Your Ideas Printed

I started out in Print Production, so printing has always been near and dear to my heart.

The tactile feeling of paper, the visually cool effects of die cutting and embossing, the layering of ink on a page; all these things are extremely interesting to me. And should be, as well, to you.

Designers have a responsibility to know slightly more than the average joe about printing and how their ideas will execute on a piece of paper. It is not enough to leave that knowledge up to the print producers in your agency. As an art director or designer, you have a big hand in how well projects come out on press.

Make sure you are soaking up as much knowledge about paper and ink as you can. You can do this by asking a bazillion questions of your print producers and print vendors. Every job you are working on and every press check you are going on is an opportunity to learn more.

A couple questions to ask yourself to determine how much you do (on don't) now about printing:

How does printing on uncoated vs. coated paper affect printability?

What is a blueline proof and what are you OK'ing when you sign it?

What's the difference between conventional dot and stochastic dot printing?

What is 4-color process? How do spot colors translate into process?

What is trapping and how does it affect type and images when it is done incorrectly?

How does the direction of the print sheet affect your ability to correct color on press?

Folks, I could go on with a list of 100 questions. But, I'd be very proud if you knew at least the above answers as a junior designer.

Smart and print savvy juniors grow up into smarter and print savvier seniors. Do yourself a favor and learn, learn, learn as much as you can about print and paper. It will serve you well over your career.

AD-venture

How am I just hearing about this two years later?!

This film, The AD-VENTURE, sounds so cool and all students an juniors should check it out.

"In the summer of 2009, two young creatives began documenting an ongoing journey across the US, discovering the identities of top ad agencies, gathering advice for new graduates, and exploring the future of advertising. Come along for the ride, as they provide a map to your creative future."

Very cool. You can checkout the trailer here. If you happen to live in NYC, there is a screening next week, Wednesday, March 23rd at 7:30 pm. More info on their blog.

What a great way for you to see inside some very cool agencies: Saatchi LA, Goodby Silverstein + Partners, DDB, Strawberry Frog, and more.

Makes me want to go on a road trip. Starting tomorrow.

Cute Resume of the Day

I'm hoping you can see this graphic well enough. If not, go to her site and check it out.

Just a great example of creativity, nice design and not too overboard in a resume. It makes me want to meet her, and that's the whole point.