Hours: 10-5
Worked on the Pittsfield Cafe menu things again today. I made some decent progress, but not enough so I'm going in on Monday. I also made some phone calls to clients regarding some mock-ups that I'm waiting for a critique on, including the manager from Pittsfield. I have to pick up that material from the cafe on Monday and finish up working on the menus, and I have a meeting with the Little Dab of Paint client on Wednesday.
Some bad news... I've come to realize that my current financial status will not permit me to commute into the city after next week and I still have four very large live projects I'm working on. While I want to continue working on them to see them through, and to earn more experience, I may have to end the internship a week early. Unless I can improve my status. Guess I'll figure something out. Or just work like a fiend next week and finish everything... to be continued...
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Wednesday July 21st
Hours: 10-5
Another busy day of menu making. When I met with the client today, he gave me a lot more projects to go along with his new menus. So basically he's doing a whole promotion for the Pittsfield Cafe. And I'm pretty much the key designer. Exciting! But I've got a lot of work cut out for me in these next few weeks.
Also, I guess I should bring up that I'm now over 200 hours in my internship. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing that I didn't notify you (Rusty). I really didn't know until I counted them up tonight. I figured that I would end up going over, but I could really use the extra experience, and I surly can't just drop the projects I've been pouring myself into. Just thought I'd mention it.
Another busy day of menu making. When I met with the client today, he gave me a lot more projects to go along with his new menus. So basically he's doing a whole promotion for the Pittsfield Cafe. And I'm pretty much the key designer. Exciting! But I've got a lot of work cut out for me in these next few weeks.
Also, I guess I should bring up that I'm now over 200 hours in my internship. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing that I didn't notify you (Rusty). I really didn't know until I counted them up tonight. I figured that I would end up going over, but I could really use the extra experience, and I surly can't just drop the projects I've been pouring myself into. Just thought I'd mention it.
Tuesday July 20th
Hours: 10-5
I took on the Pittsfield menu again today. This time I was a lot more prepared since I didn't have Little Dab of Paint to distract me. Or any other projects since all of them have been submitted for client approval and critique. I also worked on a take-home menu with a rip-off promotional card for customers to get punched each visit. It was literally impossible to fit all the menu copy on both sides of this duplex document, but I accomplished it somehow. The only issue is the font size is 4 point. The client was pretty baffled that it even all fit. Needless to say, the client is working on what can be cut from that menu.
I took on the Pittsfield menu again today. This time I was a lot more prepared since I didn't have Little Dab of Paint to distract me. Or any other projects since all of them have been submitted for client approval and critique. I also worked on a take-home menu with a rip-off promotional card for customers to get punched each visit. It was literally impossible to fit all the menu copy on both sides of this duplex document, but I accomplished it somehow. The only issue is the font size is 4 point. The client was pretty baffled that it even all fit. Needless to say, the client is working on what can be cut from that menu.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Wednesday July 14th
Hours: 10-4:30
I finally completed the mock-up of what should be the basic final version of Little Dab of Paint!!! So exciting. After it was printed out, I cut out all 32 pages, created the "spine" with 16 pages of tissue paper, spray mounted each individual page to the "spine" creating spreads by sticking pages back to back, and cut it all down to give it a nice clean, presentable appearance. I then delivered it to the client, which I guess I should mention that the client is Rhona Frizan (I think that's how her name is spelled), the president of the Chicago Public Library Foundation. She seemed very happy about the changes I made to the layout. And I definitely agree with her. The extra paint splatters and all the graphics made the layout cluttered and busy, while the streamlined version presents the illustrations as the main focal point, which they rightfully should be. I'm hoping the author, illustrator and Rhona will be pleased enough not to make many more changes so I can start finalizing and perfecting the layout for print. Exciting!!
I also worked on a take-home menu with a rip-off business card for the Pittsfield Cafe (the cafe I believe I talked about in the last blog entry). I didn't get very far on that since there was a lot to be done for the Little Dab of Paint today, and because it was hard to visualize a layout without having the copy to work with. I guess that's a designing intuition I'll have to develop further.
