In these difficult economic times it is more important than ever to remember that to make it in the design industry you have to compete. Companies that are hiring have a larger pool of experienced people from which to choose. If they are hiring college grads, they are hiring only the best. It is with that in mind that I write this review. Only the few best resumes are represented. The middle tear of "pretty goods" and "not bads" are out. I'm basing all of my recognition of quality from the resumes, while I did enjoy speaking to a number of great people at tonight's review, I will not be biased towards my new friends vs. the people I did not meet. There is some overlap due to the fact that if you're good at representing yourself on paper, you are often good at it in person too. Another off-color fact I have noticed from working in the industry is that NIU is not the only school in the hiring genepool for designers. There are grads out there from schools such as the Rhode Island School of Design (fwah fwah) that you are competing against.
On the other side of the "bad economy" coin, to you who are at top of your game, don't buy into the negativity. Whether you believe it or not, there are still jobs out there and you can still make a living in this design business. You just have to demonstrate your talent, work hard, stay positive, focused, and be persistent. You have to make a commitment to your trade, and you have to stick to it regardless of how long it takes to land a paying gig. (Without jinxing myself too hard here, it's not bad out there for me!) If I can do it, I know you can. It's also good to remember, as I spoke to Chris Brown about, that while getting your first real design job is difficult; it also indoctrinates you into a niche within the field. So it is important that you choose a company that will crystallize your chosen path. You'll be learning a lot, but you'll inevitably be directed by the on-the-job experience you gain, and that can have a profound effect on your overall career. Choose wisely, yet take what you can get.
Chris, we'll talk more about that when we play 18 holes.
I checked out the NIU Vis Com website before heading to tonight's event, and I wasn't overly impressed with anything I saw on the site. My expectations were somewhat lower than they have been in previous years when certain outstanding students were slapping me in the face with their obviousness. However, I found that seeing the work and the resumes in person, they took on new life. And while my expectations were low, there were a handful of really quality pieces circulating around the room. Proud parents stand the hell aside please.
I went in thinking certain people would be the super-quality outliers, but I found those people being supplanted out of left field. I write this crap every year as a way to encourage you grads to take some initiative. I publish immediately to illustrate the speed at which the business world operates. Tomorrow is a full day, I don't have time tomorrow. As each consecutive year of college gets more difficult, the business world can sometimes put to shame even the most difficult class or semester. If you're reading this, believe me you want to be one of those people who is known for doing things, getting things done in a consistently high quality manner. You don't want to be passive let the world pass by. And if you consider this article an "I can't believe some guy spends his time doing this" then I say, taking time to do something for someone else (or in this case about someone else) is it's own reward. Please go do something for somebody. Thank you.
So let's get down to business. On my way in I was on the phone with a friend of mine who IS INDEED HIRING. Muhuhahaha. As in previous years I will occasionally talk to that person directly through the vehicle of this article.
IN MY OPINION (take it for what it's worth), I have to say my absolute favorite resume was from Kristen Highland. I've never seen this kind of paper anywhere and I totally love it. She uses a handy cut down size and full bleed while filling up the space with good information. She seems to have a very high GPA and hard earned work experience. I did not meet Kristen so I definitely did not see this one coming. Looks great and the tone seems to have a good attitude about it, like not at all self-centered, more "how can I contribute" style. Team player, great designer, takes the practice of design seriously. This piece of paper is clearly intended to obtain employment on a professional level. And then there's the green. Just the right tone of green. Green comes to mind: electric cars, wind towers, recycling, social responsibility, progressive thinking. Wait, aren't we in some sort of recession? Not everyone is. I can't help noticing how the space is divided, yet the text reads through the division of space. I didn't have any trouble navigating around even though there's a giant green divider cutting the space up. If you look at it from far away you see the grey text could have been contrastier on the green, but you don't look at resumes from far away, and it is easy to see up close. In my imagination, which is frequently accurate, I see this person in design management in the future. Whoever you are, impressive work. Resumes like this one are the reason I am compelled to come back year after year.
Another shoe-horning-herself-to-the-forefront resume is that of Ashley Hoban. She uses the Strathmore Southworth Collection 100% cotton paper. I've seen this paper used before for a resume; it's got a super tactile quality to it -a wize choice. Similarly green, but not in the recycled sense. What's propelling this resume is the header area. It all just all comes together. I did talk to Ashley and I could see she's into combining many differing elements to create a collection that is something new, if not something better than any one element. So within the resume we have dissimilar elements combined into one form that works: not too much, not too little. Every designer has at one point or another had to put some words into a box. It works great until you encounter your first descender. Then what? Do you leak the descender out into the whitespace? Do you nudge the text up so that the whole wordform is vertically centered?
Never forget to be paid for thinking about these things.
Next I've got a slew of good things. Oh how I wish I were hiring. Andy, this next batch is a firestorm of awesomeness. It's difficult to order so I'll just go with the gut and display the next six styles and nine resumes.
