So these are some of the projects i was able to work on, The poster on the left hand side is a promotional poster that i made in order to show the different programs that are offered on the site. I was able to also include some pictures i took showing different projects the kids took on. The last two logos were logos I worked on in order to represent the schools basketball team. So I partnered up with the kids and we were able to design a logo to represent the team. Both projects were very interesting to take on, the logo was very difficult to do considering I had to have the kids really guide me through what they wanted. It was especially difficult because having 50 ideas thrown out at once and then really narrowing down to one central idea. But in the end it was a great way to adapt my design skills and truly have some practice with a different kind of client.
So one big project I worked on in my internship was a collaborative project that was supposed to promote the company in its entirety. So I collaborated with another individual in order to bring this project to life. I got full creative control so I brainstormed the whole video idea. My idea was to have a drone come and introduce the main building of the company and transition to the camera to give a tour of the main building, ultimately transition into different shots of the different activities that are offered in the company. We communicated via email and on site meetings in order to get our ideas across. The project was scrapped by one of my supervisors due to the time crunch and lack of content, the project was put on hold and will be continued in the later future. I had a lot of fun working on it while it lasted, simply because of the creative control. I was able to really brainstorm how i wanted everything to run. It is unfortunate that i did not get to see my project come to life, but i am currently working on promoting the individual site i am interning at.
As mentioned in an earlier post, I said how having children as clients can be a bit difficult. Children are very unpredictable, one moment they’re happy and the next they want to do something different. I had a very tough time getting certain pictures because kids hate taking pictures!! So I started to approach each client differently, I am learning how to make clients feel comfortable, in order to achieve a project you must pace yourself and do not try to do everything all at once. Kids need to feel comfortable and happy, do not try to force them to do something they don’t want to do assure your client that everything will be ok and that they will have tons of fun. Make them feel like they are in control when taking pictures, but show them that you are the one that is holding the camera, but they get to choose which image they like best. This gives kids the ability to feel comfortable and happy, best of all it keeps them from throwing a tantrum over a picture.
So I have been recently tasked with creating a slideshow for the end of the term. The challenges that come with this project are the time frame to work on it. I say this is a challenge because there are so many events to capture for, now some of these events are very close to the due date of the slideshow which make it very tough to work under really fast environments. Some of the techniques that i had to learn a little on my own was video editing. It has been a great experience learning that kind of stuff, learning how to sync audio to video and paying attention to timing when I edit. But over all so far so good.
Now Considering my major is design, I tend to take on many design challenges at the job. They have a website but it utilizes wix. I am able to code so it is unnecessary for me to code their site. I also let them know that i do photography which allowed me the ability to be able to do the photography aspect of the internship, helping them get better quality and much more higher quality photographs. I am happy to be able to practice one of my crafts at the internship, I am learning how to shoot more portraits, and also learning how to calm kids down. This really gives you a sense of understanding that you won’t know who your next client will be so it is a great way to learn to adapt.
So far what I have been tasked to do was more promotional work. I have been able to really understand our target audience through designing more family friendly things. It is a really great way to dissect your target audience, I am able to get that the area although is family friendly we also need to understand that it is a much more higher income area. Also the families are attracted by less busier posters and promotional work, they want clean minimal design.
So the attire for my internship is very informal, you get to come in sweats, jeans. They want their employees to be comfortable, the only one thing you have to wear is the shirt with their logo on it as a uniform. I dress informal and i usually come in dressed down, you need to dress comfortable for a job like that where you are working with adults and kids constantly running around. The typical employee does not have an office, the only people who have an office are the supervisors and if i am designing i would work next to a supervisor in their office. A typical workday is pretty simple you come into work you sign your timesheet, Then you make sure you are ready for the arrival of the kids, I usually have my camera ready to make sure to capture as much information as possible so that i have content to work with. Everyone else makes sure the kids go to their structured activities and I make sure i get footage.
So my job in the company so far has been to design a slideshow that helps promote the company, and the site i work at. My supervisor at the site, her name is Cynthia Ortiz, She is basically the person at the site who makes sure everything is running accordingly and making sure everyone is doing their job. Now Cynthia also helps us when we are struggling at work, she makes sure to let us know that she is there for everyone, she’s not just there to be our boss and tell us what to do. The way I came to pick this as my site was that I really love the experience and opportunity to work with kids. I thought about it on a different stand point, me being a designer i will come across many different clients, but as a designer we must also allow ourselves to adapt to any client, what tougher client than a child. Children are unpredictable and choosing this internship has been an amazing experience, kids give you something new to work on every single day and it makes every day unique. I interviewed with one person at first but then i was joined but another supervisor and asked questions in regards to what i can bring to the table. I didn’t really wait long, I was told that i was hired right then and there. The main questions I was asked was, Where have I worked prior? What do I do for like hobbies ? What can I bring to the table?
Hello class my name is Jesus Santos and I am a Communication and Design who is interning for the Greater Ridgewood Youth Council located in 59-03 Summerfield St, Ridgewood, NY 11385. The GRYC is a not-for-profit, organization that focuses on education, counseling, truancy prevention, job preparation and employment opportunities. The GRYC currently serves over 6,000 children and families annually and are always excited to welcome new members to our family. The GRYC has been around since 1980. Their mission is to improve improve the quality of life for youths and families in the borough of Queens through service. I work directly with one of the sites promoting the site with various forms of design work such as fundraisers, promotional posters, and slideshows promoting the site.
Article 1 : http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/vandal-wrecks-flag-made-by-gryc-teens/article_4542e394-f36f-5ace-8486-202c4bfc839d.html
- The article was speaking on how teenagers from the GRYC program were tasked by Assemblyman Mike Miller to create something beautiful for the 75th Ave underpass in Glendale. They teenagers painted a beautiful american flag on 20 foot piece of wood. Unfortunately the beautiful piece that was hung up on the wall in the underpass was vandalized and ruined. In addition to destroying the art, they also destroyed the artists names who participated in the project.
Article 2 : To sum the article up, it basically speaks about how successful the GRYC’s Summer Employment Program is. They went from providing jobs to 300 youths, to now providing more than 900 youths jobs. The article speaks of one youth who started at age 14 and they are still working there at the age of 29. But one of the issues they are having is that they don’t have enough funding to place these youths where they want to work.
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