The 5 Most Important Things I've Learned as a Graphic Design Intern

One of the projects I've done in school

This fall I was blessed to have the opportunity to have my first graphic design internship and I finally got to see what my life would be like when I pursue a career in this field. I graduate in December and I am glad I had a look into what my every day life would be like when I find the right job. I have decided to share with you what I have learned through this internship and what you should expect if you graduate with a graphic design degree.

1. You won’t be working a 9-5: 

Graphic design, just like any other art field takes a lot of time and concentration. I work at my internship from 9-4, two times a week and then 1-4 on Friday’s, this might seem like a lot, but it’s not. On top of school work for other classes I often spend 5-10 extra hours a week on projects for my internship outside of the time I spend there. Be prepared to put in a lot of work in order to meet deadlines and finish work that is well done. 

2. You’ll learn a lot more on the job: 

I’m not going to sugar coat it, I didn’t learn as much as I thought I would in college. Anything I learned in graphic design I mostly taught myself through watching videos online so I could do new and innovative work on my projects. Your learning will continue when you start a full time job. Technology changes, so you’ll need to continue to educate yourself, whether through informational videos, or through your colleagues. I’ve learned that through my internship I am able to learn more real life situations and also expand my knowledge in design. 

3. You’ll never stop getting critiqued:

In every art class I’ve taken we have a formal sit down critique when the deadline is up. When you find a full time job, just because you’ll more likely have more freedom don’t expect to not be critiqued by people. You’ll probably get critiqued more often and more harshly, what every artist needs to remember is to not take things personal. Critique is helpful, people aren’t trying to talk down on your piece, they are helping you make it better. Just remember that when a lot more people are looking at your work and judging it when you get to the real world.

4. You’ll need to know more than design:

I am a marketing minor for a reason, graphic designers need to know more then the art side. Learning basic marketing skills can only help you in the long run. Designers need to know how to work with clients,  target an audience, and usually work with a budget. Marketing classes taught me a lot about this, as well as real life experience in my internship. I highly recommend having a little bit of a marketing background as a graphic designer, it won’t hurt your artistic ability, but it will help you with business in the long run.

5. You’re always going to need to be passionate: 

Long hours and quick deadlines can be frustrating for people and if you realize this when you are in school graphic design might not be the field for you. Throughout your career this is what you will deal with and that will never change. Any profession requires passion, but not all professions are as tolling as graphic design can be. Make sure you find a job that allows you to continue to be creative, otherwise your passion can burn out quickly and you won’t like your job. 

These are just a few things I’ve learned in my time in school and at an internship. No matter your major in college, I recommend an internship for every one. An internship prepares you for the real world and teaches you what you need to know before finding a full time job. I’m sure I have a lot more learning to do, but I’m glad I’ve learned this much so far and I’m excited for my future in graphic design. 

How Colors Influence Print Advertisements

What do you think of when a specific color comes to mind? Does blue make you think of sadness, the sky? Does white make you think clean, blank? Colors are an important part of every day life and they are something designers and advertisers must think about when they are producing a print advertisement. Designers of print ads might look at colors different than viewers, but their goal is to get the message across and make the copy more enhanced by the elements. 

Every color suggests something in the advertisement; listed below are common colors seen in print advertisements and what they suggest. 

White: Cool, Pure, Clean

Black: Strength, Unknown, Heaviness

Blue: Royalty, Formality 

Red: Heat, Excitement, Love, Passion 

Orange: Warmth, Power, Fall

Yellow: Bright, Refresh 

Advertisers can use color to try and evoke emotions out of viewers, which allows them to gain a connection not only to the ad, but to the brand as well. This is important because this helps the brand become recognizable to customers, which can lead to brand loyalty. 

Colors can stand alone, work well together (with the correct tones and hues), and also make a black and white advertisement easier to read. Using color in a black and white advertisement has shown an increase in response and sales for that product. Black and white advertisements still exist but full color grabs attention of more people so that is why advertisers use more color. 

Color is complicated, designers need to make sure to use the right tone, the right hue, the right contrast. Designers must make sure not to use too little color and make the advertisement dull, they also cannot use excessive color to distract from the copy. Too many colors or even pictures could make viewers distracted and they may not even read the copy. Balance is important between the copy and design, color is a major consideration that must be taken. 

A great place to find out more information is from this book I found online: http://www.patsula.com/books/gb60.pdf

George Lois and His Influence

“Advertising is not a f**king science, advertising is an art — no questions about it”

  — George Lois 

George Lois is one of the most accomplished art directors of all time, and is also accomplished through advertising. He changed the way graphic designers looked at advertising. He is most well known for the covers he designed for Esquire magazine during the 60s. 

George Lois has had a major impact on many companies with his revolutionary techniques he has taken companies such as Braniff International Airways from the bottom to the top. He came up with their tag line When You Got It, Flaunt It; this along with the commercial he made sent the airlines popularity and profits up. It is also claimed that Lois help create MTVs campaign “I Want My MTV”, as well as gave VH1 their notoriety.

People hear the term the “Big Idea” in both advertising and graphic design, this is something that George Lois created. It is a term that symbolizes an attempt to communicate the brand, the product, the concept by creating a message that consumers will remember. Characteristics that make a Big Idea successful include; it has an emotional connection, it’s universal, connects people in any country, it has value, and it is distinct. The Big Idea is taken into consideration for every advertising/marketing campaign, and these characteristics must be present in order for the campaign to be successful. 

Lois called himself a crossover guy, he has borrowed as much knowledge from graphic design as he has from guerilla advertising. I think more people need to think like Lois, he is why graphic designers and advertisers look at each other for creative ideas. While I was reading an article called “10 Tips For Success From George Lois, The Original Mad Man” the first tip he ad was “my first commandment: the word comes first, then visual.” At first, as more of a graphic designer I was a little offended by this statement. The more I thought about it, the more it makes sense, art directors can create anything around a statement, they can make multiple options, but how hard is it to add copy to visual? The copy is the message, it’s what people remember the visual element helps enhance the copy, makes it more interesting and better. There is an obvious crossover, like Lois explained. 

Going back to the quote at the beginning, “advertising is an art” is 100% true in my eyes, visual elements can often stand on their own. Copy can as well, but not as well as something such as art. How well does copy resonate on radio over copy included with visual elements? Print advertisements need the visual elements in order to succeed. So, like I posted once before there is a crossover between advertising and graphic design, especially in print. George Lois helped both marketers and designers realize the importance one had on another. 

Sources:

http://www.aiga.org/medalist-georgelois/

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670603/10-tips-for-success-from-george-lois-the-original-mad-man