FullBleed

Let’s face it; finding new work can be a job unto itself. Whether you are a freelancer looking to land the next project or a designer looking to climb aboard (or up) the agency train, the experience and stress can age you prematurely. That, of course, goes two-fold in this economic turbine we currently find ourselves spinning around in.

Designers are notoriously bad self-promoters. We spend a majority of our time helping our clients creatively achieve new heights in their businesses, but personally we fall flat on our faces when it comes to getting our names to stand out amongst the crowd. And let’s not kid ourselves — it’s a big crowd.

The world of design is a big place, and competition can be fierce. The graphic design field might not be a full-contact sport but it can definitely feel like a cage match from time-to-time. Hey, that’s all part of the charm, right?  But, before you give us your piercing warrior battle cry, let’s step back a sec and see if we can’t make life a littler easier for everyone.

Channeling Your Inner Art Student (A.K.A. The Fear)

Last December, I went down to my alma mater to review the upcoming graduating seniors’ portfolios. The students looked just like I remember feeling when I was in their shoes: excited and scared. But they were not scared of me, or even graduating for that matter. They were scared of the unknown. What would life be life after college? What if they got out and discovered that post-college life sucked? What if they couldn’t get a job? Who was going to help them if they stumbled along the way? What the hell am I doing here anyway? Can we still throw keggers after we graduate?

All great questions, all questions that I asked myself as I prepared to make the leap from design student to designer-for-hire. Half those questions I still occasionally ask myself, six years later.

I was expected to give a short talk on the second day of the portfolio review. The week before, I had written a script of talking points that I was going to cover. Inspirational things. Things about my personal design career saga. I was going to use big words full of sunshine and rainbows. Words that I hoped would act as a big warm “everything is going to be ok” hug.  But after the first day, I threw away those notes. I realized that a recap of my design journey and throwing around a bunch of high fives over the beginning of theirs just wouldn’t cut it. Instead, I decided to write a list that focused on two things: the easiest way to get a portfolio online, and the best job sites that cater to designers.

Your Legs Can’t Carry You Everywhere

You can schlep your portfolio all over town, state, timezone … and you should. Be relentless in your search; leave no creative director unturned. But, the game’s changed. Whether you are a veteran designer who has been in the trenches for decades or a squeaky clean recruit right out of school, if you don’t have your portfolio online, then you don’t have a portfolio at all. Repeat: Not showing any work online means you ain’t got no work to show. Ok, that’s a little harsh and probably a bit polarizing, but it’s rapidly becoming the truth in a world where the internet has become a catalyst to so much change in our lives. Why would the way we get work be any different?

We Don’t All Need to be Web Designers to Be Designers Online

Designers come in all sorts of different flavors. We all have varied skill sets, styles, and ideas that make us unique. I don’t expect people to respond to this article by becoming web designers overnight, nor am I saying that you EVER have to become a web designer. Quite the opposite, really. Focusing on your strengths and design style while looking for work doesn’t leave much room for learning how to design for the web. Whether your focus is print, web, industrial, packaging, branding, or any other design-oriented field, these resources may open opportunities for you.

Continue reading…

Photo courtesy of Sean McCormick

Latiffa Kerbal’s parents immigrated to the United States from London, where she was born, in order to live “where the streets are paved with gold.”  At five, she was learning to roller skate on the sidewalks of Queens.  At eight, she was in elementary school in Old Town Alexandria.  At 10, she was a big sister.

Last year, at 27, this Arlington resident decided to go into business for herself.

“I had quit a great job after four years of going full-speed ahead being focused entirely on clients,” she said.  “I took some time just to get back to painting and drawing.  But it was absolutely horrendous living off my savings and watching them start to dwindle.  And, just as I decided it was time to go back to work, the unemployment figures came out, and I thought, ‘Oh, shit.’”

But Tifa (for short) prides herself on being resourceful — whether in finding inspiration for new pieces, searching the best prices on yarn for knitting, or securing her future success with clients.

