2012 group please check emails and Gerry has the documents you need. Please post a time and date for the pre interviews needed before you go on work placement! I propose (20 -29 June) any time is fine with me but the sooner the better please get back to me. I need to organize my time as to when to see who and where.
Regards
Cheri
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Thinking outside of the BOX
ReplyDeleteMy First day…
Today was my first day at Mpact or, as most know them, Mondi packaging. The nerves started kicking in late Sunday evening and all I could think about was Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Breathe in, breathe out, Carmen.
I woke up early so I could leave early and not be screwed by the infamous Cape Town traffic. Got there early, just planned and met the two senior Designers of Mpact and their traffic controller, and had coffee with them while chatting about Varsity and lecturers. They were quite a friendly bunch. I went for my safety induction at 8:30 where I had to watch a 30-minute video about the company and their rules. To be honest I tried my best to stay interested as it did not really apply to me as I would not work in the factory. Luckily I did not have to write a test afterwards, as apparently that is the norm around there. I returned to the office and Patrick, one of the senior designers, talked me through two jobs he was working on for a big client. I was then prepped for what I was going to be doing for the rest of the day, and to my surprise it wasn’t hard at all. I had to learn how their system and servers work, but got the full hang of things and even taught the senior designer a new shortcut on illustrator!
And so my day ended. I had learned a lot of new things (I am still processing most of it!) and if it weren’t for the traffic my day would’ve been perfect.
Hey that is great I'm so glad you had such a lovely day, could you keep a notes on the following please: the activities in detail that you are involved with, the tools you are using, the people and the environment. Could you keep log of the activities you are very comfortable doing and the task you may find a bit problematic.
ReplyDeleteWell done,
PI = Printing Instructions
ReplyDeleteToday I pretty much did the same work as I was doing yesterday. I also created costing quotes for the printing company. Exciting, I know.
To break it down, I worked on Illustrator and InDesign. I prepared artwork on Illustrator that was to be used the various kinds of packaging. To do this, I had to look at the existing packaging and measure and place logos, designs and data box’s etc. It sounds easy but it takes about an hour to finish one. You first create a die (a die will be a template for the packaging; I had to create two from scratch, the rest was provided.) When you create the die your measurements has to spot on. The cuts are done in pink, and not just any pink but a specific pantone colour which is allocated in their swatch library and has to be saved as a colour group on each document I work on. After the die is completed you place logos on allocated places measuring sizes, how far it has to be from the bottom, edge etc. No estimating, it has to e spot on. After the artwork has been placed you need to create glue areas on the flaps where the glue holds the box. These areas need to be white or else the glue won’t stick (creating them can be quite a mission). To break it down for you, command A, Bucket tool, select the areas (the areas will now be a different colour, you then deselect, live trace bucket tool, select the shapes, command + X, command + A, delete, Command F, select object, and then you do the offset path to a minus number… imagine remembering all that LOL! It was quite a brain work-out, but when I got the hang of it, it became easy.
Once the AI file was complete I then do the PI file in ID (how’s that for acronym soup!). The PI file is printing instructions for the printer and helps the company keep track of the jobs they do and helps with quotes. Some of the info in the PI includes a rack no., sheet size, carton style, routing and colours etc. The die will be placed on the PI as well as the artwork and how they will look once printed on the packaging. After completing the above mentioned, I had to send out quotes for each of them. The quotes are for how much the printing plates will cost, and we are talking big money here.
Talk about a long day.
Interview with Saatchi & Saatchi
ReplyDeleteMy interview with Saatchi & Saatchi was set out to be at 10am on the 27 June, which was yesterday.
I arrived at Saatchi & Saatchi 9:20am for my interview, while waiting for time to pass by, I’ve discovered, employees of the company, that comes and leaves, do not greet, the only ones that, greeted are in-fact the receptionists and (I think) the tea lady. The building has about 4-5 floors, as I could see from the ground floor, and before me was a television playing advertisements, along with two recycled art works.
The interview started on schedule; however it was for a graduate, a 3 month intern, and full time from 8:30 to 4:30. I was truly under the impression that it would be for a week, did I misunderstood what Mr Fran was telling me?
