This week, I began to try to redesign a logo for datametriq. What I forgot to mention last week is that Steve also hopes that this logo can express the characteristics of datametriq that it is efficient and convenient for customers to read data clearly. This is very helpful to my design idea because for efficiency, I’ve come up with the idea of using arrow icons to express speed. And to read data clearly, I think I’ll focus on using icons to express data.

At the same time, I also found many references and inspiration on Pinterest. For example:

After seeing these reference examples, I decided to highlight the letter D on the logo. Next I’ll see how this letter combines with the arrows and data in my mind.

This week is the first week of working from home. After a phone conversation with Steve, we decided to start redesigning the brand image of datametriq. In our conversation, he told me that he wanted his customers to see a reliable and clear brand image. And expressed his views on this logo.

He doesn’t like in a small bubble next to the content of the letter. In his opinion, the bubble did not make any sense. He also told me about his preference for the color. He wants to give priority to blue and green. Because he thought to have a calm feeling blue, and green, give a person a kind of sense of science and technology.  He also seems to be very concerned about the brand image of the company’s competitors,  such as SPS Commerce, which I think is because he really wants the company to look as professional as his competitors.

SPS Commerce log:

Based on his ideas, I’m going to launch a series of inspirational findings and brainstorming.

• Comparing the company before the interview
• Giving visual ideas to the supervisor
• Doing research about the company
• Understanding the story behind the company’s branding image
• Exchanging the ideas about the new branding image between supervisor

The COVID-19 eventually broke out in New York City. Our company is located in the center of the outbreak in Manhattan, so the company decided to all employees work from home. We will use the phone call, texting, and E-mail to keep in touch. This is unprecedented. It never happened in any company, even before the Sandy storm was not so bad. But we also have no choice, only for health to stay at home.

This is the second week of my internship. I am still trying to understand our company. As I said last week, I believe that the first step in rebranding a brand is to understand the purpose and direction of the business. After a preliminary understanding of last week, I began to understand some special terms of e-commerce. For example:

ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning: integrate the raw material price, shipping cost, packaging cost, taxes, extra costs, etc. of various supplies and greater purchase orders. It will help the EDI working in the companies.

ASN – Advanced Shipping Notice: A retail or wholesale customer getting a notice that the shipping is one the way.

And so on. Therefore, our company is doing the intermediate work of inter-enterprise information transmission. It is the responsibility of the company to deliver information clearly and efficiently to the ERP system of the enterprise.

While I was learning this knowledge, I also had some questions that needed to be answered by my supervisor, Steve, such as how our company specifically used the technology of these terms.

Through the conversation with Steve, I learned that our company has several small branches, which are datametriq, cloud commerce, and opentext. Datametriq is the main branch of the company.
But Steve wasn’t happy with their current brand design. They needed to reinvent the brand to look as professional as other big companies.

Then the bad news came suddenly. A new coronavirus had been reported in our country, and in New York state. We didn’t know what was going to happen. Let’s hope there’s no outbreak in New York City.

On the first week working in eData Technology. I found there is also one intern who is also a city tech COMD student. He has been working in the company for a month. He usually talks with the manager, so I assume he’s working with the manager? I feel like I might be working with the CEO, Steve Ayzen, because all the conversation I have is only with him, or more than anyone else. But it may be also due to the company is small.

The first week I started to do deep research on this company.  There are a lot of trade terms that I haven’t touched at all.  Most of the terms are attributes, such as EDI and ERP. I think I have a lot to learn. I was trying to understand the concept of EDI and ERP so that I would understand what makes the company different from others. I need to really understand the operation of the company in order to better update the brand image and advertise for the company. Steve also agrees with what I am thinking. And he already assumed that I need a few weeks to pick up everything. He was welcome me to ask any questions.

I was so glad to meet with these companies that gave me the chance to interview. It was a very useful experience. On Monday, I had my interview with Homebloc.  Leo, the interviewer, asked me about my experience and my portfolio. Fortunately, I brought my computer for the interview so I could show him my website. He carefully looked through my portfolio and he was very satisfied with my works.  He told me that he was looking for an intern who is capable to do some information deck and sometimes the animation on videos. I then told him that I had one similar internship experience, what I did before actually matches what he wants. He found that was great for the company. Then he asked me about my available dates to start working and let me know that I would get an email back to confirm the job offer because he still needed to report to his boss.  And on the second day, I did receive an email with a job offer. I was so excited and happy to hear that! However, I still have one more interview with eData Technology, the one sounds more letting me develop on advertising. So I would still keep this one for now.

On Wednesday, I had my interview with eData Technology. Steve Ayzen, the CEO of the company interviewed me. He was also the caller on the last call. He asked me for the portfolio. I showed him some of the work I loved the most. One of my infographics caught his eyes. It was one of my homework assignments about reducing ocean plastic pollution. H was curious if I did research on it, I told him that everything was based on research to find out what the problem is and how to solve the problem. He then just stopped me and immediately asked me when my available date to start working. I was totally surprised. He then said that he was looking for someone like this. He wanted to have someone who could have certain market ideas and combine information research with design ability. He appreciated and believed in my design skills. So he decided to hire me. After that, he introduced his company in detail and explained what they are doing to me. The first thing he wanted me to do was updating the brand image for his company. Basically, it’s rebranding. At this point,  I think I have to kindly reject Homebloc’s job offer because I found this company might be a good fit for me.

After a few conversations with Patient & Purpose, I found they might be only offering a junior art director summer internship instead. However, the summer internship is not what I am looking for right now. So I think I have to move on to seek more opportunities. I go back to Indeed and Linkedin to look for more internships. This time I specifically look for the recent job that posted only for 4 -6 days. And I have my eyes on those are urge to hire. I applied for 20 more internships.

Finally, I got three hear back to me. They are a fashion company called Bibhu Mohapatra, a digitizing real estate company called Homebloc, and a business management consultant company called Edata Technologies.  All of them are asking me for an interview.

After getting the notices for interviews, I started to do research on these companies. I found that Bibhu Mohapatra is more tending to seek a production designer than a graphic designer or an advertising designer. But I think it would still be a good experience to have an interview with them.

On Friday morning, Edata Technologies called me on the phone. I considered this call as a simple phone interview as well because they asked me some interview questions such as: what am I good at and what my weakness is. Also, they asked me what kind of design I would like to do. I answer them I would like to do more about advertising design, and I have experience in doing ad campaigns. They consider that sounds more like on a marketing side. I don’t really understand why it is more on a marketing side, but I guess this is what I have to learn from this field.  Then, they started telling me what the company is doing. They are doing advertising campaigns, rebranding, logos, and sometimes video animation when it is needed. I then told them that I have two experience in motion graphics, they were pleased to hear that. In the end, they expressed their interests in my experience and are really looking forward to see me in person so that they can let me know more about their company.

I am so glad to have this phone call and excited to meet with these companies.

Texture Project: Point of View & The Look of Feeling

Based on John Kander’s musical “Kid Victory”.