Entering the second week of my TANK Industries internship, I was introduced to my second client, a pharmaceutical company for which Jason and the firm had designed logos a few weeks earlier. On May 28, I participated in my first client meeting. My task was to observe the clients’ body language and take notes on the logos they seemed to prefer. The goal of the presentation was for the client to select a primary logo and color-way. Luckily, the result of the meeting was positive and very streamlined; the client unanimously came to a decision on their new logo.
I began my designs by gathering various assets and brand elements to support my work. To provide some background on the client, they are a “clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to treating and preventing immune and autoimmune disorders¹”. We incorporated the shape of a polyclonal antibody, which is integral to their scientific process, into their collateral to emphasize the scientific element of their work. The use of a ‘humanistic’ type face for the logo design also contributed an organic approach to the design of the business cards and letterheads.
During the first week of my internship at TANK Industries, I focused on solidifying my understanding of my responsibilities and expectations for the following seven weeks. One key expectation was that we meet remotely every day and that I document any questions arising from my conversations or meetings with the design team. It was established that I would communicate with Jason and the team through Slack, a messaging app for businesses similar to Discord. Having used Slack for announcements in my COMD2300 course with Professor Jason Falk, I was already familiar with the platform. Additionally, I was to use a Slack extension called Jibble to clock in and out, helping to keep my timesheet organized and accurate. Jibble also allows the organization to input different project codes to evaluate the time spent on each project, ensuring accurate billing to clients.
My first project involved creating collateral, including business cards and letterheads, for an IP lawyer. Jason introduced me to the concept of a visual landscape, a collection of direct and indirect competitors in the industry, to identify elements we wanted to emulate or avoid. I learned to look for patterns within the visual landscape, focusing on aspects like color, structure, and space, particularly in logos. Weeks before, Jason and his team had worked on a logo for the IP lawyer, and I had the opportunity to see their process through a Figma Jam Board. Figma is an app that facilitates the natural flow of ideas digitally, allowing users to present processes and presentations using various tools.
For my first project, I was instructed to draw inspiration from modernist design, a style established in the early 20th century characterized by bold, chunky lettering and overall minimalistic design. I was also guided to incorporate values such as conservatism, activity, professionalism, and connectivity into my designs. I began with the business cards, drawing inspiration from my collection of business cards amassed from various art events since 2015. The exciting aspect of this project was the opportunity to explore the dichotomy between creativity and conservatism, given that the client frequently interacts with artists in the realm of IP law.
by Beatnik Studioby Lester Beall, style booklet for Connecticut General in 1959
Throughout the process of creating collateral for my first client, I learned numerous keyboard shortcuts that made my work easier and more streamlined. I gained this knowledge by presenting problems to Jason, who showed me how to fix them via Zoom screen-share. Additionally, I discovered that incorporating intricate details within a logo or collateral provides more opportunities for expanding brand assets.
And that wrapped up my first week @ TANKindustries!
(I have obtained permission to use TANKindustries’ name)
For the Summer 2024 semester, I am interning at a Brooklyn Based graphic design firm named TANKindustries. TANKindustries was founded by Jason Falk in 1998. The firm specializes in brand design, brand strategy, product design and development, and graphic design.
TANK Industries’ areas of expertise include Creative Direction, Art Direction, Branding, Identity, Concepting, Copywriting, Environmental Design, Event Design, Print, Packaging, Signage, and much more. TANK’s client profile displays an array of industries from beauty to media to food packaging. TANKindustries has worked with Beats, Citibike, Coca Cola, Disney and more.
Working at TANKindustries, I will have the opportunity to immerse myself in a dynamic and creative environment where innovation and accesibility are essential. As an intern, I will be involved in various stages of the design process, from conceptualization to execution, gaining hands-on experience and valuable insights into the industry.
I have recieved permission from Jason Falk to disclose his company and his name.
Luckily, securing my internship was very seamless from last semester to the current summer 2024 semester. The first step was approaching my former professor, Jason Falk— adjunct professor at City Tech and owner of TANKindustries—about the possibility of interning under him and his design team. Because of the commitment and persistence shown in class through my work and attendance, he took a chance on me, which led to the next step, concerning all of the nitty gritty details. We ran into a couple detours in regards to joining a class for the summer semester and questioning whether the internship could be remote, due to the lack of a physical office since 2020, yet we found the answers to all of our problems by communicating with Professor Goetz.
I highly recommend to anyone looking for an internship to heavily network prior and to ask professor’s who work in the industry. Sometimes you need to just take a risk and ask the people that you’ve made connections with. My goal before graduating is to finish at least two internships and I am fortunate to say I have another lined up as soon as my current one finishes!
It is no doubt that the conversation around copyright infringement within art and design is complex, but it is necessary to ensure the rights to an artist’s hard work. In reading about the ‘Hope Poster Case’ or ‘Fairey v. AP’, the fair use agreement was argued in different ways: Fairey argued his use of the Garcia photo was fair use because of his manipulations and added meaning to the artwork, and the AP argued, the photo was used without Garcia’s permission. Fairely’s decision to withhold evidence was unethical and created more problems for his case. The involvement of ethics is now thrown into the mix. Concerning this case, discourse around ethics was talked about around transparency, trust, accountability, and honesty. Fairey demonstrated a lack of moral ethics during this case and is a moment in history that really defines the conversation in the art community behind Fair Use.
The way that this has influenced my work flow in the future, it to make sure that any piece of art that is not my own is properly creditted. It is also imperitive to make sure to be completely transformative in your use of the image, otherwise you are simply making a derivative work that the original image creator would have rights over.
In my internship thus far, I have run into the conversation around fair use ethics a couple times. The most recent experience was during a conversation with another designer within the firm. We were discussing research and choosing reference photos for some upcoming illustrations for a client’s site. I was advised to use sites with free to use images such as Pexels or Unsplash. In the AIGA’s pamphlet on Use of Photography, it states,”Use of stock images avoids the many contractual issues that may arise”, which is what I learned in this instance when picking reference photos. Referring back to the Fairey v. AP case, Fairey used Garcia’s photograph as reference, yet also manipulated and gave to meaning to it for Obama’s campaign. The Associated Press argued that Fairey’s work wasn’t enough to argue that it was fair use; tying it to the upcoming work I will be doing for the firm’s client, I will be very thorough in finding free images and continue to expand my knowledge on this matter. God knows I don’t ever want to be involved in a lawsuit!
Upon entering my first couple weeks on my internship at TANKindustries, I had to sign a work for hire agreement that disclosed many clauses that stated that I couldn’t share or post any of the artwork or collateral made for TANKindustries, unless the client gave permission. Also, all of the work that is made under their contract is not my property, it’s the firm’s. The great thing about my internship is that my boss, Jason Falk, is my former professor. He taught the class a lot of things pertaining to this subject and it was a seamless transition to the internship.
