I call her Eagle Eye.

Eagle Eye can sense a quarter of a point size font difference by taking one glance at a design.  She has become my favorite customer, but her eagle eye for slight design variations wasn’t always something I handled well.

She is a throwback to another time.  She owns her own advertising agency and has worked in the industry for over forty years.  At over seventy years old and five foot three inches tall, she is the smallest and seemingly frailest person I have ever worked with.  But she has a southern toughness that rivals that of Scarlett O’Hara.  I would imagine that her toughness has grown from forging a long lasting career in a field dominated by men, in a region of the country that has had some old fashioned views of a woman’s place in the working world.

We get to work together for a short period of time every year.  That one period of time lasts for only a month, but it has become my favorite month of the year.

My first experience with Eagle Eye was during the first year of my current job. I was still cutting my teeth when I was told that a customer was coming in for a job we had been printing for over thirty years.   Her name was Sonja and I was to update the brochure for the county fair that she was promoting. 

Our first meeting was easy enough, she had everything well organized and she had sketched out the changes that she wanted.  I took the notes and did my best with the file and hideous photographs I received to work with.   Although the design was from thirty years ago, I had to admit, it didn’t look too bad when I was finished.  After all, current design trends were focusing on a retro style, and I thought I had done a spectacular job. 

My thought was incredibly wrong.   She spotted fonts that were a quarter of a point size different from the fonts surrounding them, she spotted drop shadows that didn’t match by only two percent difference, and told me that every image had to have the background lightened.  By the time I was through with our meeting, I had two full days worth of work ahead of me.   I was flabbergasted.

Being someone who only gets more determined in the face of adversity, I went back to work and put together another proof.  She spotted more fonts that didn’t match, the drop shadows were now too dark, she wanted the blue lightened but not too light, and every photo I had taken so much time to adjust was not light enough.

After a few proofs, I started to explain why some of the changes she requested couldn’t be done the way she wanted. Some of the changes she wanted were changes that I thought wouldn’t work for press printing, but she wouldn’t budge.  She stuck, like pluff mud, to all of the changes that I told her were impossible.   I eventually gave up on convincing her of my side and cursed as I went back to my desk to try the impossible tasks she refused to see as impossible.

We did this through seventeen proofs, until she eventually approved it for printing.  I was glad to be done working with her, and I hoped I wouldn’t be the one to work with her the next year.   My hopes were dashed and the next year, when the same time came around I was the one.

The process went the same, but that year there were new challenges, the yellow background that had been used for the last fifteen years wasn’t yellow enough for her.  She would ask: “is that a different yellow from last year?”  I would tell her “No, it is exactly the same color that has been printed for fifteen years” and she would say “It looks like a different yellow, well let’s just try to make it more yellow.”  I would add more yellow and she would say “See, doesn’t that just look so much better?”  I would clench my teeth in frustration.

One of the reasons I had such a hard time accepting our relationship was the fact that she would look at something that she had agreed upon the previous year and tear it apart as if someone else had approved it.   It didn’t make sense to me that she would trash talk a design that was her own, and then approve of it after making what seemed to me to be inconsequential changes. 

After three years of the same struggles, I decided to give up and just accept all of the changes she asked for without argument.  I soon learned that none of her requests were impossible.  What started out as giving up suddenly turned into opening up.  My eyes were opened to her point of view.  I realized that I had completely pushed away her forty years of experience for my meager eight years.   I am ashamed to admit it now, but my ego caused me to assume that everything everyone learned prior to computer based design was obsolete.   How arrogant of me. Every change Sonja was asking for really did make the piece look better. 

Once I put aside my ridiculous notions, it dawned on me that her critiques of the previous years design were the mark of a great designer.  If Sonja had been born at the same time as me, during the era of computer-based design, she would have blown the socks off of the design world.

I now look forward to working with her every year and will mourn the day I no longer have the chance to learn from such a strong and talented role model.  The lessons I learn from Sonja are lessons I will treasure for my entire career. 

Lesson Learned: Your ego is young. Respect those who have more experience. Learn as much from them as you can.

      

The Design Shrink Web Presence

Unfortunately I don't think that I will ever achieve this level of recognition using the
name "TheDesignShrink."  I should have run a quick search on it before choosing it since
others have already dominated the search for this name.  I hope that my grade is not hurt
by the fact that I will not in 12 weeks get this name as recognized as I think the professor
has intended for us to achieve.  Search engine optimization can take a very long time and I
don't think that 12 weeks will give me enough time to dominate the search, but that doesn't
mean I won't give it a try!

