Helping 2013

Who did you interview?: Jalyssa D.
What was the day and time?: April 25, 2012 at 10:46 AM

Q: What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?
J: I only have one idea and it's dance because I'm in dance and it's something I love and I would rather do something I enjoy rather than something I don't care about for the whole year.
W: So you're not the only junior in dance, correct?
J: Yeah
W: Okay, the advice I have for you is that since no one can have the same topic, and someone most likely will want to do dance too, you should be specific on what kind of dance or what aspect of dance you want to do. Like, do you want to do Tahiti or flags or hip-hop, or...
J: Yeah hip-hop dance!
W: Good good. Cos it also helps with your research if it is more specific because then it narrows it down rather than being like, "Oh my God where do I start?" You know?

Q: What do you plan to do to complete the 10 hours of service learning which is due prior to the start of senior year?
J: Well I've been trying to take a class, but do you have to take a class or do you have to teach a class?
W: I think you have to teach a class or work with the instructor. Maybe taking a class is for you independent component? I'm not too sure. You should probably ask either Erika in ASB or Ashley, who you already know, about it because their topics were dance related as well and I'm not too sure about the details about it. I just know that Ashley worked at this one dance studio in, I think, Walnut. Anyways, do you have a contact already?
J: Yeah, I was planning on going to Nicole [Diaz] who also is in dance and it's a studio in La Puente I think.
W: Okay well just get that solidified. You seem to be good on this. Just be careful not to lag because a lot of our class got killed with their lack of service learning so it's good you have a connection already. Just follow through with it.

Q: What do you hope to see of expect to see when watching the class of 2012 present their two hour presentations?
J: Well I've already been to one but I'm not really sure. Like do you mean up there? Or in the classrooms?
W: Oh, you mean you've been to the product presentations? That's a different component of the senior project. The two hour presentations are us in all the junior and senior classrooms during the last two weeks of May and each senior gets two hours to present what they've been working on all year.
J: Oh okay, well I'm not too sure on what to expect.
W: Okay... Well my advice for you  I guess is to just go in with an open mind and really look at how everything is broken down because a lot of our class, I know, have been telling everyone to transfer out so they don't have to deal with it and they make it seem more scary than it really is and whatever.
J: Yeah I was thinking about transferring out because of that.
W: Yeah, well during the two hour presentations, just kind of look at how everything is broken down into sections because that's basically how the whole year. They give us little bite sized chunks to work on of our project at a time. It's not like they give it to us all at once and it's too much and we all die from it, like how people on Facebook have been doing. It's all done throughout the year and it's manageable pieces, AS LONG AS YOU DON'T SLACK. It's like a snowball effect if you just let it pile on. It definitely catches up to you. So don't worry about it. You'll see during the presentations. And just use the opportunity to calm your nerves about next year rather than to intimidate you.

Q: What questions do you have about senior project?
J: Well I just have one. What about if I'm a leader in dance next year? Would that count as service learning?
W: Well the problem with that is that you can't do service learning with any faculty on campus. Like, even though I'm in yearbook, and I'm an editor, I can't have Strand as my mentor. Mimi, that tall blonde lady you see sometimes in the quad, from Herff Jones, is. She comes here ever other week so that's why I do most of mine on campus. But it can count for your independent component because that's what Ashley did. She worked at a studio but still did dance because she's a leader. If anything, talk to her. What you have going on with Nicole and her studio seems good so just go with that.
J: Okay
W: Is that all or..
J: Uh I think so I don't have anything else to ask.
W: Alright, well my advice for next year is to STAY ON TOP OF YOUR STUFF. You have no idea how important that is. If you let everything pile up, that's when you see people complain on Facebook. Like with research, don't JUST do three a week. If you can, like i did, do like 4, 5, or even 6. Cos at the end, you'll be completely caught up because with research counts, a lot of people fall short because all they do is 3.
J: Is that from the library or the internet or...?
W: It can be from both. Like for me, I have graphic design books and I have articles from online blogs. You'll find out more next year. It's definitely the more simple step of senior project but it makes or breaks it too.
J: Oh and what are the interviews?
W: The interviews... There are 5 of them. The first one you can interview anyone that can help your senior project. So if you did dance, you could interview Ashley, so then you ask like "tell me about my topic" and "where can I find information about it?" basic stuff. The second interview is the same questions but with your service learning mentor. Third and fourth interview are to answer your EQ, 10 and 20 equations. It's actually really helpful. OH this also leads me to my next word of advice. Whenever dealing with other people, ALWAYS GIVE THEM A LOT OF TIME TO REPLY. Like your interviews, give them at least a week to reply and sort out their schedule before they can see you. I did my second one last minute and I had to tun it in late because Mimi was busy and the only day she had open was the day AFTER it was due. Yeah. So any questions? I don't have anything else.
J: No, thanks though!

Fourth Interview Questions

I plan on interviewing Chris Green, a graphic designer with over 15 years of experience at Tetra Tech in Pasadena. If I can, I would like to interview Michelle Bandach, the owner of one of my all time favorite design blogs and a designer herself. (It's one of the links on the side. I don't remember which one.)

