Finals.

3/14/12

Here we go again. Finals, the continuous stress, the emotional
overwhelming state of mind, and everything else that a student designer goes
through. I can’t seem to stop thinking about how much becoming a designer and
continuing to develop as one, has affected my personal relationships and
personality. It’s because of design everything has to have rational, everything
is intentional, and everything has a purpose. Corrupted is probably a negative
word to use to describe how design has taken over my mind, but it’s all I think
about. Within one year, my mentality has changed dramatically. At this stage in
my life, 70% of the time, design is all I think about and talk about. Everything
else passes within minutes. I wonder what life will be like after graduation…

STRESS!

3/12/12

One more week. 5 more days. 2 more days. That’s my train of
thought towards the end of every quarter. Although, I have no idea where my
time went this quarter. It went by extremely quick and I feel as though I need
more time in this class. Advertising art direction is almost a different
culture within design. I’ve learn so much in 10 weeks, but I also feel I haven’t
learned enough because I know I haven’t mastered anything. It’s almost as
though I was only exposed to it and haven’t achieved anything. College finals for
a designer isn’t an overnight thing. It’s days, almost weeks of stress. Within
the last year or two, I’ve learned what I like to call a “good stress.” It’s
all the hype, the stress, the pressure of meeting deadlines, requirements, and
everything else that ties into design that provides this sense of achievement in
the end. We work so hard and push ourselves past our own “limits” every time we
have a new project. With every project we develop as individuals and learn more
about ourselves. Sometimes we want to pull our hair out, sometimes we want to
drink it away, sometimes we want to cry from frustration and give up. But do
we? No. Because we have become these compulsive analysts, we insist on ending
and achieving the most we can. At least I do. Even though I’m at my breaking
point, I have my dear designer peers who are in the same position as I am, and
we help each other through it all. I thank all my peers who have helped me pull
through this quarter. Here’s a link with information on what stress is and how
to deal with it (among the thousands of links). Enjoy.

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm

Inspiration.

2/22/12

You know, sometimes I am in need of inspiration. If anything, I should be meditating at least twice a week with all the tension I create in my own body and mind. I’ve tried yoga, I’ve tried talking, I’ve tried kickboxing, and none of them work. Guess what works for me? Traveling! Being exposed to art and cultures I’ve never seen before and know very little of is when I feel at ease. There, in those moments and places, is when I find my inspiration. Gaining knowledge of how other people live is beyond educational for me. It’s almost as though it becomes a part of me. I can bring that and keep it with me forever. I can use my experiences to create and be a better designer. Learning and being exposed to different methods of art direction in other cultures, allows me to broaden my way of thinking. Instead of constricting myself and saying “no, that’ll never work” to every other concept I create. I have been scared, shy, intimidated to execute some of the concepts I’ve thought of, because I fear people will think they’re ridiculous. Little do I know, every time that happens, someone else thought of the same thing! In the same room, or even in another country! So, traveling is important to me. It serves as an educational experience and everyone should do it if they can!

Research.

2/20/12

If being an Art Director was all I did every day, as a career, I would NOT mind it at all! This week was a bit, how should I say, boring? No, dull is a better word. For some reason, I have felt a mixture of emotions this week compared to last, and NO it had nothing to do with Valentine’s Day. I had an episode of exhaustion and irritation of my continuous unchanging life style. I think I have “senioritous” as they say. I just want to work in the design field already. I don’t want to work part time jobs that have nothing to do with what I want in life, I want my diploma already, and I seriously want to travel. Today I googled “art direction” and came across a few articles, but I found Wikipedia the most clear and understandable. I enjoy reading random facts, especially when I’m interested in the topic. So when I read this, I realized that everything my professor has taught me and continues to teach me is accurate. Read it, it’s good stuff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_director

Equality for all.

2/15/12

Considering I am still a full time senior at Cal State University, Los Angeles, I think I can say that all students should be treated equally. When it comes down to learning about Advertising Art Direction and having no previous knowledge on the subject, I think all students deserve the same amount of quality time and feedback from the professor. Am I wrong? I mean, if we are supposed to get 5 minutes of feedback, then EACH GROUP should get 5 minutes exactly. No more, no less. Also, the requirements for each group should be the same and the questions should generally be the same. I find it very unfair to skip a group for not reading an article when several other groups had not read it either. As students, we deserve good quality time and feedback that’s relevant to the current project. Anything else can be discussed outside of class. Learning about Art Direction for the first time is not easy. I hope to continue to broaden my knowledge and create successful ads, as long as I have the SAME opportunity as all the other students do.

