How to Survive Design School

How to Survive Design School

Surviving Design School
As a recent design school graduate, I don't have a whole lot of fancy tricks up my sleeve on which to base a tutorial. However, as a recent design school graduate, I do have some advice to share on getting out alive. Whether you're just starting or you're in the home stretch, this should be beneficial to you. If you're anything like I was throughout school, you're probably juggling that with work and a social life. Maybe you have a band. Maybe you have a kid (in which case, I can't really speak on the subject, so forget I brought it up). Maybe you're trying to bring in some cash on the side by working freelance. Whatever your situation, design school is a job unto itself. It's a gauntlet of X-Acto knives and Prisma markers that seemingly never lets up. And while it's true that it prepares you for life as a designer, don't expect life as a designer to be anywhere near the level of madness you're enduring now. It probably feels like it's going to last forever, and it did for me, too. I am here as living proof that it does come to an end eventually, and you will be better off for it.

Allow me to paint a picture of what my school experience was like. I started at the Virginia Marti College of Art and Design in the Spring of 2006. I was working part time, and I was putting a lot of focus on my band. We would play shows once or twice a month, and spend a lot of time promoting them. We would practice every week, and eventually we found the time to record a demo. In 2007, I took on a second job when I had to buy a new car. Pile 3-4 projects any given week on top of that, and you're looking at a pretty hectic schedule. And yet, despite the chaos, I stand here before you today to pass on my wisdom.

Tip #1: Get Your Supplies in Order


If you're a new or future student, you may not realize the investment you'll be making in your first quarter on art supplies alone. I spent somewhere between $200-300 on my first supply shopping spree. That's okay though, that's what financial aid is for. And trust me, generally this will be your biggest purchase while you're in school (not including software), because most of this stuff will last.

So, what will you need? You'll have specifics for each course, but there are a few general tools you'll need for now and forever, so pay attention.

Get yourself a good 9×12 sketchpad. This will be one of your best friends, along with a set of drawing pencils. You'll also likely need an 18×24 pad of bristol board. As for tracing paper, you probably don't need to go bigger than 9×12. For larger projects, it's probably better to use multiple sheets of tracing paper anyway.

For coloring, you'll want sets of Prismacolor pencils and markers. And don't hold back, either. While they make them in smaller sets, you might as well go all out and get the 48 pack of markers and the 120 set of pencils. I've had my pencils for five or six years now and they're still in fine condition.

There are some other odds and ends you'll probably want to grab: T-squares (12" and 18" should be good, though I also have a yardstick T-square), watercolors and brushes, drafting tape, Windsor & Newton bleedproof white (for correcting the inevitable mistakes you'll make), and various erasing tools would be good for starting out. If you can, stock up on matboard and illustration board, though I would buy the stuff on a project-to-project basis. And lastly, get yourself a sturdy portfolio case and a tacklebox so you can carry all of this stuff. You'll need it.

Got it? Let's recap:

* 9×12 Sketchpad * 18×24 Bristol Board * 9×12 Tracing Paper * Prismacolor Pencils & markers * T-Squares * Watercolors & Brushes * Drafting Tape * Various Erasers * Matboard * Portfolio Case * Tacklebox for Supplies


Tip #2: YOU ARE BUILDING YOUR PORTFOLIO

Let me repeat that: YOU ARE BUILDING YOUR PORTFOLIO! With all of those assignments cluttering up your not-so-free-time, it's going to be a challenge to make each and every one your best work. Actually, just putting that in words makes me see how laughable that idea really is. In a perfect world, you'd do perfect work all time. Unfortunately, the world we live in is far from perfect, and sacrifices will need to be made.

What I'm saying is that it's important to choose which projects you'll be putting the most effort into and which projects you'll have to, for the lack of a better term, half-ass. I may or may not have focused on the wrong ones when I was starting out. To me, the best way of doing things was to do the fun ones and put the more challenging or uninteresting ones on the backburner. I ended up doing a lot of work that just referenced pop culture, whatever I was into at the time. Very little of this work actually held up enough to be included in my portfolio. So, instead, I would recommend that you focus on projects that could have potential real-world applications. Stay away from copyrighted work. I did one project, a stamp book layout that was based on Mortal Kombat characters. I loved it at the time, but looking back on it, I realize I should have gone with something more universal, like flags, or cars, or something.