The interview started with The Human Interest Intern, asking if I had trouble finding the place, I however had trouble finding the taxi, and trouble with understanding what the taxi guard was shouting. He then welcomed me to Saatchi & Saatchi, he then asked me about the document, of the job description list, which I replayed saying I was unsure about the indesign advanced skills, as I had only one week of training in 2011.
I then asked him if he has received my portfolio, as I had internet problems the day before (Tuesday), and could only send it the evening, he said that he has, and he thinks that it is really good. He then told me what the company looking for, and about Ayanda Mbanga Communications, and what they do, and how they want to improve on their advertisements on job recruitments, and so forth. He then mentioned the skills that was required, and the three months, and I explained that I was under the impression that it was for a week, and he told me that he mention to them (Cput), that they were in-fact looking for graduates, we both seemed a bit lost at this moment, I told him I wouldn’t have mind doing three months but it would clashed with my studies, and talking about advance indesign, whereby I only had one week of indesign training.
He then asked if He should continue with the interview, the answer was of cause yes, as I wanted to gain more experience of what being interviewed is all about, as well as the type of question which are asked. He was interesting in getting to know more about me, I mentioned, my singing and recording of an album, and was asked how does graphic design and music come together, and I explained that I believe that it goes hand in hand with design, it can be expressed the same way as design and also in design work. Things felt more relaxed then. I was also asked about the skills I have, and work experience, and why graphic design as a choice, what I like about, and what I dislike, I couldn’t seem to think of anything that I disliked, (History of Art was far from my mind), and also I was asked why I choice CPUT, I mentioned that cput is the best and affordable where by CTI you have to give off your funeral policy. And does cput develop hand skills, and where I see myself in 3years time (i meantioned at saatchi & saatchi). As well how do I plan on getting a job or how will I go about it, he all asked about people skills, how I get along with people, but over all things went well, his feedback and tips goes as follows:
"Hi Keenan,
You really did well on your interview based on the questions I asked you.
Confidence is very important in any job, remember an interview is the only instrument we use to ascertain whether you have the relevant skills and knowledge or not, so be energetic, do a recap on your abilities and knowledge beforehand and never doubt yourself.
Be the first person to validate yourself and then others will do the same as well.
I see a lot of potential in you and I believe you will be great for any company."
This was biscally my interview, i feel like a auther right now...
Day 1: So far the shadowing at Zoom Advertising is going well.
ReplyDelete8:30am: Checked into reception with a fellow CPUT student, and noticed the slew of awards from the companies that Zoom Advertising designs for. First impression of the place is a clean, corporate, serious work environment.
9:00am: Introduced to the design department. Now, this place contrasts from the reception area, because it is an open, communal area with vibrant colours and. The atmosphere is busy, with each designer furiously beating the deadlines stated by their briefs. Despite the rush, the people are friendly and helpful in accomodating us. We were told to help ourselves to the coffee and snacks, but we decided to do so at a later time.
9:30am: The design studio uses Mac computers with Adobe software. Especially noted is the use of Adobe Indesign, because it is a handy tool for creating realistic effects, and is great for advertisement layouts.
10:00am: Was informed that Zoom Advertising is a results-oriented organisation that has an understanding of demographics, LSM groups, and the types of media best suited for a given target audience. Social media platforms cater towards the youths and upper LSM groups, both having access to electronic media. The movement within an ad agency is determined by results and skill.
10:10am: Was given a task of conceptualising an employee upliftment programme for a retail corporation. Research via the Internet was permitted.
11:15am: Was given a more formal tour of the company, with some areas, such as the boardroom, being off limits to interns.
11:35am: Assigned to select for models for a photo shoot via an online agency that recruits models in the Cape Town area.
12:00pm: learned that Zoom Advertising was once a retail design company that branched out into other disciplines. The company still uses retail advertising as its main trade.
12:30pm: The art director's role is to oversee the aesthetics of a design. This role is multi-disciplinary, and extends far into the film, digital, and print industries.
12:40pm: The senior photographer approved some of the models selected, and sifted through the rejects for two more candidates.
12:45pm: Learned that most design briefs in an ad agency usually have very strict deadlines. A designer cannot afford to miss a deadline.
1:45: Volunteered to organise CDs of digital projects for future use.
3:30pm: Looked for stock photos for a project that another designer needed to finish urgently.
5:00pm: End of the workday. Will be assisting the senior photographer with the photo shoot.