Out of appreciation for purity I'll throw up Brandon Souba first. What can I say? It speaks for itself. I sense that Brandon is an independent thinker, has a deep understanding of design, but isn't into all of that flash and dazzle of marketing and advertising. Corporate design may be a necessary evil for our hero. I'm into corporate stuff myself as it tends to contain more logic and less wild-and-crazy. Information needs to be designed categorically and visually. Just do it. Also consider getting into user interface design. CSS is Awesome.
Nice use of negative space, nice use of color (grey isn't a color) and great refinement of your typography. I did speak to Brandon briefly. We had a good laugh together because when I had gone to the great TABLE OF RESUMES his pile actually randomly contained a blank page which just happened to be exposed when I went to take one. For a moment after turning the fluke blank page upside down several times I thought, wow this is bold, putting a blank piece of paper out as your resume. That in itself might be the most insanely outstanding work of art ever! Oh wait, the next one in the pile is... ... a clear design resume. Interesting. The blank page wasn't an error, he had some stationary made up to print cover letters on and one just happened to get into the resume pile, which turned up in the right hands. Oh that was funny. You're so busted. (Who was the designer next to you? -> He seemed very cool too.)
Anyone going around looking for a corporate job: don't use the job boards, don't use the hr department. Call up the professional services company of your choice and ask to speak to "graphics" or haphazardly ask for the design department. In larger companies the operators will put you right through thinking you're a big shot partner looking to yell at someone. Then speak to the person that answers the phone kindly about whom to address your communication to. Once you get your stuff to the right person in a company you actually want to work for, with your detailed cover letter, you get promoted to the top of their list, which didn't exist until you made them make one/notice you.
Next we have the leader look. HERE I AM. Chris Brown being the leader, and a couple others following thematically. The A stands for "I get A's". He is this year's, "Andy, hire this guy."
I'm going to group two together next who perhaps don't deserve to be grouped, but at first glance (which is all a resume usually gets) they kind of belong together. After close inspection they are quite different and unique. Andrew Williams, at first, seems to be "shopping in the ladies department and finding a fit". (Heard that on American Idol the other day and can't help repeating it here.) The pink/magenta is very feminine yet inoffensibly bold, bluntly drawing your eye to the thoughtfully laid out text. The big "Andrew" painted along the edge is so artfully done... then comes the payoff. It's not painted. It's all vector art. This resume most likely took longer to manually render than all the other resumes combined. Unless he leveraged his own font from a typography class, which could be the case, this resume would have taken an inordinate amount of time to complete. Perhaps more than 100 hours. It's as if he's made an alphabet in which each letter was made on an 8.5 x 11 page in intricate detail, and then reduced down to spell out a word, his name. The sense of scale being perfect, it is almost undetectable at a glance from being a watercolor painting. Upon close examination however, the letters reveal a dense fabric of texture and a sensitivity to color. It works well under a microscope, it works well from afar. The longer you view, the more Andrew enlightens you to his ability to pay attention to the details. A tough act to follow. Andrew, I'll invite you to my next gallery opening to check out some paintings you may or may not enjoy seeing.
Pictured along with Andrew is Dawn Whitlock. I find this piece fun. More along the lines of a Work of Art than say Kristen Highlands appeal for employment. You get a color first name , a black and white last name, and juxtaposed information running both directions. Me? At first glance? I was actually able to see all three axes immediately and it made me smile. HR departments? Probably not as perceptive. I'm also interested by "the throwing in of the handmade letter press blocks" at the bottom for good measure. It stinks of a rotten apple core, but it's so unique that you have to spend some time exploring. I do not care for the paper. When putting this kind of detailed artful work on a page, I'd ditch the texture so as to better represent. Don't love the paper.
I can tell from Kelly's resume (and from talking to her) that she already has a job. All I have to say is that 1) I like the resume, and B) it looks better upside down. Putting the strongest element at the bottom forces the eye to THE END. It literally works as a great resume upside down, with your design-love starting and your name and info at the bottom and all the text in between upside down. You need some bright red to lift off from the dull grey paper, albeit a nice heavy weight. Nice use of line, friendly delicate leaves, overall this year's number two "Andy hire this girl." She's already got a job though, so good luck.
Lauren Meranda jumped out at me with a picture, presumably of herself, on the resume. And it is not just some haphazard portrait. The picture that is well framed and illustrates a theme that in my interpretation says in a fast rhythm "caffeinated and waiting impatiently for what's next..." I was delighted to find her stack of resumes printed on a two alternating stocks, punctuating that racing-striped fast paced rhythm. The text supports that subtle theme flowing right off the page vertically like credits at the end of a movie. In photography looking up and to the right represents "visionary to the future" to me. Imagining what's next for your life, right there on the page, drinking some coffee, fuelling the motivation to be creative.
Fuelling the motivation to be creative.
I also liked Heather's resume, it looks nice here next to the window.
All resumes aside, I'd also recommend Brian Saunders as my third pick to hire.
For detailed information and to see other grad's work visit http://niuvis.com/
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