Professional Practice and Engagement Week 7

What does sustainability mean in the context of graphic design? 

Sustainability in graphic design refers to the ethical practices of producing work without making negative impacts on the environment. Graphic Designers should always endeavor to find creative design solutions that are also eco-friendly. 

Sometimes this can mean using more natural and bio-degradable materials to create products and packaging. In some cases it means removing the packaging completely and following the current trend of 'naked products'.

Review the site 'Design Can Change - AIGA' and answer the following questions: 

What is 'cradle to cradle' design and how can you see this applied in the Graphic Design industry? 

Cradle to cradle design uses biomimicry in its processes of engineering to create systems and products that are environmentally friendly. It does this by using strictly, non-toxic synthetic products combined with natural, bio-degradable products, In doing so, it prevents waste and the spread of harmful, toxic materials throughout our environment.

Cradle to cradle design can be applied to graphic design in a few different ways. One obvious solution is to find more opportunities to keep design digital to avoid the waste of paper from printing. If you must print a design, it's possible to find more eco-friendly inks made from natural resources such as vegetables. It's also excellent if you can find design solutions that use fewer resources to decrease the amount of waste you produce.
In the 'Creative Gallery on Sustainable Communications '- what ad has the most impact for you and why? 

I like this ad for its highly visual nature. I believe that a really good advertisement doesn't need a lot of text to tell the audience a story. The use of negative space makes the image much more eye catching and intriguing, causing the viewer to wonder what the ad is about until they take a step closer. 

So because the image draws you in and makes you want to know more, it makes the ad highly effective. I also like the tagline because its eloquent and simple. Overall I think it gets the message across quickly and is visually pleasing.


List five things that a Graphic Designer can do in their practice to decrease their impact on the environment

Graphic designers should always work toward creating waste free and eco-friendly design solutions including the following:

1. Use natural, bio-degradable products such as vegetable based inks for printing.

2. Encourage digital solutions to design problems to decrease waste.

3. Create re-usable products rather than disposable ones to reduce waste.

4. Consider using production methods that require less transport so as to contribute less to pollution.

5. Discuss with clients openly the sustainable design options to spread awareness.

Professional Practice and Engagement Week 6

What is "free pitching" and how does it effect the industry as a whole? 

Free Pitching is a method some potential employers use to get free graphic design work. It consists of a company asking a graphic designer to pitch an idea to them without payment or contracts and the risk is that they may walk away and use your work without paying you. AGDA recommends that to avoid this, graphic designers ask employers to agree that all design work shown to them is confidential and owned by the graphic designer until a deal is struck. The agreement must be in written form to make it legally viable, a simple email will suffice.

Why is it important to have a code of ethics in the Graphic Design industry? 

It's important because it protects both the client and designer and nurtures an honest, fair avenue of work and communication between the two entities. It's also informative for both parties in proper business etiquette and the intricacies of fairness when dealing with clients or professionals.

What is the difference between a copyright and a trademark or patent? 

The three categories cover protection for different types of creative work.

Copyright is used as protection of authorship for creators of works including, but not limited to, literary, dramatic and artistic works published or not. 

Trademark is for words, names, symbols and to indicate the source of the products and differentiate them from others.

Patents are for new inventions and it is a grant of invention to the creator.

What measures do you need to take as a freelance designer to protect your creative output?

The main ways to protect your IP as a designer is through trademark, design registration and copyright. Trademarking, as stated before is important for designers when they are designing things like logos because it prevents other companies from creating symbols similar to yours, thus confusing the consumer. Design registration is important in circumstances where a designer creates a visual look for a tangible product, thus ensuring that your product is visually unique and can't be copied. Copyright is highly important, especially for 2D designers, as it provides cover for an authours expression of ideas, whether it be a concept for an album cover or a design for a flag. It's important to take these measures to make sure that all your hard work is protected.

Professional Practice and Engagement Week 5

Below is an estimate of the median annual income for an entry-level graphic designer in Canberra according to Pay Scale.

So the average annual pay is $45,615 which would translate to an weekly pay of ,$877 presuming I'm a full-time employee. 

Below is a time sheet showing the full-time hours I would have been in the office doing admin and other work with specific hours relating to two clients.  

Professional Practice and Engagement Week 4

Johari Window

For my Johari Window, I selected the words, shy, sentimental, logical, self-conscious, silly and witty. I also wanted to choose, introverted and dependable but I could only choose six.

So I had five people participate and my blind spot was not surprisingly quite large. 

I was surprised that 'witty' was the most selected word, considering my humour mostly consists of pop-culture references and puns.

What attributes described in Johari Window exercise do you see as key to dealing with clients? 

