Welcome back, imaginary readers of the blogosphere! I know no one out there is reading this, but I'm going to write as if they are. Yup, that's the kind of life I live. So a lot of stuff has gone down in the week and a half since I finished practicum's project 3 (this blog), so I have quite a bit to write about. Why I'm still writing here at all will be discussed later. Two events specifically come to mind. First, I graduated from Drake University with a BA Graphic Design and a Music minor. So, that was pretty nice. Second, I've started my job as a Graphic Artist at Gannett Company's Regional Toning Center. What does that mean? Who's Gannett? Well friend, I'm glad you asked!
Gannett is a huge, big, giant international news and information company. In the US, Gannett publishes 85 newspapers daily, including USA Today and the Des Moines Register (local shout out!). You can find a more thorough company profile here.
So, 85 daily newspapers are filled with thousands of local advertising spots and inserts. All these ads get funneled through two Regional Toning Centers; one in Indianapolis and one in Des Moines. I'm a part of a team of designers who work shifts 24/7 to build, update, and improve these ads, preparing them for printing as fast as possible. The job ranges from changing movie times on a playbill to creating magazine ads from scratch with instructions to "give it some zing" (eye-roll).
I started training on Monday, with a week and a half left before I'm put in the thick of it. Immediately on the first day it became clear that the InDesign skills I learned in college were akin to a toddler wielding a scalpel in a horrifying attempt at brain surgery. (Lets take a minute to admire that metaphor. Imagine a baby in an operating room with a little mask on, being held over you by a nurse as he prepares to make the first incision. Did you laugh? Oh...maybe its just me then. ANYway...)
They want me eventually to be averaging 7-10 ads an hour. SEVEN TO TEN, FOLKS. So these two weeks of training feel like I've been drafted into the the graphic design army and shipped off to boot camp. In short, I freaking love it! I'm going to walk out with Billy the Kid/Jesse James level quick draw InDesign skills. Graduation still really hasn't set in yet. I think its because, as my roommate Brendan put it, "Its summer vacation and you're at Graphic Design Camp!"
This brings me to the real question on everyone's minds. Why the hell is he still writing this blog after his project is over? Well, I finally got my practicum grade today. I got a 91%. Not bad, and not unexpected really. What really made my day was reading my professor's comments. In classic form he offered a backhanded compliment that I actually completely agree with:
"I have always enjoyed having you in a critique as you had some of the most interesting things to say. If you can find a way for your work to match the level of your rhetoric I think you will do fine."
and
"I think you have the most entertaining and thoughtful blog created for the class that I have read thus far. It seems a practice that could be helpful in the development of your work. I only wish it had a little more depth. Include your thoughts on the articles you tweeted about. I look forward to see how you will integrate other design related and non-design related activities into your blog. I hope you found it useful."
You sir, have described my situation perfectly. I really do enjoy design, and rhetoric is definitely a thing with me . Maybe I should write about design. Also, I'm bored. So, internet, blame John Fender and boredom for inspiring me to continue my crappy blog! In all seriousness, I very much appreciate his comments and am glad he sort of liked my work. So look forward to more slightly facetious reflections on design, the design community, music, movies, and other stuff I feel like writing about. My mouse hand is tired. Bloggin' ain't easy! Wow, okay. I just said that. Time for a break.
Your Blog does not go un-read. :)
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