I apologize. Let me explain. Can some one who is currently attending graphic design school title himself "graphic designer" on his business card?.........This person has not finished his graphic design education and has never worked in a graphic design firm although he is very talented. He would like work as a freelance graphic designer but he is worried about telling clients he is a graphic designer without actually having a degree. Are there any legal ramifications or consequences from taking this kind of decision?
no, there are no legal consequences since no licensing is required. go ahead and do it. i would say, and this will proabably be obvious to your potential clients, that you should not mislead your client regarding you experience. the last point is just a matter of ethics.
while i somewhat agree with mau, i often find architects who do their own graphic design [print and digital] to be rather clumsy. web in particular. typography skill are usually pretty rough too.
worst case scenerio >> they won't hire you because they are not comfortable with your level or experience or your work. that former will resolve itself over time. the latter is always a possibility.
you should always be paid for your work. they can always stop the work if they are not happy, but you still should be paid up to that point.
be smart about how you write your contracts and write them so that they are fair to both parties. depending on the size of the job, i ask for 1/3 [for larger jobs] to 1/2 [for smaller] of the fee up front. this shows good faith on the client's behalf and gives you some money to get the job started. another 1/3 would be billed at the half way point. and the final 1/3 or 1/2 would be billed on completion.
These days, we can label ourselves as whatever we want--and often do so inadvertantly. But, as mentioned above, with said labels come certain responsibilities and expectations and if the label is too big (or even too small) it's going to be noticable.
In the matter of still being in school, from my understanding of graphic design as a practise, I think it's less of an issue. While certain sensibilities are definitely aquired with experience, it's entirely possible for someone with less experience to develop and put forward ideas that are just as great as someone who's experienced. Creativity is like that. What you will find though, is that many of the short cuts--quickly understanding and grasping the slippery slope between what a client whats and what they need being the big one--aren't yet fully available to you.
"While certain sensibilities are definitely aquired with experience, it's entirely possible for someone with less experience to develop and put forward ideas that are just as great as someone who's experienced."
i some what agree with this. while it is possible, as always, experience is invaluable in understanding what is possible and how you can best achieve it. there is no better way to learn than by doing. i guess i would not underestimate experience no matter what creative field you are in.
Oh absolutely. I fully agree with your statement. I wasn't intending to not give experience its full credit.
I'm just thinking that in Tectonic's case, I wouldn't let his lack of experience keep him from giving it a shot. A lack of experience doesn't necessarily mean that you can't do something, just that you've got to work harder or longer or more conscientiously at it. Regardless, he would be learning by doing. And that's what matters.
I dunno, people. I hate to see some of us, I mean architects, think that we know everything about design. I have some friends who are graphic designers, and their school lives were pretty much same as what we did; staying up late and working 24/7. They sure know more about graphic design, and I don't think it's fair for us to claim their title just because we think we "know" design. This also applies to interior design; architects have this tendency to look down on interior designer, but we must admit that interior designer's sense of color is generally FAR better than us.
We have to respect people in other prefessions, in order to get some respect.
i believe tectonic is a studying graphic design not architecture. i run my own graphic firm and have indicated that i often find architects who do their own graphic design [print and digital] to be rather clumsy. web in particular. typography skill are usually pretty rough too. i think others may also share the sentiment.
One of the biggest things I see hurt undergrad arch presentations is poor graphic design. A lot of people have issues with just colors. I don't think a whole course on color theory is necessary, but I dunno, sometimes I am astonished at what colors people use together. Also, simple font consideration . . . serifs, sans-serifs . . . e is right, very rough typography. A font can say so much, and people usually blow it using times. I've recently come to a realization that every font has its place. I use to abhor times new roman, but I understand that even fonts I think are crappy have their place somewhere.
Obviously I need some sleep.
