Monthly Archives: August 2017

Alumni Interview: Ginine Gordon

Below are excerpts from a conversation between Queens College Design graduate Ginine Gordon (Class of 2017), and Assistant Professor Ryan Hartley Smith about entering the job market after graduation, and advice for current and prospective Design Majors.

Ginine Gordon


RHS: Hi Ginine, thanks for doing this! What are you doing professionally now that you’ve graduated?
GG: I am an Art Director [at Ogilvy, an NYC advertising agency].
RHS: Entering into the professional field of design is extremely competitive and it can be difficult for recent graduates to balance supporting themselves, making new work for their portfolio, and networking / applying for jobs. How has this process been going for you?
GG: I knew the design industry was a highly competitive field and it would be difficult to find a job. I can’t stress enough how fortunate I am to have been a part of the One Club internship program. Professor Weinstein and Justin [from the One Club] found an agency that was the perfect fit for me, and I’m fortunate the agency has kept me on the team long term.
RHS: How would you describe the work you’re making now?
GG: I love the work I’m doing now. I enjoy the challenge it brings. Plus, I get to make gifs for a living, how many people can say that?

(c) Ginine Gordon


RHS: What are your professional goals for the near future? How do you plan on achieving them?
GG: I want to experience many different kinds of projects. I plan on developing my skills at multiple agencies as a senior Art Director or a Creative director. I want to be able to grow and evolve on more than one team.
RHS: Did you participate in an internship while at Queens College? If so, what was it? How did you get it? And what was the experience like?
GG: Yes, I completed two internships while at Queens College, both under the One Club. During my last two semesters, I submitted my design portfolio and resume into a competition headed by Professor Weinstein. The One Club then selected 7 students to intern at big agencies. I was fortunate enough to be chosen both times. My first internship at BBDO was a culture shock experience.The environment was faster-paced than I expected, but, it gave me a great taste of the advertising world. My second internship, which was at the agency I currently work for, was even better. I was able to get a lot of great feedback on my book. I was eventually scouted by a Creative Director. He said he always liked to pass my desktop to see what I was working on, including my book. I thanked him and gave him my card. The next day I was told he wanted to hire me on his team. In one word, it was awesomeness times two.

(c) Ginine Gordon


RHS: What was your favorite Design course at QC and why?
GG: My favorite design course was book design with Natalya Balnova (yes this is a shout out). It was one of the first times I had a professor kick me into high gear. There was no sugar coating in class. We also had a chance to make great projects for our books. My advice for students considering a major in design is to understand this is not the “easier” courses. This major will take a lot of time to master (I’m not even one yet!). But, it is worth it. It’s not a major that is not really grade focused (although you should always aim for that A!), but more about the quality of the work that you produce. Half-a**ing is not welcome.

(c) Ginine Gordon


RHS: What advice do you have for students who are considering pursuing a major in Design?
GG: One Club, One Club and if I forgot to mention, One Club. It’s the go-to place for a chance at internships with big companies. Professor Weinstein is always posting new internship opportunities on her website. A clean resume and portfolio are a given, and it should be on your personal website. I’m not going to tell you what your professors have probably been telling you forever, but it is important.

(c) Ginine Gordon


RHS: What advice do you have for QC Design majors who are beginning to search for internships and their first Design industry job(s) after graduation?
GG: I would definitely apply to more internships during my time there. I would have also taken more After Effects courses. I found that in this business, most art directors don’t know how to use After Effects and most clients like motion in their work.

(c) Ginine Gordon


RHS: Where can we see your portfolio (website, behance, anything else you want to share…)?
GG: My website is ginine-gordon.squarespace.com. I also actively make gifs for Ibmblr from time to time, so you van see my work there as well. Make sure to also check out Art with Watson, the Josephine Baker portrait. I was an art director on that team.
RHS: Thanks Ginine!
GG: Happy Designing!

(c) Ginine Gordon

Alumni Interview: Freddy Japa

Below are excerpts from a conversation between Queens College Design graduate Freddy Japa (Class of 2017), and Assistant Professor Ryan Hartley Smith about entering the job market after graduation, and advise for students considering a major and career in Design.

