Author: Eric Arellano

My performance in this job from my personal view has been good. I have submitted all designs on the deadline and even send in drafts before the deadline. I take in the feedback and adjust them accordingly. All my work has been posted on their social media accounts. I take time to research the topic of the project and use many materials to create my designs. I tried my best to be authentic and show my skills. Creating new ideas was difficult, especially trying to show the company style. As a designer, we have to think like problem solvers. We have to create a design to catch people’s attention. When creating I had to think like a viewer first looking at a design. What is something a viewer would look at first, then what is the message or what is the design wanting the viewer to do? These were my steps to creating a design. I believe my designs were successful. As an intern for this company, I learned to become a problem solver and understand how to bring more traffic to the company website. This internship gave me the experience I needed for the future of my career.

In this internship our meetings were virtual. We had 1 on 1 meeting with managers and once a week we met with everyone in the company. In this company, I saw everyone as an inspiration. I asked questions and learned through the process. Everyone was able to communicate with each other and help each other out. I communicated with other interns and always was open to their ideas. As a intern, I made sure to have good business etiquette. I made sure my messages were clear. I always thank everyone for their feedback and made sure I gave feedback as well in a good manner. I kept myself professional at all times. Since this internship was remotely I turned on my camera and dressed appropriately. I made sure to be on time for meetings. I was always positive and was ready to do work. It is important to have business etiquette even if it is an internship. This builds your connection with the company and furthers your professional career.

Currently, we have had many collaborative works. One of the collaborative projects we worked on was about world wildlife day. The social media manager assigned us many different nonprofit organizations to create a design for world wildlife day. As a team, we split up which organizations we wanted to create for. For most projects, we usually create a few drafts before we submit the final design. We show our drafts and we get feedback and fix things up. For world wildlife day we didn’t have time to create drafts. So I share a few of my works with a few of the creative team and they gave me feedback. With the feedback I was given I made the adjustment. If we had a creative block we would help each other out with ideas. This was one of the few collaborative projects we have done. Another project was creating a design where the motion designer would be able to create an animation with our design. Our communication during this collaborative work went smoothly. Since we using google chats, it is fast and reliable.

Over the past 4 weeks, I had many new experiences as a social media graphic designer. Most of the work we created had to be done based on current events. I have developed to come up with ideas and speak on them during meetings. Sometimes, I feel like some ideas might not be good but once you put them out there you have other creative people who can get better ideas. It’s like coming up with an illustration. You have to sketch it first and then decide if it works or not. Once your idea is drawn you can change it up and make a masterpiece. My typical day on this internship is first having a meeting with the creative team to showcase any work we have. Then we discuss any coming-up events that we can create some designs for. After we can come up with a task that we feel like we can work on. After the meeting, I start to develop ideas and sketch them so I don’t forget them. This would be my typical day at the internship. In this internship, we have a lot of creative freedom. Some challenge I have faced in this internship is coming up with ideas. Sometimes having too much creative freedom makes us lost on where to start. So I start making many sketches and came back to them later.

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On Monday evening, we have a meeting with everyone. The general manager and the founder of the organization were there. At the first big meeting, I was pretty nervous. A total of 7-10 people attended the meeting and this was my first-time experience. As the meeting went on I started to feel conformable and realized everyone was pretty chill. Everyone had casual clothes and it seems like everyone was at home. We discussed ideas to bring a bigger audience to the organization. I gave my knowledge on the social media aspect. Since I have a lot of experience in using social media and how engagement works I explain how hashtags and time affect the post. Overall it was a great experience. We put out ideas and tried over the week and see the results.

My role in this organization is as a graphic designer. I create templates and posts for their social media. When I applied for this internship I received an email back on the same day. We had an interview scheduled a few hours later. My interview was with the general manager of the organization. We discuss my knowledge of social media and creating good advertising to bring more viewers to the organization. The general manager was excited to have me on board. The general manager also spoke that other students who joined this internship stood after they finished their credited hours. Overall the interview took about 30 minutes and then later was received my personal email with the organization where I was able to access multiple files.

