Catherine Baird from Dashboard

Catherine's background
Sheridan graduate in 2001
Associate Creative Director at Dashboard
- worked at EcentricArts as a designer after grad
- went to Henderson Bas as a senior designer after
    - became an art director there
    - manage the entire team (9 designers and 3 flash developers)
    - elevated to an Associate Creative Director
    - started to learn how to manage people, manage clients
- Moved to France (got 4 interviews and was hired in 3 weeks)
    - worked at 5emegauche as Sr. art director
    - company had about 30 people
    - stayed for 6 months
- Came back to Canada and was offered a job at DraftFCB as senior art director
- Went on to Dashboard as Associated Creative Director
- Shared her final project - showcase flash skills and wicked design that can impress someone

Some of her advice when she first stepped into the industry
- after you grad you may start off as a junior designer and junior art director
- supporting the intermediate art director or a senior art director

the difference between traditional and digital design
website is a massive thing - lots of content, pages (you need a task force)
    - biggest mistake is not completing all the design and letting the developer create the entire website

Dashboard is a digital engagement agency
- moving into traditional, animation, illustration - constantly changing
- this industry is ever changing - facebook, youtube
- about engaging people from offline to online

Dashboard's new website design

YOU (top 5 secrets to getting infront of an art director)
1. be prepared - have all your work ready to show
    - make it easy for people to see your work
    - 6 page pdf including resume
    - link it to online portfolio
2. do something unusual
    - don't be boring
    - show your creativity
    - make a video
3. follow up and don't write long e-mails
    - CD are busy, don't be discouraged so send some gentle reminders
    - if you stalk someone, you're not going to get a job
    - if you're e-mail is too long, no one will read it
4. show diversity
    - if you've done things other than design, show it
    - makes you well-rounded, interesting, and creative
    - starts a conversation in an interview
5. network
    - be nice, work hard
    - don't burn down bridges
    - respect your work and work ethics
    - go to events, take people out for coffee
    - it's a small industry

trick: if a Creative Director won't get you in for an interview, ask him/her to do a "portfolio review"


THE FUTURE
- touch screens
- airports - cars with glass boxes around them
- iPhone
- mobile will be the future
- every client wants an app for the iPhone
- skinning youtube and facebook pages
- cloud computering
    - PC
    - mini note
    - notebook
    - remote desktop
    - remote server
    - database
    - mobile
- Unity - a plugin to play cinema quality videos, 3D videos online
- typekit

Brendan Good from Leo Burnett

Last Friday we had a very insightful speaker, Brendan Good from Leo Burnett, coming in to speak to us about the advertising industry. Brendan Good is currently the Associate Creative Director at Leo Burnett. He took Sheridan's web design program in 2003. Before this program, he was an industrial designer at RIM. After the web design program, he has worked at various companies like Organic, Jam3Media, Greys Interactive.

During his presentation, he mentions that it is very important to maintain your connections, dive deep into the things that you like and keep learning. He says that if you make your hobbie your passion you can definitely make a career out of it. Another very important idea he wanted to extend was passion. For everything and anything you do, passion can take you a long way. He also mentions that as a designer, it is great to always have a notebook and a pen around you. This is us to make notes and to jot down any ideas that we come up with.

Class for January 28, 2011

Unfortunately last week I was unable to attend class and missed out on a great guest speaker, Steve Miller from OneMethod.

Helen, who was nice enough, updated me on some of the things he mentioned during his presentation. Steve graduated at Ryerson University with a degree of commerce. He mentioned that marketing is a very valuable asset to have in the web design industry. He says that it's very important to understand the demographic, brand, consumer behaviour and usability flow. When it comes to an interview, 50% of it is about your work and the rest is about yourself. He says that your portfolio should always be the most brilliant piece of work you have ever created. It should be something that sells yourself to the employer.

As for OneMethod, it is a company that bases around the idea of Digital + Design = One Method. It started with only 6 employees and has grown to 20. Some of their digital work includes, web, advertisement, mobile media, social media, digital content, and motion design. Their design work includes, branding, advertisement, print, interior design, strategy, and curriculum. 

135 Liberty St. Suite 201

Toronto Ontario CAN M6K 1A7

steven@onemethod.com

Tel: 416.649.0191

Cell: 416.816.7077

Web: www.onemethod.com