Partners

In the advertisement industry I found out that you network with mostly everyone in the company. This quarter my teacher decided to assign our work with partners. Yes having a partner is a little difficult because you have to communicate your ideas with someone else, and make time to meet with them. However it does have its advantages because then you have someone to get ideas from, and someone to learn new things from. Overall I enjoyed working with a partner, because I felt it just made my work better.

Butcher

I attended a hearing by Butcher, who is currently a designer. It was interesting to hear someone so passionate about his work, without being so dull, this guy was funny yet informational. I am someone who likes things out of the ordinary, so to see someone create monsters really got my attention. Butcher was really motivating to me, because he really conveyed the meaning of if you really want something or your passionate a career move then you can achieve it.

Careern Day 2

This is a continuation to career day 1 which took place on October 10. Career day 2 was on October 11, and this day dealt more with learning about each of the individual careers in advertisement. Each area of the industry had a speaker discuss in detail what it is that they are responsible for and pretty much what a day looks like in their department. Everyone that attended was divided into groups and then each group sat down with a different person from that industry. Attending the career day help me learn about the inner workings of an advertising agency, and in reality it brought you closer to taking off and becoming part of the advertisement industry, because people there answered questions, talked about resumes, and they even had companies show up take your resume, or hand you a paper that explains what to do to get your foot in the door.

Carrer Day 1

Unsure of what I want to do with a degree in graphic design, or undecided on which path to take, I decided to sign up for an Advertising career day sponsored by MAT and think LA. The whole day was based on visiting two advertising agencies and get a first hand look at how advertisements go from the drawing board to being viewed by many. It was a great help and lots of fun attending the career day, because it open the door to all these other career paths that I could take, from media service to creative service, interactive, and so on. All these people work together and help each other out. However if you still like working alone being a freelance graphic designer is still an option.

Propositions

For my art class our assignment was to come up with a newspaper print, for and against the current propositions. I found this to be useful, because not only did I have to read the propositions and actually find out what it is I'm voting for, but seeing others posters made it clear to me, what it is I should vote for. Like any other assignment, this was a little difficult, but what I found harder was coming up with a catchy tag-line without offending people, and at the same time going beyond my morals and believes. Advertising and getting my ideas rolling is hard, because you have to express and explain so much, with little information.

Taglines

A classroom assignment in advertisement had us coming up with one tag line and then using 10 pictures that changes the meaning. Though it might sound easy this assignment was harder than expected, because you don't want different images that convey the same thing: For example the famous tag line "just do it" if I were to show an image of a basketball player and then my next page was an image of someone running, the meaning it pretty much the same, their both anchored towards sports. In the uniqueness of this field you want each picture to differ in meaning which requires a lot, and I mean a lot of thinking and a lot of time. But don't get me wrong it was still a pretty interesting assignment for me, because it kept me thinking and wondering if my classmates would see and interpret what I saw .

Graduate Exhibition

On Monday I attended the graduate exhibition. There were so many works--each one different, and seeing the design element in context really made it interesting
I enjoy seeing design ideas from students because it gives me a better understanding of what to expect from a graphic design carreer.

Undergraduate Art Exhibition

On April 24th I attended the undergraduate exhibition, which was a good experience because its an opportunity to see other undergraduates creative ability.  It was also interesting to see the different mediums used in art, from pencil, ceramics, paint, computer,  and other materials. 

I really enjoyed a box of Crispy Cream Donuts made out of ceramics just because they looked so realistic, at first I thought they were snacks for the visitors.  My other favorite was a huge painting with an image of a dark tree because of the way it was curved. 

I also enjoyed the exhibition because it was an honor to me, to have one of my works displayed on the wall and seen by others. 

Ed Fella Portfolio Day

Portfolio day is meant for Senior, and I was kind of doubting whether I should attend or not--especially since I'm not a senior. However after attending I was glad I went not because I have awesome artwork in a portfolio, but because it gave me a wake up call.  I was observing other peoples work and noticed that all these people that attended had some great portfolios and mine was nothing compared to that.  It made me become aware that I need to start observing and practicing my graphic design skills. 

As for the Ed Fella presentation--it was great, just to see a graphic designer professional discuss his tactics in the business. Plus to see all his sketches on his drawing paper made it really clear on just how many different designs one has to go through just to come out with the perfect one.

Pro Session: Design Remixed

Last Thursday I attended the pro session design remixed at the Apple Store. It was interesting to hear a designer share his insights into the changing landscape of design. Although the session did not interest me career wise, it was interesting. The speaker discussed the gaming industry, and how 38% of players are female, and 62% are male. Also the average player is not a teenager, or a young child, the average player is a 33 year old. In order to work in the industry you must love gaming, and be an avid gamer, because one game takes about 2 years to complete, and about a group of 200 people. What's next in the gaming world?--the wii has came out with an exercise console, due out May 19.

Grid System

I never really appreciated the grid system only because I felt too restricted by it. Now I'm realizing that grids help to organize all the elements, and make work visually attractive. It also helps create oder, and order can be emphasis by hierarchy. Hierarchy can be achieve as simply as making the most important information bigger,(changing the type size) help a viewer realize what is more important.

Not Fond of Font

Since I started attending Cal State L.A for a graphic design major, Ive found myself enjoying some classes (painting) while stressing out and doubting others. I used to believe that if my works of art needed letters, I would just paint them in any manner of my choosing. Now I'm learning that there is infinite possibilities of typography I can add to my artwork. Finding the right type, and font for a certain art piece is still a work in progress. I'm learning more and more each day, for example: I might like my first idea but it may not be the best, 50 tries later I start seeing something I really enjoy a lot more. I am also not fond of criticism, and no matter how hurt I get, in the end I find it helpful, because other people see things that I might have missed.

Gallery

Today I attended a gallery entitled LA vs. WAR on the corner of 7th and Sante Fe. The art depicted anti-war graphic propaganda. Several images integrated letters with the image; however most used nonverbal concepts to express their opinion about the war. The intense feelings about the president, and the war seemed to pull powerful communications from the graphic designers. They manage to address a broad spectrum of social issues worrying Americas: oil, jobs, war, weapons, money, etc, and incorporated into conventional and visual codes already established in mass culture. I enjoyed attending the gallery because my opinion on the war pretty much coincides with the art on the walls, plus it was interesting to see the array of graphic design work.

Typography

I used to think that in order to get viewers to look at a poster, geometric shapes where needed--I'm learning that letters are shapes themselves and are useful in making a poster attractive. Color is another factor, but a lot of colors are not necessary as well--colors come in tints, tones, and shades, and that really helps as well; especially if you could only use 1 or 2 colors.