When does branding yourself become to much?

After a student in my program shared a video with  our class on personal branding by Jacob Cass (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeHtvuTcy70) It got me thinking about how important all of these social networks are to a starting graphic designer such as myself. Before I was in this program I had facebook alone. I was aware of other social networks but didn’t understand them or thought they were silly. However, the more I got into the program the more my social networking list started to grow. Yes, it was the programs fault for my obsession with social networking. Considering, in my course outline I believe I have one different network for each of classes accept for one. However, sadly to say it has changed me, it has open me up to the world of cyber space. It is an easy way to see how the world is developing, like trends and such. Which is essentially important to a graphic designer to keep up with the always changing world.

With that being said being apart of so many social networks, (which are all essentially one since they all link together) it is putting yourself out there to the world. I do see this as a positive point since as a graphic designer it is important to be seen and known for you work and not just your profile picture alone. However, when does it become hard to keep your social life away from your social networking? Facebook is meant to share pictures and conversations with your friends but then your able to connect your online portfolio set up with tumblr to interact with your facebooks news feed. Its hard to filter what is being but through the web and what you truly want to be seen by the right people. For instance, is it far that employers can look at your pictures that are meant for your friends but not what is meant for them which is your tumblr account? I believe there is such thing as the difference between being professional in the work place and being a human in the real world. Should we be judged on how we behave outside of the work place and off the paper of our resumes?

Whether or not your opinion is yes or no in todays world it is “yes”. Therefore we are obligated to keep our social networking consistence. Keep are social life under wraps and keep everything professional for the world to see. Which means if you are a designer you must design design design.. keeping all of your social networks amazingly interesting to show your talent. Which brings me to this website I found that showcases peoples timeline designs.

(http://www.tripwiremagazine.com/2012/01/facebook-timeline-profile-designs.html) Yes they are great and people would love to see them.. But facebook is meant for your friends and family and if we have to keep this updated and designed along with all the other social networks we are attached to just based on the slight chance someone googles you. Well then when does Branding yourself become to much? Is there a difference between staying professional or just unnecessary obligations?

Awful Websites

When looking for a winter coat for this up coming winter I was looking through clothing store websites to get an idea of what I am looking for before hitting the mall. On that note I wouldn’t be surprised if I am not the only one who has gotten that idea and tried to find what they want sitting on there couch at home. While surfing the net I was surprised to find how awful and confusing these websites can be. Considering, how most of society now depends mostly on the internet, you would think the websites would be successful. Yet, the way finding was horrible or didn’t exist. When I come across a website I have no idea how to use I am not going to stay and you are not going to get my money.

You know your website is bad when myself and others who are apart of my generation who grew up using technology can’t figure out how to use your website. Yes, it is important to have an interesting and trendy looking site but that means nothing when you have to rely souly on your mouse turning into a pointer hand to find out what is a link or hyper link etc..

Such as this website for Fair Weather (http://www.fairweather.ca/collection.php) When you first go to the site the first reaction is that is it hype and trendy and looks like it has had a lot of work put into it. Next is you look for the navigation bar to find out what clothes they have in the store. Yet, when you click collection it keeps taking you back to the home screen which is a big picture with arrows back and forth. Little do you know that you have to clock on the pictures displaying different article of clothing to get the whole collection. However, even after figuring that out based on just clicking randomly it is still not successful, I felt like i kept going around in circles and was lost, resulting in me giving up on the site.

In conclusion, everything that has to do with your business is important! You would be surprised how things like this will affect your profit and costumers. You need to make an impression in person, on paper and on the screen! Meaning, when your a very successful company as it is and you are hiring someone to make something for you since it is out of your expertise make sure to hire the best and even research what you should be looking for from them and make sure it works!

To the blog below

This pinterest account relates to the post below. Its okay to laugh at yourself.

http://pinterest.com/marcloresto/for-the-graphic-designer/

It's okay to laugh at yourself

I stumbled across this website that has a list of things that most graphic designers do. Whats funny about it is that its so true. The website I got it from is http://www.sxc.hu/blog/post/829 and it's called " you know you're a graphic designer when"

(In no particular order)
1. You've almost rear-ended the car in front of you because you were analyzing a font on a billboard.

2. You get pissed when a free Photoshop brush you download is less than 1000px in size.

3. You'd rather study the paisley pattern on your boyfriend/girlfriend's shirt than listen to what he/she has to say.

4. You can use keyboard shortcuts at light speed, blindfolded, but you can't type a paragraph of text without staring at the keyboard.