I finally completed the mock-up of what should be the basic final version of Little Dab of Paint!!! So exciting. After it was printed out, I cut out all 32 pages, created the "spine" with 16 pages of tissue paper, spray mounted each individual page to the "spine" creating spreads by sticking pages back to back, and cut it all down to give it a nice clean, presentable appearance. I then delivered it to the client, which I guess I should mention that the client is Rhona Frizan (I think that's how her name is spelled), the president of the Chicago Public Library Foundation. She seemed very happy about the changes I made to the layout. And I definitely agree with her. The extra paint splatters and all the graphics made the layout cluttered and busy, while the streamlined version presents the illustrations as the main focal point, which they rightfully should be. I'm hoping the author, illustrator and Rhona will be pleased enough not to make many more changes so I can start finalizing and perfecting the layout for print. Exciting!!
I also worked on a take-home menu with a rip-off business card for the Pittsfield Cafe (the cafe I believe I talked about in the last blog entry). I didn't get very far on that since there was a lot to be done for the Little Dab of Paint today, and because it was hard to visualize a layout without having the copy to work with. I guess that's a designing intuition I'll have to develop further.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Tuesday July 13th
Hours: 10-5
Another solid production day, though it did seem to skip around a bit. I started off by finishing up Little Dab of Paint to print off and mock-up tomorrow. Then I worked on organizing more iStock Photos on the company server. Later on, my supervisor gave me a menu of a local cafe to make some layout and textual corrections. I also had to make a trip to this cafe to pick up some copy that's going into the menu. While I didn't design the menu, I still think it's pretty cool I'm working on it. It's definitely better than organizing and categorizing iStock Photos in my opinion.
Another solid production day, though it did seem to skip around a bit. I started off by finishing up Little Dab of Paint to print off and mock-up tomorrow. Then I worked on organizing more iStock Photos on the company server. Later on, my supervisor gave me a menu of a local cafe to make some layout and textual corrections. I also had to make a trip to this cafe to pick up some copy that's going into the menu. While I didn't design the menu, I still think it's pretty cool I'm working on it. It's definitely better than organizing and categorizing iStock Photos in my opinion.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Monday July 12th
Hours: 8:30-5
-Came in early to scan illustrations for Dab of Paint during Monday meeting (why I came in on Monday, so I could use scanner without bothering anyone)
-Touched up illustrations in Photoshop
-Created bi-illustration spreads in PS
-Placed spreads in InDesign document
-Worked with text in ID document
-Put final touches on layout to present to client
-Created vector drawing of chosen Leahy Dude in Illustrator to send to client for 3D production
Too tired for vowels and descriptive words today. Up at 5 to catch early train. Bummer there's not more than one scanner here.
-Came in early to scan illustrations for Dab of Paint during Monday meeting (why I came in on Monday, so I could use scanner without bothering anyone)
-Touched up illustrations in Photoshop
-Created bi-illustration spreads in PS
-Placed spreads in InDesign document
-Worked with text in ID document
-Put final touches on layout to present to client
-Created vector drawing of chosen Leahy Dude in Illustrator to send to client for 3D production
Too tired for vowels and descriptive words today. Up at 5 to catch early train. Bummer there's not more than one scanner here.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Thursday July 8th
Hours: 10-5
After today, I can honestly say I'm the most organized person on earth. That or I really do have OCD. I started off my day downloading and organizing the Little Dab of Paint folder and made all the corrections (reductions) that the client ordered. I then scanned a couple of the newly received original illustrations so I could start placing them into the document. After all that organization, I began fixing and organizing all the iStock photos that I pulled off the server yesterday. When I was done, I had to peel my eyes off the computer screen and was seeing illusions of picture thumbnails dancing around my head for the following hour. But overall, today was a super productive day. It should make my work a lot easier next Monday when I go in early to knock this Little Dab of Paint in the pants once and for all.