Day 2 has ended. The stress begins.
ReplyDelete8:30am: checked in with receptionist, and proceed to wait for the supervisor to arrive and review yesterday's concepts.
8:55am: Presented the concepts, 9 in total. The supervisor approved 2 of them and attached them to a presentation for his client.
9:20am: Assigned to do a simple layout for a supermarket chain using Indesign. Now I panic, because of the expectations required of me.
10:15am: Used the wrong type of template for the layout. The art director was clearly not happy, and had to take time out of her busy schedule to supply me with the proper template.
11:30am: So far, the initial design work is going fine. I had to ask some of the design team members how to do certain effects in Indesign that I could easily do in Illustrator.
12 noon: The copywriter's main role is to proofread text (copy) before it is placed into design work. Design plays a secondary role in this occupation.
12:30pm: The deadline for the template is tomorrow at noon. I have now gained a bit of confidence in navigating around Indesign, but for some shapes, such as the rounded rectangle, I have had to import from Illustrator.
1:15pm: Left Zoom Advertising to assist the film creative director with recording a radio advertisement for a retail store. The photo shoot that was promised for today was postponed to a later time.
1:25pm: At the recording studio, I have learned that audio must be carefully synchronised with animation/video components. Actors must follow the copy provided to the letter.
1:55pm: Audio recording is definitely a tedious task, and in some cases, the best samples are stitched together to create a composite sound. It is amazing how the sound crew knows their software. I could not identify any gaps normally present in joined sound samples. it seems as though they use their own audio software.
*New terms I need to research further: flighting code, chase list, material deadline.
*Radio stations use MP2 or MP3 files. Video is an MP4 file.
*Each time an actor is summoned to the studio, or records using a different accent/language, a performance fee is charged.
*To get a script realised, fees must be paid for scripting and broadcasting.
3:25pm: Returned to Zoom Advertising, where I immediately resumed with the supermarket ad template.
4:50: Presented the draft template to the art director, whom was satisfied with the design. Lots of suggestions were made for improvement.
5:20pm: Signing out of the building. End of Day 2.
Wow so cool , any one want to comment tooo
ReplyDeleteYou all are making me so proud you are doing really well, some of you are facing challenges I don't even face or ever had, it's clear you are all learning so much you contributions are so valuable can't wait to see you when you get back, please could you take some pictures for me as I was not able to get all my paper work sort to clear my industry visits please, don't let this put you off I'm with you every step and you input is still every valuable , great job every one try to comment on each there posts too this will support each other
ReplyDeleteDay 1: 2 July 2012
ReplyDeleteMy day at the intern started at 9am, or so, as I was a bit lost, I was told I could come in at any time, but I preferred coming at 9am. They usually start at 8am, or 9am, or as I was told, anytime, all they need to do is work in there time, but at the end of the day, no one cares, and they still leave at 3 or 4pm.
My first time seemed rather dull; I was allowed to go fetch my portfolio at Cput in town. When I returned round about 11am, it seemed like the typical lazy Monday blues, and there for I didn’t do much, besides been told that the floor is split into sections, and who does what, and who’s who, and names I just forgot on the spot. I was then showed some of the work he has done, as well trying to understand the programs use, I was totally lost…
I was asked later on to draw a mobile phone on screen, something that was not even needed, and then told screw it, as the Monday blues kicked in. The rest of the day, or most of the day I just asked questions, some random, and some that would help within my report, and still feeling a bit one sided. They are three web developers, none of them, has studied as course, in graphic design, but have the basic knowledge of it, and I will be sitting down with each one, Mid designer, Senior designer, and there Junior designer as the week goes by.
However, my first day fly dry, and me looking all lost and confused at all the crazy things they working with, some familiar, and some not, such as their web server, whereby they create all there webs on.
Because it was the begging of a new month, all three designers, had to place all their work they did for the month of June, in some kind of java script, or code file, and send it to the Senior designer as He then have to send it to the boss, stating the work each designer did, and why they should be kept.