1. What common characteristics, if any, do successful graphic designers possess?
2. What steps do graphic designers need to take in order to produce successful work (i.e. ad campaigns, etc)?
3. What are the most important questions should graphic designers ask clients?
4. What important skills must graphic designers learn which are not taught in classes? 
5. What skills in general are important for a graphic designer?
6. What is the best way for one to conceptualize an original concept?
7. Is drawing inspiration from past designs looked down upon? If so, why? If not, what are the best sources for these?
8. Are there any characteristics that are common among successful designs (i.e. ad campaigns, award winning publications, etc)? If so, what?
9. Is there a set "design process" which all designers follow? If so, what and elaborate. If not, why?
10. What is the biggest factor to take a design from good to great?
11. How do designers get inspired? How do they maintain the motivation and inspiration throughout the design process?
12. What is the typical day for graphic designers? 
13. What is the biggest challenge being a graphic designer?
14. I recently had another interview with graphic designer Sylvia Ly. She mentioned that the audience plays a huge role in determining what a design will be. Do you agree or disagree? Explain.
15. She also explained that Web Design is a popular field for designers to go in. What differences in skill are there between editorial designers and web designers?
16. When is a graphic designer considered "successful?"
17. What key things do you think are essential to designing? Are these standard among all designers?
18. What resources do good graphic designers utilize in terms of inspiration/creating the actual work?
19. What characteristics are necessary for EVERY graphic designer?
20. What's the difference between digital art and graphic design? Does one need to know digital art in order to be a graphic designer?

Third Interview Questions

Definitely subject to change. Bold indicates the questions that were asked (She ran out of time and could only answer 10). The others will be asked in the fourth interview, if allotted.

1. (EQ) What is most important to impact an audience through graphic design?


2. What is the best way to find inspiration for a design?


3. What does one need to know in order to become a successful designer?


4. What is considered to be a "good" design?

5. What advice should young designers follow in order to become successful in this field?

6. What are current trends in successful graphic design projects and campaigns? How can one predict future trends?

7. What formal education, if any, do graphic designers need to take to produce successful work?

8. What should graphic designers keep in mind while designing?

9. How important of a role, if at all, does demographic play in graphic design?

10. What importance does type play? Photography? Knowledge of the program?

11. In order to become more knowledgable of the programs (Photoshop, InDesign, etc) should one take a class or simply experiment? Why?

I have more questions, which I will add later once I figure out the logical wording.

As for who I will be interviewing, I am trying to find a graphic designer to interview. I am in contact with a senior designer for Vegas magazine. However, if all falls through, I will interview Paul Ender, the "yearbook guru" who emphasizes strongly on design (notably type). At the moment, I am strongly leaning towards interviewing Trung Truong, the Art Director at Tetra Tech in Pasadena. He graduated with a degree in Visual Arts: Media from UCSD and entered the company as a design intern and worked his way up the company. I was referred to Sylvia Ly, a graphic designer at Tetra Tech in Pasadena. She is a 2006 Gold Crown award recipient and has a degree in Fine Arts from USC as well as a background in communications.

Second Interview Questions

I will be interviewing my service learning person, Mimi Orth, who is the representative of Herff Jones Yearbook Publishing for iPoly. She has worked in this profession for very many years, working with schools in the LA area to help them produce great yearbooks. In addition to iPoly, she works along side many award winning staffs such as Brentwood HS and Walnut HS, whose work I really admire. Also having studied design at UCLA, I feel that with her experience, she will have great insight to this subject that would help me greatly with my senior project.

The questions I plan on asking, in no particular order, are:

1) What does your job at Herff Jones call for? What can you say from your observation about the transformation of graphic design in yearooks from what it was when you started to what it is now?

2) How is working with so many different schools' designers like?

3) How is it like working with graphic designers within the yearbook realm? What encounters have you had with them? What knowledge did you gain, if any, from working with them?

4) What is your educational background in design? What did you gain from it?

5) How did you first become interested in design? Why?

6)  How did you become the "Font Queen"? What are your favorite fonts? What makes typography so important to you?

7) What do you do in your job that involves design? What skills does that require?

8) What is the typical work day for you?

9) From what you've observed in you job and in your overall design experience, what qualities do graphic designers possess that make their designs impacting? Which of those qualities do you think you possess?

Blog 2: Interview 1 Preparation

For my project, I will first be interviewing Mimi Orth, who is the representative of Herff Jones Yearbook Publishing for iPoly. She has worked in this profession for very many years, working with schools in the LA area to help them produce great yearbooks. In addition to iPoly, she works along side many award winning staffs such as Brentwood HS and Walnut HS, whose work I really admire. Also having studied design at UCLA, I feel that with her experience, she will have great insight to this subject that would help me greatly with my senior project. edit 091811: Cynthia Schroeder, the former Editor-in-Chief of the iPoly Globe. Before holding the title of EIC, she was the assistant design editor the previous year, therefore having a strong background and knowledge of my topic. She pretty much taught me most everything I know and was the one who got my feet wet in the yearbook design world. I feel that she can really help me since she's been through this process before and gained so much from her senior project as well

Along with the five required questions, some other questions I plan on asking, in no particular order, are:

1) How long have you been working for Herff Jones? What can you say about the transformation of yearbook design from what it was then to what it is now?

2) What sets apart the designers at the award-winning schools such as Casa Roble or Antelope?

3) What is the best way to find inspiration when designing?

4) What makes an award-winning book so notable? What's their secret when it comes to their design?

5) How is working with so many different schools' designers like? Are there any differences you've seen, subtle and obvious, between the schools with notable books, such as Walnut, and others including iPoly?

6) What do you recommend I should keep in mind when designing in order to have the best impact on the reader/ have a strong design.

7) Are Herff Jones book better designed than other publishers? If so, why?