After today, I can honestly say I'm the most organized person on earth. That or I really do have OCD. I started off my day downloading and organizing the Little Dab of Paint folder and made all the corrections (reductions) that the client ordered. I then scanned a couple of the newly received original illustrations so I could start placing them into the document. After all that organization, I began fixing and organizing all the iStock photos that I pulled off the server yesterday. When I was done, I had to peel my eyes off the computer screen and was seeing illusions of picture thumbnails dancing around my head for the following hour. But overall, today was a super productive day. It should make my work a lot easier next Monday when I go in early to knock this Little Dab of Paint in the pants once and for all.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Wednesday July 7th
Hours: 10-5
I worked on basically the same things today as I did yesterday, but I also went in for a meeting with the client to discuss the next steps of Little Dab of Paint. It was pretty crazy because this was my first meeting in which I left the office to meet with a client completely alone. This job is basically mine now, which was also weird to realize. A very good weird of course. But it was comical because the client did a 180 and wants a lot of changes. I guess the client has a right to get input from whoever she wants, including the illustrator, relatives, etc. I just wish I wouldn't have designed so many extra graphics for them to be discarded in a meeting that lasted all but 5 minutes. So it goes.
I worked on basically the same things today as I did yesterday, but I also went in for a meeting with the client to discuss the next steps of Little Dab of Paint. It was pretty crazy because this was my first meeting in which I left the office to meet with a client completely alone. This job is basically mine now, which was also weird to realize. A very good weird of course. But it was comical because the client did a 180 and wants a lot of changes. I guess the client has a right to get input from whoever she wants, including the illustrator, relatives, etc. I just wish I wouldn't have designed so many extra graphics for them to be discarded in a meeting that lasted all but 5 minutes. So it goes.
Tuesday July 6th
Hours: 10-2
My supervisor didn't come into work today. I was still waiting on the clients response to the Little Dab of Paint layout and was without direction. I got a couple mock-up assignments from one of the associates and I also helped another former intern, but recent to join the team, with the Leahy desk tchotchke that we're trying to really get going now. Aside from that, I worked on finding and organizing all the iStock photos on the server, which has proved to be just as tedious as it sounds. That server is a monster.
My supervisor didn't come into work today. I was still waiting on the clients response to the Little Dab of Paint layout and was without direction. I got a couple mock-up assignments from one of the associates and I also helped another former intern, but recent to join the team, with the Leahy desk tchotchke that we're trying to really get going now. Aside from that, I worked on finding and organizing all the iStock photos on the server, which has proved to be just as tedious as it sounds. That server is a monster.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Thursday July 1st
Hours: 10-5
I got so much work done on Little Dab of Paint today and focused so hard that my behind went numb. Or maybe it was because I was sitting all day. Either way, I totally owned that layout. It was really hard to motivate myself for a while just because I knew whatever I produced this week would probably look nothing like it will next week after the second client approval and when we're able to work with the actual illustrations. But I finished photoshopping all the scanned illustration images, creating the splatters of paint for use with the illustrations and for under the page numbers, formatted the text and the word graphics, found and placed the wood texture for the illustration backgrounds and added them all into the InDesign layout. I then waited 10 minutes for InDesign to generate a pdf of all those 30 pages. I felt a whole lot lighter after I was finished. But even after all of that, I still can't even see the light at the end of the tunnel. So yes, there is more Little Dab of Paint to go...lots more. Maybe I'll start telling crazy stories just to make these blogs less predictable.
I got so much work done on Little Dab of Paint today and focused so hard that my behind went numb. Or maybe it was because I was sitting all day. Either way, I totally owned that layout. It was really hard to motivate myself for a while just because I knew whatever I produced this week would probably look nothing like it will next week after the second client approval and when we're able to work with the actual illustrations. But I finished photoshopping all the scanned illustration images, creating the splatters of paint for use with the illustrations and for under the page numbers, formatted the text and the word graphics, found and placed the wood texture for the illustration backgrounds and added them all into the InDesign layout. I then waited 10 minutes for InDesign to generate a pdf of all those 30 pages. I felt a whole lot lighter after I was finished. But even after all of that, I still can't even see the light at the end of the tunnel. So yes, there is more Little Dab of Paint to go...lots more. Maybe I'll start telling crazy stories just to make these blogs less predictable.
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