5. You've had "Software Nightmares," when you've been working way too much.

6. You consider meals interruptions.

7. You've learned your lesson and stopped using the word "final" in any file name when saving.

8. You clean your keyboard more often than you wash your car.

9. You've intentionally given up trying to explain your projects to non-designers.

10. You see CMYK and RGB like Neo sees the Matrix.

11. You'd rather organize your desktop than your sock drawer.

12. When you heard that Adobe was aquiring Macromedia, you had a Design Orgasm.

13. When you look at Album art all you see are grunge Photoshop Brushes. (Then you see the album art a couple minutes later)

14. You've Photoshopped out a watermark for a comp or mock-up.

15. You've actually $paid for a font.

16. You've totally slaughtered a great design concept because the client thinks he/she knows best. (everyone thinks they are a designer)

17. The amount of words you've written with a sharpie labeling burned discs total more than the amount of words you've read in novels.

18. You've had to explain to a client that a layered file wasn't part of the deal.19. You've kept a ragged concert ticket just so you could scan it.

20. You've nicknamed the OSX spinning wheel. (and not affectionately)spinning beachball o’ death

21. You bookmark a resource more often than you have a fun night out on the town.

22. You've intentionally overbid a project because you can sniff out a bad client from a mile away.

23. You can't go to a restaurant without secretly critiquing the menu design.

24. You have an amazingly huge font collection, and an amazingly short temper.

25. If you had a penny for every mouse click, you would have been a trillionaire 3 years ago.

26. You have removed the arrows and cleaned up the fonts on a forwarded mail before forwarding on (as I have just done!)


Most of these don't apply to me yet but most of them do being in a graphic design program. Yet, I can tell the other corks will soon appear. 
For more Graphic Designer humour consider visiting http://justcreative.com/2007/12/14/funny-graphic-design-jokes-and-humour/

Picking a type face

When it comes to any design that involves type, you need to choose wisely. Considering, this can either make or break your design. Since, it sets the entire feel or view to your design. Therefore, when choosing type  for your design ask your self “What is the feeling I want my design to give?” Then decide on how your type will convey this, will it be playful or serious, modern or old style? This can certainly be the hardest decision to make for your design. Since, some people may convey your type face as another feeling and so on. Therefore, it never hurts to ask the same questions you ask yourself to the people around you. However, here are some steps to take to make it a little bit easier.

What do you want your text to represent?
In other words, how do you want your audience to react to the type/design.

Legibility
Deciding whether serif or sans serifs is appropriate. Keeping in mind whether the design is meant to be read or seen at a glance.

Readability
How your typeface will be set and used. Keeping in mind tracking, kerning, leading etc.

Level of appropriateness
Some typefaces are meant for design while others are not.  Therefore, consider the aesthetics of the design as well as the intent of the design.

Tip: When considering a typeface write down what the typeface ‘says’ to you and then compare it to your designs goal.

It's a lengthy process...

Common mistakes graphic designers make

Being in a graphic design program I see and experience various levels of these mistakes. Everyone has there own work ethic, but that doesn’t mean its the right one. Therefore, I think every graphic designer should post this in front of there work space as a reminder. We all make mistakes but we should avoid making them again.

We all do it! But lets stop!

Working without a design brief 

Without knowing your client’s requirements, you can’t work on a design project. 

Ignoring the target audience 

Overlooking the target will lead to a weak and aimless design. 

Not maintaining a contract

When you don’t keep a contract with your clients, you will most likely to be swindled of your hard earned money.

Avoiding contact with the client 

This makes your client feel ignored throughout the duration of the project.

Procrastinating 

In any profession, deadlines are extremely crucial to meet. By completing your work on time, you exhibit your determination and sincerity to commitments. Procrastination will make your clients go away since they expect you to be efficient. 

Not staying up-to-date 

Keep up to date with design, software, society etc. 

Not starting in black and white 

If it works in black in white it will work with everything. Never start with colour.

Pass off plagiarism as inspiration 

Be original!

Neglecting the power of simplicity 

Not everything needs to be outrageous.

Lose confidence 

Never give up on your self or a design. Keep on Trucking!

Free Lance Graphic Designer Pros and Cons

After some research I have made a list of my personal pros and cons as well as people who have experience with freelance work.

Pros
- Self employed
- Own hours
- Own rates
- No rules
- No “help” or opinions
- You don’t worry about taxes
- You don’t do all the paper work
- Focuss on your projects
- Work were you feel fit
- Your own boss
- Self time mangement
- Picking what you would like to work on
- Decide who your clients are
- Have the ability to fire clients
- Independant

Cons
- Your work goes home with you
- Deciding your rates
- Family and friends asking for you to work for free
- It’s harder to get a job while working free lance
- Hard for people to view as more then a free lance designer
- No rules
- No help or opinions
-No holidays
- Taxes
- Paper work
- Self time mangement
- No money income gaurantee
- Promoting yourself is your responsibility 

Graphic Designers vs. Advertisers

Last year I had a roommate who was in the advertising program. She liked to say that she had alot of the same work our program did and that in the end graphic design and advertising were the same. However, in my observance she had  half the amount of homework and such that our program did. Considering, her social life.. Anyways this made me curious to find the differences and similarites between the two.

