Don’t Settle For Titles.
Just graduating from college 6 months ago, I’ve noticed how much I’ve taken to a sense of status, or title within work. I am a UI/UX Designer for a creative agency called THE PROGRAM. I love what I do and whom I’m doing it for but it CAN’T stop there.
If all we were doing was hard work for a title and cred points from our peers I’d argue we’ve cut ourselves short. I mean, what’s the difference between a job title and a dog breed? Pace, speed, mind, body, soul? It’s like we’re all the same while being a bit different. I’d pose that it’s not what your resume says you are, but who and how you introduce yourself to the world, stating what you stand for as a designer.
Showing up to work is key, but do things that will further your beliefs beyond that and outside of work. Don’t sell yourself short by taking the mentality of a typical college kid just getting by; doing only the work asked to do. Now I didn’t do more homework than asked to complete, but I busted my butt outside of school to network, take on freelance, and meet people in the PDX design industry.
If we don’t put in the extra effort of work, how can we expect to lead someday. Maybe you’d rather follow?
Either way, YOU are the one in control of how much work/play you take on and how you put good into the world. Design is extremely powerful, and it’s time we rise up and take on the true responsibility of a problem solver….we can only do that by showing we’ve invested our blood, sweat, and tears over what we do, and how we do it. The world is encouraged by the fearless, and the whole world is watching for what we put out. That’s a status to take seriously…
-Greg Becker / www.iambecker.com
Brand Consistency: a 101 “duh” reminder.
You could call me OCD. Design might have been a mistake delve into for occupation, or the best decision in regards to my natural making sure I’m on always on top of detail. Now, of course I’m not perfect, but I do try to see every problem within a design and seek to conquer accordingly.
I understand now that the biggest part of my mind that this plays out in is within my own branding and representation of my business. I think it’s essential to seriously own your stuff when it comes to creating the real “you” in terms of standing out in a sea of mediocrity.
“My Role As A Designer”
I’ve always dabbled with technology to create things. I guess my love for making movies, recording music, and playing around in Photoshop really drove me to what I call myself today; a designer. I explore and dabble with various forms of design, however (to the common folk), professionally I call myself a web designer. Within my industry I’m known as a user experience designer and front end developer, however it’s all branched under the large creative umbrella of “INTERACTIVE MEDIA”.
Great motion graphics here.
The dumbest mistake is viewing design as something you do at the end of the process to ‘tidy up’ the mess, as opposed to understanding it’s a ‘day one’ issue and part of everything.
— TOM PETERS
Great story. This is the kind of design we NEED to be making. Screw Hollywood.
Networking: A Key Ingredient For Collegiates and Beyond
Networking is a science all to itself. It’s a beast that if not yielded to and/or pursued can come back to leave you scratching your head. This small concept known as networking is vital to the web designer and whether or not he/she is decent in this area can determine one’s career placement, advancement, or even initial beginning.
Establishing Morals Within Design
Design is a great thing within culture. It’s one of the most influential messengers we humans have to offer to one another. Design has created tons of awareness for great causes, missions, and campaigns, but I’d argue that most West-European modern design within the last 100 years has done more damage than good.
Going to College for Design
School is a great tool. A tool that can advance one’s career but a tool nonetheless. Some people think that going to school will inevitably get them their dream job, while some just use it as a tool to avoid an actual job. This poses a lot of confusion for employers as they are usually looking for someone with the experience of a 4 year bachelors degree, yet have real world experience too.
Friday Feature #4
Vadim Goncharov | http://owl-design.com/ | @owldesign
The Art of Freelancing
Freelancing is a game that not all can play and do well with. In fact, I’d argue that it takes more brains, hard work, and energy than most have the power to carry out. Freelancing isn’t something a designer (if they can title themself that yet) can just jump into. A certain level of experience is required to know how to communicate, estimate budgets as well as their estimated delivery times, and properly manage their money.
I never get tired of watching this. Instrument is really a talented bunch.
