helpful (but obvious) article

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chrismitchell is offline
Doom! / Team DF
5,379 Posts
Milton Keynes
I used to teach Design for Print in New Zealand. In the Auckland campus of the Design College. Mainly out of frustration that no Designers in New Zealand knew how to layup for print



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Just remember.. no matter how happy you think you are, you're never as happy as a Pineapple Chunk... They're well happy!
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  Quote Post 16 Posted 04-07-09
tbwcf is offline
Designer/Developer
1,122 Posts
Ha no toilet! "just lose the ally son" - brilliant!

Teaching in New Zealand sounds cool! My girlfriend has mentioned moving to Oz for a bit and I'm led to believe I could do relatively well with design out there....

I am pretty good with html/css and to an extent jquery (mainly knowing what can be done and using open source plugins than coding it myself on the jquery front) and pretty good with wordpress...

I'd be happy to help! just let me know what you'd like help with and I'll do what I can for your good cause!


  Quote Post 17 Posted 04-07-09
chrismitchell is offline
Doom! / Team DF
5,379 Posts
Milton Keynes
you're a star mate I'll send you an email tomorrow about it its just that my basic HTML and CSS skills suck so much.. but I know enough about Wordpress to set the correct areas etc Thats very kind of you to help

Oz is a strange place, i've known a few people who've moved out there... Design wise, i'm sure there are a couple of Ozzy Designers here who can point you in the right direction about working out there



The Widdler's Wee Online Farm | Widdler's Wee Creative | Follow us on Twitter | Newswipe Now Live! Come join the Rant!
Just remember.. no matter how happy you think you are, you're never as happy as a Pineapple Chunk... They're well happy!
Don't forget to donate blood!
  Quote Post 18 Posted 04-07-09
tbwcf is offline
Designer/Developer
1,122 Posts
No worries Chris, look forward to your mail tomorrow I don't know how much I'll be around the mac tomo but I'll get back to you soon as I can on it! - I like working on/helping with things I'm interested in!


  Quote Post 19 Posted 04-07-09
chrismitchell is offline
Doom! / Team DF
5,379 Posts
Milton Keynes
thats awesome I'll probably either use your online email form or just through DF

Damn I feel bad for Timbo this was his thread



The Widdler's Wee Online Farm | Widdler's Wee Creative | Follow us on Twitter | Newswipe Now Live! Come join the Rant!
Just remember.. no matter how happy you think you are, you're never as happy as a Pineapple Chunk... They're well happy!
Don't forget to donate blood!
  Quote Post 20 Posted 04-07-09
tbwcf is offline
Designer/Developer
1,122 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by tim-ater View Post
i found this today via stumbleupon.

very helpful especially for me... or maybe just me.


i found this today via stumbleupon.

very helpful especially for me... or maybe just me.

Quote:
1. Your diploma doesn’t help you to find a job

But your portfolio does! Of course it’s a good thing to get a design education and a proof of it, but when it comes to get money out of their wallet clients want to see what you are capable of, not a diploma. When looking for work, I never had to show my diploma, not even once.


2. Good design takes time, don’t set too tight deadlines

When you are in design school, the teacher sets the deadlines for you and tries to give you enough time. Your boss or your client will not be like your design teacher, they will try to push you to be more productive and give you too little time to get work done. All my worst designs have been created when I agreed to work with unrealistic deadlines.


3. You clients don’t think that you are an artist

They just think you should help them to sell more. This doesn’t mean you should give up on good design, it just means that you’ll have to be convincing when you want to bring a more artistic touch to a job. I’ve been very frustrated with this when I first got out of school, but I learned to deal with it by educating my clients.


4. You must be able to handle irrelevant criticism

When you are in school, you learn a lot from getting criticized by your teachers and classmates. Obviously these people all have some design skills, sometimes more than yourself. It is much harder to handle critics about your work when they come from people with no design education. You can be sure that you’ll hear some insane things and have to deal with it.


5. You should backup your data on a regular basis

Most people learn this the hard way, the day their computer crashes. Usually it happens at the worst time, before a client meeting or something similar. If you think that this isn’t design-related, you are totally wrong.


6. Start networking, now!

Be sociable, even if you are the best designer out there, nobody will know it if people don’t get a chance to meet you. You don’t even need to attend work-related events, just join a sport team, drama group or whatever suits you, the most important thing is that you meet some like-minded people. When with people, don’t oversell and talk about your work all the time, but be sure never to miss an opportunity when you think that someone could need your skills.


7. Make sure your client signs a contract

This is sometimes annoying, especially when you think that you can trust the client, but it can save you a lot of trouble. You should make it a habit to have you clients signing a simple and comprehensive contract before starting to work. If you have no clue of how to write a contract, phone your mother.


8. Learning design is an ongoing process

Getting your diploma doesn’t mean that your design education is over, far from it. As a designer you have to stay up-to-date with the latest trends, software updates and industry news, or you’ll quickly lose touch.


9. Being a good designer is not only about talent

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it”. This quote by Thomas Jefferson says it all about the importance of hard work in creative fields. As a designer, you need to read, work and experiment constantly, it is the only way to let your natural talent explode.


10. Your printer will stop working when you need it the most

Need to print your design to go meet your client? Chances are that your printer will chose that moment to die. Make sure you have some friends or working partners willing to help in these cases.
11. Your posts on design forums are subject to hijack from general chitchat

Got a sensible or urgent question? really need a quick honest opinion or advice, well just as you thought you were onto a winner the members will start rambling on about greasy spoons and pissing in alleys...


  Quote Post 21 Posted 04-07-09
tbwcf is offline
Designer/Developer
1,122 Posts
there we go... back on track!


  Quote Post 22 Posted 04-07-09
chrismitchell is offline
Doom! / Team DF
5,379 Posts
Milton Keynes
good one Andy



The Widdler's Wee Online Farm | Widdler's Wee Creative | Follow us on Twitter | Newswipe Now Live! Come join the Rant!
Just remember.. no matter how happy you think you are, you're never as happy as a Pineapple Chunk... They're well happy!
Don't forget to donate blood!
  Quote Post 23 Posted 04-07-09
tim is offline
tim
Senior Member
4,378 Posts
like i caer...! carry on it's interesting to hear not-related-to-the-subject friends talk about encounters they shared at totally different times to each other.



nobody?
  Quote Post 24 Posted 04-07-09
chrismitchell is offline
Doom! / Team DF
5,379 Posts
Milton Keynes
LOL true... I probably went to Farnborough so long ago that Andy was at Middle School



The Widdler's Wee Online Farm | Widdler's Wee Creative | Follow us on Twitter | Newswipe Now Live! Come join the Rant!
Just remember.. no matter how happy you think you are, you're never as happy as a Pineapple Chunk... They're well happy!
Don't forget to donate blood!
  Quote Post 25 Posted 05-07-09
 
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