Please see post 52. I’d advise doing a review like that for each of the designs you’re proposing, as well as for the site of one of the more established designers who have been linked to earlier in the thread.
STG, I have an idea. I work with a LOT of new fantasy writers, a good number of which self-publish. They need illustrators. You might try posting on a Amazon board or a few other sites and saying that you’d be willing to work with a new author for a share of the profits (which means for free) in exchange for front cover credits.
Now, when they publish, viola, there’s your name on the cover, right there on Amazon, etc. You link to those sites on your webpage. Mind you, there’s no money here. But like in Hollywood, getting your name on a few credits gets you in a lot of doors that would be otherwise closed.
I know of one fairly nice little childrens fantasy book about dogs that was crippled by poor self-done illustrations.
Mind you, although I am a reviewer, I know crap about art (I mostly review books) . Thus, I am not going to critique yours. But I do offer up this idea.
What burns me is that many people in this thread are wrong in assuming that visual design is universally a competitive field. Within the last year or two, there has been a sea change in the industry and good visual designers are now very much in demand, especially in Silicon Valley (http://www.quora.com/Designers/Why-is-there-such-a-stunningly-short-supply-of-designers-in-Silicon-Valley-right-now).
People with a modicum of talent are now finding themselves happily employed and it’s currently a very good time to be a designer. I wish that STG was the type of person who could capitalize on this trend because I would happily refer her to people who are desperate for talent. In the meantime, if any other designers or potential designers are reading this thread, you should know that design is one of the shining bright spots in this universally dismal job market right now.
Good idea!
I hope you posted to a graphic design forum (GDF, HOWDesign, Estetica, Typophile, etc), where members are more likely to be design professionals. Comic/fan art forums and sites like Deviant Art are known for their lack of constructive criticism, and praise of just about anything posted regardless of quality.
The comments in the article you linked are telling: there’s not a lack of graphic artists, there’s a lack of graphic designers. I’m getting a distinct vibe from STG that she wants to be drawing and painting and making art, not designing user interface experiences or laying out used car ads in newspapers.
The real world is not the fun projects you got in college. One of my old coworkers really didn’t like laying out the course schedule for a local college because it was boring and repetitive, but they paid big bucks for it. That money allowed her to work a lower-profile project that she enjoyed much more.
People in the thread are saying that STG needs to polish up her website user interface, typography, balance and compositions.
I was thinking of trying that, although for cheap not a percentage, I just couldn’t think of where to advdrtise. So, thanks!
I am not on DA and I don’t know of any other sites worth posting to (DA is good for showing off - thus why a lot of comic artists post things like their latest JLA or Avengers cover there. It gets your name out.) I’m on a professional board and I’m going to be posting to ConceptArt once I get some new model sheets or illustrations done (their graphic design section is quiet to say the least).
I’m going to say something to all the critics, which I realize is pointless, but I’m going to say anyway because I’m going to abandon this thread as I’m getting help elsewhere.
I know I’m bad at scheduling time. I’m bad at finishing things. I can blame it on bad habits learned from my parents, depression, having a job, or whatever. I know. And yes, I get defensive about it, which I think is normal. But I’m not half as bad at my work as you think I am. I’ve had employers, clients, and teachers who think my stuff is good (admittedly some of it isn’t in my portfolio because I have no desire to show off a copy of a Ambercrombie and Fitch or whatever design that my employer wanted). I’m not the next superstar or anything like that, but I’m fairly decent. And no, fairly decent is not enough to get to where I want to go.
But ganging up on someone who wants to improve and is trying to get bad habits is no way to act. And I feel sorry for anyone who thinks that’s the best way to criticize or gets their jollies off it or whatever. Maybe I’m wrong about how I think I can schedule my time. Maybe I’m not. But I’ll find it out on my own and not by a bunch of people telling me I can’t do it and I’ll never get anywhere. I can and I will.
Like I said, I won’t be back to this thread so whatever. I’m expecting to get an anonymous comment or two on my LJ saying I’m a worthless human being or whatever. If you’re one of those, at least have the guts to use your name.
For those of you who were actually trying to help, thank you. Thank you for being good people. Thank you for giving your time when it looked like you were being drowned out.
For those of you who were just beating down a young designer, well, I hope you’re happy that you wasted your time. This bitch is too stubborn to give up.
Why not? If it demonstrates your strengths and looks good, why wouldn’t you want to show it off? Sure, it will probably net you the same sort of gigs but when you’re just starting out, sometimes you have to do the not fun stuff. Once people know you and are recommending you then you can start to do stuff that you find more interesting.
This is really too bad – I’ve found this thread quite interesting. Yes, there’s been some snark and some harsh criticism, but there’s also been a trove of good advice from experienced professionals.
Ah well, good luck.
Well, now that STG’s gone… Shalmanese, I’d like to say that I’ve really enjoyed your posts in this thread, and even though I’m not a graphics person I often have to do graphics-ish things for work, so I will probably be picking up some of those reading suggestions. Just wanted you to know someone’s taking your advice, even if it’s not the OP.
Yeah, like Giraffe said, I hope you do return to this thread, because you have been getting good advice. This advice from Inner Stickler, for example. Include everything you’ve got, especially if it’s good and you’ve gotten compliments on it. Don’t close doors, you never know what job might be lurking around the corner, and you never know what piece of your work might grab interest. Show range, that’s a really good thing.
Here’s the thing though… You wanted advice and then you turned on it in a big way. You did so even with the gentle advice you were given. You discounted anyone’s advice who isn’t in your field. To me, that demonstrates that you only really want to hear things that compliment you and confirm your own ideas.
Everyone who looks at your work is a potential client. People on this board work for and know a lot of people who may need the services of someone in your area. Also, you’ve linked to your professional website here. Don’t you realize that if someone wanted to Google your professional information it would lead them right to this thread? If I’m a potential client and I find this thread and your “fuck you!” attitude when asking for direction (not to mention your work ethic comments) do you really think I’m going to hire you over someone just as talented?
A positive attitude and a willingness to accept constructive criticism without excuses, outbursts and profanity is absolutely non-negotiable for someone who wants to be seen as a professional ANYTHING. In the US the job market is incredibly tight in almost all fields. In the field you want to break into? I know you’re chronologically not old but you refer to yourself as a young artist. In your field there are people a decade younger who have the absolute no-excuses/take no prisoners attitude necessary and a portfolio to match. You have to work as hard as they are if you want to make it. That’s true of a LOT of professions. I’m afraid success is going to be very difficult unless you’re willing to adapt and come around to that thinking.
Good luck whatever way you take it.
For what it’s worth, I looked at your website on Safari, and I was lost - reading this thread, I think some of your information got lost in translation. Since Macs are big in the graphics world, you might want to think about how your site comes up on a Mac.
I’m glad you’re getting advice somewhere else, but you really should check out a formal graphic design forum. ConceptArt is a character illustration site. While you might get some feedback about your illustrations, you’re not going to fund much advice on logo design or graphic design.
I wish you good luck in your pursuit of work that you’ll be passionate about, and hope you find what you’re looking for.
I’d like to echo this. I also have to do design-ish items for part of my job and I plan to be looking through the reading suggestions. Thank you.
Since the OP has stated that she will not be returning to this thread, I’m going to close it.