“I started my job search just like anyone — by meticulously refining my portfolio and scanning or applying for jobs I found advertised in traditional classifieds online and elsewhere,” she said.  “But I couldn’t seem to find what I was looking for, whether on guru.com or mediabistro or jobfox.  It seemed like everyone wanted a web monkey, and I knew that wouldn’t go well for me.  After about a month of thinking everything might go to hell in a hand basket, I started looking for something more stable, which generally meant something less creative.”

Frustrated and worried, she shifted focus inward.

“I already had a network of people around me who needed my skills — in fact, as a freelance contractor, I realized I was more appealing to them given the economic situation.”

So, Tifa took on some work a former colleague offered her and, in no time, was completely booked.

“Going into business for myself at first was terrifying,” she said.  “But I could provide the creative support people needed — starting with their identity, for example, and then building that into a web site and then their marketing materials. It just continued to take off from there.”

Tifa said that she’s been lucky in that she hasn’t had to go looking for clients yet, but continues to get work through word of mouth.  She credits this pattern with being responsive and transparent — asking for a 50 percent deposit up-front, tracking to the hour even if it’s not an hourly gig, and being receptive.

“It’s really fun to be in business for myself.  I can say ‘no’ to something.  I can pick and choose what I want to do.  That’s like every creative person’s dream, I think.”

Beyond the fulfillment she gets from being able to pay her bills with her artistic expertise, Tifa values the true creative aspect she’s experiencing as a result of being her own advocate.

“I take the risks and the uncertainties just to guarantee that I can keep doing what I love doing.  I feel a lot more appreciated; sometimes it’s easy to forget that when you’re in an agency because there is someone else who is doing the talking at meetings. It can be easy to think that you’re not as valued.”

One drawback to this new path, however, is working from her home.

“Occasionally, I miss the collaborative atmosphere you get at an agency, where you can just bounce ideas off people and refine your own work with others’ help,” she said. “I find myself more fully invested in following industry leaders. I’m a total Martha Stewart fan now.  I mean, she’s actually on Twitter, and I actually follow her.”

Like Martha Stewart, Tifa knows her way around craft rooms and kitchens. She spends her free time cooking, knitting, sewing, or doing embroidery — skills that came in handy over the holidays.

“I did a whole handmade Christmas with a lot sewing, embroidery, and knitting.  At one point, I was cranking out a hat a day.  It got ridiculous,” she said, adding that creating her gifts made them more meaningful and less expensive.  She keeps her skills fresh with online tutorials at sites like craftstylish.com and threadbanger.com, both of which have user-generated content showing off everything from seasonal buttons to recycled crafts.

Although Tifa taught herself many of the artistic skills she employs each day professionally and personally, she doesn’t forget the formal education she received from the “incredible” teachers at Corcoran, where she earned a degree in graphic design.

“My program was more specialized — we were all there because we loved graphic design, the teachers included.  I was around the most amazingly artistic people I know.”

That experience almost didn’t happen — Tifa, while a senior at T.C. Williams, had just been kicked out of government for getting into a “heated debate” with her teacher.  So, she picked up a third art class in its place.

“By the time I graduated, I had this awesome portfolio of pottery, watercolors, and still life.  It was way more than I was expecting to have. When my aunt saw it, she said, ‘We’re taking this to Corcoran.’  She took me there, and I wasn’t really expecting anything. But we showed them and they basically interviewed me on the spot.  I left with an application, sent it in a day later, and the next week I got an acceptance letter.  I still have that portfolio.  It has a bunch of weird linoleum prints that are from when I was way punk rock.”

So, is punk rock the basis of Tifa’s artistic expression?

“Well, my inspiration hasn’t changed that much, but it’s certainly more refined. I took that dirty teenage punk rock or classic goth and made it more grown up and prettier.  I’m still in love with Tobias Wong and his amazing pieces of art furniture, like a rubber chandelier. And I have a giant James Jean tattoo of a poster of his from a comic convention; it was so beautiful that I got it for myself for my birthday two years ago.”

