A CAREER IN THE MAKING OF A GRAPHIC DESIGNER 1

A Career in the Making of a Graphic Designer:

Industry Analysis

Joseph Connolly

California State University of Monterey Bay

The day when somebody first asked me what I wanted to do for a living, I did not have a

real answer. The thought never occurred to me what I really wanted to do. I had a part time job

that was providing me with a steady income while living at my parents house. So there was no

apparent need to apply myself to something more or to something bigger. So I started out my

college career not knowing what I wanted to do with my education. This aimless path of college

that started in 2001 continued for years. It wasnt till five years ago when I took a graphic design

course in Photoshop at Monterey Peninsula College that I found it. This was it, this is what I

wanted to do, to be a graphic designer. I now had to administer my affairs; I need to find where

in the workforce to apply myself as graphic designer and embark on the educational path

required to fulfill that role. In the exploration of becoming a graphic design I have found a

position that can be suitable and respectable in the graphic design workforce. My possible future

position can be found at the design firm MetaDesign.

Graphic design firms can be found throughout the world. The locations of these design

firms can range from in the United State, San Francisco California, Seattle Washington, New

York New York, and overseas in London England, Munich Germany, the chances are that most

major metropolis across the globe will harbor graphic design companies. Popular design firms

can range from companies such as Pentagram, Landor Associates, MetaDesign with a global
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presences to smaller sized firms such as Urban Influence located in Seattle, WA and Sagmeister

& Walsh located in the bustling city of New York, NY.

Out of the abundance of graphic design firms found around the globe; the main focus will

be the design firm based out of San Francisco, CA called MetaDesign. MetaDesign is a private

company that has a global presence with branches established in: Beijing China, Berlin

Germany, Dusseldorf Germany, Geneva Switzerland, and Zurich Switzerland. The MetaDesign

headquarters employees roughly 50 employees in the San Francisco office and ranging from 200

to 500 employees worldwide. MetaDesign has been offering the services of branding and

rebranding services to the global market for the past 20 years. MetaDesign specializes in

branding, identity, design, communication, strategy, and positioning. The team at MetaDesign

have been providing visual designs for their clients who range from the following: Adidas,

AT&T, Apple, Adobe, to Walmart, Wells Fargo, Xerox, and Yahoo! 99Designs.com (2016)

categorized top design firms and bolsters MetaDesign stance in the graphic design field with,

From reinventing Apples Mac OS design system to collaborating on Adobes packaging and

identity, their caliber of work resonates on a global level thats tough to match.

Erik Spiekermann founded the first incarnation of MetaDesign with Dieter Heil (based

in London) and Florian Fischer in 1979. In 1992 Spiekermann co-founded MetaDesign West in

San Francisco, with Terry Irwin and Bill Hill (Pipes, 1992, p. 78). According to the article

Metas tectonic man Owen (1995) describes Spiekermann, Able to move, seemingly without

effort, between roles as a typographer, designer, writer, public speaker and merchandiser, he was

once even a politician. Erik Spiekermann was also the creator of a popular font face named

Meta. From the birth of MetaDesign to the current day and age the company has always provided
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innovating branding. The substantial change that has developed with MetaDesign is the

considerable expansion of clientele and the vastness of MetaDesigns massive reach throughout

the world for graphic design services.

MetaDesigns mission statement can be found on their website and presents a strong

statement of who they are, how they adapt and how they prosper in the graphic design world.

Times change. Brands must change, too. At MetaDesign, we partner with clients to create

brands that will endure. Our approach to brand has helped new companies become established

and established companies become leaders (MetaDesign, 2016).

MetaDesigns San Francisco branch is led by Creative Director Hozy Rossi. Rossi

studied music and literature as an undergraduate at the University of Hawaii and later earned a

Master of Fine Arts from Washington University in St. Louis.Since arriving in San Francisco,

hes worked as a creative for the likes of Moving Brands, Dolby Labs, and Ziff Davis, among

others. His clients include Google, Song, the New York Philharmonic, Cooley LLP, Daiichi

Sankyo, RingCentral, Santa Monica Studio, Ekso Bionics, SRC:CLR, Propeller Health and

UCSF (MetaDesign, 2016).

