All posts by MikaelaCamacho98

Taking the First Step (Journal Entry #3)

Woman working remotely

https://pixabay.com/photos/office-business-accountant-620822/

I applied to various internships on Chegg, LinkedIn, InDeed and our School’s internship course site. I also updated and revised my resume and modernized its content. I had put in so much effort, but unfortunately, I saw no results. It was the week before the course started and I still had no internship. I started worrying. I felt as if my work was not good enough and my self-esteem hit rock bottom. But I knew that I needed to do something and fast. So, I did what was logical, I reached out to my professor. She informed me of two positions: A graphics internship at VRR Media Productions and a graphic designer at a newspaper company. As soon as I got off the phone with her, I applied to both positions. The next day, I heard from VRR’s supervisor and she scheduled an interview with me over the phone. When the interview came, I tried answering all the questions to the best of my ability and, for the Glory of God, at the end of the interview, she told me that I got the job!

The Importance of Ethics in Design (Journal Entry # 2)

Someone looking at their work

https://pixabay.com/photos/startup-whiteboard-room-indoors-3267505/

This week’s readings made me reflect upon my work as a designer. Sometimes I get an image in my head of what I want to create. It seems like a really good idea, so I look around for a couple of stock imagery websites (as suggested in AIGA Business’ Use of Photography), but unfortunately, I can’t find the needed picture/graphic. I try rewording my search on Google and after several attempts, I find exactly what I was looking for. But guess what? It’s not free. Many professors have told me that it’s okay as a student to borrow these images to demonstrate my skills and have clarified that I can’t use these pieces for my portfolio without the owner’s permission. Whenever I use another person’s photograph/ graphic, I try to include a caption explaining where I got each piece and how it was used. According to minesf.com, Design’s Golden Rule is to “be honest and generous about crediting work. All writers, photographers, illustrators, programmers” and other designers must be credited. As per Milton Glaser, it is important for us, designers, to take everyone into consideration- other designers and their property, as well as, the public and how our work has the potential to change lives. That is why I believe ethics is so important in our field.

When thinking about the Hope Dealing Litigation case in terms of ethics, I understand how hard it must have been for Fairey to find the right facial position of former Senator, now President, Barack Obama. But I must side with the Association Press. As a designer, I wouldn’t want someone to take my work without crediting me. I am a fond believer that the worker is due his pay (1 Timothy 5:18). After working hours or even days on a piece, I believe that credit is due where credit is due… it’s the least I deserve.

What is Copyright? (Journal Entry #1)

Copyright symbol

https://pixabay.com/photos/wood-wooden-copyright-trademark-3350571/

So far, the design work I have completed for my internship hasn’t required me to source images, but I have used the company’s logo. Since the logo is the company’s property, I have had to abide by certain visual standards that come with the logo. This relates to the ethical guidelines discussed in the AIGA guide. According to the AIGA Business’ Guide to Copyright, “Style is not copyrightable, but specific designs created as the expression of a style is copyrightable.” Since the logo incorporates a unique icon, it is thus copyrightable. Now, for instance, I am someone that loves using color. When I showed my work for the first assignment to my supervisor, she asked me to limit it to black and white. That suggestion is thus a part of the company’s identity and any misrepresentation or improper use could possibly result in a lawsuit. This also reminded me of an article I read regarding the Hope Dealing Litigation case by William Fisher. In the case, an artist named Shepard Fairey used an image without proper consent from the image’s owner (the Associated Press). When Manny Garcia, the photographer, took this image, he specified that it was not for political gain. Though the artist had good intentions, he violated the owner’s desires and possibly gained profits from another person’s work.

Furthermore, before starting my internship, the company asked me to sign a Non- Disclosure agreement. Similar to the example of the NDA agreement on Scribd, the agreement specified that I was not allowed to discuss any information, such as “business records/plans, technical information, products, inventions, product design information and other proprietary information”, for a five-year period. That is why I tend to give an overall subject matter when discussing my progress in my internship journal. For instance, this week’s assignment asked me to describe what I have done so far and instead of describing detail by detail, I just wrote that I worked on a social media related project.