The Ink Spot

Alan Gilbertson

2:42 AM

Nice to see some folks here. Anyone have a topic in mind?

Dyana

@Alan Hello

Alan Gilbertson

@Dyana Hi! Were you just hanging out, or did you anything in particular in mind? I'm looking for answers to what's needed and wanted on GD.SE that we don't have in place as yet, but I'm up for anything else.

Dyana

Well I don't know much of GD. It's is something I like to do when I have the time, but I am hoping to make it a career. So any bit of info is welcome.

Alan Gilbertson

@Dyana Are you finding good info in the Q&A on the site? There are career/getting started questions there already, but there's room for more if you have a specific area of interest.

Dyana

2:57 AM

Yes they are useful. I also find it is easier as a conversation piece than it is to find or ask questions, mostly based on reaction times.

Alan Gilbertson

@Dyana Makes sense. What area of design were you thinking of getting into, and how much have you studied so far?

Dyana

GD for websites. Enough that i can make logos and such for my fiancé who is a programmer.

Alan Gilbertson

3:33 AM

Have you done any research on that so far, for learning resources?

Dyana

3:54 AM

@AlanGilbertson Yes I have done some via internet. I simply cannot help but feel that having someone to talk to about it would help move things along. I use Gimp right now, but I hope to afford Photoshop. I hear good things about Photoshop.

Alan Gilbertson

If you want to work professionally, Photoshop is an essential tool. For logo work you really need Illustrator, although you can get by with Photoshop to a degree. Logos are a bit specialized: you have to design big (for signage, posters, billboards) and small (for websites, business cards, stationery). That pretty much forces you to work with vector art, rather than pixel art.

The one thing you must do is start learning design as a subject. Knowing the tools doesn't do you any good if you don't know design.

Dyana

@AlanGilbertson Do you know any good design references to start with?

Alan Gilbertson

Get hold of Robin Williams' book "The Non-Designer's Design & Type Books" (it's two books in one volume) from your local library, B&N or Amazon. It's the best starting point. John McWade's Before & After Magazine (bamagazine.com) and his three books are also essential. Wrap your head around those (they're not hard, actually), and you'll be on your way.

Charles Sprayberry

4:11 AM

@AlanGilbertson Hi, I'm the aforementioned fiancé that @Dyana was referring to. Do you work in GD professionally?

Alan Gilbertson

That's how I make my living, yes.

Charles Sprayberry

@AlanGilbertson Any specific area of expertise?

Alan Gilbertson

From billboards to business cards, corporate identity/logos, web front end, book design, advertising in general for print and web. I also do motion graphics via Flash, After Effects and Edge, but that's not my specialty.

Dyana

@AlanGilbertson Thank you very much. I greatly appreciate the help.

Alan Gilbertson

You're totally welcome. That's why I hang out here. I like passing on what I can, when I can. :-)

Dyana

4:17 AM

@AlanGilbertson I have noticed you answer quite a bit of questions posted.

Charles Sprayberry

@AlanGilbertson Very nice. One question that I have for you is "What is graphic design?" Obviously its much more than just drawing some stuff on paper or in a computer program. I guess I've never thought about it much as a "subject", like the way I do programming.

Alan Gilbertson

@Dyana I do answer more than the average bear, I guess. But we have a number of very savvy folks on the site.

@CharlesSprayberry Graphic design is actually a very mature craft (>20,000 years old, really, so it's had plenty of time), with its own rules, guidelines and exceptions just as programming. It includes a range of specific areas, like infographics, advertising, typography, illustration and more, that all boil down to making an effective visual communication. It's as technical as architecture, as artsy as it needs to be, but it is a technology unto itself.

2

Dyana

@AlanGilbertson Not that I do not plan to attend college but do you think that it is necessary, especially if I decided to work for a professional company rather than independently?

Alan Gilbertson

@Dyana This is answered at length in one question on the site, but I'll summarize: You don't need a degree to do great design, but companies who are looking to hire tend to prefer someone with a design degree over someone without. A survey of the top 200 or so designers in the US a few years back found that about half of them had formal design training, so a degree is not a prerequisite for success so much as for employment.

