The RGD conducts bi-annual surveys on the salaries and billing practices of the communication design industry, today the 2012/2013 survey was published. Prior to publishing their complete findings Design Edge magazine published a quick overview of the salary averages for 8 of the most popular positions in the industry. I found the information published in Design Edge frustrating, how many years does a junior designer have versus an intermediate or senior designer. I am curious (more accurately nosy) person and wanted to see where I sat compared to other designers in the GTA. Thankfully the survey published today (available here) included significantly more information and had great break downs on the number of freelancers, solo proprietors and full time employees currently in the industry. I also enjoyed the information they collected about overtime and benefits creatives are provided. Things have changed significantly in this regard for many other industries, but from what I understand creatives have been on the hook for overtime and their retirment savings for a long time. This was reinforced with the survey concluding that 71% of creatives are not compensated for overtime and generally speaking less than 30% have emlpoyers who contribute to their retirement.
If you are looking for a designer or are a designer yourself this is a great resource. It will help you ensure you are being fairly compensated and give you a better understanding of the different roles creatives play in the industry.
Showing posts with label RGD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RGD. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Design School Didn't Tell You
Design Edge's new blog Design School Didn't Tell You is a blunt and humourous blog for newcomers to the graphic design industry. While I disagree with some of the things author Mark Busse writes, it is a fun, light read that reminds you others are in the same boat.
This week's article was about the importance of joining design associations, it offered great reasons to join and equally valid reasons to stay out. Busse urges young designers to join if they are committed to the industry, are looking for a mentor or inspiration, want to stand out against the crowd, or if they want to demonstrate their belief in the value of design. His reasons for not joining, stated with just a touch of sarcasm, include not being willing to place importance on your career and make time, as well as believing you have already learned everything you need to know. Busse wisely concludes that, "If being employed as a designer is all you seek, then you may never need to join an association. If you wish to achieve significance in your design career, you’ll need to understand we never stop learning. Those who engage fully in their community with the humble attitude of the perpetual student will benefit the most."
This week's article was about the importance of joining design associations, it offered great reasons to join and equally valid reasons to stay out. Busse urges young designers to join if they are committed to the industry, are looking for a mentor or inspiration, want to stand out against the crowd, or if they want to demonstrate their belief in the value of design. His reasons for not joining, stated with just a touch of sarcasm, include not being willing to place importance on your career and make time, as well as believing you have already learned everything you need to know. Busse wisely concludes that, "If being employed as a designer is all you seek, then you may never need to join an association. If you wish to achieve significance in your design career, you’ll need to understand we never stop learning. Those who engage fully in their community with the humble attitude of the perpetual student will benefit the most."
Thursday, July 5, 2012
The Future of Retail Packaging Design
During my lunch today I attended Robert Smith's webinar about retail packaging design. Unfortunately my work pulled me away from it a few times so I wasn't able to fully enjoy the webinar, but even without hearing the whole talk, I thought that it was interesting, pertinent and that he offered some great sources for inspiration. When I joined the webinar (oops five minutes late), Smith was telling a story about his parents reaction to one of his projects. He started by saying that his parents like to see his work in the stores and that they had ventured out to find some of his latest projects. When Smith's parents told him about their excursion they also sheepishly admitted that they didn't like the wrestlers on his chip packaging and that they much preferred his more sophisticated work for a different brand. Smith explained to his parents that they didn't need to feel bad since the product was not intended for them. This line of chips was marketed specifically to 20 to 40 year olds and fittingly the packaging his parents liked was targeted to their age demographic. All of this clearly illustrated the importance of knowing your target market to produce the most effective product possible.
Shortly after Smith finished telling this story I was called away to proof a book (the black printed grey again, guess who is looking for a discount!). When I returned he had moved on to how to implement the information you have once you have chosen and researched a demographic. Smith went over a number of different considerations, but one of the things that I had never thought much about was the way that QR codes change the demographic of a product. By putting a QR code onto a package you are assuming that the consumer has a smart phone, has a program to read the codes and that they know how to use both of these technologies. Smith pointed out that because of this necessary knowledge, many consumers will be turned off and will not purchase the product. After all of this, he mentioned that to the target demographic this can be a great feature as easy to read ingredient lists, suggested recipes, and other added bonuses can be linked using the QR code.
At the end of the talk Smith reminded us of a few of his favourite websites (lovelypackage.com and thedieline.com are favourites of mine as well) and gave a list of suggested reading. Embarrassingly I had only heard of one of the books. Following is a list (i.e. my new reading list) of the books he suggested: Box Bottle Bag, Packaging Essentials, I Miss My Pencil, The Art of Packaging Design and Not a Box. I always enjoy these sorts of design talks and will be sure to continue documenting them for your enjoyment and my own future reference.
Shortly after Smith finished telling this story I was called away to proof a book (the black printed grey again, guess who is looking for a discount!). When I returned he had moved on to how to implement the information you have once you have chosen and researched a demographic. Smith went over a number of different considerations, but one of the things that I had never thought much about was the way that QR codes change the demographic of a product. By putting a QR code onto a package you are assuming that the consumer has a smart phone, has a program to read the codes and that they know how to use both of these technologies. Smith pointed out that because of this necessary knowledge, many consumers will be turned off and will not purchase the product. After all of this, he mentioned that to the target demographic this can be a great feature as easy to read ingredient lists, suggested recipes, and other added bonuses can be linked using the QR code.
At the end of the talk Smith reminded us of a few of his favourite websites (lovelypackage.com and thedieline.com are favourites of mine as well) and gave a list of suggested reading. Embarrassingly I had only heard of one of the books. Following is a list (i.e. my new reading list) of the books he suggested: Box Bottle Bag, Packaging Essentials, I Miss My Pencil, The Art of Packaging Design and Not a Box. I always enjoy these sorts of design talks and will be sure to continue documenting them for your enjoyment and my own future reference.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Through the Glass
Yesterday evening I attended a great webinar, I may not have picked up any tips or tricks for Photoshop but the speaker had great ideas about the larger picture. Aprile Elcich, originally from Toronto, moved to Philadelphia for her dream job only six months after graduating from George Brown College. As a recent grad myself, I was curious about how she accomplished this and how it turned out.
Elcich was much more eloquent in her storytelling, but essentially by pursuing her passion of collage through personal projects and her blog, Not Paper, she was able to showcase her skills to a broad audience and attract the attention of the folks at Free People. After a quick trip to Philiadelphia, Aprile landed the position of Graphic Designer. During her year there Elcich designed all of their marketing materials, both print and online, and most enviably their seasonal catalogues. Aprile did not elaborate on why she came back, but she did impress upon attendees how great the experience was.
Although professors are there to help guide you, Elcich went against what her professors said and pursued her true interests. This may not work for everyone but by continuing with personal projects you can stay true to what you really love. Aprile is a great example of someone who knows what they want and working hard to get it. It will definitely take me longer than six months to get to my dream job, but the work I have been doing is definitely preparing me for when the time comes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)