It's like Reading Rainbow......without the Rainbow.

Reading through chapters three and four of Careers by Design was a bit disappointing, actually. I was so fired up after the first two chapters that I could literally hear the Rocky theme music playing in the background. Then came the business aspects of the design world. While I know for certain that these two chapters weren't my favorites, they are just as important in the learning process.

And so we begin...

1.)Corporate branding & corporate identidy
2.)Retail branding & branded environments
3.)Consumer product branding & packaging design

...are the three biggies that good ol' Roz lists for us. She goes into each with some solid detail that wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be, but still brought about some interesting points. I was especially fond of the quote just prior to these three main categories. It reads, If there is one essential word we could attach to any part of graphic design or advertising, it is image. We are all in the image business in one way or another.

This pretty much summed everything up for me, because the truth is that no matter how we look at it, we're in a business of creating images for people. With that having been said, it's important to remember that we are not just creators of pretty design; we must be able to articulate a message accessible to many different media and relevant to many audiences. That quote courtesy of my buddy Roz, as she quotes Marc Gobe--president and CEO of Desgrippes Gobe in New York.

I decided not to call Roz my buddy once I got about half way through the chapter. I read with my jaw on the floor, slowly realizing how much there is to think about in and around the design world. I was like...ROZ, you're CRAZY! She just looked at me and shrugged her shoulders.

I found it very important that graphic designers must learn the company's marketing strategy before they can begin to tamper with the design.

On the whole, it seemed like much of this discussion revolved around the fact that many people are involved in the design process, not just us--the designers. That's cool though, because while complex, it really gives us a sense of what it takes to create a winning design. I mean, as it's been said, talent alone is not enough.

So go designers!!!! Here's where I hold up my foam finger, blow the air horn, and maybe even say cheers to designers! Because hey, we're not in the shadows anymore. Now we're key players. But, of course, we still have to work together with more business involved individuals to create a winning design.

There's a whole bunch of titles listed in chapter four that I'm not all that interested in. Well, all except for one. I think I'd really like to become an account executive. I started reading about what makes for a good AE, including servicing the peojects, liaising between clients, creative possibly working in production, and having responsibility for scheduling and delivering the project on time and on budget. I know I don't know enough right now to consider the position, but I do think it's something to strive for....perhaps a longer term goal of my career that our other book, Designing A Digital Portfolio spends some time talking about.

I won't lie...I definitely did pump my fist and dance around a few times during this reading. I was excited to see that I had so many of the qualities that were listed. No, I'm not out to be cocky, but for as crazy as it is to be graduating and looking for a job, I was a bit relieved with the ideas that someone with great communication skills, along with writing, talking and listening skills is wanted. I have creativity...I have a sense of humor, even if my jokes aren't always the funniest.

And still, while I know I have some of the best qualities that were mentioned, I also realize that I am a baby in the grand scheme of things. There's a line from a movie called "The Rainmaker," written by John Grisham.

I'll leave off with this book with a line that Rudy Baylor, new attorney at law, saws in an aside to the audience:
I've memorized the Black files cold...I've read all the books on Jurisprudence, the rules of Evidence & Discovery, but I take one look around the courtroom and I realize I haven’t even been born yet.