Freddy Japa


RHS: Hi Freddy! What have you been up to since graduation?
FJ: I‘ve been keeping myself busy on personal projects for my portfolio. Professionally I have been doing freelance work for clients thanks to social media. I am also currently applying to internships to obtain more experience and hopping to soon be part of a well-known agency.

(c) Freddy Japa


RHS: Entering into the professional field of design is extremely competitive and it can be difficult for recent graduates to balance supporting themselves, making new work for their portfolio, and networking / applying for jobs. How has this process been going for you?
FJ: Entering into the professional field has been competitive. There are many talented individuals in the field. Using the social media platform like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Behance have helped me a lot in exposing my work and networking. Throughout the social media platform I have been able to obtain many clients since I am currently a freelancer. LinkedIn has also become a great resource for me right now, as I am applying for both jobs and internships. For me exposing my work on every social media has really helped me a lot, I believe the more you expose your work the more individuals get to see it and could be a potential client.
RHS: How would you describe the work you’re making now, (both professional and personal work)?
FJ: Lately I have been focusing more on logo design and character design for clothing brands that are both small and large businesses. A recent project I worked on was creating a logo for a new restaurant called the “Kings of Tacos”. It was a nice experience and pretty awesome to see a restaurant use a logo I created.

King of Tacos branding (c) Freddy Japa


RHS: You’ve done an amazing job at developing a huge social media following for your work. How did you make this happen and how is it useful for your career?
FJ: At the beginning I was very scared to put my work on social media. My fear was that my work would not be good enough and that people would dislike it. I ignored my fears and gave it a try, posting all my work on social media. The outcome was amazing! I was surprised to see how many people loved my work.  I was completely over my fear and posted kept posting more of my work. People did not only like my stuff but started to contact me for design work ( logos. T-shirt designs, business cards etc.). I would definitely recommend using social media, it’s free so take advantage of it to expose your work to the world.
RHS: What are your professional goals for the near future? How do you plan on achieving them?
FJ: My professional goals for the near future is to create more work and try to develop my style more, so agencies can see what I am capable of creating. I would also like to work on getting more people to know about my work and expose my work more. I recently started a YouTube channel with videos of how my work is done in time-lapse.

Twelve Clothing T-Shirt Design (c) Freddy Japa


RHS: Did you participate in an internship while at Queens College? If so, what was it? How did you get it? And what was the experience like?
FJ: I did participate in an internship while I was at QC. It was at an advertising agency J. Walter Thompson. I did this internship with other fellow friends from QC. The [Winter Semester] One Club program guided us into getting the internship.  The experience was really amazing because it gave me an glimpse of how a agency actually functions and we had the opportunity to work alongside with head of art/ design to develop concepts for advertising campaigns.
RHS: What was your favorite Design course at QC and why?
FJ: The course that I enjoyed in QC was poster design. The instructor was Natalya Balnovaa, and I enjoyed her way of teaching the course. I also loved how she would challenge us and push us to work harder. She helped me develop my style eve more. I learned a lot and enjoyed creating poster designs and other projects.

Felix the Cat Poster Project (c) Freddy Japa


RHS: What advice do you have for students who are considering pursuing a major in design?
FJ: The advice that I have for QC design major who are considering into pursuing a major in design is to work super hard all the time and to never be shy in asking for advice or help. I use to be shy and that held me behind a lot. The second I stopped being shy I started to ask help into building my portfolio. Thanks to all the feedback from great instructors I was able to build a strong portfolio. My last advice would be to get many internships because experience is very important.
RHS: What advice do you have for QC design majors who are beginning to search for internship and their first design industry jobs after graduation?
FJ: The advice that I have for QC design major who are beginning to search for internship and their first design industry jobs after graduation is to have a really solid portfolio. Have a lot of variation of projects from school and personal projects.

JL Carpentry Interior Branding (c) Freddy Japa


RHS: If you had to go through the QC design program again, what would you do differently?
FJ: If I had to go through the design program again, I would work even harder to create better projects for my portfolio, but most of all work on my typography.
RHS: Where can we see your portfolio?
FJ: You can all check out my work on my website www.japadesigns.com. I am also on various social media which are all listed on my website. I also have a YouTube channel- japadesigns, which you can subscribe to and watch some speed art videos of my work.