CEO and Managing Partner at MetaDesign is currently Alexander Haldemann.

Haldemann studied at the University of St. Gallen and then earned his doctorate at the

Universitt Zrich. Haldemann resides at the San Francisco branch of MetaDesign. Andy Giles

is the VP, Client Engagement at the San Francisco branch of MetaDesign. Giles studied business

and marketing in England and has more than fifteen years of experience with branding, digital,

and advertising. Giles joined the MetaDesign firm at San Francisco in 2004. The title of VP,

Operations and HR is held by Pilar Manjarrez. Manjarrez has been with MetaDesign since 1996.
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Previous to joining MetaDesign Manjarrez out a commercial photography studio and earned a

degree from New York University in political science.

In the October 2016 edition of their newsletter MetaDesign shares who the company is

currently working with and who theyre developing branding for. The latest launched project by

MetaDesign was a rebranding of the company Financial Engines. MetaDesign has developed

their new logo, but also expanded the company's visuals to a new bold design system. Financial

Engines is best known for its workplace retirement-planning services, is committed to bringing

order to peoples lives so they can reach their goals. Our rebrand sets Financial Engines apart

from the competition and puts the emphasis on clarity and directness (MetaDesign, 2016).

Other recent projects that have been released in the month of October were for companys such

as Dolby, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Highway1 and ECOS.

With my admiration for graphic design I, Joseph Connolly, have focused my attention

and time towards my education at California State University of Monterey Bay. Engaged

towards the achievement of a Bachelor degree will create a passageway that is essential to join

the graphic design workforce and avoid a proletariat way of living. The choice of taking on a job

title of a graphic designer has diversified through the past few years. I have now grasped the idea

that I wanted to be a man being paid to do graphic work in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe

Illustrator, but I did not know what to title this position. I know had a goal, something to

motivate me and to help me look onward. It was time to stop dawdling in Community College

and propel my educational career into fruition.

With the ground work of the goal for a Bachelor degree in Computer Science

Communication Design established from an Associate of Arts degree. I now take on upper
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division courses at California State University of Monterey Bay. California State University of

Monterey Bay advocates three concentrations for the Communication Degree major. The three

concentrations provided in the major of Communication Design are Interactive Media and Game

Design, Visual Design, and Web Design. The emphasis of my Communication Design degree is

Visual Design which will be the study toward developing computer generated visuals. The

Communication Design degree has a core structure of courses that all students in the major will

have to complete, no matter their concentration. One of the first courses recommended for upper

division students to take is CST 300: Pro Seminar.

The Communication Design website (CSUMB, 2016) describes CST 300 Pro Seminar as:

This required course introduces students to the major. It is taken when the student has

completed their GE requirements and begins taking upper level courses in the major.

During the proseminar, students work with their advisor to design their learning plan,

choosing which courses will be most relevant to their goals. The learning plan is a living

document that is reviewed by the student and their advisor on a yearly basis.

The course description accounts for one day of the class over the course of the semester. That

day is when the instructor tells you to work on your course plan and meet with an advising

counselor. The course is a Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement or also known by using

the acronym GWAR. The GWAR will satisfy the California State University system that the

students academic writing skills are aligned of a college writing level.

Beyond CST 300 Pro Seminar, other core courses required are as followed: CST 201:

Media Tools, CST 227: Introduction to Digital Graphic Design, CST 221: Scripting for

Multimedia or CST 231: Problem-Solving/Programing, CST 236: Computing for Digital Artists,
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CST 373: Ethics in Comm & Tech, CST 461S: Communication Design Service Learning, CST

400: Senior Capstone Project Planning, CST 401: Capstone Lab and CST 496: Directed Study.

With my concentration in Visual Design it is mandatory to complete all courses that will

in turn satisfy the emphasis. The core courses for the Visual Design concentration that must be

completed are CST 251: Web Tools, CST 351: Web Design, CST 304: Publication Design and

CST 404: Publication Workshop. For the Visual Design emphasis it is imperative that I complete

one of the following courses: CST 341: Intero Instructional Design, CST 428: Digital Art

Workshop, CART 315: Visual Design, VPA 307: Diverse History of Contemporary Art, VPA

310: Mixed Media, and VPA 316: Photography as Art.

