Class Info

  • Date: Friday 12/15/2023
  • Meeting Info: P-112
  • Final Grades Submitted by 12/27/2023

To-Do

  • Keep fine tuning your work as you continue to your other classes. Don’t forget, there is only ONE you, find out what that means and how to tell your story and your POV through your portfolio. 
  • As a student and junior creative start with 2 strong pieces of portfolio.
  • Eventually, as you approach graduation and entering the professional field limit your projects to 6-8. Think about the time a recruiter might spend on your website. (And don’t forget to optimize your site for mobile)
  • Look back at your project briefs to copy and paste a few of the elements below. This is a pretty efficient structure to set up each of your projects.
  • Nurture your creativity with a side project that taps into your strenghts and skills that a student project may not always express.
  • Put the work you do that you would do again by signaling your interest. This means only sharing work that you are proud of (or would do again). 
  • Here are few examples of side projects I created on my own initiative:
  • These numbers will be different every year, make sure to do some investigating on your own to check salaries for your experience level.
  • http://glassdoor.com
  • Click image for link:
  • Here are some awards shows that are worth checking out as you advance as a designer and in your major: https://www.dandad.org/en/d-ad-new-blood-awards/,  https://www.futurelions.com, https://youngones.org/
  • Tap into creative communities outside of CUNY to start growing a network in NYC
  • Indeed is a great resource to find internships (and set up job alerts once you are closer to graduating)
  • 4A’s MAIP is a great internship if you are a Junior/Senior creative interested in learning what it would be like to work at an agency: https://foundation.aaaa.org/maip
  • Start researching local agencies and design firms to better understand the work culture and projects. Here is a list of the top 50 companies creatives want to work at:
  • One last thing, you are just starting your journey in this field.  I find this video inspiring to articulate that feeling you might start to get as you start out as a junior, it’s normal!
  • As you continue working and finding your style as a designer, take some time to also figure out what it is that you would to do long term. I find setting long term goals also helps in instances where you’re at a job that you might not love and need to step back and see the bigger picture to what you are working towards.
  • Let’s set up a Behance account.
  • Thank you for a great semester! It was an honor getting to teach such a talented group of young creatives. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about your portfolio, getting into the industry or if you need another set of eyes for a design you are working on. Have a great holiday break!