Brand Marketing – Fall Internship (Kenneth Cole Productions )

Kenneth Cole Productions

We provide mentoring, education, and practical learning experiences for outstanding candidates interested in gaining insight into a fashion industry leader renowned for its unique New York style and social conscience.
The following internship positions are currently available:
MARKETING

  • Brand Marketing

REQUIREMENTS:Candidates can be freshman, sophomores, juniors or seniors in an accredited college with a history of strong academic achievements. Internships are open to postgraduates as well. Candidates must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills with strong attention to detail. Proficiency with Microsoft Office is required. Interns may work up to 2 days per week in the Spring/Fall Program and 3 days per week in the Summer Program. A minimum of 2 full days per week is required. Exceptions are made for Co-Op Students.
PROGRAM WAGES:At Kenneth Cole Productions, interns receive an hourly rate of $11/hr. We work with your university to ensure you receive college credit if needed. In addition, interns have the opportunity to partake in exciting events including educational workshops, community involvement and a kick-off meeting with our founder, Kenneth Cole.
APPLY ONLINE VIA LINKEDIN (must have a LinkedIn account to access application)

Dept-Retail-Digital Graphic Designer–The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Job description

SUMMARY OF ROLE RESPONSIBILITES:

  • Will design compelling digital assets, for all of The Met Stores ecommerce needs; homepages, category layouts, emails, site banners, social media and more, to create an inspiring, exciting experience across all digital touch points
  • Must be easily conversant in all methods of systems and formatting to support best in class design across all platforms
  • Experience with responsive web design and UX is a must to ensure best in class design, accessible UX and a seamless ecommerce conversion process across all devices and platforms
  • Will support the design & development of all required digital assets within the Retail division, from design to photo retouching & preparation & layout of all online assets. Must be equally comfortable with production work as well as creative work
  • Will partner closely with the other teams to deliver a visually compelling and well-executed user experience and interface of the highest quality across all devices and platforms
  • Will keep projects on schedule. Prioritizing, organizing, and managing multiple projects concurrently to meet deadlines
  • Will maintain awareness of competitor & industry trends to develop concepts and layouts that are brand-consistent while pushing creative boundaries to improve presentation and drive revenue growth

DETAILED RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Experience working with commercial and cultural clients, be easily comfortable with screen-based design and digital platforms, and be flexible creatively and professionally
  • A strong understanding of the capabilities of different digital display formats, and of user-centered web design principles
  • Experienced in rendering designs into useable elements of a working website & working with HTML and CSS templates
  • Online merchandising duties including post production imaging: silhouetting, scanning, retouching and color correcting
  • To work with team members, building cross functional relationships to support the delivery each project to its best possible outcome
  • At times responsible for managing aspects of production working directly with vendors and coordinating with internal clients as well
  • Other duties as needed

REQUIREMENTS, QUALIFICATIONS & BEHAVIORS

  • Minimum 2 years’ experience in digital graphic design for retail organizations
  • Expertise in HTML5 and CSS
  • Experience working with a variety of different CMS and ecommerce platforms
  • Quick to learn new systems and software
  • Must have experience with responsive web design & current web technology trends
  • Strong understanding of UX best practices for online conversion and accessibility
  • Will work collaboratively on projects with other team members and incorporate constructive feedback into creative elements
  • Will continuously track progress & reviews delivery of key objectives
  • Will demonstrates a relentless tenacity to deliver
  • Will be detail-oriented, with excellent initiative, execution & follow-through
  • Builds trust & respect by keeping the commitments they made
  • Has the ability to work under pressure, handle multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines both independently and collaboratively
  • Adept at learning about new technologies impacting design & production
  • Must have innate problem-solving skills & analytical thinking
  • Must have a hands on approach

KNOWLEDGE & EDUCATION:

  • Must be expert in the most current versions of InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator
  • BFA in graphic design required
  • Knowledge of Art History preferred

APPLY ON LINKED IN (Must have a linkedin account to apply)

Frank Lloyd Wright Graphic Design Fellowship

Frank Lloyd Wright is America’s greatest architect, and his visionary legacy lives on at Taliesin West. Wright’s sprawling desert masterpiece, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, is an environment like no other.