The journey towards acquiring my Bachelor Degree at California State University of

Monterey Bay is ongoing with the completion of half of the required courses. Outside of the

Communication Design course map en route towards earning the degree I will also need to

complete English 3, US1, Italian and nine elective units. My goal timeline for a graduation date

will be the Spring in the year 2019. The goal of graduation is only two years away and with my

scheduled allowed time and the availability of courses I might have to forgo the original goal

date. If the goal of Spring 2019 is unobtainable I will have to acclimate to the a new date of

Spring 2020.

Throughout my studies at California State University of Monterey Bay I have became

antipathetic with my career and education choice. My new found opposed position on thought in

the Graphic Design field could be brought on by multiple speculations. The education provided

by the school of California State University of Monterey Bay. The courses that I have completed

for the degree havent bared fruit towards developing new skills that I have not accomplished in
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community college. Another speculation is the job market for a career in the graphic design

industry. The estimated yearly income for a graphic design is subpar from what I hoped to be

earning after receiving and financing my education. Also the personal standing of depression

which has an impact on the actions and reactions towards what I do and will learn at California

State University of Monterey Bay.

The job that I thought would be perfect for me was where I am currently working as an

unpaid intern. The internship is an eight hour two days a week at a small local graphic design

and print shop. I do enjoy completing the tasks that are given and helping local businesses fulfill

their graphic design needs, but economically the job isnt sufficient. Earning a Bachelor Degree

and then in turn working possibly for a few dollars over minimum wage does not justify my

time, cost and commitment of the Bachelor Degree from California State University of Monterey

Bay. I entend to earn my degree first and fulfill my expectations sanguinely along the way and

determine what I will be using the accomplishment of a degree towards. From an article by

Callie Malvik (2016) Our panel of pros agrees that one of the most important things you can do

to increase your employment potential is earn a graphic design degree and continues to In fact,

many employers require candidates to have a degree.

To earn a Bachelor Degree in Communication Design at the California State University

of Monterey Bay, one must complete a course called capstone. According to the California State

University of Monterey Bay (2016) senior capstone is defined as, Every student at Cal State

Monterey Bay must complete a capstone to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and abilities over the

course of the students learning experience. The senior capstone is presented at the capstone

festival at the end of the academic year, Spring. The capstone for Communication Design is a
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long process and will start in the Fall semester and extend into the Spring semester of the same

academic year. Since most Communication Design capstones deal with clients, the extended time

frame of the capstone enables the student create a dynamic understanding and development to

accomplish and present a professional senior capstone project.

For the visual design emphasis in Communication Design the senior capstone project will

have a proposition of designing or redesigning of a current companys branding. The design or

redesign of a company's branding can range from a new logo or website to designing and

developing branding on stationary. The first task of the capstone will be finding a suitable client.

I will have to research current local businesses in the area and determine if I can apply my skills

towards design that will benefit the company. The concept of the capstone project will be using

my education and skills learn to be applied through design to improve the business and in turn

provide a greater profit because of the new design.

The most considerable resource that will be required for the project will be time. Time

will play a vital role throughout the projects extent through deadlines, appointments, stipulations

and allowed workflow with other educational commitments. Apart from time a whole range of

materials will be needed for the project, I have referenced from a graphic designer check list by

Rob Carney. A PC laptop workstation will be required, all though Carney (2016) does mention,

Whilst it doesn't matter that much if you choose a PC or a Mac (most software is available on

both platforms) the Apple Mac's history in graphic design along with excellent OS and built-in

support for peripherals (along with the obvious good looks) makes it the general choice for

creative professionals. With budget and familiarity of using the PC a PC will be the better

choice for the project. The computer will also need to be equipped with the tools required for the
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project. The requirements of the computer are both in software and hardware forms. The

computer will need to be responsive to the user and also mobile to help show current versions of

the project for the clients. Up to date software will also be required for perform the actions

needed for the design aspect of the project. Adobe creative suite contains some of the software

tools that are vitally needed. A laptop that would be suitable for the project will start at around

$475.00 followed by the monthly fee of $49.99 for Adobe Creative Suite which will total to an

estimated $500.00 for ten months of subscription. If Windows 10 operating system is not

bundled with the laptop the cost of Windows 10 is additional $99.99.

