5 - Halfway to graduation and still organizing my life/ work

We are quickly approaching the halfway point of my very last semester here at Quinnipiac University. The fear of graduation is getting stronger by the day while the desire to leave the halls of academia for a world full of possibilities is slowly fading away. For the past 6 weeks I have been meticulously collecting every piece of graphic design work I have ever done to add it to my growing portfolio. As I have become more educated in the design world I started to notice that many of my designs seem to follow a trend or a fashion at the time I was making it. This realization initially angered me. As a designer, well once I realized I was a designer, I wanted to create new and original artwork; things which had never been done before. In my mind the truly successful designers were those able to create something new an inventive. With this mindset I found the majority of my previous work useless in my portfolio.

After finally completing Adrian Shaughnessy’s, How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul, there was one quotation, which stood out to me. The quote came from chapter nine as Shaugnessy recapped the saying from one of his past colleges, Julian House. British designer, Julian House stated, “I don’t believe in originality as an absolute. I think it’s more to do with interesting twists on existing forms. Borrowing from the Modernist designers of the past, for instance, is not plagiarism; it’s more a continuation of the process and ideas that they set in motion.” This quote once again gave me hope that I could be a successful designer. Although I may not have been creating completely new artwork I may have been improving upon the current design and adding my own voice to it. With this in mind I was back to collecting my previous work.

What work do I collect? Do I need it all? Once again Cynthia Baron’s Designing a Digital Portfolio provided me with my much-needed answers. According to Baron, three simple tips can help you when collecting work as a student; keep process materials, keep editable backups of computer files and retrieve any graded work. These three suggestions while help students to collect work that they may not have thought was important. Showing the process of work will help potential employers analyzes your ability to accomplished tasks as well as the way in which you approach design projects. When collecting your work, make sure that you retrieve as many design notes (such as font and color selection) as possible. The ability to explains ones work and decision as to why this font or that color has been chosen will make the designer look knowledgeable about their craft and make the designer appears competent in the design field.

Finally Baron also offers a suggestion for students looking for work. When applying for a job request previous examples of work from that company. Seeing what that company has looked for in the past can give the designer a good starting point when designing their portfolio.

4 - Establishing a Mature Relationship for your Rep'

Clients, a word I have often thrown around in these postings. In the design word, clients are everything and everywhere. In order to work a designer must interact with clients, whether the client is “good” or “bad”. While many perceive all clients as bad, author and designer Adrian Shaughnessy teaches us otherwise. In his book, How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul, Shaughnessy states that even the “ bad” clients are desirable to work with. While it is nice to have a client that agrees with every suggestion the designer offers and is willing to let the designer have free range while designing, it is often the challenging client which produces the best work from the designer. A difficult client will present the designer with a challenge, which can often bring new and creative designs out of the artist. The true test in determining the quality of the client is the ability to establish a relationship with that client.

According to Shaughnessy the ideal client situation involves you, the designer listening and absorbing the client’s point of view, and then conducting yourself in such a way that your client is inclined to allow you to have a point of view. This mature type of relationship will lead to a positive work environment, which will allow for input from both the client as well as the designer. With this type of relationship the clients thoughts and desires are appreciated and included while the creative voice of the designer remains strong. A successful relationship between the artist and client will lead to a positive work environment and the potential for future employment.

Hold on to these clients that you are able to establish a good relationship with. It is more common than not that a client who seeks a designer once will often seek more work soon after. By establishing a mature relationship with your client you can ensure that when looking for a designer on future project, the client will return to you. Retaining a client will often be easier than looking for a new one, however it is important to remember, Shaughnessy writes, to not let your returning client be your only client. As stated in the earlier chapters of his book it is vital to a designer’s success to continually be looking for new work.

While maintaining clients is helpful a designer must also know when to sack a client. Difficult clients can challenge a designer to achieve something great however, “There are some clients who are frankly exploitative and can cause damage to you and your company.” Before you decide to part ways with this client ask yourself these questions: Have you delivered everything you are obliged to give them? Do they owe you any money? Are there any other links that can’t be easily severed? As Shaughnessy writes, “If you are satisfied on all these points…then sack them.

As I stated earlier a designer should always be looking for new clients and new work. The proper dissolution of previous client relationships is critical and can affect your reputation in the design world. Ensuring that you have fulfilled the three questions listed above will make sure that you, the designer, will exit the relationship with a positive reputation. The reputation of a designer is imperative to the success of that artist in the design community. Just like in high school a reputation is key and can change at the drop of a hat. Even the designer with a small reputation can soon be trust upward in popularity with one successful project and can equal be forgotten with one unsuccessful design.

