Adobe Illustrator
Illustrator is my best friend. It is the program that will almost always be incorporated in everything I do because of my familiarity with it’s components as well as my belief that everything should be vector artwork when possible. Adobe’s other programs have their place, but I don’t believe they allow designers the same ability to play creatively and create graphics that can be transferred successfully between programs. I also believe strongly that graphics should be able to live as mice as well as monsters, a feat that can really only be achieved from vector-based artwork. Vector is king, and I its humble servant.
Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop is what I use when it’s time to really get down and dirty. Where this program is limited by dealing with pixel-based artwork it more than makes up for in the ways you can manipulate imagery and apply the subtle effects that can really make a piece stand out as professional. What I use this program for the most is photo retouching and collaging. Photo retouching can be described as dishonest, especially the way some people use retouching apps to paint an unrealistic likeness of themselves in social media, but a photography professor of mine once described how unfair a single frame from less than a second of time can be to someone. My goal in these retouching endeavors is to create a fair representation of someone without overdoing it, a skill that was carved into me through my first internship. As for collaging, what could be more fun and punk rock than that? Thanks to photoshop, my biggest challenge in creating collaged pieces is hunting down high res public domain images (or purchasing stock images when needed).
Adobe Indesign
I’ve known professionals that live on either side of the spectrum on Indesign. There are those who love it and use it exclusively, and others who stay as far away from it as they can. My truth about Indesign is that it is most useful when applying graphics to multi-page items, such as catalogs, articles, and books, as no other program in the Adobe suite offers the same kind of mass-control. My main tools used within Indesign would be Paragraph/Character Styles and Data-Merging. Paragraph/Character styles allow me to make changes en masse to an entire layout which not only saves time, but greatly cuts down simple errors. Data-Merging is truly amazing because it allows a creative like myself to combine my tool (Indesign in this case) with a clients tool (Spreadsheet software such as Excel) and have those pieces work in unison.
Design Theory
My junior year in college is when I became a full on Design nerd. Before that I was really just in it so I could make money while making art, but thanks to a little class called Theory and Research in Visual Design I began to romanticize the process as well as sharpened my abilities to verbally communicate visual ideas. We started by reading Karl Marx’s Commodities of Fetishism and bounced all the way up to the exploitative marketing of Nü Metal and MTV’s affect on the rise of Limp Bizkit. This where I read Walter Benjamin’s Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction as well as Filipo T. Marinetti’s Futurist Manifesto. It sounds incredibly boring, and it might be to you, but this is where I changed my way of thinking concerning design and began to consider it as a scientific approach to creating art. The skills learned in this class, in combination with Art History, Principles in Graphic Design, and way too many others to list here, formed the way in which I pursue design as not only a professional skill, but an intellectual endeavor. I’ve always thought of myself as having a sixth sense for branding and aesthetics, and my pursuit of understanding Visual Design Theory allows me the necessary skills to communicate those difficult ideas.
Illustration
It all starts with doodling in the margins. Besides this being a necessary skill in creating visual pieces, being able to illustrate something is the easiest, and sometimes only, way for me to take an idea from my head and present it in a way that can be received by those around me. As I learned more about design and styles I began to pick up on these different illustrative dialects and how certain shapes and forms belong to and are cherished by certain groups while dismissed by others.
Photography
Though this isn’t a huge component of my work, photography is incredibly important to design and cannot be overlooked. My equipment isn’t state-of-the-art (and honestly wasn’t the best even when it was new), but I do highly value the ability to go out and get quality images to use in my work. My favorite components of photography are taking the responsibility to capture what others don’t have the time to see and the technical aspects of using a camera. Photography is just story telling with images, and the fun part is embedding yourself into that story while keeping enough distance to stay out of its way. The other part is the technical frustration of dealing with capturing something as elusive as light, and finding ways around the limitations of your equipment.
Communication
Can you tell that I enjoy writing? This skill set comes in with many parts, including the abilities to communicate effectively, correctly, and in a way that comes out honestly. Though nothing can take the place of speaking face to face, I see a lot of opportunity in emails as both parties are allowed the time to really review what they are saying and make sure that they are communicating as effectively as possible. I take pride in my ability to write, and look forward to finding more professional opportunities that will allow me to do so.
Deadline Management
Boring, right? I’ve got it though, and through my professional experience have learned to adapt to fast-paced high-stress environments while minimizing errors that often happen in the rush. There are many right ways to do any sort of thing, but I prefer the most effective while minimizing errors.
Technical Aptitude
The more pieces something has, the more squirrely it gets. I find that many people run from complicated things and look for simple solutions, but I have adopted the mindset that nothing is magic, everything works for a reason, and there is a way to learn why those things work. Whether it’s learning new skills in the programs I use, or learning new programs altogether, I take pride in my ability to think acrobatically and to find the right solutions, not the easy ones.
Web
There’s a reason this is at the bottom of the list. I have to admit that I am still learning, but I am well versed in Web Design trends and always looking out for the next big thing. Currently I have a strong understanding of the basics, which allow me to understand where the limitations are as well as the opportunities. I also have a keen understanding of developing solid UX (User Experience). Stay tuned.