After the purchase of the laptop and software a few I/Os, input output have to be

established. Digital graphic design work will have to be transferred from client to designer and

this can be executed by email or USB drives. The price of an internet connection can start from

$39.99 a month depending on internet providers contract. For ten months of service will result in

a cost of $475.00 with taxes. I will require three USB thumb drives for transferring files from a

computer to another. The use of USB thumb drives for file transfer will satisfy hardware way of

transferring files back and forth from the client. One USB drive will contain the files to show to

the client. Second drive will be used for a backup for the current project. The third drive will be

the final deliverables to the client at the end of the job. One sixteen gigabyte USB thumb drive

on the competitive market of Amazon.com will start at $10 and will come to a total of an

estimated cost of $34 with tax included for the trio. When the Capstone is nearing its end the

client will want to apply some of the design items to live situations. To provide the client with

samples of the work in progress I will need to use a local print shop to provide the samples.

Depending on what result printed product I will need to create the costs can range from $20
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upwards of $100. My self as the designer of the project will not be able to perform well using the

standard laptop track pad and will need to purchase a wireless mouse and batteries. On

Amazon.com I can purchase a suitable wireless mouse for $12.99 and purchase the triple a

batteries required for additional $4.99.

The total estimated cost for the Capstone project will be $2,274.69. The total accounts for

only the materials required for the project and no compensation is made for the required time that

is need from the designer to complete the project. With all the materials gathered and a client

found for the senior capstone project the most important part of the puzzle is the designer. To

complete the senior capstone project while using the Adobe Creative Suite applications I will

have to apply my skills to produce the content required.

I will have to transform myself from a college student to a professional designer. The

skills that I have learned throughout my time being a student will now have to be applied. I will

now have to mold all the skills that I have learned from my instructors and skills that I have

acquired outside of class into a tool that will be my future. With the knowledge now of what I

can do beyond college with my degree, as a designer at the respectable and formidable San

Franciscan design firm MetaDesign. Research done on the MetaDesign design firm gives me a

new awareness and perspective on what my degree can be applied towards and the finding of a

new apex of a career in graphic design. No longer is the accomplishment of a Bachelor's degree

my pinnacle it is what I can creatively apply the Bachelors degree towards to is my new

horizon. In an article by Rob Marsh a quote from Milton Glaser states, There are three

responses to a piece of designyes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for (2012), I will

aim for that wow.

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References

99Designs. (2016, November). 33 famous graphic design companies from around the globe.

Retrieved December 14, 2016, from

https://99designs.com/blog/creative-inspiration/most-famous-graphic-design-companies/

California State University of Monterey Bay. (2016). Retrieved December 14, 2016, from

http://www.csumb.edu

Carney, R. (2015, November 20). 10 tools every graphic designer should have. Retrieved

December 14, 2016, from

http://www.creativebloq.com/graphic-design/tools-every-graphic-designer-should-have-6133208

Malvik, C. (2016, December 1). Is a Graphic Design Degree Worth it or Worthless? Retrieved

December, 14, 2016, from

http://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/graphic-design-degree-worth-it/

Marsh, R. (2012, April 30). 8 Things Milton Glaser Said About Genius, Learning, and Design.

Retrieved December, 14, 2016, from

https://www.logomaker.com/blog/2012/04/30/8-things-milton-glaser-said-about-genius-learning-

and-design/

MetaDesign. (2016). Retrieved December 14, 2016, from http://sanfrancisco.metadesign.com/

Pipes, A. (2005). Production for Graphic Designers (4th ed.) Retrieved December 14, 2016,

from

https://books.google.com/books?id=CdbH9hQSiHAC&pg=PA78&source=gbs_toc_r&ca

d=4#v=onepage&q&f=false
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Refrences

Owen, W. (1995, Autumn). Metas tectonic man. Retrieved December 14, 2016, from

http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/metas-tectonic-man