The Final Review Prep Talk

By ELIZABETH McCARTER

Published: June 28, 2010

 

If you have spent any amount of time checking out this or any other design website, chances are you have made it through a few juried reviews, critiques, or presentations. If you ask me, this is one of the hardest things about what we do as designers: putting our work, and therefore ourselves, out there for others to judge. Hours of eye-bleeding computer work may come down to pinning up a few 11x17 presentation boards that will be studied for a few minutes, critiqued, and then onto the next person.  So to say the least, this can be a nerve-wracking scenario, and it’s often difficult to hear criticism. The important thing to know at this stage is how you present yourself, and how you react to the feedback you receive. So in preparation for such moments, I like to remind myself of a few things while I am working on a project, and before I go into the final presentation or review:

 

1. Remember who you are designing and presenting for- Eventually, that’s what this is all about: the client. You need to make your ideas relevant and clear to a particular person or group of people. It may be your professor, it may be a panel of judges for a competition, it may be a company, it may be the military, it may be everyone who has arthritis. But if they react negatively to your ideas, it may not be that your design is flawed, but the manner in which you are presenting it is ineffective for them. Which brings me to my next point:

 

2. It’s not about you- An exact quote, this was probably one of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten from a professor. If you can emotionally (not mentally) distance yourself and remove your own biases from what you are designing, you will A) be more likely to meet your client’s needs and B) be able to receive criticism professionally, not personally. This is not to say that you should create uninspired designs or be afraid to incorporate your personal style, but you have to consider the wants, needs, and perspectives of your clients first and foremost.

 

3. Any review is a good review- Taken the right way, both a “good” and a “bad” review can have beneficial effects. If you get positive feedback, it gives you the opportunity to recognize what parts of your process were successful. It should also encourage you to keep pushing, always challenging yourself and never getting complacent. If you get less than positive feedback, it allows you to step back and figure out where you went astray, and it can fire you up to prove your design savvy on the next project.

 

Having said all this, its also important to get as many respected views as you can on a design, in all stages of the process as it evolves. One person does not possess the all-powerful opinion. Just make sure everyone you ask is aware of the project’s context, because context changes everything. And if you don’t like what you hear, especially from a friend, don’t get offended. The people who want to help you are the ones who are willing to critique you. There is nothing more useless than asking the opinion of someone who will shower you in praise every time, just to avoid hurt feelings. And hey, if your professor doesn’t like some of your work, it’s actually NOT the end of the world. Really. You’re in school to make mistakes, so make them and learn from them while you can.

 

Elizabeth McCarter AKA "Liz" is a third year Industrial Design student at Syracuse University.  Outside of pursuing her degree in Industrial Design Liz runs Cross Country for the track team at Syracuse and also enjoys sculpture, painting, and is interested in environmental policy. View Elizabeth McCarter's online portfolio!

Book Review: REWORK

By DOMINIQUE WILMORE

Published: June 25, 2010

Last week I decided to go out and purchase REWORK by the Founders of 37signals, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, after reading an article about resumes on inc.com.  I must say that it is definitely the best $22 I have ever spent!  This book is not directly related to design but more about their unconventional views on what it takes to build, run, and grow a business.  REWORK is clear, concise, and a complete page turner (I finished it in less than a week after purchase)!

I am recommending this book to the readers of idinterns.com, which I'm sure most of you are design students and recent graduates, because there is very useful information in this book about resumes, cover letters, and the hiring practices of some of the HOT new companies that are out there right now.  One of my favorite sections in REWORK is called 'Resumes are Ridiculous'!  This section basically explains that resumes, which students can get so hung up on, are a total joke!  They go on to say how resumes are bloated and full of over exaggerations and how they find candidates is by looking at the cover letter.  Why the cover letter? Because in the cover letter you can get a better understanding of who the candidate is and if they have any real interest in the company, not to mention whether or not they can actually write -- excellent written communication skills will get you very far!

So if you're looking for a good book to read by the beach this is it! REWORK has massive appeal and will change your perspective on what it takes to be in business!