3 - Research in Design: My Never-Ending Quest for Knowledge and a Job

Clients. Defined in Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, a client is “a person who engages the professional advice or services of another.” From my understanding these are the people who will be controlling your livelihood in the design business. Success in the design appears to be determined by the number of clients you are able to attract and the quality of work you are able to produce for those clients. So then how do you go about finding clients? Two options for attracting work are actively seeking out potential clients/job opportunities or allowing clients to come find you. Although they are both very similar they do differ slightly.

As a new designer attempting to work in “the industry” you will have to seek out your clients. According to Cynthia Baron’s, Designing a Digital Portfolio the first step in searching fro a job is to determine your audience. What is your target audience and how can you go about appealing to them? Baron gives a list of questions to assist you in narrowing your job search:

- Geography: Where are you looking?
- Independent studio / agency or in-house department?
- Company size?
- If independent, what is the specialty?
- Client or company industry category or categories?
- Type of projects?
- Specifying in a specific media?
- Specifying in specific activities or sub-culture?

These question will help you to narrow down the search when looking for a job in the in the industry. So where do you find these jobs? Like searching for any job personal connections are important.

Look for personal connection in fields in which you are interested. For example, if you are looking to work in graphic design and page layout and you have a friend working at Sports Illustrated and he is in good standing, talk to this friend and see if he knows a position that is open or give a promotional card of your work which he could then pass onto his employer. These types of connections can often lead to interviews, internships and even job offerings. Now you may have no interests in sports but remember the experience is key and can help you land future work.
Another great way to find work is through the Internet. Searching on various engines such as Yahoo or Google can help a designer to actively seek out work while allowing for specification of those positions. These types of sites also come in handy when researching you potential employer. Weather it be a large corporation or an individual client it is extremely helpful to do the research on that employer. Baron suggests researching the type of designers they have worked with in the past, the work they have had done for them, and the specific about any upcoming work they are looking to have done. Collect the research you have gathered and then design your portfolio to match the result. Both Baron and Shaughnessy, the author of How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul, suggest researching your potential employer before hand and then applying the knowledge you have gained form that research to determine which work to include in your portfolio as well as which work to discuss with that employer. While this may seem like your are narrowing yourself down to a certain specialty, you are showing the client, or employer, that you understand their business and what they are looking for. If successful in your research, what they are looking for will be you.

Another way of attracting work is to let employers find you. A great way to do this is to do year mailing to companies that interest you. Including promotional samples of your work can often attract new business. While this practice is far less successful than actively seeking out clients it is not something to be forgotten.
In order to be successful in the industry or even to survive in the industry I have learned that I must be constantly searching for work, weather it be at a large corporation or a small flyer for a mom and pop bakery in my hometown. With the ever-fluctuating economy work is scarce and if I wait for the moment when I am out of work to search for other work then I am already too late.

Mind Maping Myself: Organizing Ideas for a Digital Portfolio

A great way of collecting ideas when designing your personal portfolio is by creating a mind map. Below is a mind map which I created using the Nova Mind program. The mind map contains a wide array of information about me as a designer including, the programs i have become knowledgeable in, my previous work experience, design projects, the classes I have taken, my contact information, my social networks, and many more. Feel free to click on the image below and learn more about me.

2 - Can I do it on my own?

Can I do it on my own? I often perceived graphic designers, the ones I was interested in, as individual artist working by themselves in some trendy studio/loft and to me this seemed interesting. Throughout my high school education I began to develop skills reflecting that of a graphic designer. Being self taught in design for the majority of high school, since my school had little to no art program, I became accustomed to working on my own. When I came to Quinnipiac University to pursue a degree in Interactive Digital Design I quickly learned that graphic design was not the solitary profession I had perceived it to be. Within my classes we exchanged ideas, reviewed each other’s work, and assisted one another in completing our assignments. For the first time I was getting the feel of what working in a studio would be like. Graphic design what not simply the solitary artist but it was also groups of artists working together. With my graduation quickly approaching, I have began to question with path of graphic design is for me, the solitary freelancer or a team member in a design studio.

The first path to examine is the freelance designer. In the book, How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul, designer Adrian Shaughnessy explains both the advantages and disadvantages to being a freelance designer. The first advantage that seems slightly obvious, Shaughnessy states this in his book as well, is the freedom that comes with freelance. As a freelance designer you have the freedom to work your own hours, work where you like and be selective about clients. While these all seem appealing the downfall of being a freelance designer is the cash flow. If you desire to be a successful freelancer will often take on jobs they may not like and many jobs will force you to pull many all nighters as you will be doing the entire design and execution yourself. Another disadvantage as a freelance designer is the inability to interact with other designer. Often this interaction can aid to a design.

