the Nitty Gritty: downsides to being a designer

I'm envious of those people whose work doesn't rely on upgrading. Do artists need newly designed paints and paintbrushes?

Before computers, designers rely on simple tools like rulers and Xacto knives they would use them for years and years. Then the computer came along. The designs never looked snazzier. The downside is that there's always something new to buy or there's something new to learn. It's the tech industry's way to profit.

When I graduated college, I was naive to think that I was going to focus on design solely. It got a little convoluted over the years. Design is still my passion but they keep piling on the list of new skills to learn. I had to learn all the ins and outs of my main tools Photoshop and Illustrator but then I was told that I needed to learn some programming skills. Because of the early limits of HTML, I had to learn how to design around tables, low bandwidths, and a color palette of 215. Our industry is so tied to the tech industry that it's gotten my head into a tizzy thinking about all the apps and coding I had to learn.

I just installed the new Adobe Suite. Ugh. I really was fine with what I had already. What more? The new Photoshop CS4 has new 3D functions. 3D? I tossed out the idea of 3D when I had to force myself to design with less colors. In college, we did 3D animations using Director and quickly tossed those skills away until now. At least designing for the new media is more librating now than the 215 color palette. I feel like I've come full circle.

Obama Art Movement

It's true that Obama's an inspiration for many artists like us for quite some time. Last year, my colleague printed out many of the images he found online to post around the office. I'm constantly discovering new art online and on the streets. The trend is contagious. On the right, I've included a few examples from Flickr. I've seen so much good work come out of it that I've started a mini collection of images on my computer. If you have new stuff to show off--a link or artwork, please send over. We'll post them.

Here are some links for you to check out:
Manifest Hope: A recent exhibit of artwork in DC
Design for Obama: A grassroots group for designers to post their art
The Obama Art Report: This site follows Obama inspired art
ObeyGiant: Shepard Fairey's site, of course. You can skim through the pages of his blog to see his art and read about his inspirations
Go Tell Mama: An artist named "cro" who was an early supporter of Obama. He didn't get as much recognition as Shepard Fairey but he was out there a lot earlier.
Time magazine: Article and photos from Person of the Year issue.

Mini Cooper Design Contest

If you have time on your hands itching to get your creative juices going, check out Mini Cooper's Mini Space wallpaper background contest. You can submit up to 9 images. The winning prize is a MacBook Air. Deadline is Feb. 6.

http://www.minispace.com/en_us/

At least check out the designs and vote for me: http://www.minispace.com/en_us/people/profile/robbie116/

Introducing designpost

Hi all,

Designpost is a place where all artists and designers converse. We'll talk about our experiences in our work, share ideas, post pictures our our work, bitch about clients, critique art, inspire one another, and post jobs opportunities.

I'm an artist and designer working here in San Francisco. Professionally, I'm a graphic designer/art director but personally, I'm an artist and I create. In the workplace, I've worn many hats--from art director to designer to project manager to biz dev person. I've worked in a variety of firms and then decided to go on my own.

So write me, whether you're starting out or is a veteran in art or design. Post your thoughts. Art and design related only.

dsgngrl