my six credit wonder

The internship for the graphic design major is the single most important launching point into a career. In order to get a job in the design field one must have experience (most visual communication companies are more selective in their hiring methods than Wal-Mart). Interestingly enough, the only way to get significant experience is to have a job with a visual communication comapany. Obviously, this sort of circular hiring scheme is hard to break into. But the internship is an adequate loop hole to get me into that circle.

I interviewed with Leslie Advertising last Friday for the internship that they are offering. I got the position after a short follow up call and I will start the magical transition from student to professional this Monday.

I think I'm most excited about navigating a completely new organizational make up.

Working at the University Press taught me a great deal about pulling a design all the way through the printing process: getting the design finished, figuring out what needs fixing and polishing, and sending it off for preflighting and the the presses. But the luxury of the publishing house is that there is always something to do. Your clients are only a few cubicles away. And there are so many projects running concurrrently that if you finish you can always lend a hand to somme one else who is working on a big text book or some elementary school bulletin board charts.

But advertising is a different story. An advertising firm's clients are transient. Ideally you might have a few large companies that consistently send you work (and can consistently pay you). Otherwise your clients are off the street professionals that need a new logo, or ad for a bill-board, or magazine spread. This is the change that I can't wait to get into. My dsigns will significantly change with the different capabilities of new publishers and presses. My perceptions (and misconceptions) about what the design world is will change dramatically as well. I've heard almost every peer of mine that has completed their internship relate how they've learned how little they know about the design field after jumping into the real thing. Now it's my turn.