Journal Entry #7 – Self Reflection

To be honest, I joined this internship way too late during this semester; I honestly regret not taking the opportunity when it was given because I was being way too picky with my choices. But from the moment I stepped foot into the organization, I felt like I belonged there. Everyone is just so wonderful and respectful; the atmosphere is so peaceful it just makes me want to come back all the time. Since it’s such a fun and unforgettable experience, I learned something about myself. I am a very timid person. I don’t like to associate with people unless they are close friends or relatives. My professor always told us to not be shy when it comes to these kinds of opportunities that will come our way; I listened. I spoke with other fellow volunteers and learned about their history. I asked questions and even participated in presentations where women leaders from different areas would visit and express how they feel about their environment and community. I even met my supervisor’s lovely parents. What I am trying to say is that I truly stepped out of my comfort zone which is something I normally do when it comes to illustration, not real life. I also learned that people love conversations and are also very interesting to encounter. In my journey of being an artist, I hope to meet many more people who can cause an impact on my life and benefit me to become the best artist I can be.

Zakiyra Ross Internship Experience

Internship Journal Entry #6

I remember one meeting the company organized for one of our guest speakers who’s from Chicago. She brought a Chicago based newspaper to explain how the community is suffering. I knew that Chicago was one of the most dangerous cities in the country; I never knew it was also one of the poorest cities.  There’s a town filled with the homeless; most of the rent, as well as bills, were too expensive to pay for. The main reason is that since the minimum wage is not as close as ours in New York City, people tend to miss their bill payments. When the businesses take notes of this they won’t give you a payment plan or grant citizens an extended amount of time to pay the bill. Instead, they’ll raise the bill more and it won’t stop until it gets paid off. I was so shocked yet concerned about how people in Chicago live because that could be one of the main factors where shootouts/murders are so frequent there. After the meeting, I gave the guest speaker my email so she can educate myself more about life in Chicago.

the photo was taken for The Modern Observer Group site

the photo was taken from The Way of Wealth site

Ethical Reasoning Assignment #2

a) When I transferred to City Tech, I do remember using images in my Communication Design course in assigned projects without pointing out where I got them from. I didn’t think it was important to lay out where I searched the images I used in photoshop or illustrator. But as time past, I realized that giving credit is not only respectful but a responsibility.  There are so many photographers and artists in this world who’s work always gets stolen for merchandise purposes. It’s not fair to claim other’s accomplishments or creativity as yours alone; you should honor that fact that the person who creates the work gave you an idea that you can also use for your own benefit but it’s important to give credit where credit is due.

AIGA Business_Ethics 47556757-Guide-to-copyright-1-MB

https://www.agda.com.au/about/code-of-ethics/

b) Shepard Fairey deserved probation; based on the AIGA Ethical Guidelines, stealing someone’s work gives you the same consequence as committing a crime. If I saw my work being used a gaining more popularity after it has been altered, I would be very disappointed and take action to claim it as theft and plagiarism. But here’s the correct way of giving credit where credit is due: Artists on the app, Instagram, nowadays like to use a hashtag called “draw this in your style challenge” where a famous artist in the art community illustrates something they want artists to draw but in their own style. So basically the artists themselves are giving other artists the opportunity to use their illustration and alter it however they want; they must explain what they did to change the illustration into their art style while tagging the artist on the post. That is the right way to give credit. But of course, there are others who won’t tag the artist who illustrated and claim it as their own and expect to receive a big following or a lot of appreciation. That is when the artist themselves will take action and demand their artwork to be taken down. It’s even okay to use illustration as guidance to finding one’s art style also. A lot of artists use their inspirations or people who inspire them to draw as references as well. But in Shepard Fairey’s case, he did everything he could to make sure the “Hope” poster was unrecognizable. His poster benefited Barack Obama’s presidential journey all over the country. So while it was helpful it still was illegal.

As an illustrator, myself, I think that people should at least be generous and just point out where they’re work was inspired from and take it from there.

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Hope_Poster_Case_Study-1

AIGA Busines_Ethics 47556733-Use-of-illustrations-1-MB

Ethical Reasoning Assignment Entry 1

While was working at Women’s Press Collective, copyrighting never crossed my mind. The photographs used for the magazines were always credited and I don’t use stock imagery of any kind on the internet mainly because most of them are pricey and just a challenge to work with. However, I use imagery for myself when it comes to illustrations that I plan; using photographs from my camera for my artwork as references when I need an idea or don’t know how to draw what I have in mind.

file:/…/AIGA Business_Ethics 47556770-Use-of-photography-1-MB.pdf

B) As far as the non-disclosure agreement goes, I didn’t sign any unfortunately during my internship at Women’s Press Collective. The organization is a nonprofit company that wants to speak the truth to our communities that we reside in. The projects I’ve done are educational and motivational for others to witness what women do on a daily basis and how we should support them.

When it came to graphics, the company itself doesn’t have a logo/icon; I will keep the words of the AIGA Ethical Guidelines in my mind if I want to use a brand logo on future projects or if I want to protect myself from copyright infringement.