Then we went home, seems like the best part for them…
Day 2: 3 July 2012
ReplyDeleteI got to sit this day with the senior designer, been told that he loves to make racist jokes, the previous day, I decided that I’ll start off by saying “That I cannot shadow you, you darker than me” he welcomed that idea openly, as the Mid designer told me that His a coloured guy, pretending to be white, but they all so crazy…
He then asked me to tell me about myself, and so forth, I happened to learn that he once worked with Eddie, at “Friends of Design”. He also mentioned that, when one applies for a job, he asks them tough questions, and they not easy, and does not want his time to be wasted, he seems very serious here, but his acutely a real cool person.
NB a note he made was never work for a company that uses corel draw, it’s like having sex without protection, or lube, and it’s just horrible for design work…interesting hey…
It was mentioned that, he feels very scared for young designers such as myself, because we are never repaired for the hash world after we leave the institution, some advice he gave was to learn every possible program, because companies what’s you to know everything, and it would help you in the future, even if it’s just the basics.
“If you want to be a graphic designer, go freelance, because most companies want you to know everything, graphic designers are not really needed, things are going digital”. (Huh! NO NEED FOR ME)… None of the three designers, studied graphic design, but they all have the basics knowledge of it.
Because he was really busy, he got side tracked, but I happen to watch his frustration, in Flash, and problem solving proses, for a Flash banner. He explained that scamping has to take place in about two minutes, because the get ‘a shit load of work’ and can’t spend too much time on it (lovely hey), have an idea of what you want, then go to your best friend Google, then look for what you need, this gives you the benefits of getting things done.
A pointer on the Mac, for some reason, his opinion is that it is not the best to work on, even though his the only designer that owns one, the PC is still recommended, as best to work on.
Hey hope all is well at work please take note of the following, activities you involved in, tools you are using, rules that apply, tell me about the social community you find your self in, and tell me about the labour divide (who does what) please. Are you being given time to learn and is the environment one that helps your learning. Then comment on one skill you learned at work that you did not have going there, thanks
ReplyDeleteDay 3: 4 July 2012
ReplyDeleteI arrived much early than usually, pressed in a train, and survived it, about 8:30am I was in town, buying my Mac Muffin and coffee special, feeling like a working class person.
Had my breakfast, then got help by the mid designer, in connecting my laptop to the internet, I spent my morning writing up my blogs which was meant for the previous days and then round about 11 am the senior said His disappointed in the “intern” (Me), because at health 24, there are sexy girl journalist interning. Lol very funny.
I sat done a little with the junior designer, finally he gave me something to do, and that I relate to, the T-shirt design, as he was busy with other work, he allowed me to do this, I however gave him some ideas the Tuesday, but he decided to give me the job, how wonderful… I felt alive, on fire…scamping ideas, seemed like they just loved it all…even though my gut feeling was telling me there are better ideas, than what I’m thinking of.
It was later, perhaps after lunch time, I had my lunch at 3pm, as I was into braining storming concepts, however, that’s not the point, the mid designer, allowed me to help him, with a web design changes he had to do, he showed me step by step, from the email, into each folder, kinder the same way Cheri showed us about how the browser would read files, but this was just infolders, after folder, confused, and used some programme called Zilla, from Dreamweaver, to their server, back and forth…AHHHHH stop already…
He mentioned that web design is the easiest working environment, job one could get; graphic design is hard labour… I then focused more on the T-shirt, close to the end of the day, I went to go look what each designer was doing, the senior was finishing up the editing of the Tv for a bank.
Day 4: 5 July 2012
ReplyDeleteI arrived at work just before 9:30am, as the train was late, and as usually I took some time, to touch up on the blog I did for yesterday, as the days go by, I became much more relaxed, within the working environment, I then started on the T-Shirt design, soon after I had breakfast, I had a head start last night, and also, to think up a much better concept, it’s simple yet cool, they love it, but as we know it must be approved by the brand manager.
By 11am, I took some pictures so, that I could use it for my report, there’s nothing much to it, but anyway, then for some odd reason, my laptop froze, don’t we just hate it when that happens?
It was close to lunch time, when the mid designer told some of his colleges, I speak so soft, but put me on a stage, then I’m all load, we attend the same music school, this allowed me to play some of my songs to the two ladies, next to me, they in the finance department of the company, and they couldn’t believe it’s me.
