Portfolio Show Follow-Up

The Graphic and Interior Design Portfolio Show was held April 13 at the Steel Building in Pittsburgh. Both of these majors are required to make a portfolio of their work before graduation. These portfolios are then taken to interviews and shown as a demonstration of skills. Many professionals from both disciplines are invited to the portfolio show. The professors hope that this show will be a good opportunity for networking and potential jobs.


I think we all worked very hard to get to the milestone of the portfolio show. It was a long road of choosing our best works and revising them to make them even better. It meant countless dollars spent, countless nights staying up late, and countless cups of coffee. In the end though, I can say it definitely paid off. The portfolio show was a great success and there were several potential employers there to look at our books. All the students were set up with half of a long table covered with a white tablecloth. I put out my portfolio book, a logo book, my letterhead and business cards, a booklet with some samples of work in for potential employers to take, and a few hard copies of projects I had done. Friends and family as well as prospective students are invited to this capstone event for the seniors. I had two prospective students stop by my table and admire my book and ask questions about the project. It was really nice to see the students that eager to learn about the program that they would come to this event. I think that's one of the great things about the Graphic Design major specifically, is that there are several events and presentations that really summarize what the program is all about. These are fantastic things for prospective students to see: graphic design graduates succeeding, even before graduation. At the portfolio show there are also leadership awards presented to the most successful of the graduating classes for both graphic and interior design, which is a big honor. This year, Andrew Graham and Mark Cancilla got the leadership award for graphic design. All in all, the event was very nice, the food was good, and it even led to a few job possibilities!


Now for graduation, only a mere 11 days away...

Oh! The Places You'll Go!

Four years ago, I had no idea how the title of this Dr. Seuss book was going to describe my time at La Roche as a graphic design major! In a figurative sense, I’ve grown immensely as a person and as a designer. In a literal sense, graphic design at La Roche has introduced me to many new places.


First, I learned about places to get supplies. I wrote about many of these a few weeks ago. In addition to the physical stores, I learned how smart it was to sign up for mailing lists. Borders, JoAnn Fabrics, and Michaels routinely send you useful coupons, often as much as 40% off an item. Also, if you’re going to buy food, it’s smart to have a Giant Eagle advantage card or have a duplicate of your parents’ card. It not only gives you sale prices, but you also earn fuel perks, a discount on gasoline at Get Go stations. If you have a car, this saves you money on your gas. If you don’t have a car, your parents will appreciate that you save them a bit of money. Buying gas at Get Go also gives you more discounts on food at Giant Eagle. 


Second, certain graphic design projects led me to do research at various places. A redesign of Primanti Brother’s website led to dinner at the Cranberry location so that I could absorb the atmosphere and take some photographs. This one was great, as I’d always wanted to eat at Primanti’s! Another project on produce signage took me to Trader Joe’s, Right by Nature, and Whole Foods in Pittsburgh. As I’m a foodie by nature, this was a great excursion. Along those lines, a cupcake website design led me to CoCo’s Cupcakes in Shadyside (now closed) and Dozen Cupcakes in Lawrenceville and Oakland. A catalog of fly fishing reels took me across Pittsburgh to International Angler in the Robinson area, and later to the Allegheny Sport, Travel and Outdoor Show at the Monroeville Convention Center. For a photography assignment, I went to Mount Washington for an evening. Different assignments took me to Pittsburgh’s South Side, which was also where I completed an internship. 




These adventures have had other benefits as well. I’ve learned my way around Pittsburgh quite well. I’ve navigated major highways, tunnels, narrow one-way streets and parking garage ramps. Though maps and GPS aren’t a bad idea, I find my way around pretty well without them after four years. I’ve even proven my ability to change a tire in the rain!




Graphic design research may take place in the library or on the internet, but the best research is done out in the real world!









Groovy Pop Culture Emporium, Carson Street



stairs that have a street sign, South Side



South Side Local Development Company mural



cupcakes from CoCo's

Senioritis

With April beginning in just two days, I'm sure senioritis has made an appearance in every high schooler's mind by now. I, myself am starting to look forward to allowing senioritis to enter my life (in about 15 days, after I finish all of my important work and can look forward to graduating college). It's a fun time in life and you get to look forward to and concentrate on the future and all that's ahead in life. For some it is scary and for others it is exciting. It's all too easy to emphasize on the scary things like: "What will college bring?" "Will I make any friends?" and other "what if..." questions.

Make sure to take time and enjoy your summer before entering college, but one thing that it is good to focus on is getting a summer job. For the average person, college is only moderately expensive. You'll need the average school supplies, plus living supplies and a laptop and printer if you're lucky. The more intense majors like Graphic Design and Interior Design will require a lot more funds though. Not only are laptops and printers must-haves, but you'll need art supplies as well. Art supplies can get quite expensive and they are required. There are also expenses for each project, at least for graphic designers. For one project I had to buy kitchen utensils (garlic press, cheese slicer, pizza cutter, egg slicer, melon baller, etc.) at the dollar store. The assignment was to make cheap products look expensive with packaging and an enhancement of some kind to the physical product (I bought cherry spray paint to make them look like they had wood handles). Some people bought more expensive products to start so they could focus on the packaging itself. For a different project, I know one person who spent about $50 on printing alone. My point is: this program takes you great places, but you'll need a little spending money on hand.