A utopian world unto itself, Taliesin West is simple, elegant, and perfectly in harmony with the surrounding Southwestern landscape. It’s bustling, yet serene. Prehistoric, yet modern. Familiar, but exotic. Incomparable inspiration can be found everywhere you turn.

One designer will be chosen to spend 12 months living and working at this extraordinary place. The work will include traditional graphic design, magazine design, marketing, signage, product design, and other projects related to the full spectrum of Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation programming.

Throughout the Fellowship, the selected designer will be mentored by Michael Bierut of Pentagram (pentagram.com). The Fellowship includes room and board at Taliesin West and an annual salary of $20,000, plus health benefits. The term may begin as soon as October 2017. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create in the same space where Frank Lloyd Wright reimagined architecture.

Submit the following materials by September 4, 2017 to Jeff Goodman,
Director of Marketing and Communication at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation at JGoodman@FrankLloydWright.org:

  • A one-page letter of interest

  • A résumé

  • One letter of recommendation

  • A PDF portfolio: 5 projects, 5 pages. Choose work that best showcases your design aesthetic and experiences working in different areas of design.

  • A BFA or MFA in graphic design (or related area) is required. Applicants must be highly independent, exceedingly creative and love what they do.

Fall 2017 CBS Sports Network Graphic Design Intern (paid)

Fall 2017 CBS Sports Network Graphic Design Intern
REF#: 28782CBS BUSINESS UNIT: CBS Sports Network
JOB TYPE: Paid InternJ
OB SCHEDULE: Part-Time
JOB LOCATION: New York, NY
About UsCBS Sports Network, the 24-hour cable home of CBS Sports, airs more than 400 live games annually, showcasing an array of college and professional sports, as well as in-depth studio shows, documentaries and original programs. CBS Sports Network also provides extensive shoulder programming around CBS Sports’ Championship events, including the Super Bowl, The Masters and PGA Championship.CBS Sports Network is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers including Verizon FiOS Channel 94 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 643 (1643 in HD) and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to [1] www.cbssportsnetwork.com.ReferencesVisible linkshttp://www.cbssportsnetwork.com/
DescriptionThe Graphic Design Intern will be responsible for generating digital marketing creative content for CBS Sports Network including digital assets, photography research, and website designs. The intern will work closely with team designer to develop web graphics and assets.
Required
QUALIFICATIONS:CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network Internships are paid at a standard competitive hourly rate, proper work authorization is needed to be employed within the United States.Internships are in New York, NY. Selected students must be willing to relocate or commute at their own expense.Internships are typically given to college juniors and seniors, though some departments also accept freshmen, sophomores or graduate students. Upon acceptance, we will require a letter from your school or transcript confirming you are a matriculated student.Online ApplicationResume and cover letter
Preferred

  • Interest in sports is a plus0-1 years of digital and/or graphic design experience
  • Keen attention to detail
  • Strong design fundamentals (color, form, type, layout) and the ability to experiment
  • .Demonstrable graphic design skills with a strong portfolio
  • Solid skills in Photoshop & Illustrator CS6.

Eeo StatementEqual Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled
APPLY ONLINE

Paid Internship-Graphic Design, Packaging (Fall 2017) MATTEL

Mattel is currently seeking qualified intern candidates to participate in a paid Internship Program within the Packaging Graphics Department. The graphic design intern will work cross functionally across multiple product lines within the Thomas brand. Along with assisting in the layout of packaging mechanical files and production of packaging samples, the intern will have the opportunity to branch out and work on various marketing requests and projects that may not relate specifically to day to day packaging duties
Primary Duties

  • Work closely with packaging department designers to design and develop packaging graphics.
  • Prepare high quality package mock-ups.
  • Design graphics for trade ads, cross sells and related promotional graphics.
  • When asked, attend and participate in the weekly packaging/marketing meetings.
  • Communicate as required with the HK packaging office.
  • Understands how to monitor and follow packaging status schedules to keep projects on time.
  • Responsible to keep manager updated on changes in package design/development

SkillsExperience, Education & Skills SKILLS

  • Ability to transform business objectives into high quality, creative design concepts.
  • Computer Proficiency in Adobe CS5 as well as MS Office/Macintosh Office.
  • Working knowledge of type manipulation, photography, mechanical art production.
  • Strong aesthetic skills
  • Excellent time management skills with ability to juggle multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
  • Well-developed project management skills.
  • Strong communication skills with ability to work with individuals at all levels.