Out of the traits associated with me, logical, friendly, organised, patient and sensible. Out of the traits not associated with me, I would include adaptable. I think these traits are important because together they create a designer who cares about the clients needs but doesn't lose sight of the actual goals and can deliver creative, appropriate solutions in a timely manner.

What attributes are key to dealing with your colleagues? 

I would say a lot of the same traits from the first question, I believe it's important to work hard, be committed and encourage friendly working relationships with clients and co-workers alike. 


What attributes are key to dealing with yourself? 

Accepting is a pretty important trait. It can be so easy to feel down about yourself and think you're not good enough, so its important to learn to accept yourself.

What attributes are key to dealing with your boss? 

Organised, dependable, logical, adaptable and helpful because they encourage good work and I think when you're at work it's important to be focused on getting the work done and doing it well.

How does this exercise make you think about your position in the workplace (ie. do you think you would be a good co-worker or boss or are there things you think you need to work on/develop?)

I definitely think I'm suited to the 'co-worker' role. I'm not particularly comfortable taking charge but I love being given briefs and working through them alone or part of a team. I suppose it wouldn't hurt for me to work on my leadership skills.

Professional Practice and Engagement Week 3

Logo Tournament

Resume

Professional Practice and Engagement Week 2

What personality type are you? 

Personality Type ISTJ which means that I'm logical, organised and thorough when it comes to my working style I like to make sure things are done properly and on time. This personality type applies to people who learn best when they deem a subject worthwhile and practical. 

ISTJ's can focus on a task for long periods of time and dedicate a lot of energy, if the task is important to them. They struggle, however, with devoting themselves to tasks that feel unimportant or don't make sense to them. People with this personality type tend to be very introspective and prefer to deal with facts rather than potential happenings, making their approaches to problems generally conventional but well thought out.

Who else (famous people) share this personality type with you? Did the results of this test surprise you? 

Some notable figures in the list of ISTJ personality types included George Washington, Queen Elizabeth II and Sigmund Freud. I did find these results surprising at first but after better understanding some of the core aspects of the personality type, I started to understand why that might be. 

It seems reasonable to assume that all of these people would respect logic and order and prefer to address facts in problem solving tasks.

Do you agree with your personality assessment (why/why not)? 

I do agree with it. I'm a very introspective person who tends to over analyse situations and it is highly important to me that tasks are completed in an organised and timely way. Its also very true that, while I am dedicated to completing tasks on time, I find it very hard to focus if the topic doesn't seem relevant to me or present enough practical applications.

How do you think your personality would fit into the workplace?

As an ISTJ I work best on my own but can adapt to working within teams. Due to my Introversion, I'm not suited to managerial roles and prefer to be assigned tasks. Having a preference for Sensing means that I am more interested in current facts as they stand, rather than the bigger picture or potential future developments, which could put certain limits on my work products. My preference for Thinking means that I will analyse situations more objectively and due to my high Judgement score, I prefer to plan things early, ensuring I'm punctual and organised in my work life.

Professional Practice and Engagement Week 1

Design Show and Tell

What is special about this?

My chosen object is my "POP! Vinyl Big Daddy Figure". I selected this object because the Bioshock series has been a huge inspiration for my art. The game world and character design fascinates me. The games, upon purchase, typically come with books that show the visual development of the world and its many characters, all the way from vague sketches to fully developed, coloured, in-world characters with personalities and backstories. (And I love a good back story.) This depth of development allows the audience to fully immerse themselves in that world and invest in the stories that lie within. 

The POP! Vinyl figure is special because it's a physical representation of that character and its world. Typically these figurines are quite minimalist and subtle in their representation of the character. However, the Big Daddy figure is almost as detailed as the game version, including minor details like bolts and laces, with some models having the capacity to light up like the actual in-game character.

How have you incorporated elements of this into your design work/creative practice? 

Above are examples of the character development sketches of the Big Daddy. The intricate detail in the sketches and the thought and care that has gone into designing each mechanical part is inspiring (note the labelled sketch of the drill and all of its parts). Studying these developmental stages inspires me to take this much care with my own work, and to respect the intricacies of design. 

This expands my general interest in Steampunk/character art and design. The work in this style is very technology based. Creating fictional technologies, characters and worlds requires so much imagination and immersion. So I take these processes and development stage sketches and use them to fuel my own creative thinking in character design. I love building up a character using their visual aspects to design personality, habits, alignments and deviations just as I see in Bioshock's character design methods. 

What does this object say about your personality and personal style?

Well firstly, for anyone who has played Bioshock, it would tell them that I like games! I believe this object also says I have a passion for storytelling and character design. It might imply that I like things that are a little different and quirky. It also shows that I have a keen interest in the intricacies of technology design, especially in fantastical, fictional technologies.