the film used logos that are + have been seen everyday, everywhere for the whole piece. There was a lot of background that goes with each company, whether that be slogans, company motto, what they've tried to tell the public in the past and what we know about them. It adds a lot more to this piece because it brings in also our memories associated with that food, or other past memories in our life that were sparked upon seeing a logo. The overall set up of the whole film being set in Hollywood + LA really makes sense too, as that's where many people in the US want to be and where you go to be seen. Personally it brought back a lot of memories because I've been driven near LA and through "Hollywood" before...so the thought and memories of driving around and walking around there all popped in my head, which contrasted with the idea of the film, but it brought more of a connection for me to the film. So, I would say that graphic elements can really help the viewer get more involved in the piece, get a connection faster to the piece, which is really a helpful tool. If you can get a viewer emotionally involved in a piece, you can often get them to not look away; we're always looking for connections to people, places, things.

In the article it states that the video "is a carefully instigated scenario that took on challenging artistic as well as technical decisions." This is true, because they did bring in all of these different logos + companies, decisions had to be made that did not make the piece look as if it was thrown together. There is a nice fluid movement throughout the film that melds together easily recognizable logos, some that I've forgotten and some that I've never seen. The plot itself needed to have the small moments where there were confrontations or a notion made to competitive companies such as the various fast food restaurants. An interesting moment was when one of the Original Pringles man said to the other "They never want the original anymore." What an interesting moment; that could have been a direct reference to consumption in general. I mean look at technology, we are never happy with the first or old version, we always want the newer and supposedly better version. But in general, most companies change logos through the years; we're trying to find what is going to best strike someone's attention.

The one thing that the movie really had going for it that involved the graphics/logos was all of the connotation that we as consumers had with each company going into the movie. Even as I laughed along at moments with the film, or a bit horrifically looked on in some moments, the actions and gestures of the "characters" did not fully shock me. It was almost as if I had already associated those characteristics with the companies prior to seeing them be morphed into characters. Putting Ronald McDonald as the villain in the piece really makes sense; I'm not sure there is another company that has such a bright logo that is supposed to make you happy with it's bright colors, but has really taken over the whole world. I read an article a few weeks ago that McDonald's is opening a vegan fast food place in India and I think that someone recently told me that McDonald's is branching out into another fast food place. So it really made sense to me that Ronald McDonald was the villain  It was a bit ironic that he got knocked off his bike by Weight Watchers and all of the interactions with other fast food restaurants, such as Big Boy who bites McDonald's arm to get away.

The Gift. the response.

The Gift from BLR_VFX on Vimeo.

“The Gift” is a short sci-fi film that takes place in a futuristic looking Russia.  This is a future in which technology is heavily rooted in the everyday life; where your identification can be taken from a machine that reads your saliva. I still don’t fully know how to feel about the whole film being centered on an upper ranking man in society wanting to see a unicorn; the unicorn, which is miniaturized and hidden in a box that opens with some special piece of hair. Then again, the viewer never gets to see the miniature unicorn, so it really could be anything that is in the box. And then it is odd for me that the higher-ranking man then is killed.

The theme that I get from this film is knowledge is deadly; put more simply, this film could be visually representing the story/proverb of curiosity killed the cat. This then would teach people to just accept what they have and is given, not hoping for something more.  This message could be further seen through the depiction of Russia being similar to how it may have been during the Cold War, or at least how I think security and all was similar to. There were not many people out in general; police looking forces mainly guarded the town/city.

The main emotions that I received from this piece was fear/the fear of a higher-ranking people or organization to be watching your every move. This was shown in every scene, as the film camera and we were always looking down/centered on the gift deliverer. It was interesting for me and I was not expecting the dead man’s robotic servant to take the box and run away with it; it is almost a major disconnected moment for me and I don’t know how to interpret it. Did the robot actually know what his boss has been up to? Was this moment to show again that knowledge is powerful and can get those close to you killed?