Anyway, I agree with you, e... but I still think "This person" should finish school before call himself graphic designer, BECAUSE licensing is NOT required... don't you think? It's like a minimum requirement, man. I really hated when everybody (from highschool kids to grandmas in retirement homes) called him/herself web designer without any formal educations in 1998-2001.
yeah, i hear you, and i can understand what you are saying. that's why i told him/her about being honest about their experience. 99% of the time the work you bring to the table to show a potential client will speak honestly about your experience. and honestly i really don't care if he/she does call themselves a graphic designer. i doubt they will be competing against me for my jobs. and if they are and they win the job, then they've earned it and my hat is off to them.
When I started learning about graphic design and web design (and a little motion graphics, though not as much as I'd like), at the end of my MArch 1, I thought that it would be fairly easy. Given that I had a good undergrad in architecture, spent many hours putting presentations together, etc. It just seemed that it was another facet of design - learn a few tools and it'd all fall into place.
I was wrong.
While graphic design certainly doesn't require the education architecture does, to be good, you have to learn the tools, then experiment, study, experiment, study, etc., etc. I studied as many good graphic artists (and with the web, you can see many) as I found and, as with architecture, tried to understand the methodology, the process, etc., whatever I could. It's helped tremendously.
Point being, it's always a process of learning and experimenting, studying and practicing. Go for it, practice and learn, it's a great field, imo, and not burdened by the bs that surrounds architecture (you'll find many of the best giving great advice on many of the good portals - www.newstoday.com for starters). There are egos, of course, but in general I think it's a 'happy' profession.
is there an "NCARB" for graphic designers? i'd be careful calling yourself a "Graphic Designer" without full licensure if there is such a thing. everyone knows you must pay someone in order to call yourself something.
No, it's not nearly as pretentious as architecture. You can call yourself a graphic design, a web designer, or hell, an information architect, but just not an architect. It's just so stupid.
Let's cap the advantages of graphic design/web design:
1. Less education = less loans, not to mention the schooling is VERY easy and fun
2. People see the need for expensive designs, be it an add campaign or really nice website - it makes them more money and sells a brand
3. Graphic artists typically make more out of school, and that's just a Bachelors! My 'lil sis is getting paid more one year out of grahic school , and a second rate school (although she is good - I helped guide her ;-), than my arch friends with 5 years experience from top schools.
4. Less stress - there are no bs theories that one has to understand, no pseudo scientific crap, no over intellectualized mumbo jumbo
5. Projects are usually quick, meaning you can experiment with lots of different things
6. Did I mention less stress and more money? Ah, now I remember why this was all so appealing!
I still believe that it can be one of the most rewarding professions out there, and perhaps the best for creative/artistic people. You may not move up a pay scale like some careers but there is also no limit to how much you can make (unlike architecture). You CAN get clients that pay you for your talent (unlike architecture, where everyone more or less gets paid the same), it's all possible.
It's fun, gratifying, and rewarding on a personal and ego level (I love getting compliments on logos, etc., which I rarely ever got for arch designs beyond school and arch friends - people just don't 'get it').
nico, you only have to pay to call yourself something when licensing is involved. licensing usually becomes involved when there is huge liability. not much liablility is graphics. no one will die if i draw something you don't like.
Anyone can call himself/herself a graphic designer from a legal standpoint. But, I would warn you, and also beg you,
If you are going to attempt to be a graphic designer then PLEASE get some education. You don't need a degree, you don't need to go to a top school, but please, for the love of all that is good, enroll yourself in Typography 101 and an introductory Information Design class.
These are not things that are easy to teach yourself, no matter how talented or creative you are, because a good chunk of what helps you learn is someone more experienced than you picking apart your work. Also, these things are learned, and have nothing to do with talent - talented people don't automatically know how to do it right, and even the untalented can become skilled.
PLEASE become good with type. PLEASE become good with information design. Then you will not pollute the universe with horrifically kerned and/or incoherent work. Then your superiors and coworkers will not have to waste their time correcting your mistakes. Type & info are two of the biggest pitfalls of this profession and these mistakes are often made even by people who have a degree but just didn't pay attention.
