...for my portfolio.

so, at work, i don't know if i've clarified this, i'm a receptionist who does graphics as well. which means...i'm paying my dues answering phones and getting coffee before i get into the graphics department, which would be so great because the current graphics person is probably bored all alone in her huge, but slightly empty, cubicle in the back of the office, and i could learn a lot from her.

why can i learn a lot? because i didn't go to design school. i think that's the problem i'm always having with my resume and whatever. where i work, it's very corporate. but i'm design/artistically minded. in addition to the fact that my degree is in strategic communications/advertising. and english (but i don't really bring that one up. it was a fun degree to get, but if i could do it all over again, i'd totally do art history or graphic art.). so, i have a hard time with my theme graphics. for instance, a few posts back, i had those subway awards. well the first one was really liked. context of the event was there. an art directed theme was evident (showgirly). i thought it looked great, and my higher-ups liked it. except that we're doing a corporate event, which is why it eventually became the type treatments with a lens flare in the back. it was disappointing to me, not because of the task at hand, but because i haven't reached that middle ground of using my feathers and elements in a way that isn't overwhelming to a pharmaceutical conference, because i can see how it's overly designed to a certain demographic. of course, only after it's been pointed out to me.

but those are the types of things getting into my portfolio right now. not ad layouts, like i had hoped i'd be doing out of college. lols. i kids. i kind of expected that i'd be doing something out of the ordinary before i start doing what i loved during my internship (you have no idea). but still one hopes that they are luckier than the rest.

why didn't i go to design school? i was told not to. by people from new york. then i started interviewing in new york. and before people looked at my book they said to go to design school. when they saw my book, they'd say design night school. i thought, ok.

but until i can afford that, i'm coasting on what i learn everyday at work and updating my portfolio. sadly, i have to teach myself flash (more than the basics) so i'm actually a marketable designer/junior art director or whatever. i just want to do something involving design and strategically reaching people visually, and that's why i make fake ad layouts for my portfolio in addition to these theme graphics i'm developing.

but right now i don't know what i'm doing. i was looking at that moleskine graphic (it's a few posts back) and then thinking up something else entirely. i'm not sure. but this is my project recently:

i just need to finish an illustration for it. let's see how this progresses. i'm thinking of getting rid of the book element. i already have a book as the logo. and the placement of just having this opened book not even in the middle of the page is a little awkward. but there was something about it that i liked.

i also want to get back to working with my pencil ads, but that needs some crazy illustration work or something. or great copy.

i just really like locks. you know? arranging the things that will be consistent for the campaigns. i like them.