Big Think Series Article Response

image + article is located here

I feel that the article tackles a question that often presents itself in hybrid subjects, especially when they are new creations from one or more recently established areas. Graphic Design as a whole has not been the career that we necessarily associate it with today for that long. Just like all the other computer related careers, a good chunk of the public things that anything associated with computers is the same. I have met quite a few people who just smile at me when I say that I am going to school for graphic design; most of the time, I think they just don’t really know what that entails, and instead of asking, they tell themselves some random answer that takes them through the day.

I feel that in any career, there are people who want to continue to just learn new skills simply to present, portray or explore more in depth; those are the ones that start to create these hybrid areas. There are also the people that just want to keep things exactly as they are, not add too much different, just enough to keep it a bit unknown, but follow the same straight line that they always have. Although I do love my consistency, with the world seeming to ever-change, we cannot simply label anything as simply one way or another; there are always the sub-categories, hybrids that are slowly emerging that we should talk hold of before all that we do becomes outdated. I would not call a graphic designer the same as a motion graphic designer; I would say that we are definitely cousins and part of the designer family.

Now, on the argument to whether it is motion graphics, animation or branding; I agree with the author of the article. Although, there is one area in which all parts come together, normally there is more of one area that the next. There is no direct line showing the difference between simply motion graphics, animation and branding; each situation is different and requires a closer look to see which category it would fall under. Many people yes, are quick to draw but, I feel that it is closer to a gray field than a simply black or white.

WWI Museum Visit

My initial reaction to the museum had been that it was not a successful design experience, but the more I thought about it the more I realized I was wrong. The way that each part of the museum is set up leads you from one exhibit to the next. The amount of examples or artifacts may have been small in the number, but given the amount of space that the museum takes up, ratio of artifact to space available was perfect. There was the right number of segments to help guide you throughout the museum. The aspect that I think worked the best was the ability to be interactive with history.

In relation to interactive history, as well as personal preference what I thought as the most important and interesting aspect was the ability to create your own propaganda poster.  For as long as I can remember propaganda posters have always caught my attention; somewhere in the combination of phrases, image, and composition that am attracted to. So, I really enjoyed how you could choose an image that was in one of the propaganda posters and add your own text, essentially making your own poster and placing you as a propaganda designer. I know that the process of making those posters is different now than it was during the war, I still felt like I had some connection to the production itself.

In order for anything to be a successful piece of design, one must capture the attention of a wide range of audience; which the museum itself does. Through a use of war artifacts, recreations, reenactments, poetry, touchscreen tables, movies, images, info graphics, and placed information; the museum is able to attract the attention of elementary school children through elderly adults. Every part of the audience’ attention is captured by allowing each to choose how and where to interact with history according to their interests.

Helvetica Response

The in class viewing was not my first viewing of Helvetica.  And I am starting to think that with each view, it keeps getting better.  I am not making fun of the film, I honestly mean it.  The first time I saw the film, I was shocked that there was enough content about a font to create a film based around it.  And since then I think I pick up on more bits of it each time I see it.  What really caught me this time was how many of the people that were interviewed in the film were the same people that were chosen for many of the quotes that my fellow sophomore classmates chose for the printing press postcard assignment.  I wanted to focus the way that I watched the film this time, so anytime I really enjoyed a quote that someone said I wrote it down; they are located below this paragraph.  I did not write down who said it, because if needed I could go find it.

"(Some people think that) when you write dog, it should bark."  (This designer thought it didn't matter what font you wrote dog in, it still said dog.)

"Creating order is typography."

"You have to breathe.  You have to use Helvetica."

"Helvetica caused the Vietnam War." (This man also blamed the Iraqi War on Helvetica)

"You will do what the typefaces want you to do."

"You were always a child of your type and you can't step out of that."

What I really loved about this film was all of the different ways that designers viewed Helvetica, as well as typography and design in general.  I know that this is not a cut and dry field, that we all have our opinions, but it's interesting how wide our beliefs can be; yet we all share the same title.  I am still inspired by older propaganda posters, which designers were then using the same font for all if not most of their designs.  I think that people either focus on the text to express, image to express, the page to express, or a combination of all of them.  The most successful design is one that incorporates all ways to express, but realizes with each piece which is the best way to express the idea.