Keep an eye out for my next blog post about where all graphic design has taken me!

Location, Location, Location!

Probably one of the best things about La Roche that doesn't have to do with education is that it's right off of McKnight Road. While there isn't a Walmart, there's just about everything else you could need right on McKnight. (If you really need it, there's a Walmart on Route 8 in Gibsonia and one in Cranberry.) For a graphic designer, La Roche is situated very well. It's a 15-20 minute straight shot into Pittsburgh from school. This is nice because a lot of AIGA (professional graphic design organization) events are in various parts of Pittsburgh. Research for projects has led me into Lawrenceville many times and I know my way around there almost without GPS. Speaking of GPS: though you don't need a car when you come to school, you might want to make friends with someone who does have a car or learn to use the public transportation systems so you can venture out and about. There are also lots of resources for designers on McKnight and in Pittsburgh. Here are some places you'll want to keep in mind:


McKnight Road
-JoAnn Fabrics: craft supplies, art supplies, paper, sign up online for coupons
-PaperMart: party store good for inspiration/boxes/bags
-Michaels: craft supplies, art supplies, sign up online for coupons
-Target
-Dollar Store: located in Northway Mall, good source of materials for some projects
-Borders: best selection of design books around, sign up online for coupons (and on Facebook)
-Half Price Books: how-to books and design books
-Giant Eagle: located in McIntyre Square, open 24 hours, has a RedBox
-OfficeMax: located in McIntyre Square, cheapest printing on McKnight
-FedEx/Kinkos: printing (there's a 24 hour one in Cranberry too!)
-Ross Park Mall: good for research and inspiration on some projects
-North Park Lounge: best lounge fries, the one on Route 8 has pool and games too


Pittsburgh
-Copies on Carson: printing
-Alpha Graphics: printing
-Print Tech: paper, printing
-Dozen Bake Shop: fantastic cupcakes, desserts, and food in general
-xpedx Paper Store: specialty paper, envelopes
-Gallery Crawl: networking, viewing art and entertainment
-MinuteMan Press: printing, also on Route 8
-Utrecht: art and graphic design supplies, student discount
-Artist & Craftsman Supply: art and graphic design supplies
-CMU Art Bookstore: art and graphic design supplies, hard to find items

Positive Space

http://www.laroche.edu/positivespace

Positive Space is La Roche College's annual student art show and it's coming up this Thursday! I mentioned in a previous post that in Senior Seminar, two groups of senior graphic design students compete for a client and that one of those clients is always Positive Space. The group that won Positive Space last semester designed the fliers above, as well as the entire Positive Space campaign. As I mentioned, Positive Space is La Roche College's student art show, which means that anyone who has taken at least one graphic design course at La Roche can enter something in the show. The work students submit can be from classes at La Roche or from outside school.

This particular piece lists all the categories of Positive Space: Typography, Illustration, Multimedia, Green Design, Package Design, Interior Design, Drawing / Painting, 3D Modeling, Graphic Design, and Photography. Typography is essentially anything with lots of words (type) and the focus of anything submitted in this category would be the design of the type itself. Illustration is hand-rendered or computer-rendered drawings. Multimedia encompasses both video production and web design. Green Design is a new category this year and can include entires that have an environmentally sustainable purpose whether it's in concept or execution (environmentally conscious in ideas or actual design). Package Design is the design of products to be sold. The Interior Design category was added a few years ago to expand the show into a graphic and interior design show where the two departments could work together more closely. Drawing and Painting is exactly what it sounds like. 3D modeling is mainly focused at interior designers as well and their use of programs like AutoCAD and their scaled mockups. Graphic Design encompasses anything you can't pin down into a specific category that combines words and imagery in a unique way. Last, but not least, Photography can include black and white as well as color.

All the students get excited about Positive Space because it's a juried art show. This means that there is a specific drop off day for entries and then a few days later, a team of jurors (professional designers that don't know any of the current students submitting work) looks at all of the work in all of the categories and decides what is good enough to make it into the show and what is not good enough to make it into the show. They also judge a first, second and honorable mention within each category. The night of the show -THIS THURSDAY!- we will all find out who got accepted into the show.

Positive Space takes place at La Roche College, in the Cantellops Art Gallery from 7-9PM. There is also an awards ceremony in CC Square. If you're interested in the work that the students produce here, this is definitely a great chance to see the best of it! There will also be free food and a chance to mingle with all the current design students and even some professionals! Visit La Roche's website to learn more about the event. Hope to see you there!