Here we go again…

2/13/12


Another new beginning, another new ad campaign. Transitioning from a social issue, black and white ad for a newspaper to a 2 full page color spread in a magazine is…hmm, interesting. I can say that I am already enjoying this project more than the previous one. I feel different about it and my approach as far as concept development goes has changed. I tried something different. Instead of sitting, thinking, and forcing myself to draw 40 concepts, I relaxed, watched TV with my guy and simply jotted down ideas when something would trigger my brain. And what do you know, I wrote down all 20 concepts, and drew them in less time than forcing myself to think and draw. I do have a partner for this project, and we seem to get along great. We almost create the same concept, if we’re not finishing each other’s sentences. The product we chose to improve its advertisement is Smart Water. Guess what? I’m even convincing myself it’s a better water product than all the rest! I’m looking forward to this project’s outcome. For now, I continue to develop.

PRESENTATION

2/8/12

Everything matters. Everything has rational. Be ready to defend your work. Communicate effectively. These are some of the things I’ve been taught and feel that I can get better at all of them, but selling or persuading is another story. Attempting to persuade a person or audience of a social issue is extremely difficult, especially if they have already picked a side. I need to improve on my persuasion skills and more on communicating effectively. Without those, I will never be able to sell design.

"CRAPPY"

2/6/12

Excuse me for being blunt and direct, but when someone critiques another persons work there MUST be a level of respect, unless you are being critiqued by someone who has been in the same field for over 10 years and is considered to be a professional. If you have the same level of education and experience, I don’t think it’s wise or in any form respectful to call someone’s work “crappy.” Correct me if I’m wrong but if two people or two groups obtain the same level of knowledge, education, and experience; that doesn’t give one or the other the right to disrespect design in that manner. I do NOT find it professional at all, in fact I find it demeaning and it makes the person that’s critiquing look like an arrogant person. All I’m saying, no foul language should be used. If a person is disturbed by a design, they should RESPECTFULLY state their issue and why it’s bothering them. Period.

Research & Development

2/1/12

I’m not sure how it works for everyone, but the research and concept development of a project takes me much longer than it takes to design (execute). At times, more stressful. Sometimes I feel that it takes much too long and it becomes extremely discouraging. As a designer, we are considered problem solvers, so I’ve been taught. But how can I be a problem solver when I feel like I’m creating more problems for myself and delaying the process and stressing about not meeting the deadline with an outstanding design. Sometimes I wonder, am I pursuing the correct career for myself? All I know is, I don’t see myself mass-producing, or producing at all for that matter. The thought of sitting behind a desk or in a cubical getting paid check by check is NOT ideal for me. But in order to get to where I want to be in life, I must learn the fundamentals, right? I can’t be someone’s “boss” if I don’t know that basics or how to teach.

Enlighten me...

1/30/12

I don’t seem to understand how an ad in a newspaper can be innovative, creative, or original (other than images) more than anything already existent. Everything is eventually repeated through out time, inspired by someone or something. Styles, images, concepts, are all somehow reformed. It’s frustrating and extremely competitive in the design industry now more than ever. How can we be original? What is original?

Argument techniques

1/18/12

What is a good argument? What is a bad one? I’ve been told that arguments must always be supported by reference and/or source. The result of improperly doing this would be giving out false information. When people give me “facts” I usually ask, “Well how do you know? Where did you learn that from?” When arguing or attempting to persuade a person or group of people, I don’t believe it’s best to be biased. From personal experience, when a person is biased, their audience is only able to get information based on one side of their argument. I believe the audience should be informed of both sides of the argument. If any, the pros and cons should always be presented regardless of ones beliefs or which side they chose. The issue should always be framed carefully, be concise, and as clear as possible. If a person presents their argument properly, they have chances of winning over their audience and persuading them to believe (or buy) anything.

Art Direction wonders.

How well do you sell yourself? How well would you sell your career? Having the ability to sell anything gives a person so much power and puts them in control. Being able to persuade and manipulate another persons or peoples mind is incredible. That’s what we need to do in Art direction. Regardless of position or job title, everyone works as a team and if you are not the one who is pitching a concept to your potential client, you might be the one responsible for their actions. Did you train them? Or are you the one who has to clean up their mess because your boss is going to have you replace them? Regardless your job is always on the line.