6

Q: Is Design School a Requirement for Graphic Design?

Is it required for people to go to design schools to become a Graphic Designer? I've heard many cases where they have started from scratch without previous education in design and are doing fine as freelancers/working in studios. Would it be better to go to a design school to become a Graphic De...

Here's another good one:

6

Q: Good Methods To Substitute A Design Education?

While I know that going to a Design University is the most optimal way to learn and master Graphic Design, in my case, it would be difficult for me to attend one because I also have to do some other courses in a university that are not necessarily related to Graphic Design, and the university doe...

education designers

Dyana

4:42 AM

@AlanGilbertson Thank you, that was helpful. The college I want to attend doesn't have a GD program unfortunately, but I have fallen in love with it. My plan was to get what I could out of it through individual studies.

Alan Gilbertson

@Dyana That's how I got into design. A passion for the subject is the most important prerequisite, because that's what motivates you to become really, really good, and will push you to exceed your own standards all the time. That's how great designers happen.

You might also consider a full-on design college like Full Sail, where you can do a degree program online.

Dyana

@AlanGilbertson Are there any courses you suggest I take that will still benefit my purpose in individual studies? The school has a GD course but I believe I need to be in a program to again access to it.

Charles Sprayberry

@AlanGilbertson I would say that passion is how great anything happens.

Alan Gilbertson

4:58 AM

I wouldn't limit your horizons by suggesting a particular thing. If you can get into (or "drop in on", as Steve Jobs did) the GD course, use the books I suggested and keep alert for opportunities, you'll find the things that really excite you. Then it's a matter of finding courses in those areas. From a career point of view, the future is in mobile devices more than websites. Print will always be around, one way or another, but apps are replacing browsers for more and more content consumption.

@CharlesSprayberry I would agree, completely.

Dyana

@AlanGilbertson Understandable.

Thank you once again. I'm off for the night. :D

Jack

5:57 AM

Hello Everyone

Alan Gilbertson

6:18 AM

Hi, Jack! Happy New Year!

Jack

7:06 AM

@AlanGilbertson Hi Alan Happy new year to you too :)

Alan Gilbertson

7:35 AM

What's the time where you are? Here's it's getting close to midnight, after a very warm winter day.

Jack

7:56 AM

@AlanGilbertson Its 1:20 pm

Sunny noon :( Morning was damn so foggy..

Alan Gilbertson

Haven't seen fog here in a while. We had record high temperatures the last few days, and we're short of rain. It'll make problems this year.

Jack

@AlanGilbertson I guess today my net is working slow, because its not showing any comment or responses on the fly. I have to stick with this page and wait for your response...

@AlanGilbertson what's the record high temperature

Alan Gilbertson

No, I'm just doing other stuff, flipping from one window to another.

@Jack Record high yesterday of 88 Fahrenheit, which for January is insane. We get these temperatures in June, usually.

Jack

@AlanGilbertson Alan can you give some light on role of Senior Web designer? someone asked me, what are the roles and responsibility a senior web designer have in an organization

@AlanGilbertson So it was hot..?

Alan Gilbertson

@Jack He's the dude with the longest beard... :-) No, the Sr Web Designer is really like the Art Director for the web design team, and runs the team. He may or may not do a lot of hands-on designing, depending on the sheop.

Jack

8:03 AM

@AlanGilbertson Should I try for such position? I have good knowledge of photoshop and I know how to roll with html and css..

Alan Gilbertson

@Jack Hot for this time of year. Last year, if I recall, we had some record low temperatures, so I guess it evens out. (Old stat joke: "A statistician is someone who can prove that with your head in the oven and your feet in the freezer, on average you're perfectly comfortable."

Jack

I am thinking if I go for such position is my knowledge sufficient ?

@AlanGilbertson Today its 16°C in LA :)

and 17°C my palace... google says it all:D

Alan Gilbertson

@Jack It never hurts to try. When you interview, get a good description of what the job entails, and make your own decision. Keep in mind that if you've a small department to run, there are management skills involved that Photoshop won't help you with. :-)

@Jack That's night time. Temperature right now is 15 C, but during the day it was over 30.