AIGA Business_Ethics 47556757-Guide-to-copyright-1-MB

 

 

COMD 4900 Internship Entry #5

One project that I would say that was really hard, in my opinion, was creating fliers for sponsors. My supervisor gave me information about the sponsors she wanted to be displayed on the flier; Camp Wakanda was one of the sponsors; its a camp owned by S.T.E.M.  for children, ages running 11-15, would go to a public school of their choice and celebrate the film: Black Panther by wearing their favorite costumes from the film. They also learn and practice small yet fun about science experiments there. the challenge she faced was finding a logo for one of them and the schedule they had for the event.

Camp Wakanda Recruit Flyer

 

 

COMD 4900 Internship Entry #4 – Collaboration

I collaborated with a colleague in the same internship as me. They would come to work for only 2 days while I would work more days. The supervisor gave us both the option to help him them in the mailing department. Working with my colleague was not only fun but interesting because I got to know more about them. When I work with someone I tend to have conversations with them because I don’t want us both to be awkwardly silent towards each other. While we did the mailing, our teamwork was in full display. I helped them mark down the name of clients WPC and mailed the magazines in different zip codes. We also worked on a postcard for Christmas our supervisor was editing; our goal was to edit the images and make them correlate to the way the magazine looked.

 

COMD 4900 Internship Entry #3

 

Working at WPC is basically peaceful. We’re all very respectful towards each other and speak about things that happen within our current locations. Once we enter the building we greet one another, eat breakfast, then get ready to begin our job. But most of the time it’s just my supervisor and I working. Another one of my colleagues is also in charge whenever my supervisor is unavailable to come on some days. Our working stations are separated; I would work where the computers are stationed while my colleagues and supervisor work at the front desk where the typewriter and telephone are located. They either type up file cards and make important phone calls about events coming up. It’s also very quiet working here. Even though the commute is a challenge, I enjoy coming here just for the energy, people, and work that I do here at WPC.

 

COMD 4900 Internship Entry #2

Here inside Women’s Press Collective, my role is mainly working in Graphic Design. My supervisor placed me there since I told her I was majoring in Communications Design at Citytech, the college she’s very familiar with. During our interview, she explained the priorities of Graphics Design: The company has two ways of spreading information to the communities; the “Collective Endeavor” magazine and booklet. Inside each of them, my job is to make tweaks, corrections, and placements of all most of the articles and graphic images. I usually take most of the time I work on both magazines. My supervisor, however, was kind enough to help me throughout the process explaining where the important files that I need for the magazine/booklets were. She also gave me different ideas to use for the layouts I designed.

 

WPC Collective Endeavor Magazine Spring 2019

Graphic Design Dept

 

 

COMD 4900 Internship Entry #1

I work at the Women’s Press Collective (WPC) located in the Bronx. The center is a private company filled with few volunteers from around the world;  Their primary business is to spread facts and information about women who deal with real life situations and give them a voice. They also help communities across the country and New York City to create independent companies for women leaders. The place is very welcoming; when my supervisor introduced me to her employees, I was joyful to have met such wonderful individuals who care about how the media is confusing and ruining ourselves and wanting to make a change to our world. Right now, I am working in a department where mailing and projects are taking place. But I do quite enjoy my duties of putting mostly graphic design to use. I usually work from 3-8 hours from time to time.

WPC Collective Endeavor Magazine

About Me

My name is Zakiyra and I am a 21 year old college student attending New York City College of Technology. I am majoring in Communication Design in hopes of becoming an Illustrator as well as Animator.

Art has always been my interest. I can remember how always would draw in my class notebooks when I  was young; whenever I captured something interesting I would grab a pencil and try to draw it. But it was when I discovered digital art that made me passionate about with illustration. I just couldn’t believe that you can actually draw and paint on the computer while using a tablet; it was very unheard of. I researched tutorials and guidelines of creating digital art on the pc and what I found blew my mind. Creating characters, environments, comics and just any kind of artwork on a device that I use on a daily basis was exactly what I needed in my life. Modern day professional artists and animators today actually use the digital tablet at home or in their jobs to create the magical and unbelievable pieces of work that you can find and it’s truly incredible.

Animation was basically what every child’s life was about. We all watched cartoons on television on a saturday morning or regular basis. Our favorite characters are acting out and living their lives right in front us on a tv screen. But they always have a story to tell which makes us fall for them even more. That’s what I admire about animation; bringing something/someone to life and tell their story through pictures/frames. It’s related to comic books except there’s actual talking and moving going on. Japanese animation has truly inspired me because it has its own unique style where characters have a magical adventure or have something to prove. Animations like Naruto and One Piece are my true inspirations because they both focus on character who’s chasing their dreams while facing difficult challenges with the helps of their friends. Im hoping to one day create my own animation where my character faces a situation where she has to eventually has to get out of with the help of her friends; it can’t be just one season long. Also I want it to be where people become admirers to the point where they dress like her/him and appreciate who she/he really is deep inside. And as my career expands I can do 3d animation for video games or movies as well. Animation is honestly fun and I rather live my life creating them everyday for the whole world to see.