The interaction with designer is a major advantage that attracts many to design studios. Studios allow for the interaction of ideas back and forth between designers. Design studios allow for a consistent flow of income. While it may be a lower amount than a freelancer would make, the income is reliable. A disadvantage to working in design studios is that you are a member of a team and often do not get individual credit for your design. In a design studio a designer has bosses or other designers they must respond to.

So which is it for me? Having been exposed to an environment, such as Quinnipiac, where I have been able to bounce ideas of other designer, I believe that the design studio is for me. I am still in the learning process and I believe that a design studio will allow me to learn the ins and outs on the business as well as develop my skills further. A design studio will allow me to expand my portfolio and will give me the knowledge necessary to be a freelance designer at some point.
But how do I get a job in a design studio? This question brings me back to my portfolio and to the wisdom of Cynthia L. Baron and her book, Designing a Digital Portfolio. After completing the first chapter I came to the conclusion that I am a graphic designer and as a graphic designer I need a digital portfolio. But what should I put in the portfolio? As a student I have had to take many different design related classes which has allowed me to create a wide array of projects however which project do I include. According to Baron, I should include the one’s that interest me the most. As a designer I want to be hired into a field that I truly enjoy working in and therefore I should display those projects that enticed me the most. However since I am a new designer it is unlikely that I will be offered a position right away in my desired field. While these types of jobs are not desirable they do provide the much needed experience. In order to appeal to various different employers, Barons says, I should be able to list, in an intriguing way, my skill level and the various programs and concepts that I have developed knowledge on. Another thing that is important when designing my digital portfolio is the language that I use. My language should reflect my work and more importantly the work I wish to get. These are just a few things to consider when looking at my portfolio but they are an important beginning to a long process.

1.5 – How do I become a modern graphic designer; a jack of all trades?

In graphic designer, Adrian Shaughnessy's first book, “How to be a Graphic Designer without Losing Your Soul," Shaughnessy address many of the questions I have been askign myself over and over; What does it take to be a designer? What does it take to be successful designer ? Do I have what it takes? and will I be able to make it out alive? According to Shaughnessy, in order to maintain your sanity in the graphic world you must first posses the basics that are necessary to each designer, communication, cultural awareness, trust in your client and yourself, integrity, and talent.

“Without constantly scanning, scrutinizing and absorbing what goes on around you,” Shaughnessy states, “you cannot become a successful design.” The first essential of graphic design it to become familiar with the world around you. Learn, love, live and become passionate about various things and then bring that passion and knowledge into your design work.

Next as a graphic designer working in the field you must learn to communicate. While being able to speak in front of large amounts of people is a nice, somewhat essential, quality to have, the first lines of communication must start on a one to one basis. A designer must be eloquent in both design terminology and life, being able to carry detailed conversation with those who design savvy and those who are not. The majority of the people your communication skills will be tested upon are your clients. In the design world almost everyone is a client. A truly successful designer must be able to eloquent describes their ideas and works with excitement and enthusiasm so that the enthusiasm can be transferred to the client. Developing and open communication with your client will allow your client to trust and have faith in you.

Similarly you as a designer must try to have faith in your client. Listen to the client’s needs and try to understand their vision. According to Shaughnessy, the best relationship are built when client and designer are able to mutually decide on the design. When working for a client a designer must not overpower the client with his or her own idea. Equally the designer must not let their credibility and integrity be tarnished by the forceful client.

Integrity is yet another important attribute of a designer. In the highly competitive market it is challenging to maintain integrity as the desire to land the big project often overshadows the creativity of the designer. While money is necessarily for those essential things in life, food water, etc. it is not the be all and end all. The money will come and go but the designer will always have to live with the choices they have made.

The last and most obvious of attributes is talent. Each designer is talented in some way, weather is be print, motion, web, or whatever, but it is the combination of all the talents being pulled together which allows the design world to be as great designer. Speaking of talent, the talent of the designer is in the heart and mind of that designer, no designer should never let themselves become limited by the equipment (computer) in front of them and must remember that graphic design is about expressing a voice not simply playing with fonts on a poster.

For any college student, especially those in the design field, who has ever wondered why they were forced to take history, English, business and all those others classes that may have seemed useless to them at the time it is because these skills, this knowledge will help each person to better themselves both as a person and as a designer.