ART470

The End.

chuckydub — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:43:55 +0000

I am no longer contributing to this blog. Please view my new website!

How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul

chuckydub — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:35:40 +0000

Chapters 5 + 6 + 7

Down the road, you are going to need them.

Setting up a studio and working with clients is like a marriage or having a child. You have to be sure the people you are dealing with are in it for the long haul. You need to be sure that you can work with them well to produce something beautiful. Coming up with the right name for your studio can be hard, just like naming a child. You will need to base your decisions on some sort of philosophy that you share with those around you.

Have a philosophy. This one is from Peter Fischli and David Weiss.

Getting new work and keeping those clients isn’t any different. Like a marriage, you have to stay on top of it and stick with it when the going gets tough.

There are lots of fish in the sea. Having the right bait can help. Network and put yourself out there. Shameless self promotion is a must. Awards and publications are a great way to expose yourself, but a strong portfolio is your best ally. Good designers are never satisfied with their portfolios, until they get them a new client.

How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul

chuckydub — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:00:22 +0000

Chapters 2 + 3 + 4

In all of these chapters, Shaugnessy asks us to vary our expectations. Wether it is making the full profits we foresee, working normal hours, or expecting that the famous design studio down the street is willing to hire us straight outta school. One thing is sure, its not just going to fall into place without some adjustments to ourselves.

Not every interview is worth your time. You don't just go for a job, it is a chance to make some connections and learn to make improvements along the way.

The most helpful chapter so far was Chapter 2, which gives specific advice on how find and prepare for an interview. (Not a job. An interview.) Selling yourself is probably the hardest job we face, and this chapter tells us exactly how to conduct ourselves so that we increase our chances of getting that job. Even if it isn’t the job (or interview) of our dreams, it is good experience.

However, there is more than one route to take when becoming a paid designer. Chapter 3 and 4 cover the basics of going freelance and setting up your own studio. For many, this is going to be far easier with the help of others and their special skills.

Better find someone who can count the beans for you, unless you have some experience in accounting. You will also need a lawyer, some IT help, and someone to find new business, etc. It will be way easier than doing everything yourself.

Final changes

chuckydub — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:55:21 +0000

After getting feedback in class, I have decided to make some final adjustments and reprint. I took out the elevator shafts and resized the directory. Here are the results:

Oh, and I made an image of what the interactive version would look like:

Just imagine that you could rollover any level you wanted to see and it would appear just as Level 2 is here.

Map + Directory

chuckydub — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:54:58 +0000

Colors

chuckydub — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:33:57 +0000

This uses seven out of 10 of the PSU colors

From the PSU Identity Standards manual

Six floors + basement

chuckydub — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:02:57 +0000

Scribble!

chuckydub — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:46:26 +0000

Schedule

chuckydub — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:00:33 +0000

Thursday, Oct. 22
small group meeting

inspiration research
narrow focus/select audience
mood board
post to flickr

Tuesday, Oct. 27
small group meeting, 5% of grade

research subject
map comp #1 w/ variation
post to flickr
post to blog

Thursday, Oct. 29
work at home

research identity standards
develop questionaire

Tuesday, Nov. 3
small group meeting

gather questionaire responses
interpret data
post results to blog

Thursday, Nov. 5
one-on-one meeting

further development of 3D map
post to flickr
post to blog

Tuesday, Nov. 10
small group meeting, 10% of grade

overall format, composition
6 floors and surroundings placed on map
type and color palette variations
post to flickr
post to blog

Thursday, Nov. 12
small group meeting

all relevant data gathered and entered
variation of composition, colors, heirarchy, etc.
post to flickr

Tuesday, Nov. 17
small group meeting

placement of all floors, walls, and objects on map
directory variations
post to flickr

Thursday, Nov. 19
small group meeting

adjustments to arrangement of map
finalize directory
post to flickr

Tuesday, Nov. 24
full class digital critique, 15% of grade

low res pdf of work (portfolio quality)
post to blog

Thursday, Nov. 26
turkey.

give thanks
sleep
final adjustments to map and directory
print practice run

Tuesday, Dec. 1
small group meeting

have work printed
formal portfolio level presentation
photograph work
color corrections
audience feedback
post to blog

Thursday, Dec. 3
full class

presentation of work
audience inclusion and participation

Tuesday, Dec. 8
FINAL PROJECT DUE @ 2pm

review methodology

How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul

chuckydub — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:02:29 +0000

Intro + Fwd and Chapter One
by Adrian Shaughnessy, forward by Stefan Sagmeister

“This book doesn’t tell you what sort of designer you should be.”
“Nor does this book tell you how to file your tax returns.”

It does offer us suggestions and gives us examples of design issues, but it is up to us to make our own decisions and designs.

Can you do meaningful design without losing your shirt?

Most importantly, it teaches us to listen. Listen to hearts, our clients, and the world around us. If we can do that, we will have a much better chance of holding onto our soles in a field where money and mainstream monotony are as common as Helvetica. According to Shaunghnessy, this will also help keep us standing on the soles of our shoes as well. Just don’t expect that you will be making enough money to afford really fancy imported shoes.