TYPOGRAPHY!
INFORMATION DESIGN!
LEARN THEM!
PLEASE!
There is a luxury condo on 13th St. that I believe was intended to be called "THE GREENWICH" But according to their signage, it is now called "THE GR EENWICH." I die a little bit inside every time I walk past it and think of the fact that some firm was paid thousands of dollars to design that logo.
Maybe there is hope. Maybe this is the fault of the signage installer and not the designer. I don't know. In any case it's the designer's fault for not being on the jobsite for an approval to make sure it came out right. So sad.
this is the one that was used in my first type class. It's good for reference and definitions. I imagine that many other reference books would contain the same basic info.
But since I barely used books to learn (because I found them generally ineffective for this particular skill, and I'm even a typical "book learner") I can't really recommend any one over the other. I mean, any book can tell you basic stuff like don't leave an orphan word at the end of a paragraph, but it's not going to be of much help in really fine-fine tuning your own work.
The Edward Tufte books are all great references for information design, but they are hardly how-too books. More useful for inspiration than really being guided & critiqued through designing your own thing.
Can you lavel your self graphic designer?
1. Some graphic design schooling
2. Some experience
3. Would want to make a career as a freelance graphic designer
what does lavel mean?
i think tentonic means label? is this an 'if' question?
can you label yourself as a graphic designer if you have 1, 2, and 3?
i think graphic - design, is, dunno if this is the correct term, but it is INHERENT to architecters
we design, things, buildings, spaces, furniture, etc.
using graphic means to express and represent the ideas
of course the profession "graphic designer" has a lot of specific and very specialized knowledge, it is a profession that i admire deeply.
BUT i also think that architects with the 1,2,3's you've mentioned can do well.
I apologize. Let me explain. Can some one who is currently attending graphic design school title himself "graphic designer" on his business card?.........This person has not finished his graphic design education and has never worked in a graphic design firm although he is very talented. He would like work as a freelance graphic designer but he is worried about telling clients he is a graphic designer without actually having a degree. Are there any legal ramifications or consequences from taking this kind of decision?
no, there are no legal consequences since no licensing is required. go ahead and do it. i would say, and this will proabably be obvious to your potential clients, that you should not mislead your client regarding you experience. the last point is just a matter of ethics.
while i somewhat agree with mau, i often find architects who do their own graphic design [print and digital] to be rather clumsy. web in particular. typography skill are usually pretty rough too.
sorry "...since licensing is NOT required."
Got it. So worst case scenerio may be- the client doesn't feel pleased with the service and won't pay. Is this correct?
worst case scenerio >> they won't hire you because they are not comfortable with your level or experience or your work. that former will resolve itself over time. the latter is always a possibility.
you should always be paid for your work. they can always stop the work if they are not happy, but you still should be paid up to that point.
be smart about how you write your contracts and write them so that they are fair to both parties. depending on the size of the job, i ask for 1/3 [for larger jobs] to 1/2 [for smaller] of the fee up front. this shows good faith on the client's behalf and gives you some money to get the job started. another 1/3 would be billed at the half way point. and the final 1/3 or 1/2 would be billed on completion.
Excellent information. I appreciate it e.
i agree with the E,
i meant to say that we architects have the basic tools & knowledge if we would want to pursue such activities
:o)
indeed mau.
These days, we can label ourselves as whatever we want--and often do so inadvertantly. But, as mentioned above, with said labels come certain responsibilities and expectations and if the label is too big (or even too small) it's going to be noticable.
In the matter of still being in school, from my understanding of graphic design as a practise, I think it's less of an issue. While certain sensibilities are definitely aquired with experience, it's entirely possible for someone with less experience to develop and put forward ideas that are just as great as someone who's experienced. Creativity is like that. What you will find though, is that many of the short cuts--quickly understanding and grasping the slippery slope between what a client whats and what they need being the big one--aren't yet fully available to you.