The Day My Ego Was Out of Control

My ego has taken many forms over the years. Currently it is a design ego.  But it wasn’t always a design ego.  My first experience with my ego, and the tragedy it sometimes takes to rein it in, was my senior year of my undergraduate degree.  At the time I had no idea my career would lead me to the field of graphic design, and my ego had taken a different form as a production ego.  I was in Cortland, New York, and I was on top of my game as the President of the campus television station.  We were called in to film and broadcast the debates for the City of Cortland Mayoral race of 2000. 
I was organized and efficient, I was so sure that this was going to be the best production of my life.  My production ego was huge.  We were going to broadcast live over the campus (we didn’t have the capabilities to broadcast off campus) and then send the recording to the local station in town to broadcast the debates for the town to watch.

Everything was perfect.  I had lapel microphones on each candidate, we had carried the massive studio cameras from the station to the venue, and we put up lighting to ensure we had a great picture.  I tested and re-tested the live connection.  We created graphics to introduce the debates.  We were ready.

I only had two volunteers with me to run the production and they manned the cameras while I was directing.  My advisor was there proudly looking on as his prodigy of a student was making the campus station look really good.   With 5 minutes left in the debates, my ego was soaring.  I was the best and I always would be.  It was then that I happened to look down at the recording device and noticed that there was no tiny little red light.  My heart leaped into my throat.  My first thought was that the device had malfunctioned.  So I tested it.  I hit the record button, and that little unassuming red light came on so quickly that I thought it was taunting me.  I lost my breath.  I cursed.  Both camera operators glued their eyes on me asking what was happening.  I was so organized, so precise with all of my actions that day, how could I have possibly missed such a simple task?  No, my ego thought.  I couldn’t have forgotten to press the record button.  That would be impossible.   But as the debate ended my ego had run away to hide.  It was the only possible explanation.  I had forgotten to press the record button. 

Everyone tried to cajole me saying it was an easy mistake to make.  But, I was inconsolable. I was heartbroken.  My production of a lifetime was lost.  No-one had recorded it.  I hadn’t thought to run a secondary recorder from the studio.  The debate was a one-time only affair that would never be seen again. 

I slowly recovered from my mistake, swearing to never overlook the smallest details and always have a backup plan.  But, my mistake couldn’t be forgotten.  It turned out that the losing candidate would cite the fact that because of my recording miss-hap no-one in the town was able to view what he thought was a landslide win in the debate, he had lost the election.  He threatened to sue the school.  Luckily his threats were hollow, but the damage to my ego was almost irreparable.  My production ego went into hiding, and my design ego eventually found its way into my life. 

I still think about that time with mixed feelings.  On the one hand my ego was essential to spur me into attempting to put that production together.  If I hadn’t thought so much of myself, I wouldn’t have tried to produce the broadcast.  On the other hand my ego was so big it overshadowed the smallest details causing a misunderstanding that would haunt me for years to come.

The lesson I learned that day: an ego is essential to a creative minds attempt at greatness, but must be kept to a working level in order to be successful.

Anyone can be a graphic designer. Isn’t that why they created Microsoft Publisher?

I have had to rely on pricy graphic designers for too long.  Being part of my company's marketing department*, I started out with the same procedures as everyone who had previously filled my position.  I would come up with brilliant ideas that I knew would bring in the customers.  Then, I would list all of the vendors I needed to contact to figure out the cost of putting my brilliant ideas into operation.   The last vendor on my list of contacts was always my least favorite.  I dreaded contacting the graphic design agency. My ideas always seemed to lose their momentum when the designers stepped in.  They would gripe about the color that I chose, saying it was impossible to print (that is just ridiculous), or tell me that drawing in one dimension is not possible.  They always came up with some lame excuse as to why they couldn’t do what I wanted them to do.  Finally, when the recession hit, I was able to make my move. 

My bosses loved the work that the designers were doing, but the recession gave me a reason to break from sending them anymore work.  We needed to cut costs and I found the perfect answer: Microsoft Publisher.  I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I know how to use the program pretty well.  I told my bosses how amazing I am at creating graphics in Microsoft Publisher, and I outlined the cost savings of cutting out the designers.  They were skeptical at first, but after I finished explaining the cost savings, they went for it. 

