We started the class with a discussion about Saul Bass and who he was as a graphic designer. Started to learn that he created film posters, logos, and motion picture title sequences. He worked in the 60-90s as well as his designs being Avante Garde, conceptual, simple, and has his own signature style. “There is nothing glamorous in what I do. I’m a working man. Perhaps I’m luckier than most in that I receive considerable satisfaction from doing useful work which I, and sometimes others, think is good.” This quote was very interesting to me when the professor brought it up it really resonated with me. As a designer, all I’m doing is making a client happy and there will be those who adore it. Though along those times I and said persons may just think its great and there may be others who disagree.
Then the professor started to discuss something that was quite important to me. She started off with how we as designers can get noticed. It seems easy in theory but I feel as though its a bit difficult now with such an influx of amazing designers out there in the industry. On that note, she mentioned applying to design conferences/competitions where we can showcase our work and possibly win. In addition, mentioning some sites that were useful for us to apply to these competitions [I.g. AIGA, etc]. Following that we began to discuss visibility equals to success, more work, popularity, credibility. That lead to how people become famous in this day and age with influencers on social media with their platforms to discuss a range of topics. Due to that most people fall for the idea of seeing what these influencers recommend from clothes, makeup tips, brands, etc.
“If you want to be credible you have to be visible,” The professor said this to ensure that if we go to places to network and to connect with people in the same field we can be noticed. Now if we are unable to go to conferences at all times she mentioned options we can find online. For example, we can make Instagram, Facebook, Behance, etc. Although, she stressed Instagram would be the preferred platform for us particularly. We can upload our designs and gain a following that way more opportunities may follow that way. Following that someone mentioned that a friend got a job from Behance and it was notable that many designers get work from that particular site as well as Instagram. A major example she mentioned was Ignasi Monreal who did illustrations for Gucci when they saw his artwork on Instagram.
From there we began a conversation about tempt agencies/jobs in the design field etc. She mentioned glassdoor, simplyhired, 24 Seven, etc. When it comes to those sites it was explained that they have their pros. For example, you can see everyone’s experiences via review, see if its the right fit for you, quick response matches, etc. In addition, she explained more about tempt agencies how they are great but some may not enjoy it due to the pay cut. As a designer, I would personally try it out myself since they do most of the difficult work. They would be the person building a relationship with a client and you would just focus on the designing they need. Although, with that being said they do take a big percentage of the profit even still I think its a great concept.