You can also narrow down projects by the weight they carry towards your grade. I had one class that required me to develop a fictional product, and then create the entire marketing campaign for it. This was the only project for the course, and was due at the end of a ten-week span. I should have been putting most of my energy into it, but what I ended up doing was trying to balance it evenly with the rest of my classes. The fact is, it couldn't have been balanced evenly, because it was a huge project, and a great potential addition to my portfolio. So, in the end, did I meet the requirements? Yes. Could I have exceeded them and done something incredible with the project? Hell yes. Is it in my portfolio now? Nope.

Last, I'd recommend focusing on what you know. Say you're pretty skilled in Photoshop, but you're relatively new to Illustrator, and you have projects due in each program. Why not focus your time and effort into the Photoshop project? Sure, you can whip up a Photoshop project in no time and then focus on learning Illustrator as you work on that project, which is admirable. However, I'd focus on refining the Photoshop project until it's portfolio-worthy, and just focus on the basics in Illustrator. You have the rest of your life to learn Illustrator, right? So why worry about making your first attempt at it a masterpiece?

Now, this may seem like I'm trying to teach you how to cut corners, but really, this is about finding the optimal path to success. If you know early on what potential employers will be expecting of you, it'll be easier for you to zero in on a project that you know will wow them. Also, I've never been one who was too big on getting straight A's. Once you're out of college, the grades won't matter, but the work you've done will. So you do a few projects that are C's, but you end up with a handful of portfolio pieces in exchange. Some may disagree with this approach, but like I said, sacrifices will be made, and you'll see that's a recurring theme in this article.


Tip #3: Learn how to Effectively Manage Your Time

I'm probably the last guy on Earth you should be taking time management advice from, but hear me out. Actually, I'm still trying to figure this one out. Everyone's life follows a different schedule, so I can't get too specific, and what you do in your own time is up to you. One thing I would do that I would advise against is brushing off a project as quick and easy. It finally dawned on me late into my second year of school that with design, there is no such thing as quick and easy. Be prepared to spend an average of ten to twenty hours on a project. Any less, and it will show. Oh, and it's worth noting that presentation is just as important as design, so give yourself at least an hour to properly mount your projects.

Really, time management is going to be the biggest problem you'll face while in school. There's not a lot more I can say to prepare you other than you will be challenged. If you're more of an organized type (though in my experience, designers are a highly unorganized bunch), perhaps you can schedule specific times when you'll be working on your projects. All I can tell you for sure is how things went for me, and let me tell you this: no matter how hard you try to keep organized, it's not always going to be in your hands. The printer will break, your computer will crash, your dog will eat it, whatever.

I probably averaged about three to four hours of sleep a night while I was in school. There were two separate occasions where I worked for more than twelve hours straight, right up until that point in the AM where I had to leave for class, and then spend the rest of my day at work.

So... just don't get to comfortable with the idea of sleep. I didn't say this would be easy. I just said you'd survive.


Tip #4: Take it Easy

As important as it is to set aside time for your projects, it's also just as important that you give yourself a chance to unwind. I don't know about you, but unless I have something due in less than a day, sitting in front of my computer trying to will myself to make awesomeness happen just doesn't cut it, especially after a long day of work, school, or both.

You hereby have my permission to chill. Need a couple hours to rest up before diving into a project? Watch a movie, play a video game, read a book, work out, take a walk, anything. Do what makes you happy. Hell, take the whole weekend off and go camping. You've got to treat yourself. Look at it this way: you're going to school to do what makes you happy, so why be miserable?

On that note, one year when applying for a loan, I requested an extra $500 so I could look forward to a Florida vacation at the end of the quarter (Hey, I was already tens of thousands of dollars in debt because of my student loans, so what's a little instant gratification?). It might seem frivolous, and again, might not be the best course of action for everyone, but for me it was a great motivator. Like I said, treat yourself. You've earned it.


Tip #5: An Artist is Only as Good as His Reference

This is piece of advice straight from the mouth of one of my teachers. I've gotten in the habit of collecting travel brochures, take out menus, mailers, catalogs, fliers, and anything else that could come in handy when I need inspiration somewhere down the road. These are good for finding measurements, layout ideas, and even graphic concepts. Of course, I'm not expecting you to have physical reference for everything you'll be working on. Luckily, the internet has you covered there.

I so badly wish someone would have told me that I had more options than just Google Image Search when it came to finding reference for my projects. Unfortunately, I wasn't enlightened to these sources until the middle of my last quarter. Bookmark these pages and refer to them regularly:

www.sxc.hu Free stock images. So awesome. www.thedieline.com A blog dedicated to the art of package design. I wish I would have known about this one when I was in my 3D/packaging classes. www.vectips.com A blog all about vector design, with tutorials, freebies, and other goodies. www.bittbox.com Design blog that focuses all aspects of design. The offer free textures, fonts, and other freebies, as well as regular tutorials and links to hundreds of other blogs I can't list here. www.textureking.com Free textures! www.ffffound.com Image bookmarking site, great for finding inspiration. www.freelanceswitch.com Great blog for aspiring/active freelancers, but also useful for students in that it has plenty of articles on maximizing productivity. www.brandsoftheworld.com Thousands of free vector logos

And as always, check back here on the GoMediaZine for design tips, tutorials and inspiration. Your Thoughts?