I have taken over the graphic design needs for my company using Microsoft Publisher.  Gone are the constraints of using graphic designers.  Never again will I hear “the images you sent to work from were pulled from the internet, they are too low resolution to print well,” or “we will not copy someone else’s work,” or “the color you chose on screen is not a good representation of what will actually print.”  I never have to hear any of that again.  I am now free to design what I want, using fonts that are copyrighted, colors that won’t print well, and I am free from the constant whining about how what I want designed is copyright infringement.  I don’t care if the program I use to create my brilliant ideas produces “not print ready” files.  I can print what I design in Publisher on my own printer, so that should mean that it is a print ready file. I will use whatever fonts I want, I will create a brochure that doesn’t fold well and expect that the printer will fix it.  I will find the one printing company in town that accepts Microsoft Publisher files and I will demand my money back when it doesn’t print the way it looks on my monitor.  I will force them to read my mind on whether or not I expect a full bleed and whether or not I chose royal blue or purple for my designs.  I will create artwork based on what I think will work, whether or not it makes others cringe.  I like the look of unbalanced designs with five or more different fonts, photos that are fuzzy, 6pt illegible fonts, and drop shadows that look like the image is being lit with a 5000 Watt light bulb.  I am a marketing genius that design my own graphics using Microsoft Publisher and I am glad that I no longer have to pay those worthless graphic designers.

*The writer of the above piece was fired immediately after publishing this article.

About The Design Shrink

Graphic design requires a certain amount of design ego that has taken me 13 years to gain and learn to maintain.  Ego begins with confidence and the confidence required in a good designer must withstand harsh criticism, but a good designer must keep in check the ego can grow like a weed from accolades. 
  
Being a self-taught designer required me to think of my work as never being up to the standards of those designers who were formally educated.  After a few years of making mistakes, some that earned me a good tongue lashing from my customers, I finally had confidence enough in my own work to lash back at some of the harsher critiques of my work.   It is not easy putting your heart and soul into a design that is then torn to bits by someone else, most likely someone who has never used a design program and doesn’t know the difficulty in the task.   Having confidence in your own work will keep your ego from being bruised too badly by the torn bits of a great design.  I only recently gained that confidence, and now feel like I can withstand any critique of my work without crying myself to sleep that night. 

My confidence came with one simple logo re-design.  Twenty five versions of the logo later and my customer lost her sense of kindness.  She started the conversation with “You must not have been doing this very long…” and I knew then that I was in for a long brutal talk.  She lashed out at me for a while before ending her criticism with what has now become my favorite customer critique of all time.  She said “You keep drawing in two dimensions and I only want one.” 

I stopped speaking and thought for a minute about what exactly she was saying.  I knew what she meant, but realized that based upon the sentence she had just spoken she had absolutely no basis for being so rude with her critique.  I was astounded at the implications.  I had always taken these rude critiques as being fully justifiable since I had no confidence in my work but with one simple misdirected sentence, my confidence had just broken out of the box I was keeping it in.  I realized that it wasn’t worth my time to keep maintaining that working relationship and I politely ended the conversation.  I haven’t taken another job from her since.  Once my confidence was out of the box, it began to grow.  I had to do some weeding since then because my confidence grew too bold at one point, but that is a story for another time. 

There is very fine line a designer must walk, on one side is the confidence to defend your work to those who seek to destroy it, and on the other side is the extreme ego that seeks to destroy your working relationships.  I hope that my stories of walking that line will help designers everywhere balance their design confidence.

Resume

QUALIFICATIONS

Over 11 years experience working with the Adobe Creative Suites software package (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.). 8 years pre-press and digital printing experience with over 4 years as the Art Department Director for J.R. Rowell Printing Company. Over 5 years of Web development experience, using CSS, HTML, Dreamweaver, and Flash. Well versed in all Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel and Powerpoint. Digital Video production experience including video editing using Adobe Premier and Sony Vegas. Working knowledge of scripting languages such as SQL, PHP and Javascript.

WORK EXPERIENCE

J.R. Rowell Printing Company Inc., Charleston, SC. - September 2007 - Present

Art Department Director
 

Responsible for design and pre-press layout for customers such as CARTA (Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority), South Carolina Funeral Directors Association, Charming Inns of Charleston, The Town of Goose Creek, Charleston Performing Arts Center, Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn, etc. 

Creative design for in-house advertising, marketing and website development (including SEO) for J.R. Rowell Printing Company’s multiple websites including www.TheEdistoIslandGuide.com, www.JRRowellPrinting.com, and www.CoastalCarolinaGolfGuide.com.

Managed magazine layout and design for SCFDA Palmetto Director, a publication of 40 pages published quarterly. Responsible for layout and design for The Edisto Island Guide, a yearly publication for Edisto Island and the Coastal Carolina Golf Guide, Charleston Edition. Managed pre-press department, trouble-shot any software or hardware errors, maintained and updated printers, computers and pre-press equipment.

