Author Archives: Sezan Khan

Classes and Union Beer

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Entry 7

As the new semester rolled in, I would no longer be able to commit as many hours as I was able to do my full part time hours since my summer classes were night hours only. However Victor was very nice about the scheduling, and is allowing me to come in for late shifts on days I have class until the afternoon since the office is right upstairs from the warehouse, which is operational all night, as well as work short shifts before my later classes, even though it does not fulfill my entire weekly hour criteria, Victor is willing to work around my scheduling and allow me to come into the office at my disclosure, so long as I get my work done, he is also okay with me using the Computer to complete some of my school assignments.

 

My Teammate’s Promotion at Union Beer

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Entry 6

During the summer time, in June my desk partner had recently graduated with his bachelors, and was promoted to Full-Time, so now he was no longer my desk partner, and instead got a whole new computer for himself, (mine is hella slow, but that’s apparently where everyone started.) We had cake and congratulated him during our lunch break, of course he was also congratulated by the company with a Sampler of our newest unreleased beers. 

My Daily Rituals at Union Beer

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Entry 5

The basis of my everyday begins with me arriving at my desk, (which was shared with another Part-timer). Clocking in, and opening up a Job organizing system, known as VIP POS. This application is basically meant for the different sales reps that work for our company to submit requests for the kind of design they need, and what the media is going to be. For example, a request may be a 12×18 Poster for an event, an 8x5x11 menu for a restaurant or even a 3×4 Sticker for a tab handle or the biggest i have had to do so far being a 300×125 Banner. From the application all of the information such as deadlines, dimensions, Client name, as well as any attachments are divided to be easy to digest, so VIP POS serves as the database for the design briefs for each job. Victor wanted to keep it simple so most of my first few orders were for posters and cards. 

Learning the Basics at Union Beer

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Entry 4

One of the most important things I learned on my first day is the importance of adobe bridge, which I was never even briefed on during my 4 years of school. I spent most of my day learning bridge and organizing certain folders that were critical, and how specific names had to be and the dimensions as well. There are many different substrates that we work with in the office, which varies based on the season or trends, and sometimes might need to do custom jobs for certain promotions or locations, I was slightly briefed but was told I would learn as I go. Unlike an internship for Mannan Grocery my friend did, where he felt pressured to learn the standards from early into the program. 

The Culture at Union Beer

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Entry 3

The culture of my workplace is very inviting, everyone in the graphics department seem to have many things in common such as interests and sense of humor. Initially I had worn shorts, Sandals and Sweatpants, however 1 month in, I was addressed by HR as the General Manager would prefer everyone to follow at least business casual attire to make sure we don’t get too comfortable, and no open-to because of the heavy lifting and production work that requires heavy metal objects. We work in Cubicles, with a large cutting table for production work placed in the printing area. We all usually go on lunch together 1-2, but we can take our 30 minutes at any given time and also we are allowed to take breathers and walk around for a few minutes. 

Interview for Union Beer

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Entry 2

I am a Part-Time graphic designer in the Graphics department which is lead by Creative Director Victor Jiminez. I came across this job on Indeed while i was looking for jobs that pertain to my daily interests, such as Alcohol, Fashion, Video games and Cars. Victor reached out to me via email, and requested to see my e-portfolio .Then i had to come in with a physical copy of my portfolio, (which i did not have, so I bought an iPad with my best work in PDF) He showed me examples of things they would be doing as well as a tour of the facility. The process took about 2 weeks before I had my first day. During the interview he had asked me questions about my design process, my ability to identify my sources, as well as testing my understanding of hierarchy and type knowledge. 

Starting at Union Beer

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Entry 1

I have been working part time at Union Beer Distributors since April, it is a large establishment with 500 employees in my location alone, however only 5 people in the graphics department. They have 19 locations serving 13 states, with a 4-6 people graphic department serving each location. It is a Family owned company under L. Knife & Son. The company’s primary business is to provide different beers and alcohols to several clients, with our Brooklyn location having the highest client base in the east coast. Our customers can vary from individuals purchasing 6 packs from the online order system and pick up in our office, to supermarkets and bars that rely on us for their alcohol stock. The company began in 1898 as L Knife immigrated to MA from Italy and opened a small grocery business, in 1934 Anhauser Busch (home of Bud Beers) established a distribution agreement with L Knife. In 1963 his son in law Sheehan, takes over as CEO and acquired other companies to expand throughout the 90s. In 2008 his son Gerald Sheehan takes over and conquers a digital age of marketing. We were recently featured in 2008 Craft Beer Magazine as one of the most hard working and customer friendly distributors of its time, this was the only article I was able to find as it is laminated and hung in our break room.