Searching for an internship has been difficult. I applied to multiple internships and haven’t received an email back. My main interest is web design or web development. I attained an internship with a non-profit organization. A week later one of the internships I applied for called me back looking to see if I was still looking for an internship. I sadly had to reject since I was already in one. The nonprofit organization has multiple other organizations under the main organization. The company creates revenue for other nonprofits by creating virtual events, sweepstakes, and advertising. The area where I work in the company is the social media graphic designer. The company is based in New York City. This company also is small and currently is looking to grow.

1A. Design ethics is a must for all designers. Design ethics is knowing what you are creating and the effects of the design it has on the world. Without design ethics, designers can cause harm to people and the world. Mike Monterio spoke at USI about how designers destroyed the world. Mike Monteiro states that we designers are responsible for the work we create and put out into the world.

According to AIGA Business Ethics, ” The designer, as the copyright owner has the exclusive rights to reproduce work; license work; prepare derivative works, such as a poster copied from a design; perform work, and display work”. When finding artworks that were not mine I had to make sure if they had any exclusive rights. It was my job to make sure my work was not causing any damage to the design I was using.

During the 3 weeks of my internship, I have created about 10 designs for the company’s social media. Some design was illustrated by me and some I had to find some images. When using images, I had to find the main source of the images and made sure the images were for commercial and non-commercial purposes and non-exclusive. The reason I had to make sure these images fit these requirements is that in case the company wanted to create posters or promote them with other companies they wouldn’t have to face any non-exclusive rights. When sending the final design I also compile all the images in a folder and the original program files.

1B. A Non-Disclosure Agreement(NDA) is an agreement between the employer and employee to keep the company’s confidential information protected. Employees should never discuss any project, ideas, or work in progress with anyone.

In my internship, I was not given a non-disclosure agreement but without one it is best not to discuss any current work that is not in the public. Doing so is a very bad reputation and unethical. If I were to sign a non-disclosure agreement in my internship I would have to keep everything from my internship private and never discuss any project with anyone outside the company. Even to your friend or family.

Sources: How Designers Destroyed the World – Mike Monteiro, at USI, AIGA Business_Ethics 47556757-Guide-to-copyright-1-MB.pdf, Using Nondisclosure Agreements to Protect Business Trade Secrets, Non-Disclosure Agreement

2A. In the past, I have had to give credit to other artists for their creative work. I was working on a website project for my web course and I wanted to use the amazing icons I found on the internet. When I downloaded the files, they had a text document on how to credit the artist of the icon. The directions were to state it at the footer on the website when using the creator’s icons. If I were to not see the text file I would regularly try to find the source of the artist and find if the art is free to use in personal projects and how to credit the artist. As a photographer, I have experienced people stealing my work. They promote them on their social media without any credit to me. I know the feeling when a person doesn’t get credited for their work. Luckily I was able to report it and the social media company took it down within days.

It is very crucial to give credit to the main source. Many websites have stock photos that people can use for free. They are for Commercial and non-commercial purposes and no permission is needed. As a designer, we should always show respect and be ethical by giving credit to the artist.

2B. The case of Shepard Fairey and The Associated Press was that Mr.Fairey used one of the Associated Press photographs by Mannie Garcia. Mr.Fairey sues the A.P. over copyright fair use. The settlement of this case was both parties came into a private settlement. I believe artists should be taught about copyright fair use because many artists today still don’t understand the fair use of copyright. Many artists are looking on the internet trying to find inspiration or a base to start their design. Being ethical as an artist you should always find the source of any art you find on the internet. As Mr.Fairey stated he did a google search to find a reference for his design. From this point, I believe before he started his design he should have investigated the source of the photograph and gotten in contact with the A.P. to get licenses for this photograph. Without the photo, he wouldn’t have his original design.

Sources: Shepard Fairey and The A.P. Settle Legal Dispute, Barack Obama “Hope” Poster