Author: Cesar Infante

First, I got to the building around 5:55 PM in Brooklyn and was immediately directed to the 3rd floor, where the event was about to occur. But these lights and textures caught my attention, so I decided to take a cool picture and edit it in Photoshop to create a dramatic contrast.

I was a little nervous initially because English is not my first language, so I knew I was about to get on stage and create my elevator pitch! While i was getting inside the elevator (a literal elevator) where it would take me to my “Elevator Pitch” Networking Event. But before i was thinking about all of this:

OUTLINE MY TALK
I started by creating my material using bullet points. I actually didnt not add any detail at this stage; I just wrote few notes to help remind me of what I want to say.

1. Who am I?
2. What do I offer?
3. What problem is solved?
4. What are the main contributions I can make?
5. What should the listener do as a result of hearing this?
   FINALIZING MY SPEECH.
6. After my outline, on my material, I can finalize the speech.
7. Everyone knows themselves, so trying to sell yourself and highlight what you’re unique about can’t be an issue.

After locating the “creative room,” I presented myself and gave my name, and they placed me on the guest list.

After we were settled in, everyone could pitch their elevator and introduce themselves to the public to “break the ice.”

It’s time to dive into it!!

Create your pitch in five steps, to be effective.

1. According to panelist Jessica Sinclair, you should think about and write down your top work and school experiences using the STAR Method (Situation, Task, Action, and Result). Choose one one-to-two experiences you want to pitch.
2. Shorten each story to a sentence or two focusing on your actions and the results of those actions.
3. Analyze the common themes:
   1. What are you good at?
   2. What do you like doing?
   3. Are you a problem solver, analytical thinker, effective communicator, innovator, etc?
4. Tailoring your pitch for the audience/person you are speaking to and the setting you are in
5. Put it together and make it conversational. Add a question to the end of your description or offer to help someone with something they are working on. 

On the other hand, another excellent piece of advice is that before introducing myself, I have to take time to record my voice. This helps with the “ummm” pauses, and I can listen to my tone.

I start my pitch by saying my name, smiling, and extending my hand for a handshake. To add more pleasantry, I should add, “It’s nice to meet you.” I should also make eye contact, and if my palms are sweaty, I shouldn’t shake my hands.

After I have developed all my ideas,

• This is where you’ll give a brief summary of your background.
• Please include the most relevant information, such as your education, work experience, and/or key specialties or strengths.
• Think outside the box and be truthful but creative
• Mention if do community service, leadership roles, are you a alumni etc
• You have 60 seconds or LESS TO HOLD THEIR ATTENTION.
• This step will depend on how you’re using the pitch.
• How can you help them with EYZ?
• The “ask” of your pitch could be a consideration for a job opportunity, internship, or to get contact information.
• This is a good opportunity to explain the value you’ll bring, why you’re a good fit.
• “If I work for your company I will turn around your sales with my efficient software”
• At the end, we must finish strong, no matter what.

And finally, the greatest advise that Ms. Sinclair gave to us was:

• Take your time
• Make it conversational
• Express confidence
• Remember the 3 Cs for giving an elevator pitch: Cool, Calm, Collected
• Customize your pitch
• Dress professionally
• SMILLLLLEEEEEE!!!!
• Practice! Practice!

Networking Event 🙂

During the course of this webinar videocast, we are going to cover several topics that accoding to the host, are critical during the transition from Graphic Design to Web Design.

Host: ELIZABETH ALLI from San Francisco, California.

What the talk will cover:

• How to think like a UI/UX Designer
• The skills you need to learn
• How to gain UI/UX experience
• How to create a portfolio to showcase your new abilities and work
• My takeaways

When we talk about “design thinking” there are several steps and things that are always taken into consideration, in other words, is a phase we use before taking any decision in the design process:

• Empathize
• Define
• Ideate
• Prototype
• Test.

At the same time, when we put everything together, it creates a relationship with people, consequently bringing different behaviors into our community. There’s a personification for each “user” that will or will not identify himself with the design, so we must go back to strategy and refine our decisions.

Graphic Designer and UX Designer way of thinking:

As graphic designers, we talk and think about text, patterns, texture, colors, shadows, shapes, and light. However, designers are concerned with reactions, movement, action, interaction, users, motivations, and UX-UI. As graphic designers, we may be experienced in branding and campaign development. Still, we might need to be more experienced in the interaction of users and how the user behaves. On the same topic, graphic designers are to understand typography and color, but at the same time, they have to ensure that both tools work together. However, getting a position in UX-UI gets different, and this is because the role changes to be more focused on the interface and how the user will interact with the website or app.

According to the host, the UX-UI software that designers should spend more time on, as far as the prototyping, is “SKETCH” and the other one is Figma, which is for Mac users, and Adobe XD also offers tutorials; however, this last one is kind of slow. Challenges are always “challenging” when learning other skills in the design industry. Figma gets on top of the line regarding web design development. Competitive research is imperative when a designer wants to dive into the target audience for any design project that wants to get into.