"While certain sensibilities are definitely aquired with experience, it's entirely possible for someone with less experience to develop and put forward ideas that are just as great as someone who's experienced."
i some what agree with this. while it is possible, as always, experience is invaluable in understanding what is possible and how you can best achieve it. there is no better way to learn than by doing. i guess i would not underestimate experience no matter what creative field you are in.
Oh absolutely. I fully agree with your statement. I wasn't intending to not give experience its full credit.
I'm just thinking that in Tectonic's case, I wouldn't let his lack of experience keep him from giving it a shot. A lack of experience doesn't necessarily mean that you can't do something, just that you've got to work harder or longer or more conscientiously at it. Regardless, he would be learning by doing. And that's what matters.
right on. good luck tectonic.
I dunno, people. I hate to see some of us, I mean architects, think that we know everything about design. I have some friends who are graphic designers, and their school lives were pretty much same as what we did; staying up late and working 24/7. They sure know more about graphic design, and I don't think it's fair for us to claim their title just because we think we "know" design. This also applies to interior design; architects have this tendency to look down on interior designer, but we must admit that interior designer's sense of color is generally FAR better than us.
We have to respect people in other prefessions, in order to get some respect.
i believe tectonic is a studying graphic design not architecture. i run my own graphic firm and have indicated that i often find architects who do their own graphic design [print and digital] to be rather clumsy. web in particular. typography skill are usually pretty rough too. i think others may also share the sentiment.
One of the biggest things I see hurt undergrad arch presentations is poor graphic design. A lot of people have issues with just colors. I don't think a whole course on color theory is necessary, but I dunno, sometimes I am astonished at what colors people use together. Also, simple font consideration . . . serifs, sans-serifs . . . e is right, very rough typography. A font can say so much, and people usually blow it using times. I've recently come to a realization that every font has its place. I use to abhor times new roman, but I understand that even fonts I think are crappy have their place somewhere.
Obviously I need some sleep.
Anyway, I agree with you, e... but I still think "This person" should finish school before call himself graphic designer, BECAUSE licensing is NOT required... don't you think? It's like a minimum requirement, man. I really hated when everybody (from highschool kids to grandmas in retirement homes) called him/herself web designer without any formal educations in 1998-2001.
yeah, i hear you, and i can understand what you are saying. that's why i told him/her about being honest about their experience. 99% of the time the work you bring to the table to show a potential client will speak honestly about your experience. and honestly i really don't care if he/she does call themselves a graphic designer. i doubt they will be competing against me for my jobs. and if they are and they win the job, then they've earned it and my hat is off to them.
When I started learning about graphic design and web design (and a little motion graphics, though not as much as I'd like), at the end of my MArch 1, I thought that it would be fairly easy. Given that I had a good undergrad in architecture, spent many hours putting presentations together, etc. It just seemed that it was another facet of design - learn a few tools and it'd all fall into place.
I was wrong.
While graphic design certainly doesn't require the education architecture does, to be good, you have to learn the tools, then experiment, study, experiment, study, etc., etc. I studied as many good graphic artists (and with the web, you can see many) as I found and, as with architecture, tried to understand the methodology, the process, etc., whatever I could. It's helped tremendously.
Point being, it's always a process of learning and experimenting, studying and practicing. Go for it, practice and learn, it's a great field, imo, and not burdened by the bs that surrounds architecture (you'll find many of the best giving great advice on many of the good portals - www.newstoday.com for starters). There are egos, of course, but in general I think it's a 'happy' profession.
is there an "NCARB" for graphic designers? i'd be careful calling yourself a "Graphic Designer" without full licensure if there is such a thing. everyone knows you must pay someone in order to call yourself something.
hi
i suggest that you just call yourself a "fancy graphics lover"
that should take care of everything
No, it's not nearly as pretentious as architecture. You can call yourself a graphic design, a web designer, or hell, an information architect, but just not an architect. It's just so stupid.