I hope you'll find this article more than useless. If you have any questions or wish to debate my survival techniques, I'll be keeping an eye on the comments section, so, fire away!

Too Much Debt - Debt Settlement Services

Too Much Debt - Debt Settlement Services

Do you know why debt is a bad thing? Every American has some debt, and even Donald Trump has declared bankruptcy before, but seeing debt for what it truly is can be your first step towards financial freedom. If you make $60,000 a year and you have $10,000 in debt, that's probably a manageable amount. However, if you're making $25,000 a year and you have $10,000 in debt, that's a problem.
Debt Calculator The Federal government considers a debt burden of more than 40% of your gross income an indicator of financial distress. Think about it this way: if taxes are eating up 25% of your salary, you're saving at a healthy 15% clip, and your loan payments hit 40%, you're left with just 20% for everything else.

To figure out your debt situation, here are some steps:

* Monthly mortgage payment (including property taxes and insurance) or rent +

* Monthly home equity line of credit or loan payment +

* Monthly car payments +

* Monthly revolving credit payments (furniture, appliance loans, etc.) +

* Monthly student loan payments +

* Monthly minimum credit card payments times two +

* Other monthly loan amounts +

* Monthly child support payments =

TOTAL MONTHLY DEBT PAYMENTS

* Monthly net (take-home) pay +

* Annual bonuses and overtime, divided by 12 +

* Other annual income, divided by 12 =

TOTAL MONTHLY INCOME

Sources of Debt Problems

There are all kinds of ways to rack up debt:

* Credit Cards

* Mortgages

* Car Loans

* Boat Loans

* Student Loans

* Personal Home

* Home Equity Loan

* And More

Debt Settlement Professionals In getting over the debts you owe, you may need a debt settlement professional to help you address your debt problems, pay down the money you owe and create a plan that will lead to financial independence. Living paycheck to paycheck is no way to live, and yet so many Americans do live that way. Losing sleep at night, heart disease, high blood pressure and more are all caused by the kinds of stress that come from having too much debt. Talking to someone who has counseled others, who has created successful plans for other people and who has seen large debts and small debts is very important.

Quick Student Loans: Good Financial Support for Students

Quick Student Loans: Good Financial Support for Students

It is very important to get educated. Education plays a very vital role in everybody's life. There is a lot of pain and hardwork devoted by students for their education. Finance is the biggest barrier in the education of students. Sometimes the need of sudden finance put several students under severe pressure as they might not have enough finance to deal with such urgent needs that may require an instant financial relief. It is possible that all parents don't have sufficient funds to finance the sudden expenses on the education of their children. At such time Quick Loans UK will provide the great provision of quick student loans, which offer quick financial assistance so that they can deal with all their education related small needs on time. The best way to finance your college education is quick student loans. Basically, these loans help covering the expenses a student incurs in college. These loans are the most beneficial loans because these loans do not support placement of collateral, credit checking, lengthy paperwork and faxing formalities. There are several specified requirement that should be there in the student to get eligible for obtaining the loan amount from quick student loans. These are as follows: * A student must be a UK resident with the age of 18 years or more. * A student must have active checking bank account * A student must be pursuing his or her education on the regular basis * A student must do some regular course from the reputed university * A student must use the borrowed amount for the education purpose only Quick Loans UK is the perfect medium to get quick student loans with better terms and conditions. Quick student loans are offered with small amount for meeting short term urgent expenses like buying books, paying off college fees, library fees, college tour etc. They come with a bit higher interest rate as these loans are given without any security until you get a job.

Apply for Student Credit Cards, But Use Caution

Apply for Student Credit Cards, But Use Caution

Your "child" should know that when he or she uses that credit card and chooses not to pay the bill, they will be running their credit up as well. Starting out life with no credit is hard, but living life with bad credit is harsh. When you are trying to finance a car or home, they will be looking at your credit score.
When you find your bank or online student credit card provider, then you must know a few guidelines to apply for student credit cards. The application is a simple list of information they need to see if you have credit.

The more credit, the better interest rate you will have. When you have high interest rates for the card, then the more it takes to pay off the price that's charged. The items or food you buy could be an extra ten dollars or even hundred. It all depends on the price of the item and how your interest rate is.