Education/Experience

  • Working towards a BS Degree in Graphics, Visual Media/Communication, Fine Arts or related degree.

APPLY ONLINE

Graphic Design Intern (unpaid)–BBC STORYWORKS INTERN

BBC StoryWorks is the creative studio with newsroom values – an agile content marketing and production agency within BBC Worldwide that embodies the BBC’s creative spark and rigorous editorial quality to help brands connect to audiences through beautifully crafted storytelling.
BBC StoryWorks North America is looking for a dynamic intern with graphic design experience to join our team for the Spring 2017 semester. Intern will help design marketing and sales collateral, as well as create mock-up designs of new creative digital content ideas to be introduced to our advertising partners. This will be an opportunity to gain experience with the commercial and editorial content of a trusted global brand, collaborating across editorial, sales, and product teams to develop exciting digital solutions for the BBC’s advertising partners in North America. We’re looking for a someone with a passion for digital design and an interest in the marketing and advertising space, who will thrive in a fast-paced, team environment.
Responsibilities
• Assist in the design and development of creative proposal decks for both RFP responses and proactive pitches to clients across a wide range of industries, including tech, travel, auto, finance, consumer products, and more.
• Create graphics and mock content pages to illustrate new creative concepts that will be introduced to the market
• Develop one page guides on various content and event offerings that can be shared on both internal and external channels
• Conduct competitor analysis of creative native advertising campaigns and industry insights across publishers in the US and provide regular updates to the team
• Track and update editorial content calendars and reference documents
• Participate in brainstorming and ideation for custom commercial content solutions across BBC.com properties (BBC World News, BBC Travel, BBC Culture, BBC Earth, BBC Capital, BBC Future, Top Gear, Good Food)
• Become familiar with BBC editorial and commercial policies
• Conduct research on relevant industry events, influencers, and other topics to assist the team during pitch deck preparation periods.
Requirements
• Must be rising junior or senior (previous internship experience preferred)
• Major in Graphic Design, Visual Studies, or related focus. Marketing and Advertising concentrations are a plus.
• Experience with Photoshop, Snagit, or other design programs, with an eye for visual layouts, fonts, etc.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with extensive knowledge of digital and social media.
• Experience with PowerPoint, Word and Excel.
• Preference for design skills (photoshop, snagit or other program) or eye for design and presentation
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Send a copy of your cover letter and resume with a link to your on-line portfolio to BBCWA.InternRequests@bbc.com, subject line “BBC Fall 2017 Internship, (Name of Internship Position).” In your cover letter, please specify which department you are applying for, verify if you are eligible for college/academic credit and advise the days you are available to work.
PLEASE NOTE: Students must be able to receive academic credit for the unpaid internships. For Fall internships, we request two to three full days of availability.
BBC Worldwide Americas offers NYC students a monthly Transit Chek card of $121 to assist with travel costs.

Seniority Level

Internship

Industry

  • Entertainment

Employment Type

Temporary

Job Functions

  • Design

Born Group – Paid Design Internship

BORN is an award-winning global digital agency with a core focus on creative, content and commerce. We provide a holistic suite of market-leading services, from large-scale image production to bespoke content experiences and innovative ecommerce solutions. Our evolution over 25 years represents our passion for delivering fully integrated creative work to our global clients.
Job Listing
Are you a college student with a design focus looking to explore the world of e-commerce and responsive web design? If so, you’ve come to the right place!
The BORN Creative team is currently seeking a proactive, self-starter that has an extreme love for everything design (just like us!). This Sketch and Photoshop ninja will be responsible for supporting design team leads as well as the business development team on a variety of high profile projects.
BORN is a digital agency that merges Creative, Content and Commerce. The NY office currently specializes in Creative and Commerce (that’s where your internship comes in). We are a pack of 6 passionate creatives (3 designers, 3 UX’ers) that constantly push each other to be the very best in the industry. There are NO egos on our team (nor are they welcome), so if you love speaking in gifs/memes as much as we do, you’ll fit right in!
BORN is a super fast-paced environment, but if you’re up for the challenge and want to learn years worth of knowledge in a matter of months, than this paid internship can be very rewarding.
Things you can expect to learn:

  • The foundations of responsive web design
  • The foundations of e-commerce design and UX/UI best practices
  • The foundations of how to design for the specific platforms (Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Magento 2.0, SAP Hybris)
  • The foundations of Mobile first/always methodologies
  • An intro to agile/Iterative project methodologies
  • The foundations of how to present your work and articulate your design decisions
  • Smart, non-destructive, efficient design skills for both Sketch and Photoshop
  • How to create a clickable prototype
  • What a full project cycle entails
  • How UX, design and development work together to create a killer product
  • The foundations of our business development (sales) process
  • Shadowing during presentations and sales meetings
  • Techniques for creating compelling and convincing pitch decks

Requirements:

  • Must be enrolled in a design focused curriculum (studying graphic, digital or web design)
  • Sketch & Craft skills – basic to intermediate
  • Photoshop skills – intermediate
  • Graphic design skills – intermediate
  • Web design skills – basic to intermediate
  • Keynote – basic to intermediate
  • Powerpoint skills – basic to intermediate
  • Ability to create beautiful Keynote and Powerpoint visuals
  • Proven design, typography skills
  • Extremely detail oriented

Brownie points:

  • Advanced knowledge of Sketch
  • Experience Invision or MarvelApp
  • Creating GIFs
  • Experience with Adobe AfterEffects or Principal (or any prototyping/animation tool)
  • Beginner/intermediate knowledge of front-end code (HTML/CSS/Java Script/jQuery)
  • Experience with photography or videography content creation
  • Experience designing for a content management system (CMS) (example: WordPress)

When applying:

  • SKIP THE COVER LETTER
  • Include a PDF of your resume
  • Include a URL to your online portfolio (personal website, Behance, Dribble, etc.)
  • A URL to your LinkedIn profile (if applicable)
  • We’re currently only soliciting candidates authorized to work in the U.S. at this time
  • Candidates must be able to work in our NY office

APPLY HERE

Designer wanted

Cloud Gallery is a fine art gallery located in Tribeca, Manhattan.

We are looking for individuals who are responsible, creative and proactive, having can-do attitude to join our Cloud team to drive the development with us. We are currently looking to hire a Designer.

Qualifications:

-At least 1 years print production experience

-Experience working for a retail company in a high traffic / quick turnaround environment.

-Expert-level knowledge of Adobe Create Suite: InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop.

-Strong typesetting and layout skills.

-Thorough understanding of the pre-press and printing processes.

-Knowledgeable about paper, substrate, production process and working with printers.

 

Days/hours and duration of job:   3-4 days/week, outstanding performance transfer to full-time

Wage/Salary: Negotiable

Employment Start Date: Immediately

 

Application Instructions:

If you are interested, please send your cover letter, resume and link to portfolio to info@cloudgallery.nyc with the subject of the Apply_Position_YourName.

Our mission is to support and promote emerging artists in the world, and inspire individuals who transform a spark of genius into timeless masterpieces. We connect the public, artists, collectors and corporates, and service our clients with professional art advisory in exhibitions and events. We have successfully helped artists like Benjamin Grant, Raina Dai, Chloe Seo, Sam Sherman, Jinn Ahn, Naoaki Funayama to establish a name in the Fine Art industry. With the expertise of Cloud Gallery, their talent is recognized in the market at a much higher price level.

Recently Cloud Printing has merged with Cloud Gallery that we can provide one-stop services for our clients. Now Cloud team provide full services to artists, art lovers, corporates, etc in commercial printing, fine art printing and branding strategy. We support startup companies to establish their foundations in branding, promotion and design.