That rebelliousness manifests itself in Tifa’s work, which isn’t restricted to one media or tool.  She talks about her collection of paper samples and prints and her dreams of someday being able to make a “really great, hand-painted shift dress.”

“There are so many possibilities ahead,” she said.  “I’m just excited.”

This is Part II of a series of solutions to pro-bono design by the Washington, D.C. design community.

In this second installment, we take a look at an interesting new angle on doing design for the greater good, then explore a resource that connects designers and non-profits in need.

In 2006, the Art Directors Club (ADC) hosted Designism, an event spear-headed by ADC Vice President Brian Collins, and dubbed by the ADC to be “a debate over advertising and design as instruments for social and political change.” Kurt Andersen, Milton Glaser, Jessica Helfand, George Lois, and James Victore comprised an all-star panel — moderated by Steven Heller — that “debated” the role design and graphic designers play in solving the problems of the world. The talk kicked off a larger discussion in the design community.

Fast-forward to the Designism 2.0 and 3.0 events in 2007 and 2008, respectively.  What started as a debate and call-to-arms has given birth to actual examples of design work for a number of social and political causes.

Another invaluable piece that came from the Designism dialogue was designismconnects, a web site that partners idealist.org and the ADC.  It serves as a forum to connect meaningful social causes with designers by allowing non-profits to post their project needs and designers to post samples of their work.

In a few short years, Designism has evolved into more than just a venue for designers to show-off their meaningful work to their peers and discuss the ills of the world; it has provided an example of “how you can make something that has a larger impact,” as Collins said.

This idea of making a larger impact is what Collins wants the design community to really glean from Designism and all of the discussion surrounding it.

“How can you take these values into your daily dialogue with clients and still pay the rent?” Collins said, adding that Designism provides an opportunity for designers to compare their own work “against people who are really doing it.”

So, who is really doing it? The answer to this question can be debated and discussed, but ultimately the answer lies in how you want your work to impact your local community and society on a whole. Collins believes that designers can — and should — use their own careers for change; that designers should have a seat at the table when it comes to socially responsible design. Instead of dividing your time between work that pays the bills and the work that you really believe in, try incorporating a social conscious into your day-to-day responsibilities so you can have the opportunity to do both socially and financially rewarding work.

In today’s world, companies are no longer solely judged on their “bottom line.” They are also being judged by “the larger contribution they are making,” said Collins. This larger contribution can be measured by the triple bottom line, a widely used methodology coined by TOMS Shoes. TOMS gives a pair of shoes to a child in need, thereby using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good.

Regardless of what side of the discussion you fall on regarding designers as agents of social and political change, our community has always been at the forefront of shaping trends and decisions, and my hope is that we can all bring a little more good to the world through our chosen professions.

Other Good Resources

• Corbis Image Donation Program
• Designism
• Probonafide
• Idealist.org

In our next installment on pro-bono design, we are looking to highlight local resources for connecting designers with pro-bono opportunities. If you have a unique solution to pro-bono design that you would like to share with the community, send your ideas to publications@adcmw.org or leave us a comment below. We love to hear what the community thinks.

Do you know fine typography when you see it? Poetry magazine is filled with wonderful words and wonderful typography. It’s designed by Winterhouse Studio in Connecticut.

A six-issue yearly subscription at $35.00 is a steal. This 5 3/4 x 9 publication is edited and designed with loving care. Highgrade book paper, perfect binding, an interior printed in black ink, and a deceptively simple four-color cover. The cover art is always an illustration, sometimes playing with the title.

ADCMW has a few designers who pay attention to typography in their work; Stephen Kraft, Antonio Alcala, and Robert Wiser come to mind, as well as the late and sadly missed Tom Suzuki.

Trust me, people who read can spot visual design errors from a mile away. So, if you are in doubt about how your typography looks, buy a copy of Poetry, which is published by Poetry Foundation, PO Box 575, Mount Morris, IL 61054.

$3.75 per copy at better bookstores.