Diana Florissant's ePortfolio

In the past, I have created videos that used music from other people that were copyrighted. In order to make sure I wasn’t given a copyright strike, my way of crediting the artist was to add their information in the biography of the video, as well as any links that could be provided to their works. That was the best means of me using the audio without being forced to change it or be given a strike for using it.

The arguments and outcome of the Fairey Copyright case is messy in retrospect. I believe that it was right of him to take time for not saving the evidence he had and tampering with the evidence, because if he had kept those documents, he might have had a better chance of keeping his case from having to plead guilty. The use of copyright is to make sure that the original artist is credited. If he had at least kept the documents and made sure to reach out to the photographer who he used the image from, then things would have gone a lot smoother. The argument of him suing those who tried to use his work for other means is reasonable, because he used something to create another new prospect. This method of art requires complete transparency and as long as it’s used in a good light and given credit to those who originally inspired the work, then there won’t be as much heavy backlash as there was. Because of the fear he had, Fairey erased all of the research and work he did behind his work when he should have kept it all and gave his reasoning. Those documents he got rid of could have been used to give credit and offer him a means of not having to serve time for ‘stealing’ work.

The work that I do at Calling All Graphics uses the policy of not using any copyrighted work. As long as it explicitly says that we can use it for commercial uses free of charge, that is how we figure out which design elements we can borrow and utilize in our work. The companies we work with provide us with their logos and trademarks to use in our works, especially when working on banners and deliverables.

We weren’t given a document in regards to confidentiality, because in this line of work, transparency is key. We talk to the clients in regards to each step of the creative process to make sure it’s what they want and if they have anything that would require changes before we finalize it all. We send them what we have and if they need any changes, then we make those changes. In regards to confidentiality as a whole, we have agreed to not partake in sharing certain information for the safety of our supervisor and the business she runs.

This week of work was tied with a collaborative project that we were working on together. Alongside learning more about BrightAuthor, we were tasked with working on another poster for Sophie’s Cuban to introduce their new Cuban Fries to their menu. Me and the other intern were tasked with adjusting a banner of menu items for a restaurant, where I worked on breakfast items, while he worked on lunch items. We had to resize them to fit a new banner width and length, which taught me how to properly put together a layout or resize it to make it work for a new format. We worked on this for the majority of the week, which helped us to learn how to work collaboratively and make sure our designs were consistent with one another.

During this week, things picked up quite a lot. We were introduced to a program called BrightAuthor, that works with digital boards live to display certain screens at certain times. We were introduced to this program because the restaurant that was using them for Pride Month. We were tasked with creating Pride screen banners to be displayed for the digital screens of the restaurant, that were to be displayed throughout the day. I loved working on the pride banners, even if my rendition wasn’t chosen, the other student made a beautiful banner that smoothly went along the screens and would possibly be a nice addition to Pride Month, especially where the restaurant was located.

With the basics out of the way, we were given more work to do during the second week. We worked on posters for a company called Sophie’s Cuban, where they specialize in Cuban cuisine. They were throwing their 26th anniversary of their opening. Alongside working on the poster, I was also tasked with adjusting pricing on a menu for another restaurant in Manhattan. These tasks were most enjoyable, because it allowed for me to work on Graphic Design work that I enjoy, as well as some editorial work that I found enjoyable either. With being so detail oriented, it was nice to go through text and be able to fix what was incorrect.

The first week of work was filled with getting used to the job and working on a poster for a pizza spot called Xeno’s Pizza. They needed a new poster for their 90s event at their restaurant. I created a poster out of the components of a poster that was already being worked on, and once the poster was finished, it was sent to the client for review. There were two other versions created by the other student hired alongside me, as well as the supervisor herself. I was also introduced to another client who needed a logo for their College Coaching service that they offer to High School students graduating and heading off to College. I brainstormed ideas for that and created digital renders of each idea to be reviewed by my supervisor and the client.

The workplace of the Internship is all remote. We don’t have any specific clothing parameters and we meet on Zoom to discuss assignments, as well as any new events coming up for any businesses. I dress comfortably for our meetings, and we work for about 5 hours a day on average. We get about a 30 minute break for lunch, before we return to work on new assignments. The flow of the workplace is very smooth, and allows for a very relaxing internship experience.

The company I work for, Calling All Graphics, is owned by Marla Gotay. She is the main employee and the CEO of the company. I work as an assistant Graphic Designer to the supervisor, who assigns me work based on what she has to give me.

I came across this internship from the OpenLab list of internships for the summer, and what she does inspires me. I would one day want to become a freelance artist myself, so learning about the behind the scenes work and business side to it is thought-provoking. I reached out to Marla Gotay first, with my resume and portfolio, and she seemed to really like my work. She emailed me not too long after, stating she wanted to take me on for the job and I started working the next day. I didn’t have an in-person interview, and I ended up being hired along side another student who had started a little bit before me.

During this semester, I am working with a design non-profit freelance organization called Calling All Graphics. The freelance company is small, with the CEO of it being the main supervisor for the entire company. She specializes in Graphic Design work and is notorious for working with different restaurants and businesses to create beautiful posters, brochures, flyers, menus & menu boards, etc. Calling All Graphics has been in business for over 25 years, and worked with 100’s of businesses with long-term relationships still standing. I work as an assistant, aiding in fixing and adjusting menu boards, while also getting hands on experience in making posters for businesses. I’m also getting personal experience with the business aspect of freelancing, as well as the ins and outs of making sure to work closely with the client.

After some research, it’s discovered that Calling All Graphics is located in Manhattan. It was founded in 2000, and my favorite thing about working here so far is learning more about how it is being a freelancer, how important it is to make connections, and the behind the scenes experience of learning how things work. There aren’t any found articles in regards to the company or the CEO.