Quote of the Week
We imagine ourselves able to do anything, and our software helps us believe that we can…But we must consider the what and the why.
Use A Concept
Quote of the Week
When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I only think about how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.
The Holy Grail for Web Designers
While doing some browsing I came across the following article that talks about using custom fonts on your web pages. I’ll spare you my summary and just point you to the article!
However, while I’ll spare you the summary, I will suggest that you read the entire article before you actually try to use custom fonts because of legal rights/issues!
Quote of the Week
My favorite art definition comes from Brian Eno, who says to think of artworks not as objects but as “triggers for experiences.”
Recycled: 2009 Web Trends
Over the last months, we’ve analyzed numerous Web designs, observing emerging trends and weighing the merits of numerous design decisions and coding solutions. In this post, we present Web design trends for 2009: recent developments, new design elements and new graphic approaches.
You can read the 2009 Web Trends HERE or go to Smashing Magazine for other web related info.
More Advice for a Bear Market
O.K. it’s time for another intervention. I know it’s been tough finding jobs in this market and even if you did find a job it may not have been exactly what you wanted. However, as I mentioned before, it can take upwards of six months to land a dream job and you are only embarking on your third month out of school, so relax. But that doesn’t do you much good right now, does it? For that reason, I wanted to share with you some experiences of others and things that have worked for me.
The first little bit of advice I have is to start revisiting your marketing materials. By marketing materials I mean, cover letter, resume, self-promotional piece and web site. I call them marketing pieces because that’s exactly what you are doing, marketing yourself. If you aren’t having much luck getting interviews, the way you’re marketing yourself might be the problem. To fix this, find a comparable city to the area you are applying in. For example, St. Louis and Kansas City designers look at Lincoln, Omaha and even Denver as examples of similar sized cities with similar markets. Now, look up award winning design firms in those cities that are involved with the AIGA (you’ll find that design professionals in the AIGA more often than not are willing to help other AIGA members, especially students). Once you have five or six firms selected, contact them and ask if they would review your application/marketing materials. Explain that you aren’t looking for a job, just feedback since you’re having trouble in your region. Eventually one of those firms will gladly spend some time to look at your materials and give some honest feedback.
The next thing you can do is ask for feedback from places you sent materials into or interviewed at. Simply call them up and ask if they have time to offer up suggestions to help you on your future jobs searches. Stress to them that you don’t want to know why you weren’t hired there, rather you are looking for feedback as to why you might be having trouble getting your foot into the door. You’ll have a little more trouble getting them to give feedback because they will be busy training a new higher and possibly dealing with people who might be upset that they didn’t get the job. With that being said, ask anyway and again, explain that you aren’t looking for an explanation why you weren’t hired, just feedback that will help you get a job.
The next bit of advice comes out of a conversation I had with a friend recently laid off from his job in Las Vegas designing stuff for the gambling industry. Before I get into the heart of my point, I wanted to mention that if you think the job market sucks in your area, be very, very thankful you aren’t in places Las Vegas, California or Florida! O.K. onto my point, my friend in Las Vegas who lost his job, has won many awards and has a really good portfolio and can’t find a job either! However, what he has found is lots of freelance work. A random project here, and a random project there has strung together enough to make ends meet. So unlike the last recession in the early 90′s when no one was buying design services, this time around design is still valued, but design firms can’t add on the extra expense of an employee and health insurance.
So this is a golden opportunity for you to take out on your own. People still need the services of designer, but smaller business or entrepreneurs can’t afford to pay a design firm because of the larger overhead a design firm will have due to expenses like rent, insurance, utilities and hidden costs you never dreamed of. Freelance designers can charge a lesser rate (but one that’s doesn’t undercut the market) because they don’t have the same expenses that design firms have. So while you are looking for a job follow the example of design firms like The Why Not Associates and Attik who started out as college graduates who couldn’t find jobs in the horrible recession in the early 1980′s and have grown into global design firms.
Quote of the Week
Companies need an identity, and the logo is the logical vehicle. But today, corporations have logos just because other corporations have logos. They are terrified of appearing different. Designers have to be the brave pioneers.
Typography Soap, Seriously!
I won’t lie, I thought this was really cool and wanted to share it with the rest of you! You can order your own bar here. To answer your question, I didn’t order one, yet?!?!?!?!?!
Quote of the Week
A designer is an emerging synthesis of artist, inventor, mechanic, objective economist, and evolutionary strategist.