Later down the road, you will find your kids to have credit and ready for the life on their own with the credit that's built by these credit cards. You can purchase their school books or supplies through the credit card in order to make sure they're secured and ready. The list of things will be sent in a notice paper statement telling you what was purchased.

However, some student credit cards can view transactions through the Internet and be warned through updates on the cell phone. Always have an open mind when you apply for student credit loans through a company.

Low Limit High School Student Credit Cards

Low Limit High School Student Credit Cards

Many parents cringe away because they imagine the credit card being taken for a shopping spree without their permission and all their hard earned money being wasted. It is true that many kids are going to want to do this the moment they get a card. However, making sure there is restraint in place will prevent any of these potentially awful problems.
Obviously, the most important thing you must do is be very clear about the rules that are in place when you give them a credit card. Many teenagers like to push these wherever they can, so you have to be clear about why the limits you put in place are there, and make sure they understand the consequences they could face and the importance of these.

Sit your child down before you do anything else and tell them what they're allowed to use low limit high school student credit cards for and what they're not. Generally, you should try to keep their credit card use only to cases of emergencies. Also, set a limit so you won't get any nasty surprises in your bills. Allow your child to go over the limit only if they call you first to see if it's okay to do so.

You might be surprised by just how responsible kids are capable of being. Like with many other things, if you introduce them to this at an early age, they'll be less tempted to go overboard early on. Also, they'll be well initiated into the world of finances before their friends, and, as they get older, they'll probably have a lot fewer problems with money.

Student Loan Consolidators to Help Consolidate your Student Loan

Student Loan Consolidators to Help Consolidate your Student Loan

Consolidate Your Student Loan
Do you need to consolidate your student loan?If you are still attending school I would tell you to wait until you actually finish before you think about finding a loan consolidators to consolidate your student loan. However, for those who have graduated, I would strongly suggest you find the best loan consolidators to consolidate your student loan.

When you decide consolidate your student loan you will greatly reduce the monthly outlay to pay every month, but keep in mind, once you decide to consolidate your student loan you may face some challenges if you want to consolidate your student loan again. Most banks frown on re-consolidating student loans for a second time. Once you understand that, I would tell you to go ahead and get and consolidate your student loan.

Now that you are ready to consolidate your student loan, you probably asking who are the top student loan consolidators and where can you find them to consolidate your student loan. There are many major banks that will help you with that, but the number place is Sallie Mae

What You Need To Know About Student Loan Consolidation

What You Need To Know About Student Loan Consolidation

Over the years that you have been attending college, you may have incurred some major debt in the form of student loans. A couple thousand here and there can really add up over time, and now that you have graduated, you might have entered the repayment period or perhaps the time for repayment is near. If you consolidate your student loans now, you can save yourself a bundle of money and have the convenience of making one payment each month versus paying multiple lenders for various loans.
Most student loans (with exception to the Perkins loan) give you a window of six months after you graduate during which time you have no payments due on the money you owe. Each of your student loans likely carry varying rates of interest and you may have several different lenders looking for a payment from you each month. Consolidating your multiple student loans into one loan can allow you to make a smaller payment each month and write out just one check to one lending institution.

Interest Rates Are Important

When searching for a student loan consolidation package, your most important concern should be the interest you will pay each month. Your goal, of course is to get the lowest interest rate possible on your consolidation loan. Your interest rate should be a fixed rate - never choose a variable rate on your student loan consolidation (you never know the exact amount of interest you will pay because your rate is based on market indexes).

You should also consider your repayment terms by determining how many years you are willing to pay on your student loan debt. Paying your student loan off in the least amount of time possible will garner you the best interest rate and the most savings over the life of your student loan consolidation.

Possibility Of Forbearance

Your student loan consolidation should also be willing to allow your loan payments to go into forbearance should the need arise. Forbearance of your student loan payments protects you if situations may arise that cause you to be unable to repay your loan for a period of months or years, such as illness or job loss.

Option For Early Repayment

Lastly, consider a lender who poses no penalties upon you for early repayment. If you have a vast amount of student loan debt in front of you, chances are you may think that there is no possible way that you will pay this mountain of debt off early. But choosing a lender who at least gives you the option may prove beneficial down the road when you have a great job.

There are many lenders who consolidate student loans. You might also consider an online student loan consolidation program. Online lenders traditionally offer lower interest rates and more favorable payback conditions than can be found elsewhere in the industry. In addition, you can apply for your student loan consolidation from the comfort of your own home via the secure website of the lender - including signing your application electronically.