Freaking Out

Every year, when school starts, I start to freak out. It's been a tradition since when I went to my first day of Kindergarten. I was never nervous about leaving my family or spending the day away. What made me nervous were things like "What will the teachers be like?" "How difficult will the material be" or "Will it be challenging?" Wondering what the year would be like - all that mystery - made me anxious beyond belief.


I'm graduating in May and I'm actually asking myself these same things. For the first year, I'm more nervous at the end of the year than I was at the beginning of the year. I'm asking myself "What will my employers be like?" "Will I like my job and will it be challenging?" Even the dreaded question: Will I get a job? I hope I get a job. I hope I like my job. I hope my job pays well. Before I can leap off that bridge to employment though, there's a lot of things I need to do first. Completing this semester of classes is a must, and I'd like to do it with a 4.0 again. I need to touch up projects from my years here and compile them into an official design portfolio. I did design myself a logo and build my resume already, so those things are good to go! I also still have to design myself a website. This will be an important self-marketing tool because I can direct future employers there to see my work before I meet them in person. These days, a design graduate must have a website if they want to be seriously considered for any job applications. I also have a portfolio show on April 13. As you can tell, there is a lot of work to be done. The deadlines are fast approaching and everyone keeps reminded about them thanks to the many professors who like to stress us out (which really just ensures that we enter panic mode and get our things done in a timely manner). 


As you might guess, I enjoy over-achieving because not only does it give me a sense of pride in knowing I did well, but because it also puts me ahead of others who might not work as hard. Because of my relationships with my professors here, I've been able to learn about some subject matter that isn't covered in the classrooms and I know that will set me apart from other graduates. Graphic design is a competitive field and I want to be successful upon my graduation from La Roche. As I continue to work, I will also continue to be stressed out about what the future holds. The funny thing is: no one knows what the future holds. While I almost wish I had more time in school to delay this unknown future, I am glad to be almost done with my formal education and rely on self-learning after graduation. Wish me luck in my endeavors!

Adventures in Printing

Whether or not you look at the time of this post is up to you. As you might guess, I try not to stay up until 3 in the morning, but it's becoming my normal bedtime. This isn't because of partying or completely poor time management either. I'm actually working on developing my graphic design portfolio because I'll be graduating in May. Graphic designers use portfolios to showcase the best work that they've done in their college careers (freelance and internship work too!!) and they show these portfolios to potential employers. Preparing a graphic design portfolio takes a lot of hard work and time and requires you learn a lot. Loosely, this brings me to the point of this entry.

Today (well, technically yesterday now), I went to OfficeMax to get some revisions of projects printed for my final portfolio. As a young graphic design student at La Roche, you will probably be assigned to find at least 5 local printers. This is a really useful assignment because it teaches you how to find resources and how to talk to people professionally. Here's a heads up though: OfficeMax and Kinkos are two of the most frequented printers in the area. OfficeMax is on McKnight and has a nice selection of both paper and print staff. There's a 24 hour Kinkos in Cranberry which is convenient for last minute prints, though it's a bit more pricey. When you go to get your first project printed, you really don't realize how many choices there are to be made. Yes, you probably know going into it that there's regular paper, card stock, and photo paper, but it's more diverse than that, even at an office store. You will soon learn that you need to ask questions and pay attention to details. Is the paper shiny? Is it too shiny? Is the paper too thin? Can the paper be folded easily? These are only a few questions and they all have to do with the type of paper you're using. Additional things to consider when printing are whether or not you want it double sided or whether you want to assemble it yourself. Not to take all the fun out of it, but double sided prints are never completely lined up, so you really have to learn how to prepare your files for print. Preparing files for print is covered thoroughly in your time at La Roche. Sometimes you can even pick up tips from the staff at the printing places. Before you get too far into the printing process, one of the most important things to remember is: Always bring your computer with the original files! When you're a beginner, when you're tired, or on any given day, you might accidentally forget to do one step in the preparation for printing and it's always easier if you have a charged laptop with your files right there to fix it.

Getting away from the overwhelming nature of first-time printing, you'll quickly realize that you need to pay attention. When your print comes out, you should look at how vibrant the colors are and see if you're happy with it. If not, you'll need a different type of paper (perhaps a smoother one or one with some type of coating). You should feel how thick or thin the paper is when you're handed your print. Ask questions too! If the staff is busy, try to keep it short, but asking questions like "Do you have anything just slightly thicker than this?" will help you learn a lot. Also, if you pay attention to your receipt, you'll see there are weights listed for the paper(s) you purchased. By learning what the paper you use is called, you can directly ask for it again instead of jumping through hoops. This will make it easier on you and the sales associate both.

Another important thing I've learned from a professor at La Roche is to never take or pay for a print job you're not happy with...as long as it was the printer's fault and not yours. Sometimes it's busy or they didn't turn the paper when they double sided your piece. Things happen, but it's important to catch them early on so you can have corrections made.

At the end of the day, you'll be truly satisfied because it's always nice to see your work in it's real form and not just on the computer screen.