Comments on: Stand by Your Title http://encourageothers.com/2009/03/stand-by-your-title/ Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:10:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Krystal Wight Armstrong http://encourageothers.com/2009/03/stand-by-your-title/comment-page-1/#comment-54 Krystal Wight Armstrong Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:36:34 +0000 http://encourageothers.com/?p=27#comment-54 Oh, PS! (Sorry one more thing). My favorite design classes were in typography, and I just had to say that I really love yours. The site's design and layout, and typeface choices are so nice, and easy on the eyes, and classy. Ok, I think that's all! :D Oh, PS! (Sorry one more thing). My favorite design classes were in typography, and I just had to say that I really love yours. The site’s design and layout, and typeface choices are so nice, and easy on the eyes, and classy. Ok, I think that’s all! :D

]]> By: Krystal Wight Armstrong http://encourageothers.com/2009/03/stand-by-your-title/comment-page-1/#comment-53 Krystal Wight Armstrong Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:31:24 +0000 http://encourageothers.com/?p=27#comment-53 Hi! I initially came over from Jen's blog (I've only just stumbled upon it this week), because I loved her site's design, and saw your bug down in the corner, so I was hoping to learn more about your web design for blogs. I've just recently decided to start one and I can't figure out how to implement my own background design and imagery into the templates, etc. I didn't find much on that here (do you have another portfolio site with your art and services available?). In the mean time, I have enjoyed reading some of your articles here while looking around. This, in particular, got me. Right now I'm a married-student in my last year at John Brown University, studying Digital Cinema and Graphic Design...and it's just interesting to hear about some of your struggles with the title of your profession. I hadn't quite come to that realization yet as I haven't graduated yet and gotten terribly far in my career yet (though there's been some good freelance work). So far I've been very proud & confident in letting people know my 2 areas of study, but I suppose I should have been more prepared for negative misconceptions as I find more and more people having to ask what Graphic Design actually is or entails. And Digital Cinema gets mixed responses (I usually just have to end up explaining that it's 'filmmaking' for people to get it). So maybe it was naive of me; and I'm only slightly disheartened to hear that's the general current view of designers. I keep reading articles in my Communication Arts magazines that give me hope for the future of design...so we'll see. As for photography, you and Mr. Burrows are <i>so</i> right! It seems like every few weeks I find old high school friends putting up photography business sites, when I know they had no interest or schooling in it til they graduated college, and it's just a little hard to swallow when you hear them saying things like "what a stock photo?" or "my wife just loooved my family photos so we decided it was our calling to start our own business." Though, i do wish them all the best. A similar (yet sort of opposite) issue my husband (also a film student) and I are finding, is that for young filmmakers hoping to get noticed and break into the biz via these big corporate video competitions, there's increasingly little hope, because we find professionals are being forced to enter seemingly amateur contests, and obviously winning them all. Because they're bringing all their high-end equipment to the table, and not being able to get enough biz without entering things like this, the big companies are getting awesome professional work, while the artists aren't getting paid what they should be worth otherwise. I think it's all very interesting. And while it makes for a great creative challenge for amateurs to step up to that standard to compete, it's still kinda sad. Anyway, sorry I wrote such a terribly long "comment." Perhaps you can take it as a compliment that your article got to be so thought provoking! Oh, If I may...one more thing. I just wanted to say that I appreciated both Abby and your response to her comment. [Though you wouldn't guess it from this crazy post,] I'm constantly bothered by poor grammar & spelling in published writings these days, but find it's such the norm and usually only get ridiculed for caring, so I never bring it up. But I admire Abby for doing so, and for your graceful response. Truly you do have some great writing in this blog, and compared to much of what's online these days, it's even more wonderful and you have nothing to worry about...I really only noticed a few 'to's instead of 'too's. So I hope you only stay more encouraged to keep writing. ...and thanks for enduring this ridiculously post. Happy Week! :) Hi! I initially came over from Jen’s blog (I’ve only just stumbled upon it this week), because I loved her site’s design, and saw your bug down in the corner, so I was hoping to learn more about your web design for blogs. I’ve just recently decided to start one and I can’t figure out how to implement my own background design and imagery into the templates, etc.
I didn’t find much on that here (do you have another portfolio site with your art and services available?). In the mean time, I have enjoyed reading some of your articles here while looking around. This, in particular, got me.
Right now I’m a married-student in my last year at John Brown University, studying Digital Cinema and Graphic Design…and it’s just interesting to hear about some of your struggles with the title of your profession. I hadn’t quite come to that realization yet as I haven’t graduated yet and gotten terribly far in my career yet (though there’s been some good freelance work). So far I’ve been very proud & confident in letting people know my 2 areas of study, but I suppose I should have been more prepared for negative misconceptions as I find more and more people having to ask what Graphic Design actually is or entails. And Digital Cinema gets mixed responses (I usually just have to end up explaining that it’s ‘filmmaking’ for people to get it).

