?'s from newbie

[oscarbama]

Hi All,

I'm starting a GD degree & I may be opening a huge can of worms here, but after reading through the posts, I have a couple of questions.

1. What would you say is the most/least important aspect of your work?
2. Are thereareas wheremore focus is required?
3. Any other suggestions/comments are appreciated.


This is a big life change for me. Gone from generator mechanic to training instructor & video producer now looking at making a career in design (been doing it as a hobby but no pay yet)

Thanks

[PrintDriver]

most/least depends on what field of graphic design you are going into.

School won't teach you about print. Get some internships or part time jobs in production as well as design. Don't wait till your graduating year to do it.

Always work with your portfolio in mind. Your portfolio will be the key to your success.

Be careful of just learning the mechanics (no pun intended) of the programs. Make sure they teach you layout and balance and color. Learn about image resolution. Raster/Vector and when to use em. All that fun stuff.

He11, skip school and read the GDF!

Welcome.

PrintDriver is a large format digital print dude. His advice/opinions may not apply to the 4color/offset/web world of printing

oscarbama if you are a video producer you can mix both fields into one. Thats what my brother does and he does some Graphic Design work but mostly video.

[defjoe]

I don't think there is a least important part...really. I think all aspects are important, just at different times in the process. I think the most OVERLOOKED part of gd is what PD said... production. Prepress is often set aside and it becomes a HUGE problem for newbies in the field. They go on an interview and prepress questions are asked and they are left with a 'huh?' I agree again with PD, get a production job, work at a printshop for a little bit as an internship or soo getting out of school. INVALUABLE knowledge that will make you a much better designer in the future.

Focus on what the client wants and not what you want. Newbies also have a problem of selling out their ego, so to speak. they come up with a great deisgn and now the client wants to change a font or some aspect and they get all up in arms. Well you have to learn that the client is paying you. If they want Helvetica as their main headline font... GIVE IT TO THEM. If you fight about it you can lose a client and maybe your job!

While in school focus on your portfolio! Pick and choose you battles! don't worry so much about the grade, as long as you pass that is all that matters. A lot of times teachers will give you exercises and then in another class you will assigned to develop an ad campaign (as an example). Well that ad campaign could be a potential portfolio piece. Don't sacrafice time and energy on the stupid exercise, get it done...out of the way. Beleive me... no employer will care if you got a 3.0 or a 4.0 GPA. As long as you have a kick @ss portfolio, you will get the job!

'I will become the most powerful Jedi ever!'

[oscarbama]

Thanks all for the input.

Video production is a good thing but it takes sooo long to do a project ie. writing scripts, filming all the footage, geting the right stock stuff, choosing music not to mention herding cats uhh the talent as well as doing my normal job. (Can you tell I'm one deep in my postion.) I like doing still work because I can put someting out in a couple of hours and move on.

As for prepress, I've been looking at various job sites & alot want that experience so I may take on an internship/pt job after graduating & before I transition to a GD job.

Again, thanks

[oscarbama]

Been playing around w/ 3d. still trying to get that z axis down. very time consuming at this point. just got to get more exp.