After reading several peoples opinions from various sites. Many people do not know the difference or even know that there is one. Many say that graphic designers and advertising work hand in and hand. While some say that graphic design is an ad full with stuff in it. i.e. crampped with products, etc, etc, whereas advertising is an ad with lots of white space or you let your mind do the walking, focusing on 1 image alone. Or that Advertising designs Ideas, and Graphic Designers “puts them on paper.” Which, are not right.

After looking for a statement closer to the truth involving advertising vs graphic design this is what I found.

“The word ‘advertising’, like ‘commercial art’, makes some graphic designers cringe. To certain people in the creative industry, it signifies all that sophisticated contemporary graphic design, or rather visual communications, is not supposed to be. Advertising is the tool of capitalism that often works as a form of communication that entices and persuades public to consume. Graphic design, by contrast, is an aesthetic and philosophical pursuit that communicates ideas. Graphic design is a cultural force that incorporates parallel world views. Where advertising is quite hypnotically invasive, graphic design makes no such claim.”
http://designtaxi.com/article/105/Advertising-Vs-Graphic-Design/ -> for the rest of the aritcle

What People Think of Graphic Designers

Im sure all of us graphic designers have had to face the annoying questions after being asked what you do for a living or what you are taking in school. Such as, "So, what do you do?""oh, so your like an artist?"or my favourite "so, what can you do with that career wise?" 

      Well if you are one of those people wondering what we are and what we can do. Well here is a definition I found from (http://www.agda.com.au/about/what-is-graphic-design) Which I couldn't of said it better myself. "One who has the artistic sensibility, skill and experience and/or training professionally to create designs or images for reproduction by any means of visual communication, and who may be concerned with illustration; typography; calligraphy; surface design for packaging; or the design of patterns, books, advertising and publicity material, or any form of visual communication."

     On that note, many people often group graphic designers into the group of "starving artists" which is artists who specialize in just fine art and expressing there own feelings through there work and have a hard time getting jobs and selling there work. (Which is also a stereotype but I will let someone else fight that battle.) However, what people don't know is that you can be very successful as a graphic designer. There are many different career options since the field is very broad in what you can specialize in. Such as, working for a large or small graphic design firm or free lancing. However, like all careers usually you have to start at the bottom and work your way up, and build you reputation. What I am getting at is that people need to stop being so stereotypical when it comes to the field of art in general.  Which brings me to the picture I posted below. 

       I remember going to my highschool graduation in my first year of graphic designer and having people ask what I went to college for, and when I said Graphic designer I got several annoying answers. Such as, "Oh that must be easy.", "So, do you party a lot.", "Do you just draw all day?"etc. Even my parents don't understand what we really do after years of explaining it them. My mother constantly is asking me "So, would you do something like this?" when ever she sees anything and everything. It is a never ending battle of trying to get people to understand what we do and why we do it. As my sister always tells me, "You can't get mad at the ignorant" but sometimes it's just so hard not to.

     

Introduction

As my first post I would like to talk about the point of this blog and how I predict it will help me grow as a designer. Before, I explain why I believe this blog will help me. I need to first talk about about my feelings towards this blog for you to understand my prediction. For instance, when I first got this assignment (today) I thought to myself, I am going to do horrible on this assignment I'm not comfortable with having my thoughts and opinion displayed for everyone to see. Especially, my written thoughts. However, the more my teacher explained the assignment to me I stopped seeing it as a doomed project but as a project to help me get comfortable with expressing myself to the world. Considering, I do need to get use to the  fact that not everyone is going to agree or disagree with you. Especially, with graphic design. Some people may love what you did while others could take it or leave it. Which, is another way this blog could help me grow as a graphic designer, giving me thick skin to what the world has to say, about what I myself have to say. Yet, at the same time giving me the courage to actually say what I think when someone asks me for my opinion, instead of sugar coating it or simply lying.
     Not only will this blog help me with my personal issues but it will give me the insight to what I am getting myself into with this career choice. Therefore, hopefully preparing me for the better or worse to come. Along with that thought, it will build on my researching ability to look around me more instead of straight ahead. As well as, on the way inspiring me with my own work and giving me knowledge that maybe my teachers can't give me.