Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) once said, "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day."
Graduation is past, my last class is Friday and I am done with work study and internship... NOW WHAT? I do not feel as confident as I should about my portfolio and my work. Is this normal? Should I be more confident and self assured? I know there are better graphic designers out there, so why would they want to hire me? These are the questions that plague me since the graduation ceremony.
I am looking for a job in a design firm and I have a meeting Friday with the Production Manager at a major graphic design firm here in Houston. I am eager to hear what he has to say about my work, even if it is not good. I feel like I need direction and a chance to improve my work.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Mac and Cheese
HTV - same ole same ole
HCC - same ole same ole.
what is my point? ok well, sometime life is mac and cheese and sometime it is steak. The steak is great, but if you eat steak every day it will clog your colon like hank hill. but i digress, anyway, mac and cheese is fast, easy and edible. So when you get the steak you enjoy it more, you savor the flavor and appriciate the meal.
What the hell does this have to do with graphic design? Working in production you do virtually the same thing day in and out. You refine your typography and learn who you want to be creatively. When you are confined by a brand standard, it makes you re-evaluate your skills. You look for better ways to make the project work and new solutions to the problems set before you.
I love a good steak, but for now i am happy to feast on mac and cheese till the chef is ready to plate up a nice dry aged, medium steak for me.
HCC - same ole same ole.
what is my point? ok well, sometime life is mac and cheese and sometime it is steak. The steak is great, but if you eat steak every day it will clog your colon like hank hill. but i digress, anyway, mac and cheese is fast, easy and edible. So when you get the steak you enjoy it more, you savor the flavor and appriciate the meal.
What the hell does this have to do with graphic design? Working in production you do virtually the same thing day in and out. You refine your typography and learn who you want to be creatively. When you are confined by a brand standard, it makes you re-evaluate your skills. You look for better ways to make the project work and new solutions to the problems set before you.
I love a good steak, but for now i am happy to feast on mac and cheese till the chef is ready to plate up a nice dry aged, medium steak for me.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
this isn't what I ordered.
Finally the card is done and on press... not without its share of revisions. I read on THIS website 34. A client who knows exactly what he wants is worse than one that has no idea. So I create the design they asked for and we get the proof back and had to reformat the card. we get the next proof back and we had to add more info to the card, then today the final proof was horrible! the logo looked like a graffiti artist spray painted it on like the puffy letters you see on the side of the freeway (I will add the image later when I get a copy). What I don't understand is if the copy place can see the mistakes and pointed them out to me, why didn't they fix this before they called? Why did she waste my time with going to look at this thing when she knew I would not approve it. So the real me is ready to lay into the woman and ask her these probing questions. I controlled myself and for the sake of the piece I zipped my lips and swallowed the brussel sprout that was my irritation. 
They sent it back to the printer and they fixed the problems. We got a new proof and approved it. We should have cards on Monday!
They sent it back to the printer and they fixed the problems. We got a new proof and approved it. We should have cards on Monday!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
stale bread
Wow it has been over a month since I posted a blog. I hope I don't get counted off for it.
What has happened since the last post? Well, spring break came and went with no break. I had to work the break since HTV doesn't get spring break off. Ok, so last week I hit a little snag in my HCC internship. It wasn't a snag in so much as it was a lesson in client handling. I was creating a flyer for a job fair at one of the campuses and the client was not happy with the stock photo I picked. I listened to what they wanted and found what I thought would work... I was wrong. I then looked for something else to no avail. Finally, I had to get 10 pictures together and send them to be evaluated and NONE of them worked. I knew exactly what they were looking for, I explained that I am limited by the resources available to me (our stock photography service). If I cannot find it on the service, then my hands are tied. Ideally, I would prefer a photographer to go out and shoot the material, but with the time constraints it is impossible. Needless to say I was frustrated to no end
but I kept my cool and talked to my mentor who then handled the problem. I know that may not happen in the "real" world, but I am proud of the way I handled the situation.