I then learnt later, that Nosipho and Blessed is working in the same building as me, but on the health 24 section, which is on the other side of the floor, it was so nice seeing her, we sat down and Had lunch, and catched up the many years lost…
After lunch, I went back to my work space, and gave my work to the junior designer, and asked a few more questions… and then I sat down with this blog… and waited on time to pass, as it is nearly the end of the day…
Day 3 was work day. 8:40am: Had to start work late because train arrived late to Cape Town.
ReplyDelete8:50a.m. Template I used was refined and is now ready for use. Need to ask for a sample to throw into my portfolio.
8:55a.m.: assigned to modify a fabric banner and make it contemporary.
9:05a.m.: When creating a design, it is important to use as few layers as possible. Each time Indesign imports an image, it creates a new layer.
1:45pm: interviewed art director to get anidea of how the design industry is viewed in his eyes. Learned more about Zoom, as well as the expectations and salary of a junior designer.
2:35pm: Assigned to look for humorous photos on Shutterstock for an urgent project which was due at the end of the day. was given specific instructions on what to search.
2:55pm: Need to finish the fabric banner design fast! Was slowed down by my first layout, which I customised from previous campaigns.
5:30pm: Printed out four concept designs. Art director will give me feedback tomorrow. Signing out for day 3.
Day 4: So far, things are going good.
ReplyDelete8:35am: Signed in. I need a car, because public transportation in Cape Town leaves much to be desired.
9:00am: One of my fabric designs was green-lighted for improvement. The background was to be simplified, but otherwise the design was favoured.
10:00: Drop shadows and other effects depend on the client needs, the type of design, and the tone of the work.
10:15am: Assigned to scamp out a promotion for a budget retail store chain. The design is to be glamourous and fun.
10:50: Created a series of scamps with a festive theme based on signs and posters featured in carnivals and casinos. Two of the concepts were approved.
11:55am: Recreating the concepts in digital format using Indesign.
1:55pm: Visited an animation studio that is located across the street from Zoom Advertising. The animators were given the task of creating a visual component to the radio campaign from earlier in the week. The animation programs used are Autodesk 3DS Max and Adobe After Effects.
*Wireframe graphics are similar to vector work, except that 3D animators have to work with the Z-axis.
*Rendering techniques for 3D work include bump mapping (texture mapping), transparency and gloss effects. careful attention os paid to ensure that rendered images appear realistic.
*Standard TV commercial is 30 seconds. AV commercials are extended ads that run up to 10 minutes, depending on what the client needs.
*Bump mapping is a monochrome texturing method where the dark spots appear depressed, while light spots appear raised. It is a relief-based rendering system.
*It takes 2 weeks to realistically render an advertisement using the technologies available. As a result, 3D designers need to be given the brief far in advance, to ensure that they create a finished product on time.
*Photoshop is used to create textures for Adobe After efects and other 3D programs requiring texture files.
*It takes up to 1 year to become a novice in 3D animation software.
1:35pm: Returnign to Zoom Advertising, where I was hassled by a new security guard on duty. He nearly denied me entry because I was not a regular worker, despite the fact tha I had already signed in to the system. i hope his act of rudeness was simply a misunderstanding.
3:06pm: Continuing with the retail store concept in Indesign. Sometimes Indesign has a klunky way of executing commands that are a breeze in Illustrator. The effects seem to make up for this shortfall.
5:30pm: After battling with the features of indesign, i have nearly completed a rendering of one of my ad concepts. Will continue on Day 5.
you must remember that you really still just a student and that you still have half a year to go to being really ready dont be so hard on your self, you are doing every well!!
Deletefeels like we only 5 people in the blog but o well!!
thanks that you stay so dedicated to my work all of you have just been wonderful!
The environment in Zoom Advertising's design department seems to be more communal, however, there is a visible chain of command which is as follows:
ReplyDeleteExecutive Creative Director: Oversees all design work for the organisation.
Deputy Creative Director: Same as above.
Creative Groupies: Responsible for creating design rationales and proofreading the copy.
Art Director: Head of each individual design project.
Copywriter: Responsible for supplying designers with the copy.
Designer: The "regular employees" of the organisation.
The customer service and marketing section seems to be more formalised and rigid. However, I had not acquired enough time to interview a staff member from this department.
The work environment is slightly more relaxed than what is in academia. However, multiple deadlines need to be adhered to on a given day, so it is expected that the designer must complete required tasks properly and quickly. There are opportunities to learn new skills, and the employees are helpful enough to assist.