IKON Office Solutions, Charleston SC - September 2004 - September 2007

Graphic Designer

Responsible for pre-press layout of all print jobs for the Charleston County School District. Assisted in revising the existing school district print shop in 2004 to handle all of the districts printing needs, including revising pre-existing marketing strategies. In 2004 the school district print shop was handling 20-30 jobs per month; as of September 2007 the print shop was handling 100+ jobs per month.

Publications Committee Representative
 

Appointed by the Charleston County School District Office of Communications as the print shop representative to assist in creating a uniform appearance for all publications.
 

WIS-TV, Columbia SC - November 2002 - September 2004
 

Production Technician
 

Produced, designed and edited all graphics requested for on air presentation in all live news broadcasts. Assisted in roll out of new graphics package and software in May of 2003. Oversaw training of new employees, and assisted other stations in roll out of new graphics package.
 

WCIV TV Channel 4, Charleston SC - May 2002 - August 2002
 

Master Control Operator/Production Assistant
 

Ensured that all programs and commercials aired at correct specified time, updated daily commercial log and list, and diagnosed and remedied any problems with on air equipment. Production Assistant for "Good Morning Charleston", duties included camera operation, audio production and teleprompter.
 

EDUCATION

Currently attaining a Master of Science degree in Interactive Media, Quinnipiac University.

Bachelors of Arts in Communications, State University of New York at Cortland College, 2001.

Finding Her Passion, an Introduction to The Design Shrink

Born into a typical middle class family in Rochester, New York, Shari grew up to be an average student, with a general lack of interest in everything and a complete lack of direction for her future.   Even with her lack of interest and average grades, she was accepted to study at the State University of New York at Cortland College.   Although she was accepted to a university, her lack of direction was still apparent.  Shari’s mother decided it was time to force her to find a direction by choosing a course of study.  She brought Shari to the public library, opened a book listing all of the possible majors that she could choose from and asked Shari how she felt about each one.  For an hour her mother listened as Shari explained why she didn’t like one after another of the majors listed.    Finally her mother landed on a major that Shari didn’t have anything good or bad to say about, Communications.  She didn’t have anything to say about it because she didn’t have a clue as to what it was about.  Fed up with the amount of time it took to narrow the list, her mother said “Well that is it.  You are choosing Communications.”   Shari wouldn’t know for some time to come that the course of study she chose that day would eventually become her passion.

Finding her passion began during Shari’s freshman year in college.  A fellow Communications student was begging her to volunteer with the campus television station, and with the same general lack of interest that she carried with her from her childhood, Shari agreed to accompany her friend to the meeting.   Little did she know, by simply attending the meeting, she had signed herself up to be one of seven volunteers working for the station.  Four years later, Shari was elected president of the station and wound up spending most of her time petitioning for better equipment, recruiting new staff and producing ridiculous campus television shows that no-one ever watched.   At this point Shari thought she had found her passion, but sadly she would be proven wrong.

Shari landed her first job in the field of television production 2 years after graduating.  She was the proud new employee of a local television station in Charleston, South Carolina.  The job was from 12am until 7am as a Master Control operator.  Excited that she had finally landed a job, Shari dove into her work.  However, she quickly found out that the night shift as a Master Control operator was not as glamorous as she hoped it would be. Exhausted from not being able to sleep during the daylight hours, and bored with airing 1980’s style infomercials at 3am, Shari reluctantly quit the job and moved back in with her parents. Disheartened, she drudged on looking for work in Columbia, South Carolina.  She landed a job as a production technician with the NBC affiliate, WIS-TV.   For three years she worked for WIS-TV as a Chyron operator, airing graphics during live news broadcasts.   She loved the job, but realized that television production required a passion strong enough to motivate someone to work during holiday’s and weekends, for very little pay.  She didn’t have that kind of passion.   It was during her stint with WIS-TV that she perfected her skills using graphic design programs and found herself applying for positions outside of the television industry.  9 years later, she is working as the Art Director for a printing company in Charleston, South Carolina.   Even after 9 years Shari wasn’t convinced that print design was her passion.  Having gained a wealth of knowledge about print design, she began to teach herself website design and realized that her passions might lay in a different direction.   Perhaps her early passions for television production could be combined with her knowledge of graphic design.  At 33 years old, she found a Master’s of Interactive Media program being offered at Quinnipiac University.  She is now working towards that degree with a passion she has never felt before. 

From a student with no direction, to a student knowing exactly what direction to take, Shari is now following her newly found passion into the wonderful world of Interactive Media.