My takeaway: Both graphic and UX-UI designers are different in the design process because they consider other parts of the design that interest them. Still, more importantly, I now know the difference between both. The scope is one of the most significant differences between graphic and UX design. Graphic designers focus on visual elements. UX designers take a broader perspective by focusing on the interaction between a user and a product. Graphic design is often just one part of the more extensive user experience. Again, going back to my statement, graphic designers pay more attention to color, patterns, shapes, scales, and typography, while UX-UI designers pay more attention to the user’s interaction.

As an intern at City Tech, this is the first ad that I’ve created. In coordination with the Office of Public Affairs and my manager, Bradley Burford, I’ve been instructed to follow specific guidelines. After feedback, visual communication, meetings, and using assets provided by the college, I created a flyer that will be used for partnerships and embracement for the Graduate Community. New York City City College of Technology provides employment opportunities for CUNY graduates throughout their academic careers in the Professional Development Center department, which coordinates assessments information, and orientation for Resume preparation. In the past, City Tech has partnered with prominent designers and companies such as Microsoft, the NYC Department of Buildings, the Department of Education, and hundreds of other institutions that help with the development of New Yorkers. Let’s see how this will turn out!

As some of you may know, when creating content, it is very important to ensure that our designs are our own and not a copy from another person. That is an academic integrity violation in college, and it can bring several consequences. Furthermore, in the real world, it happens the same. According to AIGA, the Professional Association of Design, several parameters and important things must be considered when designing a professional logo or any content that will be published. It is our responsibility to report or credit the use of fonts, illustrations, photography, and any other content that will eventually be published to the audience.

It is imperative to report the ownership of the work. In the United States, we have an institution that handles the copyright claims, registrations, and information to the public; or any other idea that another person can copy without our knowledge, that is, indeed, the U.S. Copyright Office which is located in Washington, D.C.

After the reading, I will ensure that any work I do in the real world, knowing it will be publicly available, must be patented or copyrighted, primarily if I work for a worldwide audience or well-known agency.

Fairey vs. Associated Press Outcome (HOPE POSTER)

The two parties finally settled on January 12. In the end, neither side had to admit they were wrong. Instead, Fairey agreed not to use any other AP photos without a license, and he and the AP (associate press) will share profits derived from the sale of posters based on the image. Further, Fairey and the AP plan to collaborate on several other derivative works using the news organization’s collection of photographs.

All that controversy could have been avoided if the photographer had asked or followed proper copyright information and procedures to ensure that such artwork belonged to him. Although the “Hope” posters have now become one of the most iconic symbols of the 2008 presidential campaign, those pieces weren’t Fairey’s first foray into political art, and they are not his last.  

 

I had to do it mentally to prepare for the internship since it was my first time in this process. Our instructor welcomed us with a cordial greeting and immediately told us and explained what the internship really meant. As always, we have received instructions on how to get the job regarding the career area.

Communication has always been a way to express an idea and convey a message. This is when we must put all the knowledge we’ve gained throughout our careers. Besides being excited for graduation, we must create a sense of commitment, so that our skills can be refined and polished simultaneously. Take notes during all meetings and keep to-do lists of tasks and deadlines. Keep our workspace neat so your work is organized and out of the way when you are not around. Take care to observe data storage processes, if our organization keeps files in central locations, take note and observe and maintain records in accordance with policy.

I think that in order for us to be successful during this internship we have to follow some personal steps to achieve our growth such as:

1. Meet our coworkers
2. Set Goals
3. Watch and learn, and be humble when getting tasks to do.
4. Keep ourselves busy.
5. Stay and keep ourselves and our environment organized.
6. Time Management is critical for a successful internship.
7. Keeping track of our projects.
8. Keep networking as much as we can.
9. Reflect our experience.
10. Update our resume, and learn the most modern design styles to impress our potential employer.

Besides all of these recommendations listed above, most important is to have a positive attitude towards what we are going to learn, but at the same time put in practice all the knowledge that is being transferred to us in several ways.

Welcome to my portfolio and let’s get start a great semester with so much enthusiasm, professionalism, and ability to learn!

On February 8th, I contacted the Professional Development Center (PDC) seeking guidance and advice on refining my resume and finding an internship. Christopher Millington, a PDC advisor, provided technical and professional review services and helped me develop a design-focused and formal resume that would be practical and functional for employers.

To find an internship, I used Handshake and the internship opportunities my instructor and department provided. I was invited to an interview via Zoom. We made a great connection and we spoke about the internship and processed for about an hour and a half. We discussed general information, expectations, deadlines, and previous experience during the interview. I also had a second interview at Brooklyn College but declined the offer as I had already accepted an internship at City Tech’s Public Affairs – Office of the President.

After the interview, I received a job offer, and I am set to start this week with Bradley Burford, the Public Affairs and Partnerships Manager at City Tech. Furthermore, we discussed various aspects of the internship, including scheduling meetings, remote work, and compensation. It was clear that the college only offers credit hours needed for graduation, meaning it is an unpaid internship. We agreed to meet on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before class.