Author Archives: Sundiata

PDC Workshop

Earlier in the semester I attended a personal branding Workshop hosted by the Professional Development Center in our very own School. I missed about the first 45 minutes of the workshop because I was in class but, the portion that I did catch proved to be very helpful and informative. Although I don’t remember her name, the woman who gave the lecture was full of energy and optimism. She taught the group how to identify and list our individual talents, skills and accomplishments. It’s one thing to know them in your head, but when you list these things it’s easier to see how much you’ve accomplished, learned and are capable of while also pointing out things that you may need to improve on. This may not be positive reinforcement to some but, for me it instilled a sense of confidence that allows me to better promote myself in pursuit of a meaningful career. As part of the workshop attendees were instructed to get into groups which allowed me to interact and network with three other City Tech students with varying majors of study. We each had very different, interesting backgrounds and a couple of us still speak till this day. Overall I just want to say these FREE Workshops held by the PDC (professional development center) can be very helpful if you make time to attend. I’m sure glad I did.

      

FedEx Networking

It’s about 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning / Saturday night , and I’m just getting home from Georgia via JetBlue layover flight in Boston. I can’t chill just yet. I have a project due Mondayand I want to get it done like ASAP. I dropped my bags, grabbed my materials and headed to the 24 hour FedEx Kinkos in the city. When i got there it was spacious and only 1 other person there, wich was great. I had already been working on the project while I was away so I finished up rather quickly but, of course there had to be a problem. The copier/ printer didn’t seem to agree with the type of paper I was trying to print on… What I call, one of the many moments of uugh!! With a couple of sighs in between. I have used FedEx copy machines on several occasions so I figured I knew what I was doing but, after a while I had to ask one of the associates for help. A young lady helped me and it seemec to work but that was on standard paper. I’m using a heavier textured paper so the process is a little different. After trying another machine and bothering the staff a couple more times they agreed to try to print it behind the counter themselves. While waiting for the printing process, the supervisor saw my project up on the monitor said City Tech, and asked if I was a student. We began talking and I informed him that I was an advertising major. It turns out, he got his bachelors degree in a CDMG course at New York City Tech back in 2015. He had been working at FedEx for five years but recently put in his two weeks after landing a position as a production manager for some company which he did not disclose (and I didn’t want to pry). He says he sees work from different students all over the city and even though our school isn’t considered to be “highly reputable” we have more concise work guidelines, do better projects and overall receive a better education compared to some of the higher ranking Schools. He advised me of different job titles and categories that pertain to my degree in order to better conduct my job search once I graduate. It was a small staff but they were courteous and very helpful. I ended up exchanging contact information with the supervisor. Hopefully he’ll be forthcoming with more valuable information in the future.

 

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. I for one reluctantly took the opportunity to drive down to Georgia to be with family. Don’t get me wrong, I I was eager to see my family and also help my mom travel to as close to her home in Florida as possible. The one thing I was dreading was the 13 hour drive to my sister’s house in Georgia, which in hindsight would have been a pleasure. Unfortunately, due to the high-volume holiday traffic and the senseless routing of the car’s GPS, the drive took a grueling 19 hours rather than the average 13. The road trip took me and my mom through a range of emotions. We started off happy then traffic left us a bit disappointed, the GPS had me livid and when we finally got to my sister’s house I was just emotionally drained. I am thankful that we got there safely and with no speeding tickets though. The two days I spent there was short but very much worth the aggravation. I got to see a few of my nieces and nephews, all of my sisters, 2 of my six brothers, my dad, and my aunt who I haven’t seen in over a decade. The past couple years have taken a few of my loved ones from me, so now I feel like I have to make the effort to be with them whenever possible. The way Time flies, life is short no matter how long you live. The loving energy I felt from being around so many relatives without the phoniness and tension that family sometimes deal with was priceless to me.. and to top it off, most of the food tasted so good. I’m literally daydreaming of a plate right now. Happy Holidays everyone!