One aspect that I learned was the use of realistic rendering effects in Indesign. Amazingly beautiful creations can be done with the mastery of gradients, blending, and shadow effects. Another thing that needs to be stressed is that the term "cliche" is a highly debatable subject. Drop shadows, outlines, Comic Sans, loud colours, and other items that are discouraged in academia are used as often as it takes to get the job done.
really, this last few comments is making re think my teaching plans, wow that is every interesting stuff, you should consider being a researcher....
DeleteDay 5
ReplyDelete8:30am: Signed into Zoom and continued with the poster desig element from Day 4.
9:00am: Ad agencies have high turnover rates due to high stress and demanding projects. However, opportunites abound to build a great portfolio featuring a diverse array of works.
* Ccompanies are looking for cheaper and more efficient ways of promoting their brands during these trying economic times, so it is beneficial for ad agencies to work as far below the budget as possible, and well before the deadline.
10:00am: Attended a presentation relating to communication technology trends.
* Conventional media is a "one way" communication system that is research and feedback intensive.
*Digital media is a narrower communication system that is more interactive.
* Opportunities for viral campaigns are great due to a large number of cellphone and social media users in South Africa.
* 2D animation is actually cheaper and more effective in communicating an idea than live action.
* New terms: Disappearing Simple Intuitive Technology, projection mapping.
* South Africa has the technology and infrastructure to implement interactive kiosks and other motion-sensing/touchscreen systems in a cheap an commercial manner.
11:30am: Continued with work on poster design element. It is taking me forever to make the items look professional because I have to relearn rendering styles in Indesign.
* It is possible to mimic Illustrator brush styles using the Effects feature. in addition, cool lighting effects can be achieved.
2:35: Art director is not happy with my progress, because the deadline is 2 hours from now. Will submit what I have made so far beefore that deadline.
* We should have been given more extensive training in Indesign during our second year.
4:00pm: Submitted my two best concepts to the art director, and decided to use the free time to look for other examples of past campaigns that Zoom successfully created.
5:00pm: Signing out of Zoom. Will shadow at Inkfish after next week.
you are doing so well thank you every much! Well done i look forward to following you on your inkfish adventure !
DeleteSeriously, folks. How about adding more variety to this blog by actually posting your experiences. Need to hear about your experiences.
ReplyDeleteETV
ReplyDeleteA boadcasting and design Channel. Awesome first day at work with Reagan O Malley(a designer at ETV). I kicked off the day finding Kloofstudios ,at first sitting in the backo f the car it was easy to find Studio B as my uncke had already known where ETV was. I met Grey, a beautiful marketing exectuive at ETV studios. SHe took me to Reagan's office. At first, walking into their design department was like seeing our third year class all over again,onl a bigger space. Everyones office is open plan and not box cubicled like most office plan spaces. Workers know each other very well and have a meeting once a month. I like the idea of a schedule and meeting people there who dearly stick to it strictly. The person in charge of design,tumo, was absent. If that happens, another design, who is ranked below him will fill his position and go to the meeting and take notes. Nobody is taking minutes as professionals find emailing better and not taking minutes into account. Meetings can last up to two hours, as I attended one. It is similar to Tech where heads of each department express their complaints as well as share their ideas they have working on the month. The designer who accepted my approval to intern,reagan, just showed me how to send a copy. He is a very friendly guy who seems to be open to ideas. The designer and copywriter work together all the time as they are a vital part of getting the message across. Reagan works with the head copywriter on projects he is given. There are four designers. Each designer is given a project to do , or various projects, at a time. A schedule is highlighted for everybody to see on an excel sheet. The publicity team takes photographs of famous South African actors and use their images to promote shows on ETV. Whether it be rhythm city,scandal or Ekasi:Our Stories, photographs are sent to designers to work with in a rspective design programme:Adobe Photoshop, illustrator and Indesign.
At this moment I am moving around and quickly getting used to the environment. I sat in on a recording session and witnessed the very same voice artists who broadcast the programmes on ETV, do their job professionally.
So far so good.
that is so cool. well done!
DeleteWell said, this is only gona work if more of you are blogging , I just spoke to the proff and he loved it all but way to little come on every one keep your expriences coming
ReplyDelete