What has happened since the last post? Well, spring break came and went with no break. I had to work the break since HTV doesn't get spring break off. Ok, so last week I hit a little snag in my HCC internship. It wasn't a snag in so much as it was a lesson in client handling. I was creating a flyer for a job fair at one of the campuses and the client was not happy with the stock photo I picked. I listened to what they wanted and found what I thought would work... I was wrong. I then looked for something else to no avail. Finally, I had to get 10 pictures together and send them to be evaluated and NONE of them worked. I knew exactly what they were looking for, I explained that I am limited by the resources available to me (our stock photography service). If I cannot find it on the service, then my hands are tied. Ideally, I would prefer a photographer to go out and shoot the material, but with the time constraints it is impossible. Needless to say I was frustrated to no end
but I kept my cool and talked to my mentor who then handled the problem. I know that may not happen in the "real" world, but I am proud of the way I handled the situation.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sour grapes
Yesterday I received word that two people I cherish deeply perished resulting from an auto accident. Jan and Don Berg. Jan died on impact and Don died at the hospital hours later.
As for blogging about my internships, I made post cards on Monday and worked on the summer schedule on Tuesday. I will be out until Monday.
As for blogging about my internships, I made post cards on Monday and worked on the summer schedule on Tuesday. I will be out until Monday.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Second Course
I plan on getting my Bachelors degree after I graduate in May. However, I was torn as to where to go. The majority of the 4 year universities will not accept the workforce degree from HCC (they will transfer some but not all courses). I spoke with Lloyd Schuh and he informed me that there is a program at U of H that will accept the full degree. The College of Technology at U of H has a program called Graphic Communications Technology. I called and spoke to Dr. Waite at U of H, filled out my application, and resubmitted my fafsa. I still have to speak to a counselor and get all the particulars but the ball is rolling. To learn more about the program go to: http://graphics.tech.uh.edu/
Saturday, February 21, 2009
the recipe
When I cook, it is usually the same rotation (pork chops, spaghetti, tacos/tostadas, and steak). However, sometimes I want to try something different so I look for a recipe. Now, I could deviate from the recipe but I am not guaranteed the same results. To perfect the dish I may have to repeat the recipe multiple times. I might even get tired of eating the same dish over and over... This is what it is like to design with a brand standards manual.
I have been doing an internship/work study with HCC which happens to be right next door from the HTV office. I have been there for 3 weeks now. I have made 3 brochures, 2 flyers, and a poster. Now dont get me wrong, I am not saying that the brand standard is a bad thing. I think every organization should have some kind of cohesive look and that is exactly what HCC is doing.
I love to cook, so perfecting a dish is an enjoyable experience. I am very pleased working here as this is basically production. The print collateral has templates and is plug and play. What I enjoy most is having the opportunity to perfect my typography. I have been asked by several people if I would consider working there and the answer is emphatically yes. I know that whatever I do in graphic design, I will start with production and have to work my way up the ladder. I dont mind at all.
One thing that does bother me is the confusion I have with what I have learned in class and what I am being told to do at work. I have a person that tells me not to use the glyphs pallette in InDesign to make ellipsis and don't use the templates that are in the brand standard. I just follow the instructions my boss gives me.
Best assignment of the week: HCC uses a company called jupiter images unlimited to get their stock photography. So, my boss asked me to look up male models for the fashion design school at HCC. Just because you are male and striking a pose DOES NOT mean that you are a male model! I laughed so hard I cried. I also saw some cute guys, but not any of these! This is a sample of the many images that come up.
I have been doing an internship/work study with HCC which happens to be right next door from the HTV office. I have been there for 3 weeks now. I have made 3 brochures, 2 flyers, and a poster. Now dont get me wrong, I am not saying that the brand standard is a bad thing. I think every organization should have some kind of cohesive look and that is exactly what HCC is doing.
I love to cook, so perfecting a dish is an enjoyable experience. I am very pleased working here as this is basically production. The print collateral has templates and is plug and play. What I enjoy most is having the opportunity to perfect my typography. I have been asked by several people if I would consider working there and the answer is emphatically yes. I know that whatever I do in graphic design, I will start with production and have to work my way up the ladder. I dont mind at all.
One thing that does bother me is the confusion I have with what I have learned in class and what I am being told to do at work. I have a person that tells me not to use the glyphs pallette in InDesign to make ellipsis and don't use the templates that are in the brand standard. I just follow the instructions my boss gives me.
Best assignment of the week: HCC uses a company called jupiter images unlimited to get their stock photography. So, my boss asked me to look up male models for the fashion design school at HCC. Just because you are male and striking a pose DOES NOT mean that you are a male model! I laughed so hard I cried. I also saw some cute guys, but not any of these! This is a sample of the many images that come up.
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