Let's cap the advantages of graphic design/web design:
1. Less education = less loans, not to mention the schooling is VERY easy and fun
2. People see the need for expensive designs, be it an add campaign or really nice website - it makes them more money and sells a brand
3. Graphic artists typically make more out of school, and that's just a Bachelors! My 'lil sis is getting paid more one year out of grahic school , and a second rate school (although she is good - I helped guide her ;-), than my arch friends with 5 years experience from top schools.
4. Less stress - there are no bs theories that one has to understand, no pseudo scientific crap, no over intellectualized mumbo jumbo
5. Projects are usually quick, meaning you can experiment with lots of different things
6. Did I mention less stress and more money? Ah, now I remember why this was all so appealing!
I still believe that it can be one of the most rewarding professions out there, and perhaps the best for creative/artistic people. You may not move up a pay scale like some careers but there is also no limit to how much you can make (unlike architecture). You CAN get clients that pay you for your talent (unlike architecture, where everyone more or less gets paid the same), it's all possible.
It's fun, gratifying, and rewarding on a personal and ego level (I love getting compliments on logos, etc., which I rarely ever got for arch designs beyond school and arch friends - people just don't 'get it').
nico, you only have to pay to call yourself something when licensing is involved. licensing usually becomes involved when there is huge liability. not much liablility is graphics. no one will die if i draw something you don't like.
What if yhou get a paper cut across your neck? Or a billboard falls on you? Or the CD insert of your favorite music artist explodes in your face??
blood runs down your neck.
Anyone can call himself/herself a graphic designer from a legal standpoint. But, I would warn you, and also beg you,
If you are going to attempt to be a graphic designer then PLEASE get some education. You don't need a degree, you don't need to go to a top school, but please, for the love of all that is good, enroll yourself in Typography 101 and an introductory Information Design class.
These are not things that are easy to teach yourself, no matter how talented or creative you are, because a good chunk of what helps you learn is someone more experienced than you picking apart your work. Also, these things are learned, and have nothing to do with talent - talented people don't automatically know how to do it right, and even the untalented can become skilled.
PLEASE become good with type. PLEASE become good with information design. Then you will not pollute the universe with horrifically kerned and/or incoherent work. Then your superiors and coworkers will not have to waste their time correcting your mistakes. Type & info are two of the biggest pitfalls of this profession and these mistakes are often made even by people who have a degree but just didn't pay attention.
TYPOGRAPHY!
INFORMATION DESIGN!
LEARN THEM!
PLEASE!
i think she means it.
can you recommend some good text books on those items?
yep, yep, and yep.
There is a luxury condo on 13th St. that I believe was intended to be called "THE GREENWICH" But according to their signage, it is now called "THE GR EENWICH." I die a little bit inside every time I walk past it and think of the fact that some firm was paid thousands of dollars to design that logo.
Maybe there is hope. Maybe this is the fault of the signage installer and not the designer. I don't know. In any case it's the designer's fault for not being on the jobsite for an approval to make sure it came out right. So sad.
this is the one that was used in my first type class. It's good for reference and definitions. I imagine that many other reference books would contain the same basic info.
But since I barely used books to learn (because I found them generally ineffective for this particular skill, and I'm even a typical "book learner") I can't really recommend any one over the other. I mean, any book can tell you basic stuff like don't leave an orphan word at the end of a paragraph, but it's not going to be of much help in really fine-fine tuning your own work.
The Edward Tufte books are all great references for information design, but they are hardly how-too books. More useful for inspiration than really being guided & critiqued through designing your own thing.
understandable.
it's just cheaper to buy books than enroll in classes.
the reviews on that book are entertaining to read.
I hate to be laveled as anything.
The mother of all type books and totally easy to use and understand is Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst
Another good book for graphic novices but not for advance folks
Stop Stealing Sheep by Erik Spiekerman
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