Jack

@AlanGilbertson And I have a goatee beard

sort of this :D not longest beard :D

Alan Gilbertson

@Jack LOL! If the other guys are clean shaved, you're home free!

Jack

8:09 AM

@AlanGilbertson I am planning to get a schedule interview in an organization where they have 125+ employes..I am not nervous but I am tensed whether I am okay or not for this.. but I have to go and give a try so just asking you by which I'll get confidence :)

Alan Gilbertson

@Jack Well, put it this way: if you only stick with what you already know you can do, you're never going to find out how much you can do. I personally find working as the Art Dir or Creative Dir fantastic. You get loads of ideas from super-creative people, and you get to fine tune those ideas and help the designers make them great. Everybody wins.

Jack

@AlanGilbertson Can you give me any short of tips which i can use in this interview..

@AlanGilbertson Just because of that I am going for this coz i know if I face something new that will help me in learning also

Just to find out how much I can do rather than Photoshop...

Alan Gilbertson

@Jack Most people go into this kind of interview with two wrong viewpoints: they're looking for what they can get from the company, and they're trying to "look good". If your approach is "What can I contribute?" and you ask loads of questions about what they need, what their goals are, you immediately stand out. One is as valuable as he can help others.

Jack

And do you know what you are the only one guy to ask regarding anything..You have a super mind..

Alan Gilbertson

Learning new skills makes one more able to help.

@Jack That's too much praise, my friend. Far more than I deserve.

Jack

8:18 AM

@AlanGilbertson No Alan you have already done very good things so far you have so much of experience regarding life, career anything which i can say

Alan Gilbertson

@Jack [Philosophy Mode: Activate] Here's the deal with life: it's all about exchange. You get so much more out of life by contributing, helping others, than anything else you can do. This includes relationships, work, business, anything. And what you put out comes back in a thousand unexpected ways.

Jack

@AlanGilbertson So I should go for this interview without thinking so much

from past few days I am trying psd to html...

@AlanGilbertson I agree...

[Philosophy Mode: Activate] that's nice way to warn someone :D

Alan Gilbertson

If you go into your interview looking for how you can contribute to what they are trying to do, you'll find out whether it's a gig you want or not. If you don't feel you can help, say so, and walk away. If it sounds like an exciting challenge, say so.

Jack

@AlanGilbertson Yes I am going to face them by tomorrow morning let see what happens

Alan Gilbertson

And remember never to stop learning. Or teaching. I can't tell you how much stuff I've learned by teaching other people, by taking on projects that forced me to up my skill levels, and by getting really interested in something I didn't know how to do, but found out. I love what I do.

Jack

8:27 AM

@AlanGilbertson I really want to be like this I always try to deal with every single thing which have something knowledgeable, knowledge is to gain, to use, to turn the things on...

Alan Gilbertson

@Jack ... and to have fun with. Life is too important to take seriously. :-)

Feeds

Jack has added Alan Gilbertson to the list of this room's owners.

Jack

@AlanGilbertson Sometime I feel that, I feel in the same way you do :D but then I realize you are far away sitting on top...Thoughts are matching but karma's are different :D You are not a normal guy, a huge mind where so many things working to help everyone who needs in any situation...There are few You type of guys and I am glad that I am talking to you and sharing with you...

> time for lunch now see you soon and good night in-case you go for sleep :)

Alan Gilbertson

@Jack Karma grows as you grow and share with the world around you. It's just that way.

I'm heading for bed. Have a big meeting with a (potential) new client tomorrow morning. Can you take a look at my "Who are we talking to" question in meta and give me some ideas. I want to expand the scope of GD a bit, or at least tailor it more to what designers actually need. I'd love your input.

Thanks for the chat. Enjoy lunch!

Charles Sprayberry

8:33 PM

@AlanGilbertson Something you said last night inspired me to write a blog post. I quoted you in it so I wanted to give you a chance to look over what I wrote. cspray.github.com/2012/01/06/how-to-be-great-at-x.html

Alan Gilbertson

9:08 PM

@CharlesSprayberry That's a great blog post. You're more than welcome to quote me. If it inspires a few more folks to follow their dreams, there will be that much more good in the world. All the very best in your own endeavors.

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