designer u - now with notes

Designer U job hunting tips for new graphic designers

—Mitzie Testani, Nonperishable Designer & Illustrator

– Ready– Set – Go

Congratulations! Let’s talk about how to get connected and visible as a new grad, in a competitive industry, in a tough economy.

- Starting with You, Inc.

Ready

Network

R E A D Y

What do you think of when I say “brand”?- it’s not your logo, it’s YOU:- do you skip class, give good critiques, do you miss deadlines, do you go above and beyond, do you volunteer?

These impressions last - for better or worse- You will be surprised who asks you to refer candidates and who asks about you behind your back. For years to come.

Whether you realize it or not- You are already building your brand — and your network

Network{th}

R E A D Y

Network{th} Ready. Set. Go.

It’s all about you (sort of)

R E A D Y

Who is already in your network?- fellow students whose critiques are honest and hard hitting- teachers you respect and whose respect you have earned

Who needs to be in your network?- designers who specialize in what you want to do - follow them on twitter, linkedin, facebook, etc. (LinkedIn is a great way to connect through association.)

- designers who live/move where you want to live

FYI:- don’t post trash on yourself or others — and take down trash you find Ego-Googling yourself

— ForbesWoman, 8/13/2012

What You Don’t Know About Networking Can Hurt You

[Studies show that more than 50% jobs are found

through networking. More importantly, these types of jobs

are usually more satisfying, provide higher earnings

and even tend to be custom-tailored.]

R E A D Y

Why is this important?- see above

Set

If David Ogilvy believed 30 years that five minimum

impressions were required to make an impact in

advertising, how many more impressions do you need

now? We have short attention spans, a multitude of

channels and a variety of user experiences. You must

create your own opportunities.

— Mitzie Testani,

sometimes job hunter

S E T

Okay, let’s talk about how to get noticed

Competition{s}Getting in front of the right audience.

S E T

Strategy 1:- Competitions offer you a way to get your work in front of designers you respect:

- both as judges and, if you’re published, in front of all the art directors/designers who view the publications

- it’s also a great way to gauge your work once you don’t get regular critiques in school

CompetitionsLow range

CMYK Magazine $45/15 ImAGES | Creative Quarterly $10 EACH

Adobe Design Achievement FREE | AIGA SOmE FREE WITH mEmbERSHIp

S E T

- Some offer portfolios with competition entry fees- Some offer portfolios with membership- Some can be pricey. Some are affordable, and still very well respected.

Try your work out here, to test how good it is. If it succeeds, try it in one or two of the higher priced pubs for more exposure.

CompetitionsHigh range

Communication Arts $35 SInGLE EnTRY / $70 SERIES

Art Director’s Club $35 pER EnTRY | HOW Design $30-50 pER EnTRY

Print Magazine $50-75 pER EnTRY | Graphis $60 STUDEnT EnTRY

S E T

Some of the best in the business- definitely not a complete list.- Look at interactive competitions, too.

Portfolio{s}Channels for exposure.

S E T

Strategy 2:- What’s the first thing you do when you want to know more about someone?

- If your design is not online, you don’t exist. Almost. - These are also great ways to network with other designers

Fees/membership benefit

AIGA | Creative Hotlist | Graphis | Design Taxi | Art Director’s

Portfolios

S E T

Affordable or free (some have pro versions available)

Behance.net | Coroflot.com | Flickr.com | Cargocollective.com Carbonmade.com | Shownd.com | Squarespace.com Viewbook.com | Dripbook.com | Virb.com | Facebook.com/you

Portfolios

S E T

- definitely not a complete list - look for portfolio sites that have work you admire on them.

Highly recommended, with a note of caution

You.com

Portfolios

S E T

At minimum:- get the domain name to forward to your portfolio site- create your own site — especially if you will be a coder- Take advantage of free sites- consistency across all your portfolios - organize yourself, a huge task in itself - but opportunities come from here, too.

- put out the kind of samples that will get you the kind of work you want

A quick glance at the markup will also tell me how organized [the] designer is.

—Jeffrey Veen

Five steps to a better design portfolio

November, 2006

S E T

OptionsDesigner for

front-end developers

Designer + front-end developer

or

S E T

- Even if you *design only* - you should know basic html/css (now HTmL5/CSS3)

- If you code, you should know HTmL5/CSS3, javascript Decide who you want to be and watch where you work

- will the experience support where you want to take your career? It’s easy to get behind on coding if you don’t keep up.

Should understand

• How integrate cross print/multi-channel with interactive• Wireframing and site maps• Design patterns• Technical capabilities of code or interaction• How to work with information architects• How to fight for usability over form/features• How to create hierarchical navigation systems• How mobi and native apps differ

Designer for front-end

developers

S E T

Other things you need to know - it’s not just about “pretty”- even non coders get asked questions about coding during an interview

Should understand designers’ requirements, plus

• Accessibility• HTML/CSS/Javascript• Responsive interaction design• How to work with back end developers• Be willing to grow coding knowledge• How to translate to clients

Designer + front-end developer

S E T

Go!

Basics• Logo• Stationery• Timesheet• Contract• Estimate form• Invoice• Portfolio website

G O !

Almost every designer I know freelances on the side or in between jobs - you need a basic starter kit

- and you need to understand basic pricing and contracts

- please do not work for free: it affects all designers — even non-profits have a budget

Portfolio building• Self-authored DESIGn pRACTICE

• Volunteer CLIEnT pRACTICE, bASELInInG

• Freelance EnTREpREnEURIAL pRACTICE

G O !

ResourcesInteractive

InterACT with Web Standards: A holistic approach to web design AARROn WALTER, VIRGInIA DEbOLT, DEREk FEATHERSTOnE & DEnISE R. JACObS

CSS in Easy Steps mIkE mCGRATH

Transcending CSS: The Fine Art of Web Design AnDY CLARkE

Designing with Web Standards (3rd Edition) JEFFREY ZELDmAn

Responsive Web Design ETHAn mARCOTTE

Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML ERIC T FREEmAn, ELISAbETH FREEmAn & ELISAbETH RObSOn

G O !

ResourcesFreelance

Graphic Artist’s Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines GRApHIC ARTISTS GUILD

The Designer’s Guide to Marketing and Pricing ILISE bEnUn & pELEG TOp

Graphic Designer’s Guide to Pricing, Estimating & Budgeting Revised Edition THEO STEpHAn WILLIAmS

Business and Legal Forms for Graphic Designers (3rd Edition) EVA DOmAn bRUCk & TAD CRAWFORD

G O !

Thanks.

Sources• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising_media_selection

• http://www.designstudentresource.com

• http://veen.com/jeff/archives/000935.html

• http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2011/06/14/uietips-ux-practicing

• http://www.google.com