Analyze

–DESIGN TENDENCIES

From the start of the MFA program, I was asked to analyze my design way of thinking and list some of my design tendencies to determine what areas or studies I could work on or improve upon. Below is my list of design tendencies.

–STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE

I was also asked to fill out a student questionnaire from BennettPejiDesign to gain a better understanding of myself and my design goals.

Q1: Being involved in your design community is essential. You must know what’s going on. What are your competitors doing that blows your mind? What are they doing that blows your employer’s or clients’ minds? Are you doing that? Should you be doing that?

A1: There’s always plenty of inspiration to be found in the design community and it seems like trends are continuously forming and transpiring. Seeing designs with unexpected or subtle elements adds motivation to improve my designs. Designs that incorporate interactivity and online components enhances the experience and is an area I should be improving and studying more on.

Q2: Plan with the end in mind. If you could do absolutely anything in the design field and could not fail, what would it be? Are you in a mentorship situation now or on a learning path towards that goal?
(Envision an important goal, then do whatever it takes to get on the path. Interning is sometimes a really good way to get in. And you’ll learn more making copies for a genius for a year than being an assistant art director in a position that doesn’t lead to where you want to go).

A2: I think I would want to become involved in education, perhaps an instructor of a design class, so that I can help students who want to become involved in the design field. I am in a mentorship situation at the moment and my professors have provided ample advice and suggestions in starting my path.  If I can be a freelance designer at the same time that would be a great way to still be involved with working with other designers and clients, and exposed to different projects. And if I could temporarily immerse myself in a foreign country to learn about its culture while designing, that would benefit to gaining a better understanding of the country’s design aesthetics and traditions.

Q3: What is your core value? What is the most important thing you have to offer an employer? Why is that important to you? Why would that be important to an employer? For most art directors, typography sets you apart. Whatever it is for you, don’t be afraid to be as specific as possible.

A3: My core value is continuous learning…about everything. I think my motivation to learn and improve is what I can offer to an employer. This is important to an employer because a person willing to learn (especially if a topic is new) becomes involved and motivated in trying to improve and enhance the work. I think what sets me apart from others is perhaps my ability to analyze and lay out of details and elements on a page. Publication design is a particular area that I like to work on because there are a variety of elements to consider—typography choice, page layout, image choices and edits, organization of content and sections, cover design, etc.—and each page can be presented differently.

Q4: In your wildest dreams, what do you want people to be able to say about you, your design talent and knowledge? What is necessary for people to be able to say that? Position yourself to be thought of for the things YOU want to be remembered for.

A4: I think I want people to say that my designs are memorable and inspired them in some way. I am not sure what is necessary for people to say that, I feel that designs affect people in different ways. Perhaps social media may have a role in creating more exposure for my designs. When I was young I used to design t-shirts for my family and friends, designs that had typographic and illustrated elements that were related to their personalities or interests. When they wore the shirts, I felt that perhaps they wanted people to see how that design related to them. So I guess in my wildest dreams, it would be kind of neat to have a celebrity that I admired wear one of my t-shirts, or request a design…

Q5: What more could you do that adds value to the firm? (Could you learn a new software program that would help the firm be more creative or productive? Do you have music skills that the firm doesn’t have but needs for its multimedia projects? Could you bring a cultural perspective that helps that firm enter a new market?)

A5: I always enjoy learning more techniques in software, and want to learn more about interactive/online software capabilities. Growing up in a chinese household I could discuss some cultural traditions and customs. I could also provide an outlook on Japanese culture from living in that environment for over a year. From previous work experiences I have been involved in setting up quality assurance testing on software products, information technology support, and customer service experience.

Q6: How are you involved in your communities and the culture you live in? From my experience, the greatest designers are the ones who live their lives fully involved, whose understanding of cultures and their community is real and deep and not faked. That authenticity is reflected in their work.

A6: I am not as involved in my communities and culture as I should/could be. I would like to get more involved in the community and research areas I could become more involved in. I would like to understand cultures more, if my current surrounding does not provide ample exposure to cultural resources I usually seek out other resources.

Q7: What are three major changes shaping the industry over the next three to five years? In what ways are you positioned to participate in those changes?

A7: Three major changes shaping the industry: more emphasis on interactivity of elements incorporated into designs; designers will need to transform their designs to be online accessible (graphic designers will also transform to be web designers); a focus towards sustainable design. I’m currently trying to understand more about online capabilities and gain more knowledge/skills in creating an interactive design. I need more education and practice in web design. Also researching and reading more about sustainability design and how certain design choices can affect our environment.

Q8: What is happening in other industries which could be adapted to your business? (Simple mindshifts can lead to innovative ideas. Think outside the design industry box, outside the traditional paths of success.)

A8: I think research plays a large part of success in other industries. Research the subject, researching the competition, analyzing the current market trends and demand for the product/service, looking at what is not already done, opening lines of communication and exchanging of information from various sources all help to contribute to the project.

Q9: What are the key needs of your employer or client? Do your homework. Be aware of the history and the work of the firm and person you’re interviewing with and be prepared to tell them how you could fit in. Match and target your skills to address their needs. And you may even save time and heartache by finding out that that employer may not be in a position to fulfill YOUR needs.

A9: I think my employer expects me to fulfill my responsibilities as a GTA (Graduate Teaching Assistant), a graduate student and a designer. As a GTA, I need to expand my knowledge and skills to help students progress in their studies in the design area, which may involve presentations and discussions on particular topics, and assisting the professor with the class. As a graduate student, I need to research on a variety of design and non-design related topics to expand my understanding of past, current, and future happenings that affect my academic and career goals. As a designer, I am expected to research methods and bring forth innovative and creative solutions to projects.

Q10: Why would you like people to hire you… in terms of how you would improve THEIR lives? How are you going to make their business faster, smarter, and better? Go beyond just showing off how much you know about them, and use your background data to support an idea or ideas that shows them that you have imagination and insight

A10: Some reasons I should be hired include my motivation to learn and researching methods to improve certain aspects and experiment with looking at things from different perspectives. I like to analyze details of design and assess what improvement or alternative solutions can be presented.

Q11: What are three things you’d really like to do which would make a significant difference to your employer or clients, but have a good reason for not doing? How valid are those good reasons?

A11: Not sure how to answer this one…but I’d like to introduce more cultural elements/exposure to more international design in classes. I see this may be an issue that only particular cultures are researched on and measures need to be put in place to ensure that some cultures are not excluded.

Q12: The last question is really the primary question. We come full circle to the one that all these previous questions are designed to help you answer. What vision, goals and values are embodied in you? Are they reflected in your portfolio, resume, cover letter and interview presentation?

A12: My vision includes creating designs or writings that can help and inspire others. I enjoy creating an understanding or sharing knowledge with others that can help them progress in their works. One of my goals is to become an educator in the field of design, whether it be instructing technical knowledge of software or conveying information on design concepts. I would also like to work on designs that are related to my cultural background, perhaps by infusing traditional works with my own design style. Analytical, communicative, and problem-solving skills are valuable in designing solutions. From my portfolio there tends to an aesthetic towards clean and simple design, and also a tendency of drawing influences from asian cultures. I will continue with my design style, but hope to challenge myself with different methods/styles of design, gathering inspiration from various sources.