So maybe it was naive of me; and I’m only slightly disheartened to hear that’s the general current view of designers. I keep reading articles in my Communication Arts magazines that give me hope for the future of design…so we’ll see.

As for photography, you and Mr. Burrows are so right! It seems like every few weeks I find old high school friends putting up photography business sites, when I know they had no interest or schooling in it til they graduated college, and it’s just a little hard to swallow when you hear them saying things like “what a stock photo?” or “my wife just loooved my family photos so we decided it was our calling to start our own business.” Though, i do wish them all the best.
A similar (yet sort of opposite) issue my husband (also a film student) and I are finding, is that for young filmmakers hoping to get noticed and break into the biz via these big corporate video competitions, there’s increasingly little hope, because we find professionals are being forced to enter seemingly amateur contests, and obviously winning them all. Because they’re bringing all their high-end equipment to the table, and not being able to get enough biz without entering things like this, the big companies are getting awesome professional work, while the artists aren’t getting paid what they should be worth otherwise. I think it’s all very interesting. And while it makes for a great creative challenge for amateurs to step up to that standard to compete, it’s still kinda sad.

Anyway, sorry I wrote such a terribly long “comment.” Perhaps you can take it as a compliment that your article got to be so thought provoking!

Oh, If I may…one more thing. I just wanted to say that I appreciated both Abby and your response to her comment. [Though you wouldn't guess it from this crazy post,] I’m constantly bothered by poor grammar & spelling in published writings these days, but find it’s such the norm and usually only get ridiculed for caring, so I never bring it up. But I admire Abby for doing so, and for your graceful response. Truly you do have some great writing in this blog, and compared to much of what’s online these days, it’s even more wonderful and you have nothing to worry about…I really only noticed a few ‘to’s instead of ‘too’s. So I hope you only stay more encouraged to keep writing.
…and thanks for enduring this ridiculously post.
Happy Week! :)

]]> By: Kevin Richardson http://encourageothers.com/2009/03/stand-by-your-title/comment-page-1/#comment-3 Kevin Richardson Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:34:05 +0000 http://encourageothers.com/?p=27#comment-3 Abby: Thanks so much for your response to this article. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not great with grammar so I appreciate your honesty. This is something I have been consciously working on over the past few months, but I'll be sure to have some knowledgeable peers start proofing before I post. Thanks for reading! Abby: Thanks so much for your response to this article. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not great with grammar so I appreciate your honesty. This is something I have been consciously working on over the past few months, but I’ll be sure to have some knowledgeable peers start proofing before I post. Thanks for reading!

]]> By: Abby http://encourageothers.com/2009/03/stand-by-your-title/comment-page-1/#comment-2 Abby Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:32:26 +0000 http://encourageothers.com/?p=27#comment-2 I like that you are using the internet forum to write these design articles. But to prove your point, that design is more than just owning photoshop and pushing pixels, I want to suggest that you have a copywriter/editor proof these. As a fellow designer, imagine my surprise to find such a well-designed site with insightful articles! But with the typos and grammatical errors, it's jarring. Almost like getting a printed piece back from the printer, and the cropping is completely off. You are a great writer, much like you are a great designer, but use a copy editor. You wouldn't send your design work out without using a production artist. It's the same thing. And I think it will only increase your readership. I like that you are using the internet forum to write these design articles. But to prove your point, that design is more than just owning photoshop and pushing pixels, I want to suggest that you have a copywriter/editor proof these.

As a fellow designer, imagine my surprise to find such a well-designed site with insightful articles! But with the typos and grammatical errors, it’s jarring. Almost like getting a printed piece back from the printer, and the cropping is completely off. You are a great writer, much like you are a great designer, but use a copy editor. You wouldn’t send your design work out without using a production artist. It’s the same thing.

And I think it will only increase your readership.

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