The Beginning of the End

I'd like to first point out that everything that I have read over the past couple of days in these two required books seems to me to consist of things that we should have learned from day one in the IDD program. I'm actually a little bit upset that this seemingly great advice was not given to me sooner in my design "career." And sure enough, a lot of this information would have been very useful to me in my portfolio work for IBM.

With that having been said, let me give praise to Careers by Design. What a great book. Ok, I'm only two chapters in, but I think between the preface and those two chapters, I highlighted half of what I read. Yeah, that's a bold overstatement, but really, I highlighted a lot.

Without looking back, some of the more prominent ideas that stand out include:

*Even though the business of design is forever changing, the fundamental requirements and skill within physical design work are constants.
*Talent alone is NOT enough.
*Good luck never hurts.
*We, as designers, have a pretty big impact on society, which is a reason I always like to brag about :-)
*There is no one set definition of creativity. Amen to that!
*Specializations are important to distinguish, as the design realm is actually quite vast.

As for the rest of what I've highlighted, I think it's too much to fit here...so I'll just say that the things that I've heard before were highlighted again because I believe them to be true. For example, I think the fact that we put in long hours and might be underpaid really doesn't matter as much as the tangible result does. The fact that we can sit back at the end of a project and just look at what we've accomplished is a great thing...one that I hope I never forget for as long as I'm in this field.

We also learn about the difference between advertising and design. And somehow, while this book describes them as different, I tend to see an overwhelming number of similarities...and it's kind of making me regret the fact that Philosophy is my minor, instead of Advertising. Back in the day of being a stupid freshman, I tried only very briefly to contact a representative from the Business School on Advertising. Granted I love philosophy and what it has taught me about life and about the lives around me, I still think I may have missed a mark by not taking any Advertising classes. Oh well...you live you learn, right?

The biggest thing, of all that I read, deals with passion. WIthout it, who are we? Without it, what can we possibly accomplish, especially in this field? When I read just how important it is to have, I actually gave a sigh of relief, knowing full well that I love what it is that I do. Every aspect of what I do is important to me, and I design, create, sketch, and think with a thirst to see a finished product worthy of a given client.

Now, the second chapter didn't intrigue me as much, but it still brings up some good points. And although it made me dizzy (ok, not really), the chart on page 14 seems to make perfect sense.

As far as "Designing A Digital Portfolio," I wasn't impressed with the opening chapter. Still, I think what they author was trying to accomplish did, in fact, get accomplished. I started to ask myself where I saw myself fitting in, and I think that because of that, the chapter did its job.

...so where do I see myself? I see myself as a graphic designer, obviously, but I'm starting to wonder if I fit under the title of an 'experience designer." Between the two, I've yet to decide. But no matter which I decide on, I don't think it much matters, as both include a wide variety of media.

Not overwhelmed yet....enjoying the reading...and certainly feeling that thing called senior-itis.
And still, I press on.
Stay tuned.

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