Internship Assignment

Currently at my internship my assignment is to create a new design for the company’s logo. Normally I love doing this, however I’m not having as much success as I had hoped. The name of the company is Hookup Studio. My manager specified that he wants to incorporate a ship anchor with the letters U and P as a representation of the word Hookup. After seeing the logo used on their business card I totally understand where he’s coming from but, I’m sure I can do something better looking and more effective. I showed my manager about 40 thumbnail sketches that I developed but, he only liked two of them. I was told to keep working on it but unfortunately i was never given any clear direction of how to further develop the designs he liked. After several emails we agreed on a few changes but we’re still not completely on the same page. For instance, I think the logo should be strong, prominent but clever and sophisticated. My manager on the other hand wants something chunky and heavy, and more on the edgy side. Even though our differences in ideas prove to be a challenge with the design, I must never forget that he is the client… and I will not only give him what he wants but, also what I feel is necessary for marketability and branding. So I guess it’s back to the drawing board! literally

Comic Arts Brooklyn

Over the weekend I and a (graphic designer) friend of mine attended one of the network events that was posted by Professor Goetz on Open Lab. It was the Comic Arts Brooklyn exhibit hosted by Desert Island and Forge Art Magazine and was held at Pratt Institute. When we got there we discovered the event specifically took place in the Art Recreation Center on Pratt’s campus rather than the Memorial Hall as was specified in the email blast I received. It took about 15 frustrating minutes of navigating desolate hallways and staircases before we found a poster of the event directing us to the correct location. The event took place in the gymnasium of the Art Recreation Center which I initially found disappointing for an exhibit however, there was a huge turnout and the place was packed with people, so I guess that was a good choice of location after all. When we got there my friend didn’t seem very interested so I discussed some of the artwork with a lost and cofused couple that we bumped into at Memorial Hall. Generally I felt that the artwork should have been presented on a grander scale but the artists were allotted limited spacing for their display. I wish my girlfriend had gone with me because there were some cute face cut-out displays that we could have taken some fun and silly pictures with. There were so many tables and booths and people that I wasn’t able to see everything but, in my opinion much of the artwork, concepts, and designs were amazing! As an illustrator myself I have a great appreciation for artists who still draw and create things by hand even with so much technology available to us. I was able to chat with a few artists in regards to their ideas and stories used for the comics they’ve created. I was very impressed with the quality of paper and printing used for these books, so a good portion of those conversations were spent discussing the printing process and services that I may find beneficial in the future.

Cooper Hewit

As you all know, last week we went on a field trip to Cooper Hewitt design museum in Manhattan.  Being that I’ve never been there before I was excited to attend and observe the various exhibits. One of the more creative pieces that I saw while i was there was the Nintendo Rococo coffee tables. Fancy and playful all at the same time. I really like the use of typography in the jazz festival posters and I found the sun room next to the gift shop to be inviting and relaxing. It seemed like a great place to meditate and just think.  I personally found the third floor to be most impressive. The futuristic furniture was pretty awesome. I hope one day I can decorate my home with stuff like that. decorate my home with stuff like that.

 

Finally Hired!

After submitting several applications, waiting for callbacks and receiving a few dissatisfying offers, I finally landed a position at a small company in Brooklyn called Hookup Studio. At Hookup Studio they do video production and recording sessions for mainstream and underground musicians. They hired me as a graphic design intern to assist them with branding, marketing and promotional items and cover art for musicians. After a couple of meetings with the manager David Shaw, Ive agreed to work 12 to 15 hours a week at $11 per hour. For me this is great because it wont interfere with my current work and school schedule and because i never really expected to get a paid internship. My first day will be October 4th and Ive already been appointed to work on a T-shirt design and a new logo for the company. Im so excited but very nervous too. Wish me luck everybody.

networking event

        On

Sunday September 17th I attended a photographers festival called Photoville. The event took place at Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO and takes place annually but this was the first time i went or even heard of it. The exhibits were set up in several different shipping containers which i found to be a unique way to display the artists work and keep them protected from the elements. Even though photography is only one aspect of my career choice of graphic design, I found a few exhibits to be very inspirational. While at the event i interacted with several spectators and artists from whom I collected brochures, post card and business cards. I admit I didn’t even want to go at first but, my friend forced me to and I enjoyed it. Im looking forward to going again next year.

my job search

My job search was kind of a drawn out process mainly because it took me a while to update my resume. Thanks to Professor Goetz, friends and other students on campus, there was never a shortage of information on places offering internship positions. So far i have applied to quite a few places but, i could still do a lot more.. The search continues.

cover letter and resume

It took longer than I expected to update my resume and create a cover letter. Ive worked at several establishments but only a few that had anything to do with the intern position that I was seeking. Because I didn’t want my resume to exceed one single page, I had to do lots of editing. My goal was to provide up to date contact information as well as education and employment history relevant to  my targeted position. If anyone has tips or advice for me to improve my resume and cover letter i would really appreciate it.. Thanks.