Studio Benefits Outweigh the Drama

By ELIZABETH McCARTER

Published: June 14, 2010

During my two years of college as an Industrial Design major, I have seen a fair amount of what I like to call “studio drama”. The tears, the jealousy, the frustration, the rivalries, all reminiscent of your typical reality TV show. Case in point:

Student 1: “ Are you serious? He just texted me that I should do the graphic presentation because he built the entire shelving unit himself! Who came up with the whole concept? ME!”

But really, this kind of behavior isn’t all that surprising, especially during intense and stressful situations (AKA final projects or reviews).  When you spend two years in class and studio with the same people, conflicts are bound to develop.  Some people decide to avoid the drama altogether by working in seclusion, away from the bustle and banter of the studio; I used to be one of these people!

But halfway through this year, I began to realize that I can learn so much more from working alongside my classmates in studio than from any professor.  Not to say that we are not being taught adequately, but lectures, demos, and tutorials simply can’t suffice as an education without the sharing of ideas and skills amongst ourselves. Here’s something else I heard not long ago in studio:

Student 1: “(Expletive!) These AD markers are bleeding all over my sketches!”

Student 2: “Oh yeah, I hate that. I just use Prismas for my color renderings. AD markers are way too juicy, they’re better for grayscale stuff though.”

These are the valuable tidbits that you miss out on by holing up in your room instead of working in studio.  Yes, you also miss the drama, but there are lessons to be learned from that as well.  Most of us will spend our careers working with people: fellow designers, clients, corporations, focus groups, think tanks, etc, so witnessing these interpersonal conflicts are pretty useful for observing what to do and what not to do.

For us to take advantage of these benefits, I think it’s key to have an intimate studio environment that makes everyone want to come in and work.  I love seeing personalized spaces where you can recognize everyone’s desks by their knick-knacks, doodles, and eccentricities.  As long as you are stuck with these people for the next few years, you might as well drag in some couches and a mini fridge and enjoy the social time that epic studio sessions offer.

As for me, I noticed a marked improvement in my work that is owed in part to spending more time in studio.  Watching how other people work has taught me more than I ever expected about how I can improve my own skills.  When I go into studio at almost any hour of the day or night and see at least two people with their nose to the sketchpad and that motivates me to do the same.

So, the next time the class overachiever pins up something insanely good for critique, instead of making snide remarks about how they have no social life, ask them how they did it, and work with them in studio to see what they do better than you.

Elizabeth McCarter AKA "Liz" is a third year Industrial Design student at Syracuse University.  Outside of pursuing her degree in Industrial Design Liz runs Cross Country for the track team at Syracuse and also enjoys sculpture, painting, and is interested in environmental policy. View Elizabeth McCarter's online portfolio!

What Ever Happened to Employer Training?

By DOMINIQUE WILMORE

Published: May 24, 2010

As the recession lingers on I wonder if the concept of Employer's hiring based on potential and training young staff once hired has gone completely out the window.  It seems as though it has.  I have seen a huge difference in hiring trends over the past three years and that is that Employers seem to want entry-level candidates to possess a long elite list of skills prior to even being granted an interview.  When I was coming out of school, back in 2007, this was the exact opposite.  Employers seemed to hire young grads based on potential and "cultural fit" rather than the fact that a candidate had certain technical or program skills that could easily be learned.  We all get that we are in a recession and Employer's now have the power to be super picky but how can a young adult coming out of college compete?

One way to start is by showing passion and displaying that you are willing and able to learn quickly.  I recently had a job interview with a small architecture firm in DC.  Prior to coming in for a formal interview I spoke with the Principal/Owner over the phone and he stressed how important it was that the person who take on this role know Dreamweaver (which is a little unorthodox for an Intern Architect position).  I bluntly stated that I did not know the program but could learn it.  Over the weekend before my interview I went out to Borders and purchased 'Dreamweaver For Dummies', viewed multiple tutorials on YouTube, and by the day of my interview created a basic yet creative website in Dreamweaver to show the Owner that I could and did learn the program quickly!  Acts like this display that you are able to perform and that's ultimately what matters!  So if you come across a job listing that requires the understanding a certain program that you don't know yet, don't shy away... learn it!  You'll be surprised how easy it is to train yourself!